Large wooden slit-drums are used by chiefs or prominent nobles to
transmit the coded tones of important messages over long
distances, from village to village. Carved from a single tree
trunk, the drum's walls vary in thickness and when struck produce
a variety of tones, pitches, and rhythms which convey
announcements and coded messages. The horned buffalo shape and
large size of this drum reflect high social status of its original owner.
Drums of this type are installed in the center of the village in
a special structure where they can be protected from the rain and
sun.
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