Mbuti Molimo or Ritual Trumpet, Based

Wake the forest. That is the thinking. Blow hard.

To the Mbuti, the forest is sacred, a protector and provider. After the death of an important member of the tribe, or a disastrous event, the Molimo ritual is practiced, and a trumpet, also called a molimo, is played loudly to wake the forest. The belief is that bad things happen when the forest is asleep. This 19th-century example, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is of hide and horn.

A molimo was judged by the sound it made. This one has gone quiet on its mount. It will answer, if asked properly.