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72-631: The Fontomfrom evolved from the popular hourglass-shaped drum ( talking drum ) of the 7th century. Shortly after the evolution, a few more non-hourglass shapes such as the Dunan, Sangban , Kenkeni and Ngoma drums were produced. Prior to the Fontomfrom becoming part of the Bono royal music ensemble as it is today, it was first introduced into Bonoman by Bonohene Akumfi Ameyaw I and Bonohemaa Owusuaa Abrafi circa 1320s, from North Africa . As they love dancing and music,

144-513: A 7-centimetre (2.8 in) drum head diameter . This produces a much higher pitched tone than other talking drums of the same construction. The Yoruba and Dagomba peoples, on the other hand, have some of the largest talking drums in their Lunna and Dùndún ensembles, with a length typical of 23–38 centimetres (9.1–15.0 in) and a drum head diameter of between 10 and 18 centimetres (3.9 and 7.1 in). In Yoruba talking-drum ensembles, these large drums are used alongside smaller ones similar to

216-449: A Saltigue, one must be initiated which is somewhat reserved for a small number of insiders, particularly in the mysteries of the universe and the unseen world. The Xooy ( Xoy or Khoy ) ceremony is a special religious event in the Serer religious calendar . It is the time when the initiated Saltigue (Serer High Priests and Priestesses) come together to literally predict the future in front of

288-403: A context in which to make sense of the basic message or drum beats. These phrases could not be randomized, when learning to play the drum students were taught the particular phrase that coincided with each word. This reason alone made learning to talk in drum language difficult and few were willing to take the time to do so. The extra drum beats reduce the ambiguity of the meaning. Ironically, when

360-515: A distinct group but still revere the ancient religious practices of their Serer ancestors) among others gather at Sine for this ancient ceremony. Serers who live in the West sometimes spend months planning for the pilgrimage. The event goes on for several days where the Saltigue take centre stage and the ceremony usually begins in the first week of June at Fatick . The Raan festival of Tukar takes place in

432-465: A female protector of Fatick Region and the arm of the sea that bears her name; the god Tiurakh (var : Thiorak or Tulrakh ) – god of wealth , and the god Takhar (var : Taahkarr ) – god of justice or vengeance. Roog is neither the devil nor a genie, but the Lord of creation . Roog is the very embodiment of both male and female to whom offerings are made at the foot of trees, such as

504-502: A local centre headed by the Chief or the palace headed by the King. Before this judgement, the murderer's family would cook some food (millet) to be shared among the community and the victim's family. The victim's family would nominate a strong man armed with a spear with a piece of cooked lamb or beef at the end of it. This executioner, taking his instruction from the victim's family, would run towards

576-503: A particular style, which is restricted to married women – it is a symbol of their status, which is highly valued in Serer society. An adulteress's female relatives unbraid her hair. This is so humiliating and degrading for a married woman that many women have been known to commit suicide rather than endure the shame. The wronged man can forgive both his wife and her lover if he chooses to. The adulterers and their respective families must gather at

648-430: A physical relationship until after she has been married. When a man desires a woman, the man provides the woman gifts as a mark of interest. If the woman and her family accept, this then becomes an implied contract that she should therefore not court or accept gifts from another man whose aim is to court her. Were a young man and a woman found engaged in premarital relationships, both are exiled to avoid bringing shame to

720-440: A specialized and often hereditary activity, and expert drummers with a mastery of the accepted vocabulary of drum language and literature were often attached to a king's court. The dimensions of the drums differ between ethnic groups, but all follow the same basic design. The Tama of the Serer, Wolof and Mandinka peoples is typified by its smaller dimensions, having a total drum length typical of 13 centimetres (5.1 in) with

792-406: A supreme deity called Roog (or Rog ) and sometimes referred to as Roog Sene ("Roog The Immensity" or "The Merciful God"). Serer tradition deals with various dimensions of life, death, space and time, ancestral spirit communications and cosmology . There are also other lesser gods, goddesses and supernatural spirits or genie ( pangool or nguus ) such as the fangool Mendiss (or Mindis ),

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864-466: A traditional and highly poetic character." Many African languages are tonal ; that is, the pitch is important in determining the meaning of a particular word. The Yoruba language , for instance, has three principal tones, low, medium, and high, analogous to tonic sol-fa notes do, re, and mi; different inflections of the three tones are then used to convey different messages. The same plan of three principal tones and their inflections also applies to how

