The Tamate, also known as the Tamte, is a hand drum from the southern Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, from the

Old Mysore region Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's capita ...

. It is made of goat hide stretched over a circular frame bound with an iron ring, similar to the

Parai The parai is a traditional Tamil frame drum about 35 centimeters in diameter, used in the parai attam dance. It consists of a shallow ring of wood, covered on one side with a stretched cow hide that is glued to the wooden frame. The preferred ...

. This drum was once only played by the

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

communities in south Karnataka, the Holeyas and Madigas, at times of funeral, village festivals and announcements. Nowadays, it has gained acceptance and become part of weddings, protest rallies, and public awareness campaigns and is an instrument learned by all communities. Troupes exist all around the old Mysore region.

References

Hand drums Indian musical instruments Indian folk music {{Membranophone-instrument-stub