Gallery Label
The hourglass-shaped drums of the Torres Strait Islands were created from a single hollowed-out piece of wood imported from the New Guinea mainland. This drum is covered at one end, on which to play, while the other end is in the form of the open mouth of a stylized fish. There are simple relief designs on the surface of the drum in geometric, human, and animal designs, and additional shell, fiber, feather, and hair ornaments decorate the sides and around the figurative mouth.
Along with other abandoned cultural practices, drums of this type are no longer made in the Torres Strait. The formerly practiced arts adopted influences from Indonesia, Melanesian New Guinea, Australia, and the Polynesian culture that had circulated back to Melanesia. The language of the area also reflects this diversity, resulting from the Torres Strait Islands’ position between the northern tip of Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.
The drums were constructed in the Torres Strait after the roughly shaped wood was imported from nearby New Guinea through trade. This artfully crafted drum could be a representation of a fish in a seafaring culture in which totemic myths were important. The cultures were based on universal kinship, so ceremonies at which this drum was played were focused on honoring mythical figures. The drums also were occasionally traded back to the New Guinea mainland after decoration was added.