936-551: A vital and religious role on the death of a Serer King. On the death of a Serer king, the Fara Lamb Sine (the chief griot in the Serer Kingdom of Sine ) would bury his treasured drum (the junjung ) with the king. His other drums would be played for the last time before their burial in the ground facing east. The griots then chant ancient songs marked by sadness and praise for the departed king. The last time this ceremony occurred

1008-401: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to membranophones is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Talking drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa , whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow

1080-689: Is called "Yoonir" – represented in the form of the "Pangool" (interceders with Roog – the Supreme Deity) and "Man" . It is before this event where the Serer High Priests and Priestesses known as Saltigue gather at the Xooy annual divination ceremony where they predict the course of the winter months among other things relevant to the lives of the Serer people . The Pangool (singular : Fangool ) are ancestral spirits (also ancient Serer Saints in Serer religion) represented by snakes. The peak of

1152-456: Is characterized by rapid rolls and short bursts of sound between the stick holding hand and accompanying free hand, and correlates with the various pitch accent and non-tonal languages heard in this area. This is a style typically heard in the popular Mbalax genre of Senegal. From eastern Mali , Burkina Faso and Ghana , towards Niger , western- Chad and Nigeria , (with the exceptions of areas with Fulani and Mande -speaking majorities)

1224-447: Is known as a dùndún, not to be confused with the dundun bass drum of the Mandé peoples). The talking drum is also used in ceremonial functions and events like weddings, burial ceremonies, private functions and most importantly it is commonly used by African bands as part of their musical instruments. The pitch of the drum is varied to mimic the tone patterns of speech. This is done by varying

1296-467: Is passed down and takes years to acquire. The Senegalese government has set a school and centre to preserve this ancient knowledge and teach it to the young. The CEMETRA (Centre Expérimental de Médecine Traditionnelle de Fatick ) Membership alone consist of at least 550 professional Serer healers in the Serer region of Sine-Saloum. Several traditional practices linked with land and agricultural activities are known, two examples are described below: As

1368-563: Is referred to as Koox (or Kooh ), Kopé Tiatie Cac , and Kokh Kox . The Serer people are found throughout the Senegambia region . In the 20th century, around 85% of the Serer converted to Islam ( Sufism ), but some are Christians or follow their traditional religion. Traditional Serer religious practices encompass ancient chants and poems, veneration of and offerings to deities as well as spirits ( pangool ), initiation rites, folk medicine , and Serer history. The Serer people believe in

1440-520: Is the lifeblood to which the incorruptible and sanctified soul returns to eternal peace after they depart the living world. Roog Sene sees, knows and hears everything, but does not interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the living world. Instead, lesser gods and goddesses act as Roog's assistants in the physical world. Individuals have the free will to either live a good and spiritually fulfilled life in accordance with Serer religious doctrines or waver from such doctrines by living an unsanctified lifestyle in

1512-655: The Bono people , Yoruba people , the Ghana Empire and the Hausa people . The Yoruba people of south western Nigeria and Benin and the Dagomba of northern Ghana have both developed a highly sophisticated genre of griot music centering on the talking drum. Many variants of the talking drums evolved, with most of them having the same construction mentioned above. Soon, many non-hourglass shapes showed up and were given special names, such as

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1584-556: The Latin alphabet , it is very common for them to sign official documents with the Star of Yoonir, as the Star also represents "good fortune and destiny". While most Serers converted to Islam and Christianity (specifically Roman Catholic ), their conversion was after colonization . They and the Jola people were the last to convert to these religions. Many still follow the Serer religion especially in

1656-563: The Senegambian Muslims loaned Tobaski from Serer religion to describe "Eid al Kabir". Gamo also derives from Serer religion. The Arabic word for it is "Mawlid" or "Mawlid an-Nabi" (which celebrates the birth of Muhammad). Weri Kor (the month of fasting, "Ramadan" in Arabic) and Koriteh or Korité ("Aïd-el-fitr" in Arabic which celebrates the end of the month of fasting) also comes from

1728-561: The Serer language ) was one of the music instruments used in the Serer people 's "Woong" tradition (the "dance performed by Serer boys yet to be circumcised " or the future circumcised, also known as the "Xaat" (in Serer). The tama drum, has Serer religious connotations (which predates the Ghana Empire ). In the Xaat tradition, the tama makes up the fourth musical drum ensemble. The Serer drums played include: Perngel, Lamb, Qiin and Tama. When

