Slit drum "garamut" ·  Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3033712

Description

wood, greyish brown patina, remains of red ochre and white pigment, oval corpus, decorated with curved ornaments, carved with a large anthropomorphic head with crocodile snout, remains of plant fibre tassels, slightly dam., minor missing parts, paint rubbed off, cracks;
presumably remittance work.
big slit drums were considered as particular sacred instruments. Only chosen people were allowed to beat them on important ritual occasions. Small drums were mainly used as signals for passing on news.

The object Slit drum “garamut” with the object ID 3033712 was last part of the auction 71st tribal art auction at November 24, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 76 achieved a sales price of EUR 400.

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Comparing literature

Kelm, Heinz, Kunst vom Sepik, Band I, Berlin 1966, ill. 165 Aumann, Georg, Kunst und Kunsthandwerk aus Neu Guinea, Coburg 1986, p. 109