Hand Drum
Artist unknown, Pacific Islander
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceHuon Gulf, Papua New Guinea
Medium/TechniqueWood, reptile skin, pigment, rope
DimensionsOverall: 75 x 18 x 21 cm (29 1/2 x 7 1/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2715
On View
Not on viewClassificationsMusical instruments
DescriptionThis 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)
20th century
