Whistle (nsiba) / Artist Unknown, African, Vili Peoples, Congo Republic
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/1.181
- Title
- Whistle (nsiba)
- Artist Nationality
- Congolese
- Medium and Support
- wood, antelope horn
- Object Creation Date
- 1925-1975
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Congo Republic (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Congo Republic (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
- Dimensions
- 21.5 cm x 4.7 cm x 4.7 cm (8 7/16 in. x 1 7/8 in. x 1 7/8 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Primary Object Type
- musical instrument
- Physical Description
- Two components make up this vertical whistle. The superstructure is a wooden carving of two birds that face each other, bellies touching, with a small round object between them, so that each is holding it in their beaks. The birds' talons clutch the base of the sculpture. The base has a hole in the center into which the antelope horn is pegged.
- Subject Matter
- The sculpture atop the horn illustrates a Vili proverb warning about the complications that stem from fighting over the same woman. Ritual specialists often doubled as judges in time of moral and social instability. People facing seemingly irreconcilable problems consulted experts to get to the root of the problem. Banganga or professional practitioners used objects like this whistle to awaken ancestral forces lying latent in nearby minkisi sculptures.
- Secondary Keywords
- aerophones
- analytical functions
- animals and creatures
- disciplines
- duct flutes
- flutes (aerophones)
- forest and nature activities
- functions
- functions (activities)
- functions by general context
- objects we use
- occult sciences
- people and culture
- physical activities
- physical activities by location
- physical activities by specific context
- sound devices
- sound devices by acoustical characteristics
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 888 x 2718
- File Size
- 321 KB
- Record
- 2005/1.181
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.181/2005_1_181.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
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IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2005-SL-1.181:2005_1_181.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Whistle (nsiba); Artist Unknown, African, Vili Peoples, Congo Republic." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.181/2005_1_181.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 02, 2024.