Minneapolis Institute of Art

Whistle

Cameroon Grassfields artist

Date

1940s

Medium

Wood, glass beads, leather

Culture

Grasslands

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The eerie cry of a single whistle is one thing, but an orchestra of dozens of whistles played at a funeral evokes the Otherworld. This whistle is in the stylized shape of a person—a common form among the Bamileke people—wearing a prestige cap that is popular in the Cameroonian Grasslands. A whistle can also be played individually to invoke personal protection. The beads covering the whistle were often used as a sign of wealth among the Bamileke people, who entertained extensive trading networks. Africa

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