Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number

CAS 2014-0001-0012A,B   CAS 2014-0001-0012A,B; Slit drum with drum stick
Category Musical Instruments
Object Name Slit drum with drum stick
Culture Melanesian
Global Region Oceania
Country Papua New Guinea
State/Prov./Dist.
County
Other Geographic Data
Maker's Name Unknown
Date of Manufacture
Collection Name N/A
Materials Wood; Paint
Description A: Small slit drum in the form of a fish, carved from a single piece of wood; Fish has a somewhat stocky body with very short tail and is depicted with four ventral fins; The entire body, except for the tail and head, is covered by shallowly carved scales and is painted black; The tail and ventral fins are painted white; The eyes are inset with cowrie shells and are outlined in white paint and a wider area of white dots, the latter continuing up to the top of the head; Interior of fish’s body has been hollowed out, leaving a rectangular slit in place of the dorsal ridge; B: Short cylindrical wooden drumstick that is truncated at one end and tapered to a blunt point at the opposite end; Entire drumstick is painted black and decorated with 5 parallel encircling bands that are painted white.
Dimensions (cm) Height = 17.4, Width = 8.7, Length = 35.8