Drum "bulup" · D. R. Congo, Kuba · ID: 3034152
Description
light brown wood, dark brown patina, animal drum skin, the upper part of the body covered with incised geometrical ornaments, the handle continued in the shape of a hand, min. dam., traces of abrasion, small missing parts, small holes in the drum skin;
the decoration of a drum reflects the wealth and prestige of a given community. The handle in form of a hand is both a visual pun (the drummer’s hand and the drum’s hand) and a reference to “iyol”, the society of soldiers. To join the “iyol” in the past, a man had to kill an enemy and bring proof to the town council in the form of a severed hand.
The object Drum “bulup” with the object ID 3034152 was last part of the auction 72nd tribal art auction at March 9, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 437.
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Comparing literature
Dagan, Esther A., Drums, The heartbeat of Africa, Montreal 1993, p. 139, ill. 74.1