This piece was designed and constructed by the Zandi People of Federal Republic of the Congo. Rhythmic sophistication and acute, musical sensibilities are highly refined on the African continent. Music scholars identify this slit drum as an “idiophone” – an instrument which produces its sound through contact of two solid objects (in this case, the hands and the wood). This instrument features a narrow opening on top with a hollow chamber that resonates when struck. In Zandi culture, slit drums often assume human or animal forms. This drum is carved in the shape of a ram, a beast representing both power and stability.