Tambu music

Tambu (also tambú) is a drum, music genre and dance form, found on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, and is a major part of the Dutch Antillean music. On Bonaire, it is also known as bari. Curaçaoan tambu is a major part of that island's culture, and is there a genre that is considered muziek di zumbi (literally, spirit music, referring to music of African origin), and is accompanied by instruments like the wiri, agan and triangle. The word tambu derives from the Spanish word for drum, tambor.

The origins of Tambú can be traced back to the early 17th century, where a large number of African slaves arrived in Curaçao from Angola. The ritual was first associated with the Curaçao style of stick fighting called kokomakaku, where the Tambú referred to the rhythms played by the drummer (called a tamburero) on a single drum (also referred to as tambú). Since then, the performance has changed in congruence with the historical circumstances of the Curaçao island.