Akan Drum
Encyclopedia
The Akan Drum is a drum
that was made in West Africa and was later found in the Colony of Virginia in North America. It is now the oldest African-American object in the British Museum
and possibly the oldest surviving anywhere. The drum is a reminder of all three continents' involvement in the estimated twelve million people transported across the Atlantic as part of the slave trade. The drum was featured as the centrepiece of a special display in Room 3 at the British Museum (on right immediately inside main entrance) until 10 October 2010; it is normally displayed in room 26.
, Baphia
and Cordia africana
. The latter fine-grained hardwood
is known for its ability to be carved and its resonance, which makes it suited to musical instruments. The drumskin came from a deer hide and was stretched over the wooden structure using vegetable fibre.
of West Africa between 1700 and 1745, and is presumed to have travelled to America on board a slave ship
. As all the slaves left with nothing it is presumed that the drum was either brought by a member of the crew or possibly by a son of the African chief who had sold the slaves for transportation. To exercise their captives, the slave traders would "dance the slaves". It is supposed that this was why the drum was transported. The word Akan
refers to the culture in what is today Ghana and includes the Fante, Asante and Akuapem
people.
There is a striking but unexplained similarity between the phrase "Akan Drum" and the phrase "Aiken Drum", used in British folksongs from the 18th century.
This particular drum was obtained in Virginia by the Rev. Clerk on behalf of the British collector Sir Hans Sloane
. Sloane had travelled through Jamaica and had observed at first hand slaves playing instruments including those that were to evolve into the banjo
. Sloane gathered examples of the tools of slavery and other artifacts which included this drum. Clerk and Sloane thought erroneously that this drum was made by American Indians. Sloane used his collection to found the British Museum in 1753, and the drum is still displayed there as part of the "Sloane collection". Sloane's catalogue records this item as "drum made of a hollowed tree carved the top being brac'd wt. peggs & thongs wt. the bottom hollow from Virginia".
In 1906, curators at the British Museum realised that the drum could not have been created by native Americans, but must have been made in Africa. In the 1970s, it became possible to use expertise from Kew Gardens to determine that the wood was grown in Africa. The drum is thought to have originally been made for a musician in an African chief's orchestra.
, a series of radio programmes that started in 2010 as a collaboration between the BBC
and the British Museum.
The drum has also been used as the lead object in a special display at the British Museum in 2010 called "From Africa to America: drumming, slavery, music". The exhibition looked at how this drum was used in the "dance of the slaves", but also as an example of the collision of cultures that was created by the slave trade that eventually led to jazz
and rock and roll
. The slave owners were unsure of how they should treat African music. On some plantations drums were banned.
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
that was made in West Africa and was later found in the Colony of Virginia in North America. It is now the oldest African-American object in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and possibly the oldest surviving anywhere. The drum is a reminder of all three continents' involvement in the estimated twelve million people transported across the Atlantic as part of the slave trade. The drum was featured as the centrepiece of a special display in Room 3 at the British Museum (on right immediately inside main entrance) until 10 October 2010; it is normally displayed in room 26.
Description
The drum is made from two species of wood that are native to sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
, Baphia
Baphia
Baphia is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family.It contains the following species:* Baphia abyssinica* Baphia capparidifolia* Baphia dewildeana* Baphia heudelotiana* Baphia keniensis* Baphia kirkii* Baphia latiloi...
and Cordia africana
Cordia africana
Cordia africana is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to Africa. It is sometimes called Cordia Abyssinia which implies that it may have first been identified from examples growing there.-Uses:...
. The latter fine-grained hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
is known for its ability to be carved and its resonance, which makes it suited to musical instruments. The drumskin came from a deer hide and was stretched over the wooden structure using vegetable fibre.
Provenance
The drum was made in the Ghana regionHistory of Ghana
The Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval West African Ghana Empire, known to the dominant ethnic group the Soninke, as Wagadugu, which roughly translates to "Land of Herds." The Empire became known in Europe and Arabia as the Ghana Empire by the title of its emperor, the Ghana. The Empire...
of West Africa between 1700 and 1745, and is presumed to have travelled to America on board a slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
. As all the slaves left with nothing it is presumed that the drum was either brought by a member of the crew or possibly by a son of the African chief who had sold the slaves for transportation. To exercise their captives, the slave traders would "dance the slaves". It is supposed that this was why the drum was transported. The word Akan
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
refers to the culture in what is today Ghana and includes the Fante, Asante and Akuapem
Akuapem
The Akuapem are an Akan people who predominantly occupy the Eastern region of Ghana.-History:The original inhabitants of the Akuapern Hills were predominantly Guan. The towns of Akuapem are in the Eastern Region of Ghana and situated between longitude 0°15 W - 0°00 and latitude 5°45 - 6°00 N...
people.
There is a striking but unexplained similarity between the phrase "Akan Drum" and the phrase "Aiken Drum", used in British folksongs from the 18th century.
This particular drum was obtained in Virginia by the Rev. Clerk on behalf of the British collector Sir Hans Sloane
Hans Sloane
Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, PRS was an Ulster-Scot physician and collector, notable for bequeathing his collection to the British nation which became the foundation of the British Museum...
. Sloane had travelled through Jamaica and had observed at first hand slaves playing instruments including those that were to evolve into the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. Sloane gathered examples of the tools of slavery and other artifacts which included this drum. Clerk and Sloane thought erroneously that this drum was made by American Indians. Sloane used his collection to found the British Museum in 1753, and the drum is still displayed there as part of the "Sloane collection". Sloane's catalogue records this item as "drum made of a hollowed tree carved the top being brac'd wt. peggs & thongs wt. the bottom hollow from Virginia".
In 1906, curators at the British Museum realised that the drum could not have been created by native Americans, but must have been made in Africa. In the 1970s, it became possible to use expertise from Kew Gardens to determine that the wood was grown in Africa. The drum is thought to have originally been made for a musician in an African chief's orchestra.
Importance
This is the oldest African-American object in the British Museum and was part of its founding collection. This drum was chosen to be featured in A History of the World in 100 ObjectsA History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...
, a series of radio programmes that started in 2010 as a collaboration between the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the British Museum.
The drum has also been used as the lead object in a special display at the British Museum in 2010 called "From Africa to America: drumming, slavery, music". The exhibition looked at how this drum was used in the "dance of the slaves", but also as an example of the collision of cultures that was created by the slave trade that eventually led to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. The slave owners were unsure of how they should treat African music. On some plantations drums were banned.