The five or six distinct types of drum used by the Makonde of Tanzania and Mozambique accompany their various dances and masquerade performances. They are usually not figuratively elaborated, although they are often carved with relief decorations. This unusual Makonde drum of the goblet-shaped variety is carved with anthropomorphic legs and male imagery, suggesting it would have served a special social function. In pre-colonial times the Makonde groups who settled in the Ruvuma region were skilled in the arts of defense. They protected their villages against the attacks of enemy lineages, hostile external groups, and wild animals by enclosing them within carefully maintained hedges of impenetrable thicket. Special drums of the likuti type were widely used by the Makonde to alert villagers and members of neighboring settlements in the event of a threat. -Prestel/Phillips