Polynesia: Samoa
Samoan people 

Miro wood 
Mid-Late 1900s
Length: 33.25 in; Height 7.5 in; Depth: 5.5 in 
Mallets: Length 17.25
Idiophones – Directly Struck

The pātē is a small wooden slit drum named after the Samoan word to ‘beat or clap pulse’.   It is made from a hollowed-out log, usually of Miro wood and produces a distinctive and loud sound. The pātē was possibly introduced from the Rarotongan Christian missionaries in the 1800s. (Rarotonga and Tahiti are two main islands known as the Cooks Islands.) This drum is traditionally beaten with a single graduated pointed circular stick, for signaling and announcing meetings.  Double sticks are used for accompanying dance. The handles of these sticks are beautifully engraved, as is the pātē.  When playing the slit drum, it can be stood on its end, or laid flat as seen in this picture.

Resource: “Pātē,” Mervyn McLean, ‘The Groves Dictionary of Musical Instruments,’ 2^nd ed., Vol.4, Laurence Liben, Editor in Chief. Oxford University Press. pg. 33.