Very heavy, cast bronze drum. The round drum head has a 14-pointed star at the centre, with many bands of dots, swirls and linear designs, and three larger bands with various birds, animals and humans. The sides are also decorated with many bands of designs except for the lower base, which is plain. There are four large handles attached to the sides. The inside is hollow. The metal appears to have a bronze coloured paint applied over the entire outer surface.

• Cultural Context

  This drum is said to be one of the cast replicas of the "Ngoc Lu Bronze Drum" (Trống Đồng Ngọc Lũ) from Vietnam.

• Narrative

  The drum was acquired by the donor for the Vietnamese Cultural Activities Centre in 2015, and used there for events. It was also displayed in 2017 during the celebration for the unveiling of the 'Monument of Vietnamese Boat People-Refugees from Communism' in the McAuley Park, Vancouver.

• History Of Use

  The original Ngoc Lu bronze drum is from the Dong Son culture of the Bronze Age, a civilization that flourished in first millennium B.C. in the Red River Delta of Vietnam. it was a musical instrument used in festivals and rituals, but also a symbol of power of Dong Son warriors. The drum was discovered in 1893 by workers building a dike on the Red River. It was named after the village where it was found, Ngọc Lũ, in Bình Lục District, in Hà Nam Province. [See wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngoc_Lu_drum.] The drum is recognized as a National Treasure of Vietnam and housed in their National Museum of History.

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• Type of Item drum
• Culture Vietnamese
• Material bronze metal, paint
• Measurements height 67.0 cm, diameter 85.0 cm (overall)

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• Creator Le Van Bay
• Previous Owner Binh Tran
• Received from Binh Tran

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• Made in Thanh Hoa

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• Creation Date during 2010
• Ownership Date before November 10, 2022
• Acquisition Date on November 10, 2022

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• Item Classes metalwork
• Condition good
• Accession Number 3604/0001