1. Object description
K. 0010 is a flute from UCL the Ethnographic Collections (Fig. 1). The object composites three parts: horn mouthpiece, long wooden stem and linen string that connected these two objects. The materials of the flute are bone, wood and linen.
Fig. 1 Photo of K.0010, the flute (Source: UCL the Ethnographic Collections, 2015).
The length of the wooden stem flute is 749mm (UCL Ethnographic Collections, 2020).
The horn piece was shaped by reductive method – removal of the sharp end. It can also be observed that there were decorations pattern craved on the horn mouthpiece (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2 Photo of the craved decorations on the horn mouthpiece (Source: Author, 2020).
It is predictable that the original material of the wood was millet millet–stalk (Fig. 3) which was one of the manufacture traditions of Flani (one of the composed members for Yauri Emirate) vertical flute (Erlmann, 1983).
Fig. 3 Photo of African vernacular fencing using millet-stalk which indicate the appearance and properties of this material (Source: Pinterest, 2020).
The wooden flute was shaped by cutting away as obvious tool mark can be observed (Fig. 4). There are three holes on the main tube of the instrument (Fig. 5).
Fig. 4 The trace of tool marks is indicated in the picture (Source: Author, 2020).
Fig. 5 The photo of holes on the tube (Source: Author, 2020).
Bite mark can be observed on the horn piece (Fig. 6). It can be deducted that horn piece would cover the narrower end of the wooden stem when performed (Fig. 7) and the musicians would place his/ her mouths on the horn and fingers on the holes (Fig. 8).
Fig. 6 Bite mark on the horn piece (Source: Author, 2020).
Fig. 7 Sketches indicated the process of covering the horn piece on the narrow end of the wooden stem (Source: Author, 2020).
Fig. 8 Sketches of how to use the flute by according to author’s imaginary and deduction (Source: Author, 2020).
2. Object biography and Statement of Significant
2.1 Object biography
The owner of K.0010 is P.G. Harris. The details of the object are included in his book ‘The Yauri Day Book’. It can hence be predicted that the object was discovered in Yauri Emirate. Yauri was a historic kingdom and traditional emirate (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2020), located in the north-western corner of Sokoto State, Nigeria (Salamone, 1985, p. 141) (Fig. 9). However, the content of the book is not accessible and instead, only several publications about Yauri Emirate are available. Resulting that there is a huge blank in object’s own biography.
Fig. 9 Reconstruction of the old Yauri Kingdon (Source: Harris, 1963, p.285).
2.2 Statement of Significance
Due to the limited accessible information available, the object can only be decided containing historic and aesthetic values.
2.3 Historic Value
The historic value of the flute, lies in that it was a witness of this British colonial history and Yauri Emirate’s history.
2.4 Aesthetic Value
The craftsmanship of the flute exemplifies the aesthetic value of the flute as it represents the indigenous and folk culture in Yauri Emirate that is unique among all other musical instruments around the world.
3. Assessment of condition
List of references
Erlmann, V., 1983. Notes on Musical Instruments among the Fulani of Diamare (North Cameroon). International Library of African Music: African Music, Volume 6, pp. 16-41.
Harris, P.G., 1930. Notes on Yauri (Sokoto Province), Nigeria. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 60, pp. 283-334.
Salamone, F. A., 1985. The Social Construction of Colonial Reality: Yauri Emirate. Annee: Cahiers d’Etudes africanes, Volume 98, pp. 139-159.
UCL Ethnographic Collections, 2020. Horn mouth piece and long wooden stem. Available at: http://ethcat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/detail.aspx (Accessed: 30 March 2020).
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