Pinar del Río Province, Cuba
Taíno People

Wood, feathers, fiber, pigment, shell
ca. 1950’s CE
Length:  29 in; Widest diameter: 17.5 in

Idiophones – Struck Idiophones – Slit Drum

During the late 15^th century Taíno people were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the norther Lesser Antilles.  These indigenous people were believed to be extirpated shortly after the Spanish conquest in 1511.  They lived in agricultural societies ruled by ‘caciques,’ a tribal chieftain and a matrilineal system of kinship and inheritance. Nevertheless, pockets of indigenous people survived in the rugged mountain places, passing down their genes through the centuries.

This Taíno Cuban drum called ‘mayohuacán’ or ‘bayohabao’, is a wooden slit drum played by the Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities.  It was performed during sacred ceremonies most likely by leaders of the tribe as accompaniment to songs which were used to pass on customs and laws to younger generations.  It is carved from a tree trunk with an elongated tube shape.

There are several Mesoamerican versions of the slit drum, called by many different names, such as ‘mayohuacan’ by the Taino or Arawak, or ‘teponaztli’ by the Aztec.

Reference:  https://www.archaicroots.com/blog/the-mesoamerican-slit-drum-mayohuacan-or-teponaztli/