Papua New Guinea Drum, Old

Name in Papua New Guinea. For an hourglass shaped drum used to accompany formal occasions, religious ceremonies and for celebrations. This drum is emblematic of Papua New Guinea.

And it appears on the country's coat of arms. The sizes of a Kundu drum vary.

A small finger-drum might measure 30 cm (11.81 in), while a large drum might be 200 cm (74.84 in) long. The drum is made of carved wood with a possum or lizard-skin drumhead, with some instruments possessing a handle placed on the narrowest part of the drum. Not all Kundus have handles, depending on the instruments' style. Traditionally, the lizard skin was held in place with a layer of human blood (as glue). Depending upon who made it and where it was made, a Kundu may be carved plainly, or decorated with "high-relief" carved handles, or relief carvings on the instruments' bodies with open mouthed crocodiles, human faces, dancers, and spirit figures. Often, the Kundu is decorated with animal figures on its edges. On some instruments the handle may have intricate sculpture in openwork. For the Papuans, the sound of the Kundu represents the voice of "spirits". Examples of formal religious or civil occasions where one might hear the Kundu include burials, the opening of a new house or the launching of a new boat.

This drum is beautiful and the pictures do not do it justice.

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