The Pātē is a Samoan percussion instrument that originated in Tahiti. Its name comes from the Samoan word for “beat,” “clap,” or “pulse.” It is one of several types of Samoan log drums and belongs to the slit drum family, which is also part of the idiophone percussion family. The Pātē is made from a hollowed-out log, often from Miro wood, and produces a loud, clear sound.
Putorino (Māori: Pūtōrino) is a small farming community in northern Hawke’s Bay, on the east side of New Zealand’s North Island. It is located on State Highway 2 between Tutira and Mohaka, on the Hastings side of the line between Hastings and Wairoa. Pūtōrino was first a Māori settlement at the mouth of the Waikari River, a place where canoes stopped.
The pūtātara is a type of trumpet used by the Māori people of New Zealand. It is usually made with a carved wooden mouthpiece and a bell created from small native conch shells (Charonia lampas rubicunda) or triton shells (Charonia tritonis). Larger pūtātara were highly valued because triton shells were very rare and only occasionally washed up on beaches in the Far North.
The Pātē is a Samoan drum that came from Tahiti. Its name comes from the Samoan word for “beat” or “clap.” It is one of many Samoan log drum types and belongs to the slit drum family, which is also part of the idiophone percussion family. The Pātē is made from a hollowed-out log, often from Miro wood, and makes a loud, clear sound.
In Vanuatu, a slit drum is a musical instrument traditionally played by men of high rank. On most islands in Vanuatu, the drum has little or no decoration and is played horizontally on the ground. However, on the island of Ambrym, these drums are placed vertically on the ground.
The garamut is a type of slit drum made in Papua New Guinea. It is created from one large piece of wood and is struck with sticks to make sound from the hollow center. Garamuts have historically been important in many Papua New Guinea communities, used both to send messages and as a musical instrument.
The nyatiti is a stringed instrument from Kenya with five to eight strings. It is played by the Luo people in Western Kenya, especially in the Siaya region near Kisumu. The instrument is about two to three feet long and has a bowl-shaped wooden body covered with cow skin.
Ikembe is a type of musical instrument in the lamellaphone group, widely used by people in Rwanda, Burundi, and the Congo. The instrument has several iron lamellae attached to a rectangular wooden soundbox. In Swahili, the word “imba” means song, and “kuimba” means to sing, as in the phrase “nitakwenda kuimba” (I go to sing).
A djembe or jembe (pronounced JEM-bay) is a drum with a skin top and ropes, made from a carved wooden body. It belongs to the Sabar family and comes from Senegal, where it is widely used in West Africa. The Bambara people of Mali say the name “djembe” comes from the phrase “Anke djé, anke bé,” which means “everyone gather together in peace.” In the Bambara language, “djé” means “gather” and “bé” means “peace.” The djembe has a wooden body and a drumhead made from untreated animal skin, often from goats.
Igbo music (Igbo: Egwu nkwa ndi Igbo) is the music of the Igbo people, who are originally from the southeastern part of Nigeria. The Igbo people often use percussion instruments like drums and gongs because these instruments naturally create many different rhythms, sounds, and pitches. Igbo music is usually lively, cheerful, and created in the moment.