Vanuatan slit drums
Chief Willy Taso
Chief Tofor Rengrengmal
Unknown Artist
Vanuatu, Malampa Province
Slit drums
Mid 20th Century
Wood
Purchased 1971-2
National Gallery of Australia
The carvings at the top of these slit drums represent the faces of ancestors. Magic would sometimes be employed by a drum's creator to ensure that these ancestral faces were properly evoked. Used in a variety of performances including initiation ceremonies, dances and long-distance communication, the deep, resonant sounds produced by the drums was said to summon the ancestors themselves. Today, slit gongs such as these are regarded as icons of Vanuatu's art and culture.
Vanuatan slit drums
Chief Willy Taso
Chief Tofor Rengrengmal
Unknown Artist
Vanuatu, Malampa Province
Slit drums
Mid 20th Century
Wood
Purchased 1971-2
National Gallery of Australia
The carvings at the top of these slit drums represent the faces of ancestors. Magic would sometimes be employed by a drum's creator to ensure that these ancestral faces were properly evoked. Used in a variety of performances including initiation ceremonies, dances and long-distance communication, the deep, resonant sounds produced by the drums was said to summon the ancestors themselves. Today, slit gongs such as these are regarded as icons of Vanuatu's art and culture.