1800-415: The Serer language . The dead, especially those from the upper echelons of society, were mummified in order to prepare them for the afterlife ( Jaaniiw ). They were accompanied by grave goods including gold, silver, metal, their armour and other personal objects. Mummification is less common now, especially post-independence. The dead were buried in a pyramid shaped tomb. The Serer griots play

1872-508: The Serer people is called Yoonir . The "Star of Yoonir" is part of the Serer cosmos. It is very important and sacred and just one of many religious symbols in Serer religion and cosmology . It is the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius . With an ancient heritage of farming, "Yoonir" is very important and sacred in Serer religion, because it announces the beginning of flooding and enables Serer farmers to start planting seeds. The Dogon people of Mali call it "Sigui" , whilst in Serer it

1944-507: The Serer principle of Jom (see Serer religion ). The word "Jom" means "honour" in the Serer language . Ayangalu is believed to have been the first Yoruba drummer. Upon his death he was deified , and so now he is counted among the ranks of the Orishas . It is believed by followers of the Yoruba religion that he is the patron spirit of all drummers, and that in the guise of a muse he inspires

2016-484: The Tama , called Gangan in Yoruba language . Playing styles are closely linked with the drum's construction and the tonal qualities of each language. There is a clear difference in playing styles between areas with predominantly Fulani and Mande -speaking populations and traditionally non-Mande areas further east. The predominant style of playing in areas further west such as Senegal , Gambia , western Mali and Guinea

2088-526: The idakka is used to mimic vocal music. Five varieties of dùndún pressure drums of the Yoruba and the atumpan and fontomfrom of the Asante (Ashanti) are especially notable. They send messages up to 20 miles (32 km), where other drummers relay them, quickly spreading news. Hourglass-shaped talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by West African griots and their history can be traced back to

2160-454: The Bono people introduced this drum to entertain themselves. Since its inception and use, the single, large Fontomfrom drum has grown to become an ensemble of several drums, and given its formidable size (up to 2 meters in height or more), its image can be used to symbolise the grandeur of traditional African cultures. This Ghana -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about African music

2232-508: The Dunan and the Fontomfrom . This construction is limited to within the contemporary borders of West Africa , with exceptions to this rule being northern Cameroon and western Chad ; areas which have shared populations belonging to groups predominant in their bordering West African countries, such as the Kanuri , Djerma , Fulani and Hausa. In Senegalese and Gambian history, the tama (in

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2304-513: The Lamane makes a visit to the sacred pond – the shrine of Saint Luguuñ Joof who guided Lamane Jegan Joof after he migrated from Lambaye (north of Sine ). The Lamane would make an offering to Saint Luguuñ and spends the early morning in ritual prayer and meditation . After that, he makes a tour of Tukar and perform ritual offerings of milk, millet and wine as well as small animals at key shrines, trees, and sacred locations. The people make their way to

2376-613: The Star (top point) represents the Supreme Deity ( Roog ). The other four points represent the cardinal points of the Universe . The crossing of the lines ("bottom left" and "top right" and "top left and bottom right") pinpoints the axis of the Universe, that all energies pass. The top point is "the point of departure and conclusion, the origin and the end". Among the Serers who cannot read or write

2448-471: The West understood the mechanism of the drums, they had already begun to be used less often in Africa. Also, words often lost their meaning. In an interview with Carrington, he explained that when words that are not used often, the phrases that correspond to them are forgotten. When given the beat for young girl, the drummers thought the phrase played was in fact the one for fishing nets. As emphasized by Finnegan,

2520-462: The album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) . Sikiru Adepoju is a master of the talking drum from Nigeria who has collaborated with artists from the Grateful Dead to Stevie Wonder and Carlos Santana . Naná Vasconcelos , master of percussion, started playing the talking drum in the early 1980s and has used it ever since. Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac has used the talking drum on

2592-636: The ancient Kingdom of Sine with Senegal and the Gambia being predominantly Muslim countries. The Serers have also battled many prominent African Islamic jihadists over the centuries. Some of those like Maba Diakhou Bâ is considered a national hero and given a saint like status by Senegambian Muslims . He himself was killed in battle fighting against the Serer King of Sine – Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof on 18 July 1867 at The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune commonly known as The Battle of Somb. At

