garamut
Sign in to savethumb|300px|alt=A garamut with geometric carvings in the central portion and handles carved with human figures|A garamut from the Sepik region The garamut is a kind of slit drum made in Papua New Guinea. Carved from a single log, a garamut is beaten with sticks to produce sound from its central cavity. Garamuts have historically played an important cultural role in many Papua New Guinea communities, serving as a means of communication as well as a musical instrument. "Garamut" is a Tok Pisin word meaning "song" and "to silence". This name has become commonly understood throughout the country,
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Encyclopedic overview
6 sectionsContents
- Name
- Design and construction
- Use and meaning
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|300px|alt=A garamut with geometric carvings in the central portion and handles carved with human figures|A garamut from the Sepik region The garamut is a kind of slit drum made in Papua New Guinea. Carved from a single log, a garamut is beaten with sticks to produce sound from its central cavity. Garamuts have historically played an important cultural role in many Papua New Guinea communities, serving as a means of communication as well as a musical instrument. "Garamut" is a Tok Pisin word meaning "song" and "to silence". This name has become commonly understood throughout the country, although the instrument may have different names in other languages.
Garamuts may have come to New Guinea with the Austronesian peoples. Each takes multiple days to complete, and they are sometimes decorated with intricate and symbolic designs. The rhythms used can convey particular messages for many kilometres. Individuals and clans may have their own identifying patterns.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “garamut” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.