Pictured above are several images of djun-djun sets, each of which includes a dundoumba (large), sangban (medium) and kenkeni (small) drum.
The last two images on the right show individual dundoumba drums.
Djun-Djun
Pronunciation:
JOON-joon
Also known/spelled as:
Djoundjoun, Dun-Dun, Dunun
Origin:
Djun-djun is the generic name for a family of bass drums that developed in West Africa. Along with the djembe, the djun-djun originated in the ninth century Mali Empire among the Mandinka people. Both are instruments primarily of the region that includes Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, which all have significant Mandé populations.
Construction:
Each djun-djun is made out of the base of a tree then covered on both sides with cow skin (or sometimes goat skin) that is held on with rope or steel rings. This family of double-headed, cylindrical, rope-tension drums consists of the dundoumba (literally “big djun-djun”), which has the lowest tone and is the largest in the series. Next is the mid-tone, medium-sized sangban and lastly, the high-toned kenkeni, which is also the smallest.
Djun-djuns provide the rhythmic base for the djembe. There are wide variations on how the djun-djun is played throughout West Africa. For example, in Mali they sometimes play with just one djun-djun and a bell (kenken) that is held in the hand. In some regions of Guinea the djun-djun is played with no bells, or only two djun-djun are played.
There are two primary playing styles for djun-djuns. The traditional style has each player using a single drum resting on its side, either on the floor or on a stand. Each player strikes the head with a stick held in one hand and a bell mounted on top with the other. For the other style, known as ballet style as it is used in the National Ballets throughout West Africa, one or more players has command of their own set of three djun-djuns standing on the floor. Playing like this allows a more complex arrangement for the dance.
A djun-djun player is called a djundjunfola or "one who gives voice to the djun-djun."
Sources: Wikipedia.org®, the free encyclopedia, Kawambe-Omowale archives
