AAM 1984 by Meso & Central American Sound Library Project
Unprovenienced Zapotec external air-ducted effigy whistle featuring a richly attired juvenile (female or male) figure. The personage wears an asymmetric headdress decorated with the Cociyo (Zapotec rain deity) motif and a quilted vest or, more likely, a feathered cloak. It may be a representation of a member of the "Pechanas" social class (lower nobility). In stylistic terms, it can be compared with the effigy whistles unearthed at 'Cuatro Puertas/Los Mogotes' [San Pedro Ixtlahuaca] and 'Las Peñitas' [Reyes Etla] Archaeological Zones (Oaxaca). The figurine consists of a slightly concave sheet of clay, the front part of which has been pressed into a mold, while the hemispherical whistle has been modeled and applied on the back side of the flat figure. The instrument was formerly part of Auguste Génin's archaeological collection, part of which was donated to the MRAH in December 1930.
Pitch variations are obtained by partially reducing/modifying the aperture size by moving the thumbs inwards & outwards.
Overall dimensions (height x width x depth): 16,38 x 10,22 x 6,64 (cm).
Please click on the track names for additional pictures of the instrument.
Tracklist
Credits
Sonic artifact experimentally played & recorded by J-F Brohée using a pair of Neumann KM183 & a Universal Audio 710 Twin-Finity preamplifier. © KMKG-MRAH.
