Whistle worn as amulet

Label TextWhistling in code This whistle's ample shape delivered sounds that encoded messages. Certain sounds were considered to be the voices of ancestors interjecting their thoughts. With the jutting chin and crown of a man of royal stature, the instrument was likely to emit a male tonality. The horizontal tube across the bottom would allow the whistle to be suspended from a cord and worn around the neck-as this one was-by a royal Chokwe person from Angola.

Object number68.80

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Untold Story, November 14, 2003 - November 14, 2004

Credit LineNasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection

Dimensions3 7/8 x 1 9/16 x 1 9/16 in. (9.9 x 4 x 3.9 cm)

MediumWood with pigment