mystery object - Bamboo musical instrument?

[Mark Mortimer]

Hi all,
Does anyone have an idea what this might be?
(I can't seem to insert the photo for some reason. Have a look at the mystery obect on the website below)
It's from Papua New Guinea.
It's on the auction site Trademe with lots more info:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=28111312&permanent=0
Is it a musical instrument?
Cheers

[Mark Meckes]

This most definitely appears to be a bamboo musical instrument.
I have seen a similar instrument from another country (not PNG) that functioned on the same principle of separating out a strip of the outer skin, leaving the ends intact, inserting 1 or 2 pieces of bamboo underneath the strip to make it taut, and cutting a hole into the culm, which acts as a sound-box.

The instrument is paddled with the bamboo stick, and the shorter piece is used as a slide to change the tone.

Mark

[sound world]

The Valiha (national instrument of Madagascar) works on the same principle.They used to make the 'strings' by lifting a strands of bamboo and supporting the ends with little bridges.Unlike the PNG instrument,valihas are plucked and have many strings around the circumference of the bamboo.Nowadays metal strings are used.