Slit Gong

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Culture Murik

Title Slit Gong

Date Ca. 1873

Medium Wood with traces of pigment

Dimensions Object: 15 1/4 × 75 3/4 × 13 1/2 in. (38.7 × 192.4 × 34.3 cm)
Overall: 15 1/4 × 75 3/4 × 13 1/2 in. (38.7 × 192.4 × 34.3 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 63.59

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About this Work

Played by men and kept within the men’s ceremonial house, slit gongs were used for both the sacred and the secular, utilized at dances, ceremonies, and community celebrations. These gongs with their intricately carved bodies and handles were also used through a series of complex rhythms and notes as a means of long distance communication.

One of many musical instruments used in New Guinea, the sound of the slit gong was associated with the voice of a supernatural being.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Slit Gong | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=63.59