Slit Drum (Cameroon Grassfields)

Slit drums are among the important wooden idiophones of the Cameroon Grassfields. They occur in a wide variety of forms and were used in different social and musical contexts, including communication, ceremonial activities, dance and ensemble performance. Their sound is produced by striking the wooden surfaces on either side of a longitudinal opening.

The present instrument is an unusually sculptural example. It was carved from a single block of wood and has a strongly zoomorphic form. At both ends of the body the carver has incorporated a human or animal-like head. One of the two heads, with its broad facial features and open mouth, shows a striking formal resemblance to the mask visible in the accompanying historical photograph. This similarity is of artistic interest, but does not provide sufficient evidence for assigning the drum to a particular society or ceremonial context.

The upper part of the resonator contains the characteristic longitudinal slit with enlarged openings within the carved surface. The wooden walls on either side of the slit are formed with different thicknesses, allowing contrasting pitches to be produced when the instrument is struck. Such two-tone construction is an important acoustic characteristic of slit drums and could also support the transmission of rhythmic or tonal signals.

Bibliography:
Ankermann, Bernhard: Die afrikanischen Musikinstrumente. Berlin, 1901.
Bebey, Francis: African Music: A People's Art. New York: Lawrence Hill, 1975.
Brincard, Marie-Thérèse (ed.): Sounding Forms – African Musical Instruments. New York: The American Federation of Arts, 1989.
Dagan, Esther A. (ed.): Drums: The Heartbeat of Africa. Galerie Amrad, 1993.
Geary, Christraud M.: “Slit Gongs in the Cameroon Grassfields: Sights and Sounds of Beauty and Power.” In: Marie-Thérèse Brincard (ed.), Sounding Forms – African Musical Instruments. New York, 1989.
Kubik, Gerhard: Musikgeschichte in Bildern – Westafrika. Leipzig, 1989.
Meyer, Andreas: Afrikanische Trommeln – West- und Zentralafrika. Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, 1997.
Wieschhoff, Heinz: Die afrikanischen Trommeln und ihre außerafrikanischen Beziehungen. Stuttgart, 1933.