Yoruba artists aim to uplift and stimulate the
viewer by the beauty and power of their
inventiveness and skill. A work of art
communicates information about everyday life,
human nature, and the interaction of spirits upon
the living.
The rich panoply of daily existence can be seen
on this marvelous drum. It is divided into two
sections; the lower portion shows a type of
procession where ten figures are seen in profile
moving in a clock-wise direction, ending and
beginning with a figure facing frontally. One
figure holds the arm of another as if he is a
prisoner, while another holds a smaller person
upside-down by the feet. They have the
appearance of processional figures as seen on
palace doors offering homage to a king. On the
upper section a couple appears to be making
love, a mother with a baby on her back presses
the arm of a man, another man makes an
offering of animals, while a third rests his hand
on the top of a child's head. The central image is
an abstract face reminiscent of those carved by
the famous sculptor Olowe, and conceivably an
image of the god Olodumare. This upper level
seems to be related to figures involved in fertility
and procreation; while the lower band is devoted
to paying homage. Both aspects are crucial to
the harmony of daily life. The power of this drum
is so intense you can feel and almost hear its
voice waiting to awaken the souls of the living
and the spirits of the other world.
- (PF.4778)
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