Gazella Peninsula & Duke of York Islands of East New Britain, PNG
Tolai People

Wood, skin, textile
ca. early-20th century
Length: 31 in; Diameter: 8.75 in
Membranophones – Directly Struck

This Tolai drum is hourglass form with a long narrow neck and a small raised circular ring toward the end of the neck.  The lower portion has a wide flaring base with stylized images of people and animals carved in low relief.  Possibly a drum used for ancestral ceremonies or celebrations.  A wooden cylindrical handle is inserted into the neck and the drumhead on top is secured by textile and leather binding.

Tolai is the modern name (dating back to the 1930s) for the indigenous people of the Gazelle Peninsula and the Duke of York Islands of East New Britain in the New Guinea Islands region of Papua New Guinea.  Socially, matrilateral descent plays an important role in determining social status and / or group membership, while the Tolai people are best known for their strong and powerful male secret societies known as Duk-Duk. Members of this group acted as judge, jury, and executioner while possessed by spirits.  The Tolai refer to their language as tinata tuna, which means “true word” or “proper word.” It is an Austronesian language that is closely related to southern New Ireland.

Ceremonies are occasions of great pageantry, where dancers wear colorful, specially designed costumes, and often carry carved ornamented staves, known collectively as pokopoko, prepared for the occasion.  The tubuan is their people’s masked ritual figure, which the Tolai consider a prime symbol of their traditional culture.  The tubuan is a masked figure with a conical headdress and spherical leafy dress, which is believed to embody the soul of the deceased. Drums provide the accompaniment to chanting and dancing during these ritual ceremonies as well as during celebrations such as the completion of a new house, installation of a new water tank, or even a birthday.  Artist, whether carver or composer, enjoys very high prestige.

Resource: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/tolai