A ''hugu'' is a
sago-palm weevil (
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
The palm weevil ''Rhynchophorus ferrugineus'' is one of two species of snout beetle known as the red palm weevil, Asian palm weevil or sago palm weevil. The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between long, and are usually a rusty red co ...
) in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
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
A resonance chamber uses resonance to enhance the transfer of energy from a sound source (e.g. a vibrating string) to the air. The chamber has interior surfaces which reflect an acoustic wave. When a wave enters the chamber, it bounces back an ...
, in the same way as it does for a musician playing a
Jew's harp or
musical bow
The musical bow (bowstring or string bow, a subset of bar zithers) is a simple string instrument used by a number of South African peoples, which is also found in the Americas via slave trade. It consists of a flexible, usually wooden, stick 1. ...
.
By opening and closing their mouths and changing the shape, musicians can raise and lower the pitch, and make the music louder or softer.
This technique has been documented and made available by ethnomusicologists.
References
{{reflist
Papua New Guinean musical instruments