Images from The Beede Gallery Close-up of Slit Drum from Ambrym Island in the South Pacific NMM 2759. Nanaru a ting ting (vertical slit drum), Ambryn Island, New Hebrides, ca. 1900-1915. Close-up of the head of a nine-foot-tall slit drum from Ambrym Island in the South Pacific. The people of Ambrym Island raise pigs, the principal source of wealth with which to purchase a higher rank in society. As James Michener writes in Tales of the South Pacific, the most valuable pigs are those whose tusks grow in a complete circle until they penetrate the animal's jaw. The pig is then sacrificed, a feast is held, and the vertical slit drums, carved in secrecy, are erected and played for dancing. Board of Trustees, 1981.   Click arrow to continue Beede Gallery Tour Go to Beede Gallery Tour Index Go to Virtual Gallery Tour Index National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD   57069 ©National Music Museum, 1996-2006 Most recent update:   April 7, 2006 You are the 15,571st visitor to this page. College of Fine Arts The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page