{"id":"MUS2026-249","label":"Èpépé leaf, the eagle's wingbeat","people_or_site":"Aka","country_current":"Central African Republic","historic_region":"Mongoumba, Lobaye Prefecture","macroregion":"Africa / Central Africa","local_name":"èpépé","source_term":"Rhombe","source_language":"French","object_description":"A leaf of the èpépé tree fixed to the end of a wooden rod; 61 x 15 x 0.5 cm.","function_summary":"Used as a monkey lure by imitating the wings of the bird called ngòliò.","attestation_type":"museum_specimen","source_key":"mqb_275216","source_type":"museum_collection","source_url":"https://collections.quaibranly.fr/?action=search&field=/Record/ObjectNumber&label=N%C2%B0%20de%20gestion&value=71.1995.23.4","page_or_plate":"Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, object 275216, inv. 71.1995.23.4","map_confidence":"medium","plot_status":"plot_with_caveat","coordinate_basis":"Mongoumba town anchor (GeoNames: 3.641532, 18.593636) for the museum locality Mongoumba, Lobaye Prefecture; precise collection spot not specified.","jade_complex_role":"","blurb":"The sound is a wingbeat. Aka hunters use the èpépé leaf lure to imitate the wings of ngòliò, the bird called the “monkey eagle.” A leaf fixed to a wooden rod supplies the sound; the implement takes its name from the tree. At Mongoumba, this is a hunting lure, bòni (plural mòni), used to lure monkeys — a bird’s wingbeat recreated with a leaf.","pull_quote":"le bruit de l'instrument imite celui des ailes de l'oiseau appelé ‘aigle de singe’ … et est utilisé comme appeau pour les singes","pull_quote_translation":"The sound of the instrument imitates the wings of the bird called “monkey eagle” and is used as a lure for monkeys.","pull_quote_cite":"Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, object 275216","term_gloss":"Èpépé is both the recorded object name and the tree whose leaf forms the sounding element; ngòliò names the imitated bird.","cls":"play_practical","class_label":"Play / practical","color":"#24766D","is_candidate":false,"flags":[],"f_jade_complex":false,"f_women_taboo":false,"f_women_special":false,"f_snake":false,"sources":[{"citation":"Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, object 275216, inv. 71.1995.23.4; Mongoumba, Lobaye; leaf and wood; 61 x 15 x 0.5 cm","url":"https://collections.quaibranly.fr/?action=search&field=/Record/ObjectNumber&label=N%C2%B0%20de%20gestion&value=71.1995.23.4","archive":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013034205/https://collections.quaibranly.fr/?action=search&field=/Record/ObjectNumber&label=N%C2%B0%20de%20gestion&value=71.1995.23.4"}],"source_citations":"Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, object 275216, inv. 71.1995.23.4; Mongoumba, Lobaye; leaf and wood; 61 x 15 x 0.5 cm","source_display":"Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, object 275216, inv. 71.1995.23.4; Mongoumba, Lobaye; leaf and wood; 61 x 15 x 0.5 cm","date_citation_display":"","object_display":"A leaf of the èpépé tree fixed to the end of a wooden rod; 61 x 15 x 0.5 cm.","function_display":"","confidence_display":"medium","attestation_label":"museum specimen","etymology_hedge":"","people_key":"aka","display_name":"Èpépé leaf, the eagle's wingbeat","image":{"full":"assets/objects/mqb/mqb_71-1995-23-4.jpg","thumb":"assets/objects/mqb/thumbs/mqb_71-1995-23-4_thumb.jpg","credit":"© musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (71.1995.23.4)","license":"© musée du quai Branly — rehosted for non-commercial research","source_page":"https://collections.quaibranly.fr/?action=search&field=/Record/ObjectNumber&label=N%C2%B0%20de%20gestion&value=71.1995.23.4","rehosted":true,"representative":false,"caption":"The Lobaye monkey lure: a folded leaf lashed to its slender whirling stem.","last_modified":"2026-09-01"},"slug":"mus2026-249-people-unrecorded"}