Drum, Lele; D.R.C. Congo
Wood, animal hide; H. 42"
Drums of the Lele are at once recognizable
by their elongated shapes and intricate surface
design. As in this case, many examples also bear
large mask-like faces carved in high relief on the
upper part of the drum. Though the mask faces clearly
resemble the masks of the Lele themselves, it is
not surprising that such drums can often be seen
in use among the neighboring Kuba, who trade carved
wooden cups and pipes extensively with the Lele.
In fact, film footage made in a southern Bushoong
village in early 2002 shows a drum nearly identical
to this example in use in a typical Kuba masked
dance performance. Cases such as this should give
one pause before firmly ascribing a single cultural
attribution to an object when it has been made for
sale to neighboring peoples living in reciprocal
relations. Though some prefer a taxonomical approach
to African art that neatly fits each object into
one category or another, cases like this suggest
its inadequacies.
