A tanbou () is the national musical instrument and type of barrel drum from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. The drum is used in many music genres of Haiti and has been influential in the rest of the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n world.

Etymology

''Tanbou'' is derived from the French word ''tambour'', which means drum.

Origins

The lineage of this Haitian drum is complex, originating in

West African Vodun Vodun (meaning ''spirit'' in the Fon, Gun and Ewe languages, with a nasal high-tone ''u''; also spelled Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, Vudu, Voudou, Voodoo, etc.) is a religion practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and ...

systems. A tanbou needs to be crafted properly in order to get the best sound. The drum is no longer used in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, but the ''banda rhythm'' that has been kept alive by Haitian drummers, such as "Bonga" (Gaston Jean-Baptiste).

Sound

A tanbou produces an organic, versatile sound that can be used for dance, professional recording, and supposedly healing and merry making. The drum has survived centuries and some of the oldest are from old temples in Haiti. The older the drum, the better the sound according to the drummers.

Construction

The tambou is made with a stick like a vessel; a

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

– ''tronpèt'', ''bwachen'', ''gomye'' – and covered with a piece of animal skin or a material capable of awe as the skins in a corner are made

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

. These drums can be used like regular

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s. It is very difficult to get drums from Haiti into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

because crafting them is equally challenging due to the finding the right wood and particularly the skins which must be procured under the exact conditions.

References

External links

Website of Gaston "Bonga" Jean-Baptiste
{{Percussion Haitian musical instruments Hand drums Percussion instruments used as both pitched and unpitched Central American and Caribbean percussion instruments