[[File:Wooden_slit_drums_from_Vanuatu%2C_Bernice_P._Bishop_Museum.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Slit drums from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum.]]
In Vanuatu, a '''slit drum''' is a musical instrument that is traditionally played by men of high rank.<ref name="tepapa">[http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=213936 Tamtam (slit drum)] Retrieved November 2013</ref>
In most islands of Vanuatu, the drum has little to no decoration, and is played horizontally on the ground.<ref name="album">See p.77-78 of François & Stern (2013).</ref> On the island of Ambrym though, such drums stand vertically on the ground; they are decorated with one or several faces with disk eyes, representing ancestral figures; such a figure is called ''atingting kon''. <ref name="tepapa"/> The distinctive shape of these Ambrym drums has made them iconic of Vanuatu as a whole. They are frequently found in museums around the world, represented on Vanuatu banknotes, and featured in the tourism industry.
== Cultural significance == [[File:Slit drum from Vanuatu in Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.jpg|left|thumb|Slit drum from Ambrym, Vanuatu in Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney]] Slit drums, whether decorated or not, hold significance in Vanuatu's traditional economy and society; they serve as symbols of a man's wealth and social status within the graded political system.<ref name="album"/><ref>[http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Oceania/2759VanuatuSlitDrum/SlitDrum2759.html Slit Drum, Ambrym Island, Vanuatu, Early 20th Century] Retrieved November 2013</ref> The drums are sometimes found at ceremonial dance grounds and other gathering places. They have been used for dance rhythms, but also for signalling purposes.<ref name="tepapa"/><ref>See p.86 of François & Stern (2013).</ref> ''Atingting'' drums are thought to hold spirits, whether good or bad; they are often posted upright at the perimeter of a property or outside a house as a protection.
==Notes== {{reflist}}
== References == *{{Citation | author = | last =François | first = Alexandre | author2 = | last2 = Stern | first2 = Monika | author-link = Alexandre François | author2-link = |date=Nov 2013 | title =Musiques du Vanuatu: Fêtes et Mystères – Music of Vanuatu: Celebrations and Mysteries | type =CD album, released with liner notes and ebook | publisher =Maison des Cultures du Monde | publication-place =Paris | pages = | series =label Inédit | volume =W260147 | url =https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00874941 | ref =album | accessdate = }}.
==See also== *Slit drum *Music of Vanuatu *Culture of Vanuatu {{commonscat|Atingting kon}} {{Vanuatu-stub}}
Category:National symbols of Vanuatu Category:Melanesian musical instruments Category:Slit drums