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Atumpan

The atumpan is the principal talking drum of the Akan people of Ghana. A "talking drum" is used to imitate African languages, often tonal, where words have different meanings depending on the pitches at which they are spoken. This is a goblet-shaped drum, where the body is made of a large barrel drum with a open tubular foot at the base, thus resembling a goblet. The skin membrane and the wooden pegs are missing from this example.

  • Culture:Akan
  • Period:
  • Materials:
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:The wooden body is carved with a fluted design.
  • Inscriptions:
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:211.26 Goblet-shaped drums
  • Repository:Swindon Museum & Art Gallery
  • Measurements:Height: 465mm; Diameter: 275mm