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| One
of the most universal musical instruments is the drum. |
| Throughout the world,
the drum has given basic rhythm to ceremonial and recreational music. |
| Its
most applied form is an animal skin stretched across a hollowed log, but many
varieties occur, according to custom and use. |
| In Africa, the drum
was also used in the past to convey messages over vast distances before the arrival
of the “technology” of European colonizers |
| Amongst the Venda people
of the Northern Province, the most legendary drum is the Ngoma Lungundu |
| "NGOMA
LUNGUNDU"
by
Noria Mabasa Click
all images to enlarge
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be patient
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| This
drum, when beaten with a human hand, caused enemy armies to fall dead at the sound
of its mighty voice |
| At present all royal
houses, as well as the homes of the more junior chiefs still possess one or more
Ngoma drums. | | These
are used for Shikona and other ceremonial dances. |
| Although large trees
have to be sacrificed in the making of these drums, the spirits of the trees are
believed to be captured in the rhythmic voice of the Ngoma. |
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| The
Venda have two types of drum, the Ngoma and the Murumba. |
| The
Murumba is a baritone drum with a conical resonator. |
| Venda drums are kept
in special huts for ceremonial purposes such as the Malombo, Tshikona and Tshikombela. |
| The
drums are played by men and women during these dances. |
| “Voice of the Ancestors”
is a gigantic Murumba carved from an ancestor tree (a very old tree). |
| It
serves as an enlarged voice to communicate with the ancestors. |
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By creating such a big Murumba, the artist emphasizes his tribal heritage and
the ancestral importance of this instrument. | |
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"Mandamaswa
a Tikwa Ngamalala - PAINTED DRUM"
by Albert Munyai |
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| The
Old Supports the New / Painted Drum supported on Traditional Venda Village |
| Mandamaswa
a Tikwa Ngamalala is a work significantly potent with symbology. |
| It
is interlaced with historical and personal reference for Albert Munyai, both as
Muvenda and as an artist. |
| Work
on the piece was started as comment on the VDC (Venda Development Corporation)
and the VEC (Venda Electrical Company) who chopped down the tree that this piece
originated from, to make way for power lines. |
| This
piece celebrates the freedom of the Venda culture and the drum is keeper to the
rhythmic process of change. |
| Through
war and independence, it is there to remind the people of their power. |
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Every brush stroke of paint on the surface of the sculpture is an expression of
power and strength. |
| The
drum is a representational reminder of the Ngomo Lungundu. |
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| A
magical drum supposed never to touch the ground, it protected the Singo people
(ancestors to the Venda). |
| The
three support pillars represent the four carriers of the original drum of the
Venda ancestors (Ngoma Lungundu).
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| The
fourth carrier being the metal support at the base of the drum. |
| These
three support pillars (in the form of half humans) rest on the spirit of Thoyandou:
the last leader of a united Venda, who mysteriously disappeared at the end of
the eighteenth century. |
| His spirit
still resounds within the heart of the Venda nation, and is enshrouded with history
and mythology. | |
"TALL
MAN MBILA"
by
Albert Munyai |
| Within the marriage
of this musical and sculptural work, we find Albert Munyai’s first mbila (xylophone). |
| The
walking man wears traditional beads around his neck, stating his Venda origins. |
| His
hand is placed on his stomach to send the energy that dwells there, through to
his head. | | It
is with the placement of the drum (on top of the figures head) that this energy
is transformed into rhythm. |
| The keys of the mbila
are placed along the vertebrae of the spinal column — the man carries and produces
music from within his backbone. | |
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| At
the bottom of the structure stand three traditional huts: one kitchen, one bedroom
and one storeroom. |
| This
is encompassed by a stick structure representing the youth of Venda. |
| A
very old stone lies at the bottom of the sculpture. |
| It
was brought down from central Africa by Albert Munyai’ s great, great-grandfather.
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| This
very personal input again emphasizes the tribal responsibility through honoring
one’s ancestry. |
| A
calabash is placed next to it, so one must dowse the rock with water to cool off
its spirit.
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base is mounted on wheels and reminiscent of the Guntkulu — a toy deriving its
name from the “gurrr” sound it makes. This comments again on the support of the
new/young, and the mobility it brings. |
| Due
to the intricate symbolic references that exist within this historical piece of
Venda art, it is Mr. Munyai’s wish that the buyer visit the artist at his home
to obtain the rest of the knowledge and wisdom that Mandamaswa a Tikwa Ngamalala
embodies. |
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Mukondeni
arts and crafts has been instrumental in the establishment of the following:
The Mashamba Art Gallery
Self Help projects
An Artist and a Cultural village. |
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