In Yoruba-rooted religions music is not an accompaniment: it is a form of prayer and of communication with the orishas. Among all instruments, the batá drums hold a special place. They are regarded not only as instruments but as beings with a spirit of their own, Añá, and in the Cuban tradition they are among the most sacred objects of Regla de Ocha.
Origins in Yorubaland
In West Africa, the batá are closely linked to the cult of Shango, the thunder orisha, and to the kingship of Oyo. They are also played in other settings, such as the ceremonies of the Egungun, the ancestor masquerades. Yorubaland has many other drums, including the famous dùndún, the hourglass drum squeezed under the arm: the batá, however, have a sound and repertoire of their own.
The three drums
In the form that became established in Cuba, the batá ensemble consists of three double-headed drums, shaped like an asymmetrical hourglass, played horizontally across the drummer's knees, with the hands striking both heads.
| Drum | Size | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Iyá | the largest | the «mother»: leads, calls, converses, introduces variations |
| Itótele | medium | answers the iyá and converses with it |
| Okónkolo | the smallest | keeps a steady basic rhythmic pattern |
Each drum has a larger head with a deep sound and a smaller one with a high sound. The iyá often carries a row of metal bells, called chaworó, which add a characteristic shimmer.
The result is not the sum of three rhythms but a conversation: the iyá throws out phrases, the other drums reply, and the dialogue builds the music.
Drums that speak
Yoruba is a tonal language: the meaning of words also depends on the pitch at which they are spoken. Skilled drummers can reproduce the melody of words on the drums, so that rhythmic phrases recall greetings, praises and verses addressed to the orishas. For those who know the code, the batá really do «speak».
In Cuba, over the generations, the Yoruba language turned into the liturgical language Lucumí, and the link between rhythms and words partly changed. But the idea that the drum is a voice and not merely a sound has remained intact.
Añá: the spirit of the drum
In the Cuban tradition, consecrated batá are called de fundamento: within them dwells Añá, the spirit of the drum, regarded as an orisha. Consecration is a complex rite carried out by already initiated drummers, and it gives rise to a new «lineage» of drums, linked to the set from which it derives.
There are also unconsecrated batá drums, called aberikulá, used for study, performances and non-ritual settings. The distinction is sharp: only drums with Añá may play before the orishas at the most important ceremonies.
Oral tradition credits two Africans, Añabí and Atandá, with consecrating the first set of batá in Cuba, in nineteenth-century Havana. From that first fundamento, according to the same tradition, many of the island's consecrated drums descend.
The omo Añá
Drummers initiated into the cult of the drum are called omo Añá, «children of Añá». Initiation binds them to the drum with a bond of respect and responsibility. Traditionally the role was reserved for men; in recent decades the issue has become a subject of debate, and some women play unconsecrated batá in artistic and teaching contexts.
The oro seco and the festival
A ceremony with consecrated batá usually opens with the oro seco (also called oro del igbodú): a long sequence of rhythms played without singing, one for each orisha, performed before the altar. It is a greeting addressed to the deities in their purest language, that of the drum.
Then comes the public part of the festival, in which a lead singer intones the songs and the chorus responds while the faithful dance. In this phase the drum does more than accompany: with its rhythmic changes it can heighten the atmosphere and encourage trance, in which the orisha becomes manifest in an initiate's body.
From Cuba to the world
During the twentieth century the batá crossed the boundaries of religion. They entered conservatories, folkloric ensembles, popular music and Latin jazz. With Cuban emigration, consecrated sets were taken to the United States and other countries, giving rise to new communities of omo Añá.
In short
- The batá are double-headed drums originally linked to the cult of Shango and the kingship of Oyo.
- The Cuban set comprises iyá, itótele and okónkolo, in dialogue with one another.
- Drawing on the tonal nature of Yoruba, the drums can «speak».
- Consecrated drums house Añá, the spirit of the drum; initiated drummers are omo Añá.
- The oro seco, a sequence of rhythms without singing, opens ceremonies by greeting each orisha.
