Both sizes have a goat skin head at the top of the drum and are open on the opposite end.
The large lead drum is known variously as caja, nsumbi, or ngoma and is usually barrel shaped.
They are played while standing and are sometimes attached to the player with a rope around the waist in order to lean the drum slightly forward.
Makuta drums are associated with Cuban cabildos that claim Bantu or Congo ancestry (i.e., from Central Africa).
The oldest surviving drums are said to be found in the provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Sancti Spíritus.