Whistling Jars

A complex vessel with a whistle cavity built inside a sculptural shape that represents the animal being mimicked.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Multi-Chambers

Whistling jars are double-chambered bottles consisting of two chambers connected to one another by a hollow passageway between them. They are used in ceremonial and secular rituals as entertainment.

Mouth

Holes formed in single, duet or triplicate orientation.

Two Bodies

Double globular, flat-bottom chambers containing and is apart of the whistle mechanism.

Two Necks

The spouts with everted lips where air or water enter.

Bridge Handle

Connects the hollow bodies for ease of carrying.

Tube

Part of the whistle chamber that direct fluid across the sphere's opening; creating the whistling sound.

Modeled Figure

The surface shallow engravings at the top and sides of the bodies.

Whistling

The two bodies of the vessel are filled with water depending on what kind of sound the user wants to produce. Lower levels produce high pitch sounds, while higher levels of water produce lower pitch sounds. Typically, the bodies are filled with approximately halfway because if they are too full, the bottle will not make any sound; space must be left for air in the hollow chambers.
The bottle is tilted so that the majority of the liquid passes out from one side, where the whistle is located, into the other. Then the bottle must be tilted in the other direction so that the water flows back into the body where the whistle is. Thus, the bottle can produce a whistling sound every time it is tilted back in forth.

Manufacturing process

Direct Molding

1. A mixture of terracotta, shells and water makes the clay pliable and less likely to crack
2. Two half-molds make one hollow vessel with a wide mouth and narrow neck
3. Form a small clay ball and attach it to the bottom of the jar's interior
4. Attach a thin clay strip from the rim of the jar to the small ball, creating a smooth tube, shaped as the whistle to ensure proper airflow
5. Once the jar is mostly dry, use a pebble to rub and smash the surface, creating a smooth and glossy finish through burnishing
6. Paint and take precautions to protect the designs during firing
7. Fire the jar in a kiln to harden
8. Once cooled, test the whistle by pouring water into the vessel and tilting it to produce whistling sounds. Adjust the water level to achieve the desired pitch.

Significance

Decorations

Following being burnished, devotions to the gods are embodied by their imagery surrounded by raised dots in relief; or symbols reflective of different historical and mythical ideologies specific to their society.

Each piece tells a story, whether a myth of the gods or an account of the potter himself.

— Dara

Birds are the most common animal carved and can emit sounds of chirping, clucking, cooing, cawing, warbling, piping, screeching, squawking, hooting or tooting. Other depictions include:

a snoring man

a glugging fish

a raspy alligator

a hissing cat

a whooping child

a howling dog

a rattling snake

a clicking llama

a humming beetle

an orgling llama

a groaning bear

a shrieking rodent

a snorting monkey

a singing whale

a barking seal

Item type

Musical Instrument

Current Location

Qhapaq Ñan

Manufacturer

First Quadrant

Related ethnicities

• Coastal People
• Dhani
• Mud Men

Owning Organization

Tawantinsuyu

Rarity

Uncommon

Weight

Varies

Dimensions

Varies

Raw materials & Components

Red Clay

White Clay

Terracotta

Paint

Water

Mollusk Shells

Tools

Kiln

Smooth Stone