Map Ref.19. A gravel spur in the Summer Garden, beside the Marsh Pond. The photograph was taken in 1995.
Slit gongs, or "lali", are made from the tree trunks of a local species of hardwood. Using traditional methods, the trunks are hollowed out and then elaborately decorated to represent human figures. As illustrated, great care is taken with the carving of the facial features and headdress.
Five of the slit gongs were made by Willy Tasso and his associates. Whilst the sixth gong is also attributed to Willy Tasso it is markedly smaller. The small gong has different facial features and a "bob" style haircut, rather than the tall ceremonial hats of the other gongs.
When first installed in the Grounds, the gongs had all been painted with natural ochres. However, owing to natural weathering, this paint has now almost completely disappeared and the wood is rotting.
The people of the Ambryn and Malekula Islands consider the commissioning of a slit gong a measure of social status in the community and the cause for a celebration. However, when admiring the decoration of the gongs, it is easy to forget that they are used during religious rites associated with ancestor worship. The sound of the beaten gongs travel a long distance, across both the land and the sea, to evoke the memory of the ancestor's spirit. Thus, the gongs when played, produce dance rhythms which heighten the pitch of excitement during the ritual.
Note that people from Papua and New Guinea also play a form of slit gong. The 3 illustrations below show the tools used, as well as the method of playing the gongs. These skills were demonstrated and exhibited in 1994, as part of the Papua and New Guniea sculpture project of the 
© 1995 Jane M Hyden
