Wooden notched end-blown flute with tapering body and small finger-hole at base, bound in iron strips, used as a call [RTS 8/12/2004]

Collection type: Object
Description: Wooden notched end-blown flute with tapering body and small finger-hole at base, bound in iron strips, used as a call [RTS 8/12/2004]
Long description: Notched end-blown flute, consisting of a wooden body with an irregularly cut opening at the proximal end which forms the embouchure. This is notched, with concavely cut front and back edges producing a lentoid-shaped plan view. The embouchure is worn with some flattened areas that reflecting heavy use. The body below is cylindrical with an ovoid section, narrowing slightly towards its lower part. It has been hollowed out with a small finger-hole cut into its base; part of the body continues beyond this sounding length, in the form of a narrow piece of solid, tapering wood with flatter section that could be used as a hand grip while covering the finger-hole with the thumb. The hole itself appears to be damaged around its upper edge, and very worn around its lower edge; both may be a by-product of how the object has been used. There are signs that the wood was worked using heated tools; the interior walls are blackened, as is the upper rim, and a line has been burnt across the body just below the finger-hole. The surface of the wood is currently a reddish brown colour (Pantone 731C), but feels greasy and the colour may have changed through handling. The body has been decorated with a series of narrow iron bands, wound around the circumference, and the ends turned inwards and hammered into the wood to secure them. At the moment, these are grouped into 2 sections around the thicker upper body, and 3 sections around the lower tail section, but it would appear that there were originally more strips in place, as indicated by at least 4 cuts into the wood where these ends had been hammered in, and some faint surface markings following the shape of strips that are no longer there. Most of these are a basic rectangular shape, but the last strip around the flute tip is broader, and has tapering ends; they are currently a metallic gray colour (Pantone 422C). The object is nearly complete, except for the missing strips, and has a weight of 51.5 grams. It is 271 mm long - with the broader upper part having a length of 171 mm; the proximal end has a length of 24.7 mm and a width of 20.8 mm, while the embouchure opening measures 17 by 16 mm across; the finger-hole has a diameter of 4 mm. The narrow iron strips are 3 mm wide, while the broader strip has a width of 8 mm [RTS 8/12/2004].
Geographical reference: South Sudan
Africa > Eastern Africa > South Sudan
Cultural groups: Mundu
Person: Field collector John Petherick; PRM source Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Date / Period: Date made: On or before 1858
Date collected: 1857 - 1858
Acquisition information: Transferred: 28/09/1885
Materials and processes: Material Wood Plant, Material Iron Metal, Process Carved, Process Hollowed, Process Forged (Metal), Process Hammered, Process Bound
Dimensions: Diameter: max 20.8 mm, Length 171 mm upper body, Length: max 271 mm, Weight 51.5 g
Object numbers: Accession number: 1886.1.521 Other numbers: Ashmolean 521
Research and responses: Petherick lived in Khartoum from 1853-1858, mounting several trading expeditions into the Sudanese interior during this period. In his fifth expedition, he entered Mundu territory for the first time, visiting the villages of Umbolea and Baer (note that Petherick calls the Mundo the 'Baer' in his 1861 publication, Egypt, The Sudan and Central Africa). Mundo appears to be a variant of Mundu. These objects were probably collected during this trip, as Petherick did not venture into this region again. Petherick's collection was shipped back to England in 1859. Petherick's material was subsequently obtained by a variety of collectors, including Christy, possibly at auction as some objects have lot numbers associated with them [RTS 13/10/2003].
The term 'flute' is preferred to 'whistle' for this type of object; syrinx is an old fashioned term that is no longer thought appropriate [HLR 14/1/2005]
Associated publications: The Accession book entry is published in A. MacGregor et al., 2000, Manuscript Catalogues of the Early Museum Collections 1683-1886 (Part I), p. 297, cat. 521 [RTS 26/1/2004].

Search terms: Music, Hunting, Musical Instrument, Hunting accessory, Signal, Flute