Garamut (New Guinea), 1900-1950. Photo by Gabriel Serra. Barcelona Music Museum.
In Oceania, the combination of different music styles from the nearest continents and islands, or the influence from the other side of the world from the 18th century onwards, have created a complex cultural diversity on the islands of the Pacific. This slit drum is related, like other Papuan instruments, to ritual cycles and war dances, initiations and hunting that often adopt totemic forms and are restricted to secret societies.
