A VOICE FOR THE VILLAGE
The lali drum
What we know
- A lali is a slit drum carved from a single log and beaten with two sticks.
- Its rhythms call people to church and meetings and announce events; in the past they also signalled war and deaths.
Words in this chapter
lali — this chapter is where the museum explains this word. See the whole glossary →
Pictures in this chapter
A traditional, well-used Fijian lali (wooden drum), although the old tyre underneath is possibly less traditional. (2010)
Pair of Lali drums at the Westin Hotel Resort and Spa, Denarau, Nadi, Fiji. (2012)
A Lali used by the Wesleyan Methodis church in Suva, Fiji. (2007)
Lali drum in front of a shop in Vatukarasa village, Coral Coast, Fiji. (2007)
Lali drum from Fiji islands. (2015)
Lali Drum, Villa 38, Pacific Harbour, Fiji (2009)
A Fijian drummer — illustration from Charles Erskine's Twenty Years Before the Mast (1896)
Fijian children playing on wooden drum (2006)
A lali being beaten — real-photo postcard, Caine series, Suva (1913)
Fijian drummer, 19th-century engraving
Sources
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