Gordang sambilan

Gordang Sambilan

Classification	Membranophone
Inventor(s)	Mandailing
Developed	Indonesia

Gordang sambilan is a kendang (Indonesian version of drum) musical instrument originating from North Sumatra, Indonesia.^[1] Gordang sambilan consists of nine relatively large and long drums (drum chime) made of ingul wood and played by four people. The size and length of the nine drums are stratified, starting from the largest to the smallest.

For Mandailing people, especially in the past, gordang sambilan was a very important sacred traditional music. Gordang sambilan is seen as sacred because it is believed to have supernatural powers to summon ancestral spirits to provide help through a medium or shaman called Sibaso.^[2]