Drums like this, called moko, were made in eastern Java and traded to Alor Island. The hourglass shape derives from drums of the Dong Son period (500 BC–AD 500). The diamond-shaped cartouches contain kirtimukha monster faces similar to those found on 9th-century Hindu and Buddhist temples in Java. Traditionally, these drums were the main form of currency on Alor, and a vital inclusion in bride prices. In 1914, the Dutch government collected and destroyed 1600 moko on Alor in a bid to make silver and copper coins the accepted currency.
