Cuíca

Unknown artist

The Cuíca is a friction drum of African origin played in the batucada (an ensemble of instruments used for the samba) during the Brazilian carnival. It is a membranophone, which is an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a stretched membrane. A rod is fixed in the center of the drumskin and projects inside the shell. The sound is produced by rubbing the rod between the thumb and forefinger with a damp sponge or leather piece. The rubbing action makes the drumskin vibrate, producing a grunting sound. Pitch is changed by applying pressure to the drumskin. The body of the Cuíca contributes little to the sound. The Cuíca was introduced to Brazil by enslaved people coming from Bantu speaking areas of Central and Southern Africa and primarily from Angola. One of the interesting theories of its origins is that the drum was used in Africa for lion hunting. The hunters were able to lure the lions with it because the sound of the drum imitates that of a wounded animal. Nowadays, the body of the instrument is made of metal instead of wood. Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner, a linguist known for his research among the Gullah communities of South Carolina and Georgia, in Bahia, Brazil, and West Africa, collected this object during a research trip to Brazil in 1940-41. He was interested in the tonalities of music and language and how they carry meaning within communities and cultures.