A Rare Vuvi Bwete Society Ceremonial Drum from Gabon, Africa. A very tall carved wooden cylindrical drum with two mask faces and a animal hide drum skin, that still has playable tone.The Vuvi are ruled by an initiation society and belief system which emphasized the veneration of ancestors, the bwete (or bwiti) society. Initiation into this society involves the instruction of young people by experienced adults over a period of six months by the means of a "Bush school" , basically a series of lessons on the ethical, religious, and disciplinary principles of the tribe, along with physical exercises and moral tests designed to help perpetuate the tradition. The bwete takes place partly in the "ebandza", which is a ritual temple in the village, and partly in the "nzimbe", a sacred place for secret meetings in the forest. The first compulsory rite of passage, called the bwete disumba, consists of the ingestion of the grated bark of the roots of the eboga bush (iboga), called ‘sacred wood’ or ‘bitter wood’, resulting in a temporary alteration of consciousness and hallucination that enables contact with the Great Beyond and the spirits of the ancestors.According to literature, public bwete events were spectacular. The masks would emerge from the obscurity of darkness to the blowing of horns, beating of ceremonial drums, such as this one.This is the only drum of its type that I have come across, it has obvious use and wear, and if you note, there have been other drum heads attached over the years, indicating actual field use as a ceremonial instrument. The underside shows heavy wear and erosion from exposure to the elements.The Drum Measures 42 inches tall.Completely original untouched patina.

fair, well worn