2664-505: The community. These diviners and healers deliver sermons at the Xooy Ceremony which relates to the future weather, politics, economics, and so on. The event brings together thousands of people to Holy Sine from all over the world. Ultra orthodox Serers and Serers who " syncretise " (mix Islam or Christianity with the old Serer religion) as well as non-Serers such as the Lebou people (who are

2736-500: The compound of the chief Saltigue (the Serer high priests and priestess – who are the "hereditary rain priests selected from the Lamane's lineage for their oracular talent"). In Serer religion, Monday is the day of rest. Cultural activities such as Njom or "Laamb" ( Senegalese wrestling ) and weddings are also prohibited on Thursday. Courting for a wife is permitted but with boundaries. Women are given respect and honour in Serer religion. The woman must not be dishonoured or engaged in

2808-506: The core drum signal. The message "Come back home" might be translated by the drummers as: "Make your feet come back the way they went, make your legs come back the way they went, plant your feet and your legs below, in the village which belongs to us". Single words would be translated into phrases. For example, "Moon" would be played as "the Moon looks towards Earth", and "war" as "war which causes attention to ambushes". The extra phrases provide

2880-547: The drum talks in Yoruba music and culture. However, the Serer language and its relative Senegambian languages are not tonal, unlike almost all other Niger-Congo languages. The problem was how to communicate complex messages without the use of vowels or consonants but simply using tone. An English emigrant to Africa, John F. Carrington , in his 1949 book The Talking Drums of Africa , explained how African drummers were able to communicate complex messages over vast distances. Using low tones referred to as male and higher female tones,

2952-408: The drummer communicates through the phrases and pauses, which can travel upwards of 4–5 miles. The process may take eight times longer than communicating a normal sentence but was effective for telling neighboring villages of possible attacks or ceremonies. He found that to each short word that was beaten on the drums, an extra phrase was added, which would be redundant in speech but provided context to

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3024-576: The drummers to play well. The word " Ayan " means drummer in the Yoruba language . This is why some Yoruba family names contain the prefix Ayan , such as Ayanbisi, Ayangbade, Ayantunde, Ayanwande etc. This prefix marks its bearers out as hereditary custodians of the mysteries of Ayangalu. In the 20th century the talking drum became a part of popular music in West Africa. It is used in playing Mbalax music of Senegal and in Fuji and Jùjú music of Nigeria (where it

3096-408: The family, even if pregnancy resulted from that courtship. Adultery is dealt with by the Serer jurisprudence of Mbaax Dak A Tiit (the rule of compensation). If a married woman engaged in adultery with another man, both adulterers are humiliated in different ways. The wronged male spouse (the husband) is entitled to take the undergarment of the other male and hang it outside his house to show that

3168-562: The film's protagonist, T'Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman ). Serer religion The Serer religion , or A ƭat Roog ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people living in the Senegambia region in West Africa . The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog (or Rog ). In the Cangin languages , Roog

3240-419: The game series Patapon , the player is a god who communicates with his or her followers using four Talking Drums. Each has its own unique sound: 'Pata,' 'Pon,' 'Don' and 'Chaka.' In the television series Dead Like Me , the talking drum is discussed as a means of celebrating the lives of the dead. They can also be heard in the 1959 movie The Nun's Story , starring Audrey Hepburn , when she arrives in what

3312-492: The house rat has no child". Talking drum players sent messages by drumming the recipient's name, followed by the sender's name and the message. King Crimson used the talking drum on its album Larks' Tongues in Aspic , for the track "The Talking Drum". Tom Waits used the talking drum on his song "Trouble's Braids", a track from the album Swordfishtrombones . Erykah Badu used the talking drum on her song "My People", from

3384-456: The king, chief, or elder's compound to formally seek forgiveness. This will be in front of the community because the rules that govern society have been broken. The doctrine extends to both married men and women. Protection is given to the wronged spouse regardless of his or her gender. In the past, when someone killed another person, the victim's family had the right to either forgive or seek vengeance. The murderer and his family would gather at

3456-585: The kings wanted to address their subjects, and on special circumstances in Serer country – a call for martyrdom, such as the mayhem at Tahompa (a 19th-century surprise attack) and the Battle of Naoudourou , where the defeated Serers (by the Muslim- marabouts of Senegambia), committed suicide rather than be conquered by the Muslim forces or forced to submit to Islam. Suicide is permitted in Serer religion only if it satisfies

