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Source Description
Carved out of ivory or wood in a variety of shapes, Chokwe whistles often bear miniature, stylized renderings of masks. Cikunza, the "patron saint" of the boys' initiation into manhood, is depicted with a pointed extension imitating the horn of a road antelope, symbolizing the fertility spirit. Typically such whistles were used by men during the hunt to communicate with their co-hunters and to call their dogs. They were either worn attached to a string as a necklace or tied to a spear.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
94884
label
Whistle (kasengosengo)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
94884
contentType
object
title
Whistle (kasengosengo)
description
Carved out of ivory or wood in a variety of shapes, Chokwe whistles often bear miniature, stylized renderings of masks. Cikunza, the "patron saint" of the boys' initiation into manhood, is depicted with a pointed extension imitating the horn of a road antelope, symbolizing the fertility spirit. Typically such whistles were used by men during the hunt to communicate with their co-hunters and to call their dogs. They were either worn attached to a string as a necklace or tied to a spear.
date
late 1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79475739
genreSpecific
Musical Instrument
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 8.6 x 3.2 cm (3 3/8 x 1 1/4 in.)
cul
Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Chokwe people, late 19th century
accession
1915.444
Source extras
tec
Probably hippopotamus ivory
tombstone
Whistle (kasengosengo), late 1800s. Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Chokwe people, late 19th century. Probably hippopotamus ivory; overall: 8.6 x 3.2 cm (3 3/8 x 1 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Educational Purchase Fund, 1915.444
collection
African Art
citations
citation
Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. <em>Second Careers : Two Tributaries in African Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 19, fig. 2.
creditline
Educational Purchase Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:03:29.917000
sourceId
94884
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Probably hippopotamus ivory
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
8b936fa1e56b1a19