Images(19)

Garamut

Alternate name(s)

Slit drum

Date1900 ca.

Place MadeNorth Coast Sepik Region, Papua New Guinea, Asia

Serial No.none

Signednone
Markingsnone
DescriptionSlit-drums are indigenous to parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands. They are most prominent in New Guinea along the northern coast, the Sepik region, and the smaller islands. In New Guinea, they are constructed from logs that are hollowed out through the slit at the top, usually with a combination of burning coals and carving. The interior of the log may have areas of varying thickness to produce different tones. There are two main methods of producing sound; jolting, which is when the tip of a long stick is struck near the top of the slit, and striking, which is when the side of the log is struck with one or two shorter sticks.
The Tok Pisin lingua franca term for slit-drums is garamut. The garamut in New Guinea is often played to accompany dance. These dances are usually associated with male initiation ceremonies, and the drum is considered to be a sacred instrument, the voice of the spirits. It is usually stored in the male lodgings and, among some groups, has taboos regarding women seeing or playing it. Depending on the region and people, the garamut may be played solo, in an ensemble of other garamuts, or in an ensemble with flutes and other drums. For example, the Iatmul people of the Sepik Region always play slit-drums in pairs. The players strike the drum in alternating patterns that result in complex rhythmic lines.
The slit-drum is also a signaling instrument, played to convey messages to other members of a village. For example, in some West Sepik villages, people have specific rhythmic patterns associated with their names that are played to call them. The drum may also be played to signal meetings or to spread news of a death.

Hollow, horizontal idiophone carved from a log. The only opening is a narrow slit carved from the top of the log. The wood is not stained or covered in a finish. The front and back of the log are carved with decorations, mainly abstract curvilinear patterns. The front is divided in half, and each decorated half is symmetrical. The entire decorated section on the front is surrounded by a carved border with a zig-zag pattern. The back side is carved in patterns nearly identical to the front.
There are two handles, one on each side of the drum, at the top. They are carved from the same wood as the drum. The top of the handles are carved into human figures with pointed eyes and noses. The bottom of the handles are carved into abstract figures and geometric shapes.
DimensionsLength: 179 cm
Width in middle: 50 cm
Length of slit: 115 cm
Width of slit: 7 cm
Length of handles: 30 cm
ProvenancePurchased in 1975 from H. M. Lissauer, Melbourne, Australia.

Credit LineRingley Fund, 1975

Object number01321

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