Bamboo drums (a kaur) are made in minutes for any musical performance and are discarded after use. They are used by beating on the far lip of the mouth with a hardwood stick from which the bark is removed. The handle is held in the left hand; the beater in the right. Most commonly they are beaten in the sitting position, but can be carried. Bamboo drums are especially used for practice sessions of dances, or for non-religious dances. When a religious dance is being prepared the change from using bamboo drums to using hour-glass drums (a kudu) is marked by a special ritual. Ten foot lengths of bamboo with mouths cut in each section may be used by large numbers of drummers simultaneously in dance accompaniment.
Department:
Oceania
Dimensions:
a— length 42.545 centimeters and b— length 40.64 centimeters
Loans:
S2011-2012 #3: National Geographic Society (July 26, 2011–July 27, 2011)