Vanuata, Melanesia
Music and dance played a large part in the lives of the Pacific Islanders. While the range of musical instruments was not great, all islands in Polynesia and Melanesia had several. This is a unique type of slit drum from Vanuatu in the shape of a standing male figure. The hair, moustache and beard are made from human hair and the eyes are pieces of bone with the pupil made from parinarium nut.
Vanuatu slit drum,c 1928. Donated by T. R. Ff Salisbury per H. F. Clarke.
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