Skull Drum Item Number: 2664/3 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Double-sided drum made of two human skulls known as thod-rnga (ཐོད་རྔ) and also known as damaru (ཌ་མ་རུ་), but the latter also refers to double-side drums made of different materials. The skulls are placed top to top with each opening covered with sheet or goat skin. Join is wrapped with blue cotton cloth and dark red wool, with cords of braided hide ending in knobs attached to each side. Hide strips partially covered in brown corduroy project from one side, ending in tassels in poor condition. Part b is a detached cord with metal-wrapped tassels.
History Of Use
Damaru (ཌ་མ་རུ་) or thod-rnga (ཐོད་རྔ) is a ritual object used by practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.
Cultural Context
Human remains in museum collections present a complex, ethical challenge. Objects made from human remains are often removed from their cultural context and have been misidentified or misunderstood, frequently without recognizing the significance they hold in cultures that use human bones for ritual and ceremonial purposes. Ritual objects made both from human and animal bones are a distinctive feature of Tibetan tantric Buddhism. To Tibetans, human bones serve as a reminder of life’s brevity and the inevitability of death. Bones have additional symbolic dimensions. Tibetans view skulls as natural containers that, unshaped by human hands, represent the inherent goodness that reflects the natural state of the mind. Tibetan Buddhists often donated their skulls and bones to monasteries in order to gain spiritual merit after their death.
Item History
- Made in Tibet
- Collected before 1947
- Owned by Andrew Donald before September 9, 2005
- Received from Andrew Donald (Donor) on September 9, 2005
What
- Name
- Skull Drum
- Identification Number
- 2664/3 a-b
- Type of Item
- drum
- Material
- human bone, sheep skin ?, fibre, dye and goat skin ?
- Part A
- height 8.0 cm, width 30.0 cm, depth 13.5 cm
- Part B
- height 1.0 cm, width 39.0 cm, depth 2.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Tibetan
- Previous Owner
- Andrew Donald
- Received from
- Andrew Donald (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Tibet
When
- Collection Date
- before 1947
- Ownership Date
- before September 9, 2005
- Acquisition Date
- on September 9, 2005
Other
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 2664/0003 a-b