3528-441: The lamane exploits would not have been possible. In the religious sense, these ancient lamanes created shrines to these pangool, thereby becoming the priests and custodians of the shrine. As such, "they became the intermediaries among the land, the people and the pangool". Whenever any member of the lamanic lineage dies, the whole Serer community celebrates in honour of the exemplary lives they had lived on earth in accordance with

3600-443: The living world and the divine. The pangool have both a historical significance as well as a religious one. They are connected to the history of the Serer by virtue of the fact that the pangool is associated with the founding of Serer villages and towns as a group of pangool would accompany village founders called " lamane " (or laman – who were their ancient kings) as they make their journey looking for land to exploit. Without them,

3672-471: The male lover had broken custom by committing adultery with his wife. The lover would be shunned from the Serer society; no family would want to marry into his family and he would be excommunicated. This was and is seen as extremely humiliating; many male Serers have been known to take their own lives because they couldn't bear the humiliation. The public display of undergarments was not applied to women; when women marry in Serer society, they braid their hair in

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3744-552: The messages sent via drums were not confined to utilitarian messages. Drum languages could also be used for specifically literary forms, for proverbs, panegyrics, historical poems, dirges, and in some cultures practically any kind of poetry. The ritualized forms and the drum names of particular individuals constituted a type of oral literature. Among some peoples such as the Ashanti or the Yoruba , drum language and literature were very highly developed. In these cultures, drumming tended to be

3816-462: The murderer the piece of meat on his spear. In that case, the community would enjoy the meal and the two families would be sealed as one and sometimes even marry off their children to each other. Serers may wear an item belonging to their ancestor, such as the hair of an ancestor or an ancestor's treasured belonging, which they turn into juju on their person or visibly on their necks. The Serers also have an ancient knowledge of herbalism which

3888-423: The murderer, who was required to keep his mouth open. If the victim's family chose accordingly, the executioner would kill the murderer with his spear, after which the food that had been cooked would not be eaten and everyone would disperse. From that day on, the families would be strangers to each other. On the other hand, if the victim's family had forgiven the murderer, then would the executioner run and gently feed

3960-568: The old pagan festivals were borrowed and altered by Christianity which came later, the names of ancient Serer religious festivals were also borrowed by Senegambian Muslims in a different way to describe genuine Islamic festivals in their own language. The Serers are one of very few communities in Senegambia, apart from the Jolas , who have a name for god[s] which is not borrowed from Arabic but indigenous to their language. Tobaski (var : Tabaski )

4032-546: The old village of Tukar founded by Lamane Jegan Joof (or Lamane Djigan Diouf in French speaking Senegal ) around the 11th century. It is headed by his descendants (the Lamanic lineage ). The Raan occurs every year on the second Thursday after the appearance of the new moon in April. On the morning of Raan, the Lamane would prepare offerings of millet, sour milk and sugar. After sunrise,

4104-432: The physical world. Those who live their lives contrary to the teachings will be rightfully punished in the afterlife. Ordinary Serers address their prayers to the pangool (the Serer ancestral spirits and saints ) as they are the intermediaries between the living world and the divine. An orthodox Serer must remain faithful to the ancestral spirits as the soul is sanctified as a result of the ancestors' intercession between

4176-545: The player to change the pitch of the drum by scraping the cords between their arm and body. Originating from the 18th century, talking drum players used tones to disseminate messages, such as news of ceremonies and commands, over 4-5 mile distances. A skilled player is able to play whole phrases. Most talking drums sound like a human humming depending on the way they are played. Similar hourglass-shaped drums are found in Asia, but they are not used to mimic conversation, although

4248-455: The playing style of the talking drum is centered on producing long and sustained notes by hitting the drum head with the stick-holding hand and the accompanying free hand used to dampen and change tones immediately after being hit. This produces a rubbery sounding texture to its playing, which mimics the heavy and complex tones used in languages from this area (see Niger–Congo tonal language chart ). This characteristic style can be clearly heard in

4320-461: The popular music of this area, particularly in those where the talking drum is the lead instrument, such as Fuji music of the Yoruba of Nigeria . In some ethnic groups, each individual was given a "drum name" which could be used direct messages to specific individuals. Examples from among the Bulu of Cameroon are "Even if you dress up finely, love is the only thing" or "The giant wood rat has no child,

