Gabon

Punu

Wood
Mid 20th century
Length: 18.5 inches
Idiophone – Struck Directly  – Slit Drum

The Punu or Bapunu, are a Bantu meta-ethnicity of Central Africa. They are one of the four major people of Gabon, inhabiting the interior mountain and grassland areas.  This male double headed slit drum is rare in that most Punu masks and regalia are female.  The Punu are matrilineal and their descent goes through the woman. Their society is organized around a chief with spirit ancestors serving a major part of the Punu or Sira society.  The society is based on memory and traditions and they believe that their ancestors can guide them and help them in life. There are Nine Punu clans. Each clan has an animal as their mystical totem that they cannot hunt or eat.  A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, or lineage.  This is a totem slit drum with a zoomorphic figure (possibly one of the species of the mongoose) on the top of the double headed figural male drum.