Panpipes
Date1875-1915 ca.
Place DistributedSabah, Malaysia, Asia
Serial No.none
SignednoneMarkingsnone
DescriptionTen hollow pipes of graduated lengths, cast from bronze, with a dark patina. Designs between the pipes resemble a braided chain. Sound is produced by blowing across the tops of the pipes and stopping, or partially stopping, the lower end with the fingers.
These panpipes are associated with Sabah, Malaysia, purportedly from the Dayak people, one of hundreds of linguistically-related indigenous groups on the island of Borneo. Current research in both ethnomusicology and anthropology do not support this attribution. Not only was there no historic use of panpipes among the Dayak, but also they had limited facility with metal working of this type. It is possible this instrument was a trade item brought to the island during the colonial period.
DimensionsHeight (max.): 110 mm
Width: 125 mm
ProvenancePurchased from H. M. Lissauer, Melbourne, Australia, 1978.
Credit LineGrace L. Beede Fund, 1978
Object number02402
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