Summary
Sound producing objects are important in song cycles and ceremonial occasions. For the Iatmul, the most important are wood trumpets (named' kul' or 'kwi') as well as slit gongs ('simi', 'wagin'), hand drums ('kwang-gu') and flutes ('kain', 'wabikein').
This slit gong has a "monster" face on one projection: it can be read as 2 faces, 1 from above and another from below. This slit gong has a projecting curved form below the neck of the prow, which represents a pearl shell breast ornament. These kinds of objects originated in the Papuan Gulf and the Torres Strait, and were traded northwards into the Central Highlands and from there to the Sepik valley. People traded for these breast ornaments using shell strings known as nassa.
Local Name
Garamut
Physical Description
A slit gong.
More Information
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Object/Medium
Gong
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Maker
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Date Collected
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Object Measurements
1300 mm (Length), 300 mm (Width), 300 mm (Height), 300 mm (Outside Diameter)
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