Lali (drum)

It was an important part of traditional Fijian culture, used as a form of communication to announce births, deaths and wars.

The Lali drum is made out of wood and played with hands but, is most commonly played with sticks (i uaua) which are made out of softer wood so as not to damage the Lali.

[2] Lali drums were traditionally made from resonant timbers such as Ta vola (Terminalia catappa) and Dilo (Calophyllum inophyllum) or in the case of sacred drums for spirit houses, Vesi (Calophyllum inophyllum).

Portable war drums (Lali ni Valou) had two or three resonating chambers and sent complicated signals over the battlefield.

[3] Frequently Lali occurred in pairs, one smaller than the other, and were played together, in counterpoint.