Music/Instruments

Many different types of instruments are used in traditional PNG music, including shell whistles, ornate drums, bamboo flutes, and so on. In each culture some instruments are likely to be nothing more than objects for personal amusement or even toys for children, while others may be endowed with symbolic value and religious significance.
The Tangu tribe of the Madang Province exhibits this social importance in using the slit-gong (pictured). This hollowed out log is hit with wooden paddles to create a range of musical notes. The Tangu have created a musical language which is implemented by the slit gong. Everything is assigned a “call-sign,” enabling messages to be broadcast throughout the tribe to announce special ceremonial events, such as a wedding, or a birth. Although the Tangu have a language of their own, it is customary to use the slit gong as a means of communication during rituals.
A similar attachment to a musical instrument can be seen in the ceremonial practices of the Gimi tribe of the Labogai region. Instead of a drum though, the instrument of choice is the flute, or the nama. Exclusivly played by adult men, the nama plays a pivitol role in the initiation of young boys. In playing the nama, a bird-like spirit (also named nama) is called upon to assist in the initiation process. The ceremony is so exclusive, in fact, that women and uninitiated children are forced to look away.
Instruments and music appear to be a very powerful apparatus’ in PNG culture. They have the capability of conveying powerful messages, strong feelings of emotion in rituals, and even bring a boy into manhood.
Growing up as an individual who listend to a lot of music, I can see how submissive one can become to the power of music. It is not difficult for me to think back to a time in which I felt my emotional state completely change due to a single song or chord progression. Music has a way of taking control of people. When the power of music is then interwoven with a highly spiritual belief system, such as found in most PNG societies, it is no wonder why such an experience would seem deeply religious and moving.