Hugu (instrument)
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| Other instrument | |
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| Developed | as a local custom, among Onabasulu people of southern highlands of Papua New Guinea, and the Telefomin area |
A hugu is a sago-palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) in Papua New Guinea that has been used by men of the Onabasulu people as a musical instrument. The musicians pin the beetle onto a sharpened stick and hold the beetle up to their mouths, spinning the stick and beetle. If they do this during daylight, the beetle will beat its wings and provide a buzzing sound. The musicians' mouths act as a variable resonance chamber, in the same way as it does for a musician playing a Jew's harp or musical bow.[1][2] By opening and closing their mouths and changing the shape, musicians can raise and lower the pitch, and make the music louder or softer.[3]
This technique has been documented and made available by ethnomusicologists.[4]