120 BULLETIN 134, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



network of lacing resembling a looped fish net from 1 to 2.5 inches 

 wide, terminating in a band of coarse fiber. From these bands a 

 lacing passes back and forth at intervals of one-eighth to one-half 

 inch apart. This lacing may be drawn taut at will, thus maintaining 

 the desired rigidity of the two drum heads. A loop handle of coarse 

 cord wound with a long strip of striped white and red cloth is fas- 

 tened at its ends to the lacing bands encircling the drum shell. A 

 drum stick is not employed with this drum, but is beaten with the 

 fingers. This Choco hand drum differs from the Carib two head 

 shell drum (Cat. No. 291634, U.S.N.M.), on which the skin drum 

 heads are secured to the wooden shell by two hoops cross-lashed 

 with cord. 



Tubular rattles. — A tubular rattle, "niglawala," (Tule), 84 cm. 

 (32.7 in.) in length (Cat. No. 327460, U.S.N.M., pi. 6, No. 1), is 

 employed by the San Bias coast Tule to keep time to their dances. 

 As it is not long enough to strike one end on the ground, it is grasped 

 in the hand and shaken up and down by the operator. The wood 

 employed in its construction is a section of balsa wood carved from 

 the pithy central core of Ochroma Umonemis. Small stone pebbles 

 are inserted and the lower end is stopped with wads of pitch; the 

 upper end by a small wooden stopper which also transfixes an animal 

 figure top piece. This animal carving is 5.2 cm. tall and 8 cm. long, 

 representing possibly a tapir. It is painted in black, brown, and 

 yellow, and stands on a platform with serrated lateral edges. The 

 surface of the tubular rattle is painted in horizontal bands of yellow, 

 blue, black, and red. 



The similarity of this rattle to a tubular rattle (Cat. No. 315024, 

 U.S.N.M.) collected by Brother Ariste Joseph at Fomeque, Colom- 

 bia, where it is used by the Choco, is noteworthy. This Choco tubular 

 rattle is 49 cm. (19.3 in.) long and 6 cm. (2.4 in.) in diameter. A 

 section of hardwood that has been hollowed by burning is employed 

 in its construction. A large number of stone pebbles are inserted 

 and the ends of the cylinder blocked with disks of calabash shell or 

 tin. Thirteen tiers of four pegs each are inserted in holes drilled 

 through the lateral walls, so that the pegs cross at right angles to 

 one another throughout the length of the cylinder. A prolonged 

 sound is obtained by simply inverting the instrument and permit- 

 ting the pebbles to run down over thin bars. It is used in the dances 

 of the Choco. 



Roth mentions a similar instrument in use throughout the Gui- 

 anas. 



Hollow cylinders, upward of 3 feet long, made of trumpet wood (Cecropia), 

 bamboo, etc., are used for striking the ground to keep time for the dancing. I 

 have seen them used by Wapishana, Makusi, Patamona, and Arokuna. . . . 

 These dance sticks seems to have reached their highest development of 

 workmanship and ornamentation throughout the area drained by the upper 



