Mossi Wood Whistle or Flute, Based

Black, slim and pointed, with small ears pricked up.

Mossi carvers of Burkina Faso, West Africa, carved this whistle or flute in wood in the 20th century. Instruments of this kind are often associated with signaling and music making in savanna communities. A rounded head with two small peaks sits above a narrow face, and the body tapers evenly to a point. The surface is nearly black, glossy at the shoulders and drier along the shaft. A slim black stand holds it upright.

About 15 inches tall. Upright, quiet, and the exclamation point on a shelf.