The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 8, 2026

An ivory carving depicts a human figure functioning as a vertical whistle. The figure features cross-hatched hair, wide oval eyes, and a small mouth. A dark vertical crack splits the front from the crown down to the base. Below the bulbous torso, a horizontal cylinder with a side opening forms the whistle. The smooth, off-white surface shows a warm brown patina within the recessed details and across the flared base.

Whistle (kasengosengo)

late 1800s

Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Chokwe people, late 1800s

Probably hippopotamus ivory
Overall: 7.3 x 3.2 cm (2 7/8 x 1 1/4 in.)
Educational Purchase Fund 1915.443
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This was the first sculptural work from Africa to enter the CMA's collection.

Description

Carved out of ivory or wood in a variety of shapes, Chokwe whistles often bear miniature, stylized renderings of masks. Cikunza, the "patron saint" of the boys' initiation into manhood, is depicted with a pointed extension imitating the horn of a road antelope, symbolizing the fertility spirit. Typically such whistles were used by men during the hunt to communicate with their co-hunters and to call their dogs. They were either worn attached to a string as a necklace or tied to a spear.
  • 1915–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by purchase
  • Artlens Exhibition 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24, 2017-May 29, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Whistle (kasengosengo)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s|access-date=08 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1915.443