Yoruba Drummer's Strap

Fifty inches of strap, with teeth along both edges.

This drummer's strap is Yoruba, from Nigeria in West Africa, and dates to the mid 20th century. It is cloth with glass beads. Drumming holds a central place in Yoruba festivals and ceremonies, and a drummer on the move needs a strap to carry the instrument, which can be as finely dressed as the player. Two long panels join at the center, filled with alternating dark red and tan triangles inside blue and pink borders. Orange cloth points run along both sides. Fifty inches long and 10.5 wide.

The drum would have had to keep up.