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Drum | Aje
Hourglass Drum, vor 1900
About the object
The drums known as aje were played by women, a great exception in Oceania. With their drum music they accompanied the dances of the men, which were performed on special occasions. In return, the women received gifts (usually food) as recognition. Dances and music represented the strength of men before or after a war. The covering of this drum is made from a shark's stomach.
The object comes from Eugen Brandeis' collection, who was stationed on the island of Jaluit as governor for the German colonial government from 1898 until 1906. However, most of this ethnographic collection donated to the museum was collected by his wife Antonie Brandeis.
The object comes from Eugen Brandeis' collection, who was stationed on the island of Jaluit as governor for the German colonial government from 1898 until 1906. However, most of this ethnographic collection donated to the museum was collected by his wife Antonie Brandeis.
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This simple goblet drum is known as an aje. Aje, alongside conches (jilel) and drum sticks, were for a long time the only instruments found on the Marshall Islands, which was the reason why they were attributed such great significance. Until the beginning of the 20th century, they were played almost exclusively by women, which, for the Pacific region, is an exception to the rule. Drums were invariably made from materials found on the islands; men carved aje from the hard wood of the breadfruit tree and lukwej (calophyllum inophyllum) and covered them on one side with a membrane made of fish skin (typically sharkskin). The graceful, clean lines of the drum and absence of further ornamentation are characteristic features of artefacts from Micronesia. This example reveals clear signs of wear, which would suggest it was played a lot.
Aje drums were mostly played whilst sitting. Women would hold them in their laps with one hand and hit them with the flat of the other, outstretched hand. Ensembles of female singers and drummers supported and encouraged their menfolk with their music when the men went into battle. Furthermore, certain signals could be communicated through drumming. In times of peace, the music accompanied male dance and drama, in this context in particular giving bold expression to the strength of the men. They took place in the context of important events and celebrations and may be considered, in a broad sense, comparable to Western opera. The dances were primarily intended to impress the audience. That they were successful in this enterprise is apparent from many texts from German seafarers, among other accounts, which often contained descriptions of the dances. The sound of the drums was also a crucial navigational tool, as it helped to marshal the canoes at night.
Aje crop up in many drawings and photographs pertaining to the Marshall Islands, although often absent from the accompanying textual descriptions. Thus, they appear to be an essential part of everyday life, with no need of further explanation. One consequence of the German colonisation of the Marshall Islands in 1866 was the introduction of new instruments, which led to a decline in the aje’s significance. Nowadays, one can find keyboards, guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and drums in the popular music of the Marshall Islands.
The aje held in the Freiburg Collection was supposed to have been dispatched in the first shipment made by the Brandeises to the Museum für Natur- und Völkerkunde in April 1900. However, it emerged from Antonie Brandeis’s account that the skin was missing from the drum at the time of the shipment, so she ordered a replacement to be made retrospectively. Replete with its new skin, the drum subsequently arrived at the museum in 1901 as part of the second shipment.
(Text by Anna Sorg, edited and supplemented by Godwin Kornes), (Translation: Timothy Connell)
Aje drums were mostly played whilst sitting. Women would hold them in their laps with one hand and hit them with the flat of the other, outstretched hand. Ensembles of female singers and drummers supported and encouraged their menfolk with their music when the men went into battle. Furthermore, certain signals could be communicated through drumming. In times of peace, the music accompanied male dance and drama, in this context in particular giving bold expression to the strength of the men. They took place in the context of important events and celebrations and may be considered, in a broad sense, comparable to Western opera. The dances were primarily intended to impress the audience. That they were successful in this enterprise is apparent from many texts from German seafarers, among other accounts, which often contained descriptions of the dances. The sound of the drums was also a crucial navigational tool, as it helped to marshal the canoes at night.
Aje crop up in many drawings and photographs pertaining to the Marshall Islands, although often absent from the accompanying textual descriptions. Thus, they appear to be an essential part of everyday life, with no need of further explanation. One consequence of the German colonisation of the Marshall Islands in 1866 was the introduction of new instruments, which led to a decline in the aje’s significance. Nowadays, one can find keyboards, guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and drums in the popular music of the Marshall Islands.
The aje held in the Freiburg Collection was supposed to have been dispatched in the first shipment made by the Brandeises to the Museum für Natur- und Völkerkunde in April 1900. However, it emerged from Antonie Brandeis’s account that the skin was missing from the drum at the time of the shipment, so she ordered a replacement to be made retrospectively. Replete with its new skin, the drum subsequently arrived at the museum in 1901 as part of the second shipment.
(Text by Anna Sorg, edited and supplemented by Godwin Kornes), (Translation: Timothy Connell)
