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Concept
Batá drum
Summary
The Batá drum is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one end larger than the other. The percussion instrument is still used for its original purpose as it is one of the most important drums in the yoruba land and used for traditional and religious activities among the Yoruba. Batá drums have been used in the religion known as Santería in Cuba since the 1800s, and in Puerto Rico and the United States since the 1950s. Today, they are also used for semi-religious musical entertainment in Nigeria and in secular, popular music. The early function of the batá was as a drum of different gods, of royalty, of ancestors and a drum of politicians, impacting all spheres of life in Yoruba land.
Bata drums are made by fastening skin of goats with wires on an hollowed wood body. Bata drums are made from a solid wood log from the oma tree. The drum’s shells are carved by hands and assembled in traditionally. The drums are assembled without any metal parts, the playing heads are goat skin, the tension straps are durable cowhide.
Several different types of batá drum have existed throughout the world. Cultures in which the drums originated used them for religious ceremonies, as did the Yorùbá, and since their introduction to Cuba in the 1820s, have come to be an important part of the perceived culture of the southwestern Nigerian people.
The drum dates back roughly 500 years, and is believed to have been introduced by a Yoruba king named Shangó el rey del tambor. Despite its long history, awareness of the instrument didn't spread until the 1800s slave-trade during which almost 300,000 Africans were brought to Cuba. The religion and beliefs the Yorùbá brought with them eventually became the basis for what is known as Lukumí (or Santería in Cuba). This religion spawned the creation of the first "sacred" Batá in Cuba around 1830 by a Yorùbá named Añabi.
The batá slowly became inducted into Cuban culture, and began to take on more secular roles. They were first heard publicly in a 1935 broadcast over Cuban radio as part of folk music.
Official source
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