The garamut is a kind of slit drum, or more broadly an idiophone, made in Papua New Guinea. Carved from a single log, a garamut is beaten with sticks to produce sound from its central cavity. Garamuts have historically played an important cultural role in many Papua New Guinea communities, serving as a means of communication as well as a musical instrument. "Garamut" is a Tok Pisin word meaning "song" and "to silence". This name has become commonly understood throughout the country, although the instrument may have different names in other languages.
Garamuts may have come to New Guinea with the Austronesian peoples. Each takes multiple days to complete, and they are sometimes decorated with intricate and symbolic designs. The rhythms used can convey particular messages for many kilometres. Individuals and clans may have their own identifying patterns.
In some communities garamuts continue to hold cultural value. Their use is often gendered, restricted to men and part of male initiation rituals. An individual garamut often belongs to one individual or family, and some are played only for important events, such as births and deaths. They can be played by one or two people. When used for music, they are prominent in events such as sing-sings.
Name
"Garamut" is a Tok Pisin word, that may also be used to refer to the Vitex cofassus tree. It derives from the Tolai language, where "gara" means singing or calling out, and "i mut" means to be quiet and listen. This has also been translated as "song" and "to silence". The name has become used throughout the country.[1]: 56–57 In the Kaian language, garamut are referred to as rumbung, which has a similar meaning of listening in silence.[1]: 58 In the Boiken language they are called mie, which also means "tree".[2]: 111 In English, the plural "garamuts" is often used.[1]: 54
Design and construction
Garamuts are a type of slit drum. Each is made from a single tree trunk,[3] hollowed out through carving or burning.[4] The resulting shape can be round, oval, or triangular, with a handle at each end.[2]: 111 The kind of tree used can accord certain meanings. Some are made in pairs, with a larger selek and a smaller heik.[2]: 111 This results in the larger having a deeper sound with a lower pitch and the smaller having a sharper sound at a higher pitch.[2]: 112
Garamuts can be placed on the ground or suspended in the air.[2]: 111 Sounds are made by striking beater sticks near the slit which leads to a large central cavity. This form of making music classifies the garamut a type of idiophone.[5] They are also referred to as slit gongs.[1]: 54 A garamut can be played by one or two people.[2]: 112
Specific designs vary from being plain to intricate designs, often varying by locality.[4] Markings on the logs often represent particular clans or sub-clans.[1]: 58 The creation process from cutting down a tree to the finished product can take two to three days.[2]: 117 Creation sometimes includes magic rites and other traditional practices. The beating sticks are carved from the same tree as the garamut itself. The completion of a garamut is often celebrated with music and food.[2]: 118 The correct execution of particular rituals is seen as key to the garamut producing a good sound.[6]: 39
Use and meaning
Garamut are found throughout Papua New Guinea, particularly in coastal and island areas. Playing styles differ, with the instruments sometimes being used individually and sometimes being used within a wider ensemble.[7] The sound can be heard for multiple kilometres,[8]: 272 and so they are traditionally used for communication as well as for music.[2]: 111
The concept of the slit drum likely came to Papua New Guinea with the Austronesian migration.[6]: 30 Historically, garamuts played important cultural roles, and may have served as homes for spirits.[1]: 54–55 The sound of a garamut is considered its 'voice',[3] which can represent spirits or ancestors.[4] A damaged garamut can be said to have 'died'.[6]: 40
A single garamut can become closely linked to an indivdiual or to a family or kinship group.[1]: 59 Some are passed from fathers to sons,[1]: 60 and have a strong association with gender due to being carved outside the view of women and girls.[1]: 61 In the Sepik area they are involved in male ritual initiations.[9] In some cultures obtaining a signature drum beat that identifies you as an individual is part of this male initiation, symbolising a measure of respect.[6]: 31–32 Obtaining a personal garamut, often after a wedding, is another symbolic moment.[6]: 34–35 This male exclusivity is not universal. Among the Kaian people, individual instruments are named by female elders. Garamut can be carved with female motifs as well as male ones, with the logs sometimes representing human bodies.[1]: 63–64 When garamuts are produced in pairs, sometimes the smaller one is played by women.[2]: 111
Among the Tolai people, special garamut are reserved for ceremonial roles, such as announcing the death of an important community member. In one Tolai origin story for the instrument, it was created by To Karvuvu, whose brother To Kabinana told him "the deaths of our children will be drummed out on it when they die".[1]: 58 Other events which may be commemorated in different communities include births, new houses, and launching a canoe.[4]
In modern times, they have in many cases lost this association, being viewed as merely musical instruments, although especially among older generations they retain an association with spiritual power.[1]: 58–59 Their use and handling is still sometimes governed by a series of rules, including situations such as when someone is sick when they should not be played, For musical purposes, they are often played at sing-sings, sometimes being used to announce the sing-sing will take place.[2]: 112, 115 In some parts of Madang Province garamuts were used for daily communication until at least the 2000s, with different rhythms indicating different messages.[8]: 276 They provide a way for coastal communities to communicate with upland ones up to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away,[6]: 31 and are compared by locals to the concept of phones.[8]: 272 [6]: 31 Other areas saw use decrease as early as the 1970s. Individual garamuts have unique and recognisable sounds, and so the use of a particular garamut can indicate the intended recipient.[8]: 277 Individuals or clans may also be identified through specific rhythms.[2]: 113
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Alphonse Aime (November 2016). "Unwrapping the Social and Cultural Meaning of Garamut (Slit-Drums) of Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Contemporary PNG Studies: DWU Research Journal. 25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Samuel R.W. Pongiura (1995). "Mie Howie: Garamut Communication of the Yangoru". In Richard Moyle (ed.). Occasional Papers in Pacific Ethnomusicology. Vol. 4. University of Auckland. ISBN 0-908689-29-2. ISSN 1170-7941.
- 1 2 "Voices of Connection: Garamut Slit Drums of New Guinea". The Fralin Museum of Art. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Papua New Guinea: Make a Drum". Wake Forest University. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ↑ "Papua 'Garamut' Slit Drum". Hartenberger World Music Collection. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 James Leach (2012). "La mort du tambour". Techniques & Culture (in French). 58: 28–47. doi:10.4000/tc.6229.
- ↑ "Becoming a Garamut Player in Baluan, Papua New Guinea Musical Analysis as a Pathway to Learning". Routledge. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Amanda H. A. Watson; Lee R. Duffield (27 December 2015). "From Garamut to Mobile Phone: Communication Change in Rural Papua New Guinea". Mobile Media & Communication. 4 (2). doi:10.1177/2050157915622658.
- ↑ "Slit Drum (garamut), 20th century". Minneapolis Institute of Art. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
External links
- Performance video (Youtube)