NEKARA/KETTLE DRUM

Kettle drums have been found on many islands in the archipelago of Indonesia. This kind of bronze kettle drum is an important artifact not just to archeology, but also to ethnography. Until today, kettle drums continue to be made in places such as East and West Nusa Tenggara. From an archeological stand point the kettle drum did not originate from this archipelago, but rather from the Dongson culture in Vietnam
Kettle drums are associated with religious rituals to pray for rain. During such rituals the drum functions as a musical instrument. The kettle drum is made of bronze, and has many decorative elements on its top, body and base. The ornamental decorations are varied, such as polygonal stars, geometric patterns, frogs, birds, horses, ships, fish, roosters, human figures, and vegetal motifs.