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A diwaka ritual and war drum
has at the top a tympanum of a shaved wallaby skin and the lower open end is carved to resemble the open jaws of a crocodile.
The upper surface has the Apani gawa tao incised on both sides and similarly, the wave-like snake Aida pattern is incised in ground relief;
A light patina.
Material: wood, skin, paint, white and yellow pigments; length: 1760mm; diameter: 240mm.
Provenance:
The drum was made in the early 1980s by the artist and craftsman Piliwa Geligeli for the Siboko clan.
The drum was obtained from the clan through Makalisa Geligeli at the village of Pedeaya by a reputable dealer on a visit to the region in 1985.
Acquired from a Melbourne tribal art gallery in 1990.
The diwaka was one of the most sacred cult objects of the Gogodala and was only beaten during the Aida and Gi Maiyata ceremonies.
When not in use it was stored in the sacred Aida loft and, in former times, was kept out of sight from females and uninitiated males.
The diwaka is never owned by an individual but is the property of the clan.
Although it is generally accepted that these drums were mainly used for the Aida and Gi Maiyata ceremonies
some have also described their function as being used for a tribal call to war and maybe, for this reason,
the drum is also known as the "Bamu War Drum".
Discussion:
See 'Crawford, A.L. 1981' - (pp.234-9) for description and illustration of hollowing out, incising, painting and decorating of an aida drum or diwaka.
Comparison:
See 'Crawford, A.L. 1981' - (pp.351-2) for examples of similar diwaka drums.
Artefact Code: ML0055.
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