From the colonial period to the present, Haiti’s sacred drums of Vodou have been revered and celebrated in some circles, while feared and systematically destroyed in others–yet they have consistently been located at the center of Haitian experience. Using several instruments from the Mathers Museum collection as a backdrop for conversation, Rebecca Dirksen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, will discuss the historical and contemporary significance of tanbou (drums) within Haitian culture and the American ethnographer-collectors whose paths ultimately brought these instruments to Indiana University. This presentation will be amply illustrated with archival recordings and fieldwork video. Dirksen has published in the Yearbook for Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology Review, the Bulletin du Bureau d’Ethnologie d’Haiti, and elsewhere; she is presently writing a book on music, disaster, and development in Haiti. The event is free and open to the public.

Free visitor parking is available by the Indiana Avenue lobby entrance. Metered parking is available at the McCalla School parking lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Indiana Avenue. The parking lot also has spaces designated for Indiana University C and ST permits. During the weekends free parking is available on the surrounding streets. An access ramp is located at the Fess Avenue entrance, on the corner of Ninth Street and Fess Avenue. Reserved parking spaces are available on Ninth Street, between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-6873.

Cost: Free

For more information contact:

Mathers Museum of World Cultures
(812) 855-1696
[email protected]