Senegambia
Wolof

Wood, goat skin, fiber rope, leather
Early-Mid 20th Century
Length: 11.25 in; Width: 5.75 in; Depth: 6.75 in
Membranophone – Struck (Directly) – Double-headed

A field collected ‘talking drum’ from the Wolof people of Senegambia, called  tama (tamafola). This small double-headed/waisted) tama, shows signs of age and usage.  The skin heads are held on with leather wrapped metal rings, and tightening strings are strung  parallel to the body of the drum to be used when playing. The string is made of fiber rope, and there is also a purple fiber rope attached for wearing. The skin heads are very fragile, and there is writing on one head in green ink. 

The double-headed hourglass drum from west Africa is made from a single block of wood.  It is played with a curved stick and held under the armpit. The arm presses on strings which, by stretching the skins, modulate the sound.  This drum is called by several different names by the various west African ethnic groups.  Some of the names are listed below:

Serer, Wolof, and Mandinka: tama, tamma, tamafola
Yoruba: gangan or dundun
Dagomba: lunga
Akan (Fante, Twi, Baule) : dondo, odondo, donno
Dagbani, Gurunsi, Moore: lunna
Hausa: kalunga, kalangu, dan kar’bi
Bambara, Bozo, Dyula: tamanin
Songhai: doodo
Fulani:  mbaggu, baggel