4392-445: The power to intercede between the living and the divine. The Serer strive to be accepted by their ancestors who have long departed and to gain the ability to intercede with the divine. Failure to do so results in rejection by the ancestors and becoming a lost and wandering soul. Each Serer family has a totem ( tiim / tim ). Totems are prohibitions as well as guardians. They can be animals and plants among other beings. For example,

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4464-417: The qualities of vowels or consonants. The use of talking drums as a form of communication was noticed by Europeans in the first half of the 18th century. Detailed messages could be sent from one village to the next faster than could be carried by a person riding a horse. In the 19th century Roger T. Clarke, a missionary, realised that "the signals represent the tones of the syllables of conventional phrases of

4536-638: The rooster crows, the Xaat will rest and sleep until the moment of circumcision, if he has been judged to be able to dance to the Woong, surrounded by four tam-tam. The Perngel, the Lamb, the Qiin and the Tama. From a historical perspective, the tama (just like the Serer junjung ), was beaten by the griots of Senegambian kings on special occasions, such as during wars (a call for arms), when

4608-454: The sacred baobab tree , the sea, the river (such as the sacred River Sine ), in people's own homes or community shrine, etc. Roog Sene is reachable perhaps to a lesser extent by the Serer high priests and priestesses ( Saltigue ), who have been initiated and possess the knowledge and power to organise their thoughts into a single cohesive unit. However, Roog is always watching over its children and always available to them. In Serer, Roog Sene

4680-502: The surprise attacks of Naodorou, Kaymor and Ngaye, where the Serers were defeated, they killed themselves rather than be conquered by the Muslim forces. In these 19th-century Islamic Marabout wars, many of the Serers villagers committed martyrdom, including jumping to their deaths at the Well of Tahompa. In Serer religion, suicide is only permitted if it satisfies the Serer principle of Jom (also spelt "Joom" which literally means "honour" in

4752-500: The teachings of the Serer religion. Serer prayers are addressed to the pangool who act as intercessors between the living world and the divine. In addressing their prayers to the pangool, the Serers chant ancient songs and offer sacrifices such as bull, sheep, goat, chicken or harvested crops. The immortality of the soul and reincarnation ( ciiɗ in Serer ) is a strongly held belief in Serer religion. The pangool are viewed as holy saints, and will be called upon and venerated, and have

4824-437: The tension placed on the drumhead: the opposing drum heads are connected by a common tension cord . The waist of the drum is held between the player's arm and ribs, so that when squeezed the drumhead is tightened, producing a higher note than when it is in its relaxed state; the pitch can be changed during a single beat, producing a warbling note. The drum can thus capture the pitch, volume, and rhythm of human speech, though not

4896-763: The totem of the Joof family is the antelope . Any brutality against this animal by the Joof family is prohibited. This respect gives the Joof family holy protection. The totem of the Njie family is the lion ; the totem of the Sène family is the hare and for the Sarr family is the giraffe and the camel . Both men and women can be initiated into the secret order of the Saltigue (Spiritual Elder). In accordance with Serer religious doctrines, for one to become

4968-482: The track "World Turning" on the band's 1975 eponymous album and in concert performances of the song. David Byrne's American Utopia Broadway musical and HBO concert film features a tama player on multiple songs during the show. Cleo Sol used the talking drum on her song "When I'm In Your Arms", from the album Rose in the Dark . Mannywellz played the talking drum on his song "Danfo", from his album Mirage. In

5040-409: Was an ancient Serer hunting festival; Gamo was an ancient Serer divination festival; Korite [from the Serer word kor ] was a male initiation rite; Weri Kor was the season (or month) Serer males went through their initiation rites . Gamo (comes from the old Serer word Gamahou , variation : Gamohou ). "Eid al kabir" or "eidul adha" (which are Arabic) are different from Serer Tobaski , but

5112-466: Was at that time the Belgian Congo. Bill Kreutzmann , a drummer for the Grateful Dead , occasionally played a talking drum at the band's live shows during the "drums" segment of their shows in the second set. The talking drum features prominently in the score of the 2018 film Black Panther . The score, composed by Ludwig Göransson , uses talking drums at the core of a leitmotif associated with

5184-527: Was on 8 March 1969 following the death of the last king of Sine – Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof ( Serer : Maye Koor Juuf ). The cult of the Upright Stone, such as the Senegambian stone circles , which were probably built by predecessors of the Serer, were also a place of worship. Laterite megaliths were carved, planted, and directed towards the sky. One of the most important cosmological stars of

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