Photos of djembe trees

[dleufer]

I thought it'd be cool if people posted any pictures they have or have found of the trees commonly used to make djembes, dununs and other instruments in Africa. I found it really interesting to see these trees when I was over there os I'm sure some other people will too.
I had waaaay more pics but I lost an SD card with most of my pictures on it so unless that turns up these are all my tree pictures. I've also got a Lenke fruit which I can take a picture of and then upload.

Enjoy

[dleufer]

And here are some Lenke leaves...

[bubudi]

hi dleufer, cheers for the pics. james posted this pic of a lenke tree outside sangbarala village in hamana, guinea, a few years ago.



according to famoudou konate, the lenke tree is used as a kind of oracle. an offering is made to the tree (usually a chicken, some cola nuts and money). there's a person in the village who is entrusted with the job of making the offering and talking to the tree. he asks a series of questions and tosses an open cola nut. the way it lands gives the answer. here's another pic james took.

[e2c]

Does anyone know the scientific names of the different trees, and/or their common names in French and English?

I am trying to compile some info. on this for a friend and am coming up zeroes on web searches. (and my French isn't good enough for me to be able to do adequate searches in that language.)

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

[Djembe-nerd]

an offering is made to the tree (usually a chicken, some cola nuts and money). there's a person in the village who is entrusted with the job of making the offering and talking to the tree. he asks a series of questions and tosses an open cola nut. the way it lands gives the answer.

I am just amazed sometimes by cultures and underlying similarities.

In India also the breaking of cola nut is a traditional way of starting something (like breaking the wine bottle on the launch of ship), and it is believed that if the cola doesn't break the first time it is hit on the ground, it is not a very good sign.

2 different cultures, similar traditions.

[dleufer]

I think since James was in Sangralla some idiot with a chainsaw cut down the sacred Lenke!
Famoudou said that 3 or 4 years ago he came back to the village and went to find the tree cut down. He said someone cut it down, with no respect for the traditions, in order to make furniture from it. He said that nowadays a lot of the young people have not only lost respect for the old traditions but are actually acting against them. With the spread of Islam there is a growing intolerence for the "worship of idols/false gods" like the oracle tree. Fams said the there have even been cases of people stealing masks to sell them in Kankan or Conakry.
It's a real shame...
But it seems that he's oding a lot of good work in the village to make the young people aware of their traditions and aware of how special these traditions are in order to instill a sense of pride and a desire to preserve them. Apparently a few years ago there were no young drummers but once he set up a "school" and built a practice area there are loads of up and coming hotshot djembefolas, the most prominent of whom is Fams' nephew Kabba. He's a wicked player and he's taken over training up the kids. Any kids who can't afford to go to school can come by Famoudou's compound and Kabba teaches them drumming. I was very impressed to see a group of 10 year olds banging out Bolokonondo!