A Selection of Oceanic Art / OC-072501-04
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OC-072501-04

Fragmentary slit gong ("garamut") terminus
Iatmul, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Wood
19th or early 20th century
L: 23 in. (58.42 cm), W: 9 in. (22.86 cm)
Ex Dr. Mark D. Altschule Collection, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University
Large slit gongs were the most important musical instruments of the Sepik River Region. Large drums like the one to which this terminus belonged, were used for ceremony, signaling, and dance. See Hurst Gallery. 1992. Art and Artifacts of Melanesia. Cambridge: Hurst Gallery. (cat 31)