This drum is from the Asante people of Ghana and is 535 mm long. It is a musical instrument made of wood and hide. It was played with a drum stick on one end. Squeezing the strings under the arm tightened and loosened the skin, and changed the sound of the drum – hence ‘talking”. Drums were used in Africa as part of rituals, important ceremonies, music, storytelling and general festivities. They were also used to send messages and feared by Europeans on the plantations, since their beating might signal the start of a rebellion (as in Haiti).
© Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archive
Accession reference: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives, E1798
Themes
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Africa before Transatlantic Enslavement
The history of Africa and African people does not begin nor end with transatlantic slavery. Understand what Africa was like and what the continent lost as a result of the trade.
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Plantation Conditions
Understand the harshness of daily life on the plantations, the oppression used to exert control, and the profits…
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Resistance and Rebellion
Understand how the enslaved actively resisted and rebelled at every stage of oppression including uprisings on board ship, forming their own communities and maintaining cultural heritage.
Background Reading
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The Lost Libraries Of Timbuktu
Until recently, many commentators on Africa claimed that African societies had no tradition of writing. With the rediscovery of ancient manuscript collections, some dating back to the 8th century AD, this perception is changing.
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Introduction To Various African Kingdoms