Author: John Harries

BIG DRUM SA 037 

ITEM TYPE: 

Drum

KEY WORDS:  

Drum, South Asia, Musical instrument

DESCRIPTION:  

Large double-headed wooden drum, with leather head, body of wood painted with green and yellow stripes, metal handles to which are attached a long strap of grass string

FUNCTION:  

Musical instrument  

DIMENSIONS:   

42 x 31 cm

MATERIALS:   

Wood, Animal Skin, Paint

PRODUCTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES:   

Unknown  

CONDITION:  

Good.

PROVENANCE:   

NAME OF CREATOR:   

Unknown.   

WHERE THE ITEM WAS CREATED/MADE:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with South Asia, following other possibly South Asian drums in the collection and the work of Professor Emeritus Anthony Good, in Sri Lanka. 

DATE MADE:  

Unknown  

ACQUISITION:  

Possibly donated by Anthony Good. This object was likely acquired by Professor Emeritus Anthony Good during his fieldwork in Sri Lanka and subsequently donated to the University’s Anthropology Teaching Collection.  

ACQUISITION DATE: 

Unknown

Cataloguer: Zahra Abdalla

ITEM TYPE: 

Rattle  

KEY WORDS:  

Rattle, cowrie shell, seeds, musical instrument, Bamileke, Cameroon 

DESCRIPTION:  

Small head of gourd covered by a string net woven with white/grey seed pods or small cowrie shells. The head of the rattle when shook produces the musical sound.  

FUNCTION:  

Musical instrument  

DIMENSIONS:   

13.5cm x 10cm 

MATERIALS:   

Seeds, gourd, string, cowrie shell

PRODUCTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES:   

Unknown  

CONDITION:  

Good.  

PROVENANCE:   

NAME OF CREATOR:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with the Bamileke people due to labels from the Anthropology Teaching Collection.   

WHERE THE ITEM WAS CREATED/MADE:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with the Cameroon grasslands region due to labels from the Anthropology Teaching Collection.  

DATE MADE:  

Unknown  

ACQUISITION:  

Unknown, but it was likely obtained by a PhD student of a member of staff at the University of Edinburgh during fieldwork and was then donated to the University of Edinburgh’s Social Anthropology Teaching Collection, where the Social Anthropology Department now has ownership. The nature of the acquisition is unknown.   

ACQUISITION DATE:  

Unknown

AUDIO RECORDING OF RATTLE:

Cataloguer: Zahra Abdalla

 TITLE: Unknown 

ITEM TYPE: 

Rattle  

KEY WORDS:  

Ratlte, grass, musical instrument, Bamileke, Cameroon 

DESCRIPTION:  

Woven grass rattle with a thick woven handle, string fortification at the base and a hollow, rounded head. The head of the rattle likely contains encased stones or seed that produces the musical sound.  

FUNCTION:  

Musical instrument  

DIMENSIONS:   

23cm x 8.5cm  

MATERIALS:   

Grass, string, likely stones or seeds 

PRODUCTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES:   

Unknown  

CONDITION:  

Good.  

PROVENANCE:   

NAME OF CREATOR:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with the Bamileke people due to labels from the Anthropology Teaching Collection.   

WHERE THE ITEM WAS CREATED/MADE:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with the Cameroon grasslands region due to labels from the Anthropology Teaching Collection.  

DATE MADE:  

Unknown  

ACQUISITION:  

Unknown, but it was likely obtained by a PhD student of a member of staff at the University of Edinburgh during fieldwork and was then donated to the University of Edinburgh’s Social Anthropology Teaching Collection, where the Social Anthropology Department now has ownership. The nature of the acquisition is unknown.   

ACQUISITION DATE:  

Unknown, but likely pre-1980s. 

CURRENT LOCATION:  

Chrystal Macmillan Building in storage.  

AUDIO RECORDING OF RATTLE:  

GENERAL NOTES:   

SOURCES:  

Schrag, B.E. (2005) How Bamiléké music-makers create culture in Cameroon. PhD thesis. University of California.  

RECOMMENDED SITES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:  

OTHER ASSOCIATIONS: 

There is a potential link to object SA040 and SA044 in the collection, as they could be from the same region and used in similar dances and performances, but this needs further researching.  

NAME OF CATALOGUER:  

Zahra Abdalla

TITLE: 

Unknown  

ITEM TYPE: 

Rattle  

KEY WORDS:  

Rattle, grass, musical instrument, Bamileke, Cameroon  

DESCRIPTION:  

A brown and black plaited grass rattle with a long, thin handle and an oblong hollow head. The head of the rattle likely contains encased stones or seed that produces the musical sound.  

FUNCTION:  

Musical instrument 

DIMENSIONS:   

23cm x 4cm  

MATERIALS:   

Grass, string, likely seeds or stones 

PRODUCTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES:   

Unknown  

CONDITION:  

Good.  

PROVENANCE:   

NAME OF CREATOR:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with the Bamileke people due to labels from the Anthropology Teaching Collection.   

WHERE THE ITEM WAS CREATED/MADE:   

Unknown, but it could potentially be associated with the Cameroon grasslands region due to labels from the Anthropology Teaching Collection.  

DATE MADE:  

Unknown  

ACQUISITION:  

Unknown, but it was likely obtained by a PhD student of a member of staff at the University of Edinburgh during fieldwork and was then donated to the University of Edinburgh’s Social Anthropology Teaching Collection, where the Social Anthropology Department now has ownership. The nature of the acquisition is unknown.   

ACQUISITION DATE:  

Unknown, but likely pre-1980s.   

AUDIO RECORDING OF RATTLE:

CURRENT LOCATION:  

Chrystal Macmillan Building in storage.  

GENERAL NOTES:   

SOURCES:  

Schrag, B.E. (2005) How Bamiléké music-makers create culture in Cameroon. PhD thesis. University of California.  

RECOMMENDED SITES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:  

OTHER ASSOCIATIONS: 

There is a potential link to object SA040 and SA045 in the collection, as they could be from the same region and used in similar dances and performances but this needs further researching.  

NAME OF CATALOGUER:  

Astrid Everall  

DATE:  

09/03/2025