About the Author

The author was educated in Nigeria and the United States. His
first love is fine art. Oyeniyi is an advocate of a strong
relationship between purposeful development and culture. He
is an author on diverse subjects ranging from art, library
science, biography, public affairs, Nigerian oil and gas and
development studies.
In the course of his career he has attended many international
conferences and seminars at which he presented papers. This
book is a testimony to his deep cultural conviction as a Yoruba
man.

Dedication
I dedicate this book to my late mother, !y2nn8iw[n !gb4k6
_][nd8n1 who more than deserved my gratitude. She was the
epitome of !y1n tradition. I am proud of the heritage that she
gave me.

Oyeniyi Osundina

DQND{N
THE TALKING DRUM OF THE
YORQB@ PEOPLE
OF SOUTH WEST NIGERIA

Copyright Oyeniyi Osundina

The right of Oyeniyi Osundina to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by them in accordance with section 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims
for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British
Library.
ISBN 978 1 84963 724 4 (Paperback)
ISBN 978 1 84963 750 3 (Hardback)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2015)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ

Printed and bound in Great Britain

Acknowledgements
This book took four years to accomplish with the cooperation
of many people. I am not sure that my friend, Stephen L2w1n7,
would have chosen to do a book on this subject, but he was
persistent about his encouragement on the phone and whenever
we discussed progress on his work. I owe him many thanks
because, without continuous constructive reminders and
urging, no one, however serious minded, will complete a book
of this nature.
I thank my field assistant, F>l2k6, for accompanying me on
some field trips to (]ogbo and _y= where she assisted me in
my voice recordings.
Ronk6 worked patiently on the computer over several
months to achieve my goal. I must have been a troublesome
client, but Ronk6 is characteristically good natured as I am
aware that I am very demanding on quality. I thank Ronk6 for
struggling with my Yorqb2 poems, proverbs and difficult
folklores which I had to use.
I owe Ad4b=d[n, my younger brother who lives in
London, many thanks for his support and contributions when
he hosted me during my prolonged stays in his house for my
literature search in the British Library. When he was very busy
on his own graduate studies, he would download documents
from the internet which he considered useful for my work on
this book and another project. His support was unquantifiable
in my estimation. I am a regular user of the British Library but
this book was made possible more as a result of the assistance
of several friendly staff of the Humanities floor which I used
over a period of two years. I could not have succeeded in my
literature search without their rich collection and their

readiness to help. I acknowledge that they were very helpful

and warm people for which I owe them a lot of gratitude.
Another younger brother, Ol2l4kan, who lives in London,
showed tremendous interest in this book and gave me a good
measure of support for which I am indebted to him.
My field work at (gb0m-]= was facilitated by another
younger brother, Ad4n8y7, who made my link with Chief
Salaudeen !y2nk[nl4 !y2nl4r3, !ar; &lq of (gb0m-]=
possible through Mrs Ad4sanm8 and my brother accompanied
me to !y2nk[nl4's home and stayed with me throughout my
session with him. S14ed of L2d9k3 Ak8nt=l2 University came
with us andsat through the interview. Mrs Ad4sanm8 in fact
danced to some beats. I am very grateful to have such a team
of helpful people on the visit.
Ad4w2l4 Ad4jqm- did an excellent job in the inclusion of
accents on the Yorqb2 words. Without the accents most of the
Yorqb2 words would be meaningless. I thank W2l4 for his
professional touch. I am grateful to him. I do not know how to
demonstrate my gratitude to my daughter, Damilola, and my
son, Olumide, for their support and encouragement. Damilola
paid to facilitate the production of this book. I am very grateful
for her legal advice also.

Contents
Prologue
Introduction
HistoryandTradition
SignificanceoftheDrum
TheEnsembleTradition
WhenDqnd[nMusicisUsed
HowDqnd[nisemployed
&y21lqinSpeechPerformance
TheRelationshipbetweenTextandMusicStyle
Dqnd[nPerformanceisDrama
!yanLearningTradition
PlayingtheDqnd[nSet
DimensionsofthedrumsinDqnd[n ensemble
TheskilloftheDrummer
Theinfluenceofindividuality
MakingtheDrums
MaintainingtheDrums
TheSocialperspective
TheInfluenceof&y2 7lqinSocialBehaviour
Dqnd[n DrummingisaCompleteArt
List of Illustrations
G[d[g[d[
<m>le tied
<m>le untied and 7y27lq
G2ngan
A full ensemble
!k[b1
&y27lq
Igi &lq (Wooden body)
&y27lq and g[d[g[d[ drummer

