Cameroon
Baka

Wood, rattan fiber rope 
Mid 20th Century
Length: 12.5 inches
Idiophone – Rasp – Scraped

Figural Baka (Bakola) rasp with usage traces and drying cracks. Hand carved from one piece of wood. The Baka people are all hunter-gatherers having a semi-nomadic lifestyle. They have an average height of 5 feet and are often discriminated against and marginalized from society.

Rasps may be used as a musical instrument or as ritual paraphernalia to accompany ceremonial events.