Sierra Leone, Africa
Sapi

Ivory horn
Late 19th/early 20th century – Acquired in mid 70’s
Height: 16.5 inches
Aerophone – Lip Vibrated – Horn

This horn was acquired in the mid 70’s by a missionary who was working with a tribe in Sierra Leone, Africa. The missionary said the piece was made by the Sapi people and was used by a man of the tribe to announce the arrival of a chieftain to their village, a sort of “town crier”. The original intent of the missionary was to sell the piece to a certain museum to raise funds for the tribe, but time did not allow for him to make the additional trip to the museum, and that is how it came to be in my collection.