Kentongan
 A kentongan as it appears | |
| Percussion instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | kentungan |
| Classification | Idiophone |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 111.24 (Percussion vessels) |
| Volume | high |
| Decay | medium |
| Related instruments | |
| Drum | |
| Musicians | |
| |
A kentongan, or kentungan, is a 13th-century traditional Indonesian-Javanese type of slit drum that is classified as a percussion instrument and an idiophone. A hollow wooden bell, the kentongan is used primarily as a tool for communication, community security, and religious signaling. In terms of communication, it is often used for disaster risk and warning of an incoming disaster. The instrument is commonly associated with the AI-generated meme Tung Tung Tung Sahur.
Description and history
[edit]The kentongan, or kentungan, is a hollowed-out cylinder made from bamboo, wood, coconut tree trunks, or bronze, depending on the region.[1][2] It has a long vertical slit that acts as a resonance chamber.[3] It is struck in a "Doro Muluk" pattern with a wooden mallet (beater) to produce a deep, loud, and penetrating clicking or popping sound.[3] While many are plain bamboo tubes, some versions are carved into intricate shapes resembling humans, fish, or mythical creatures like dragons (Nāga) and Garuda.[3][4][5] After being struck with a mallet, it makes an echoing "tung-tung" or "thok-thok" sound that decays over a short noticeable period of time.[6] The kentongan is historically used by Ketoprak musicians and Jatilan performances.[7]
Use
[edit]
In Javanese villages, the kentongan is often used as a tool for communication, mainly serving as an early warning system that can be heard across the village warning people in the village during emergencies or of incoming emergencies; it's also used as an educational tool.[8][9][10] In other uses it's also used as a sign to tell others that residents were on duty patrolling the village, which often comforts other residents within the village, giving them a sense of security.[11][12][13] The kentongan is also used to wake people up to eat Suhur, although a bedug can be used too.[14] The earliest record of the kentongan dates back to the 13th-century during the Eastern Javanese period.[15]
As an internet meme
[edit]The kentongan has gained internet popularity through "Tung Tung Tung Sahur", an AI-generated anthropomorphic character in the form of a Sahur wake-up call drum, commonly associated with Ramadan. The character is depicted carrying a wooden drumstick or a baseball bat. Despite the popularity of Italian brainrot largely subsiding, the character has remained popular via absurdist shitposting, ironic memes, and its appearance in video games such as Fortnite and Steal a Brainrot.[16][17]
References
[edit]- ↑ MOA (October 3, 2018). "Please Touch Gently: Kentongan Wood Drums". Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Slit Gong (Kentongan) - Indonesia (Java) - Eastern Javanese period - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Archived from the original on March 11, 2026. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Birsyada, Muhammad Iqbal; Utami, Niken Wahyu (May 15, 2024). "Social construction of kentongan for disaster risk reduction in highland java and its potential for educational tool". Heliyon. 10 (9) e30081. Bibcode:2024Heliy..1030081B. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30081. ISSN 2405-8440. PMC 11066619. PMID 38707364.
- ↑ Hartenberger, Aurelia (January 2, 2023). "Java 'Kentongan' (Slit Gong) 'Naga'". Hartenberger World Musical Instrument Collection. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Hartenberger, Aurelia (May 27, 2021). "Java 'Kentongan' (Slit Gong) 'Garuda'". Hartenberger World Musical Instrument Collection. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Jr, David Hogan (January 20, 2026). "The Kenthongan of Central Java - MalaysiaAsia". Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "an east javanese bronze slit-drum, kentongan". Christie's.
- ↑ Birsyada, Muhammad Iqbal; Utami, Niken Wahyu (May 15, 2024). "Social construction of kentongan for disaster risk reduction in highland java and its potential for educational tool". Heliyon. 10 (9) e30081. Bibcode:2024Heliy..1030081B. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30081. ISSN 2405-8440. PMC 11066619. PMID 38707364.
- ↑ Birsyada, Muhammad Iqbal; Utami, Niken Wahyu (May 15, 2024). "Social construction of kentongan for disaster risk reduction in highland java and its potential for educational tool". ScienceDirect. 10 (9) e30081. Bibcode:2024Heliy..1030081B. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30081. PMC 11066619. PMID 38707364.
- ↑ "Preparing for disasters in Indonesia". Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
- ↑ Ajie, Stefanus. "Rhythmic beats of 'kentongan' live in digital era - Art & Culture". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Kentongan - Indonesia (Javanese) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "A large slit drum Kentongan Indonesia, 20th century". Christies.
- ↑ Rochman, Aman. "Malang village children find joy in 'sahur' activity during Ramadhan - Art & Culture". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Slit Gong (Kentongan) - Indonesia (Java) - Eastern Javanese period - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- ↑ Esteban, Patricia (November 22, 2025). "TikTok, Italian brainrot and trademarks: Who owns the rights to Tralalero Tralala?". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved May 28, 2026.