The Ashiko
The Ashiko is an elusive drum. With a little digging, one will find bits and pieces about this particular membraphone. There are tidbits here and there about history or construction, but no real meat. This seems unusual. There are other drums that have rich histories, and myths about them. However, the ashiko doesn’t seem to get much mention. Those who are telling bits of the story are not all saying the same things. Perhaps the drum is shy. This section of the website will be devoted to digging deeper. It will be about finding a more interesting story than just the bits and pieces of names and dates. Of course, all stories have to have a beginning. So let's begin with what most people are saying about this drum.

The words Yoruba and Nigeria pop up a lot when it comes to the ashiko drum. It is generally agreed that the Yoruba people of Nigeria had something to do with creating this drum. The word ashiko is said to mean “the world of time,” “freedom,” and “drum” in the Yoruban language. There are other drums around the world that are similar. There is the boku from Cuba, the ngoma from the Congo, and the bata also from Nigeria. All are cone shaped drums played with the hands. All have drum heads that are tacked or woven in place. The ashikos of today are made out of a number of staves glued together, and usually skinned with goat, antelope, and sometimes cow. It is unclear whether the ashiko was originally made out of staves, or if it was carved out of a single piece of wood. Since ashikos have been around longer than power saws, it seems more likely that they were originally made out of single piece. This drum has a deep tone when struck in the center, and higher sharper tones when struck on the sides.

In his book, The Drummer’s Path, Sule Greg Wilson states that the ashiko is a direct descendent of the bata. The bata is also from the Yoruba people, and the two drums certainly look similar. However, the bata has two heads, and bells attached near both rims. There are some beautiful pictures of three bata drums in a book called Musical Instruments of Africa by Dietz and Olantunji. The drums are wrapped in strips of cane, and decorated with bells and other metal pieces that jingle when the drum is played(p 35). The bata and ashiko could be cousins.

The last bit of information to be had is that the ashiko made it to the US around 1933. It was brought by the percutionist Moses Miannes of the Igbo people when he played at the World Fair, according to the Djembe L-FAQ.

This is all that we have found so far, but there has to be more out there. Is the ashiko a sacred drum? Was it used to heal the sick, or call for rain, or talk to the gods? What did it mean to the Yoruban people? Was it an intricate part of their lives? Has the ashiko changed beyond recognition from what it once was? Does it still have the same voice? As we find out more, we will share it with you here on this website. If you have any thoughts or information to contribute, please email us at Info@SlackjawPercussion.com.

Resources
Wilson, Sule Greg. The Drummer’s Path. Vermont: Destiny Books, 1992.

Dietz, Betty Warner and Olatunji, Michael Babatunde. Musical Instruments of Africa: Their nature, Use, and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People. New York: John Day Company, 1965.

The Djembe L- FAQ: http://www.drums.org/djembefaq/ashiko_history.htm