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Hand Drum
Huon Gulf
20th century, 1950–2000
Object Place: Huon Gulf, Papua New Guinea
Medium/Technique
Wood, reptile skin, pigment, rope
Dimensions
Overall: 75 x 18 x 21 cm (29 1/2 x 7 1/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2715
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania, Musical Instruments
ClassificationsMusical instruments – Membranophones
This hourglass shaped Kundu hand drum is typically played during ritual ceremonies. Held in one hand while the other is used to strike the reptile-skin drum head, playing the drum is usually reserved for men. This drum is adorned with two reptilian creatures, possibly crocodiles, which face back-to-back on the opposite side of the drum handle.
Inscriptionsred pencil inside: "GM"
Provenance1974, sold by Island Carvings, Lae, Papua New Guinea, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)