Democratic Republic of Congo
Teke

Wood
ca. Mid-20th century
Length: 16cm
Aerophone – Edge-blown – Flute/Whistle

Flute from the Teke people, depicting a figure with bent knees and hands on abdomen. The pose (attitude) symbolizes service, while the gestures (thought) convey a message of asking for matters of good health. Hand carved from one piece of wood. When possessed by spirits, Teke diviners used flutes and slit drums to communicate with the spirits and humans in distant villages. Both instruments are capable of conveying complex sentences, since the Teke  language is tonal. The variety of tones obtained by using the two stop-holes on a whistle such as this, can approximate speech.