What is "yuka"

Yuka is a style of Cuban music and dance and a type of drum, of Congolese origin. The word Yuka is Bantu, and means 'to beat'. For preference, the drums are made from hollowed-out trunks of the avocado tree. Leather is nailed to one of the open ends, and the player hits the skin with both hands, the drum being slanted between his legs. The drums come in three sizes: caja (large), mula and cachimba (a term referring to its small size). Rhythms may also be played on the drum body, the drummer using a small mallet or a stave in one hand, the other hand slapping the leather. The drummer wears two small rattles (nkembí), made of metal or gourds, on his wrists. The drums may be accompanied by staves on a guagua (hollow wooden slit drum) or the drum body, and by percussion on a piece of iron, the muela (a pick used for plowing).

The secular dance is performed by a couple as a stylised contest: the man chases, the woman avoids. Despite the similarity of this theme with the guaguancó, there is no clear evidence to suggest that the two forms are connected by anything other than their African style. The origin of the yuka lies in Oriente, especially Santiago de Cuba, whereas the origin of the guaguancó (a rumba form) lies in Matanzas and Havana. Yuka drums may also be used in sacred dances of the palo type: Palo Mayombe, for example.

YUKA, formally and formerly Yuka Sato (佐藤有香 Satō Yuka), is a Japanese singer, born on December 10, 1970. She is best known for her work in Japanese animation, including the ending themes of several Dragon Ball Z theatrical films (with Hironobu Kageyama), as well as singing "Mirai no Kioku", the opening theme of the series Kiddy Grade. In June 2000, she married drummer , and in 2003, gave birth to a son. Previously, she had also assumed the stage name Asakura Miyū (麻倉未有) in addition to her other names. More recently, her songs "Destiny of the Desert" and "Shinkirō" (Mirage) also appeared in the anime Desert Punk as the opening and closing songs respectively.

Yuka or YUKA or similar may refer to:

• Yuka (name), a Japanese personal name
• Yuka (singer) (born 1970), Japanese singer
• Yuka (music), a Cuban style of music
• Manshu Yuka Kogyo K.K. Ssuningkai, a Japanese-German pre-WWII industrial co-operation
• Yuka (mammoth) Prehistoric mammoth found at Yakutia

and are feminine Japanese given names.

Yuka is a wooly mammoth carcass discovered in Siberia. It died around 39,000 years ago and was around 6 to 11 years of age.

In October 2014, The mammoth had been put on display in Moscow and is the best preserved in palaeontology.

, better known as , is a Japanese actress, presenter and a former gravure model. She is known for playing the lead role in NHK's drama Honjitsu wa Taian Nari, and a former presenter of the TBS variety show Ōsama no Brunch. From 1999 to 2001, she received Golden Arrow Award every year. In 2003, she was given a Golden Graph Award, and Japan Academy Prize for Best Newcomer.