Garamut

Slit-log drum system used by the Waskia-speaking people of Orora village on Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea, described by Watson and Duffield (2016): In Orora, the researcher frequently heard rhythms being beaten on garamuts, indicating regular, almost daily use for messaging. Specific rhythms indicate particular, differing messages. When the garamut is used to call people together, the particular timbre of the garamut can indicate to whom the message applies. Orora has five clans within the village, and different drums, with different sounds, for each clan. An integral part of the communication system based on the garamut is that individuals can recognise their own instrumentat some distance. A person hearing their own garamut being beaten may understand thisa s a signal to hurry home" (Watson & Duffield 2016, p. 277).