Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hand drum (kundu)

Iatmul artist

Date

20th century

Medium

Wood, rope, pigment

Culture

Iatmul

Department

Arts of Oceania

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hand drums accompany clan songs performed at important community events. The drum sound represents spirit and ancestor voices. In the Iatmul belief system, humans are descended from a giant crocodile, an animal depicted multiple times on this instrument. The open-ended design carved around both halves of the drum represents the gaping jaws of two crocodiles, symbolic of sky and earth. These opposing realms are linked by the drum’s handle, another crocodile. Papua New Guinea, Oceania

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