Alounloun
Beninese musical instrument / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The alounloun is a Beninese musical instrument, used to play a type of music called adjogan. It is a stick with metallic rings attached, which jingle in time with the beating of the stick. The alounloun is said to descend from the staff of King Te-Agdanlin.[1] The alounloun was established for the royal court in the Porto-Novo area; it was initially a symbol of the king's power that was later transformed into a musical instrument. It became a tradition to use the alounloun to honor eminent officials in the royal court.[2] An alounloun is on display at the Royal Palace Museum in Porto-Novo.[2]