11
17
21
26
32
42
60
69
76
79
91
95
99
102
109
122
127
130
133
137

Prologue
One of my friends sent an email to me which revealed
astonishing facts in the history of civilization. I was
overwhelmed by the significance of the historical facts in the
email, yet many scholars may not be familiar with the facts.
The email drew me back to tears as I pondered on how much
mankind has lost in history and culture. The facts in the email
reminded me specifically of how much of the past, indeed
recent past, has been lost as a result of disregard for and
ignorance about Nigerian folklore, art, music, custom and
language.
This reminder gladdens my heart in the sense that
something like that activated my consciousness to the need for
this book four years ago. The objective here is to produce a
book which speaks outside the realm of western musicology. It
therefore deals with the ramifications of dqnd[n drumming as
an integral part of community life, encompassing the tradition,
the training, the art, the uses and the relationship between
dqnd[n musical form and the people's social life. The talking
drum of Yorqb2 people is more than the maker of a good
music, since it speaks eloquently for the culture of the people.
The speech text and drama in dqnd[n drumming are what
mark the instrument out as unique.
To put it very mildly, the tradition and culture of dqnd[n
drumming are fading among the people of Southwest Nigeria
today. This is worrisome because it is not easy to arrest the
trend any longer. For instance, two dqnd[n exponents among
the &gb0m7n1 people of Kwara and _]un States who were
deeply rooted in the !y1n tradition passed away in the last two
years. They were among the maestros who held the flag very
high among dqnd[n 7y2 7lq drummers. With their deaths, their
music and talents died. This is regrettable. The same trend is
11

happening in Yorqb2 communities where dqnd[n drumming is

part of their social and cultural life.
I am satisfied that I spoke exhaustively with !y2nday- and
!y2nt[nd4 who were recognized throughout Yorqb2 !y1n
tradition of drumming. I asked !y2nday- !y2nw2l4, the
younger of the two drummers, what he thought would be the
future of dqnd[n performance. He sounded optimistic but
realistic when he said that the future would not be as exciting.
It was not consoling to hear him but he was reasonable with a
good judgment. The number of 7y2 7lq maestros continues to
dwindle due to age, death and the drive for western education.
I wish I could establish a dqnd[n drumming school for the
young !y1n people so that they may go through the training
tradition while they attend regular schools.
Whatever happens, this book endeavours to address part of
my fears by taking pains to document several aspects of this
unique tradition of great value. Readers of this book will need
to focus their minds on real study in order to profit from the
facts, the illustrations and the relevance of dqnd[n drums in
the social behaviour of the Yorqb2 people.
After the passing away of several generations of dqnd[n
exponents in Yorqb2 land, it is clear that deliberate efforts
should be made to avoid the complete extinction of the dqnd[n
tradition. Some of the most celebrated master drummers
among the Yorqb2 people are names like F2r8n[, from whom
another generation descended which comprised !y2nw2l4
!y2nl=w-, !y2nt0mi, !y1nt=l2, all of whom are no more.
That generation is followed by !y2nt[nd4, !y2n]>l2,
!y2nt[nj8, !y2nk[nl4 !y2nday-, !y2nt2y-, !y2nt0y7nb0 of
(sogbo and Al2y1nd4 of &l2 _r1ng[n. S1l1[deen !y2nw2l4 of
(gb0m-]= is 63 years old and he has become Aar; &lq
(gb0m-]=. Barring any tragedy, he may occupy that position
for the next thirty years until his death. Unfortunately, he will
not perform drumming for ordinary events because he can now
only perform when }-[n, the King of (gb0m-]= , has a
12

function. That tradition permanently excludes him from all

performances.
With the passing of time, no one can tell how long it will
take for the dqnd[n tradition to be eradicated because it is clear
that education has taken a heavy toll on the availability of
young members of the !y1n tradition bearing in mind the very
long tutelage required to master the art of the dqnd[n
drumming to the rank of the 7y2 7lq. It is best now for those
who relate to the !y1n tradition by birth to study and
document, as much as possible, the details of this tradition so
that dqnd[n music does not become a myth in future years.
This is the incentive I have claimed for writing this book.
I commend the works of scholars like Akin Euba1 and
Claudius Ol[y;m8 <l2n8yan2 which dwell on the Dqnd[n
drum. <l2n8yans Ph.D thesis on dqnd[n-]5k5r5 music is,
perhaps, the first major documentation on the subject . Their
contributions are first-rate works by musicologists. This book
is by a descendant of !y1n lineage who is interested in the art,
style and the powerful roles of the dqnd[n among the Yorqb2
people who have never been mentioned in any work on
dqnd[n music, yet these people are among the greatest
maestros among the dqnd[n drummers in Yorqb2 land. I have
drawn deeply from my interviews with !y2nt[nd4, !y2n]ol2
!y2nl=w- !y2nt[nj8, !y2nday- !y2nw2l4, !y2nk[nl4,
!y2nt2y-, !y2nt0y7nb0 and octogenarian Al2y1nd4, who have
ascended to the 7y2 7lq (Mother drum) rank and have led the
dqnd[n small, medium and large ensembles for over forty
years. Each of them provides an example of art, style,
creativity, and excellent dexterity on the 7y2 7lq, abilities which
have taken them to the realm of itinerant master drummers
across surprising boundaries.

Euba, Akin.Yorqb2 Drumming: The Dqnd[n Tradition, Bayreuth,

Bayreuth University, 1990
2
Olaniyan, C.O. The Composition and Performance Techniques of
Dqnd[n-Sekere music of Southwestern Nigeria, Belfast, Queen's
University, PhD Thesis, 1984
13