Kundu (drum)

Kundu is Papuan general name used for drum. It is a sandglass shaped drum made in wood with a snake's skin as membrane. An handle is placed on the narrowest part of the drum. Often, the kundu is decorated with animal figures on its edges. The handle is generally the most beautiful part decorated (openwork style). It must beat it to create sound. Kundu is used in number of occasions religious or civilian. For the Papuas the sound of the Kundu is the voice of the ancestors. This concept is common in whole Oceanian world. Kundu is a drum.

The size is very variable : some can be played by with one finger, others one are tall as man. This drum is so typical of Papua New Guinea that it appears on the country's coat of arms.

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Kundu (drum)

See also