The Trumpet is Ceremonial

(21) When we turn to the trumpet we are outside of common life, and within the precincts of worship. All through the islands it was used in the temples and by the priests, like the drums, though also a war instrument. In New Zealand it was the instrument of the chief and the warrior; it was used to warn of an enemy's approach, and to announce the visit of a chief. In the islands the trumpet was generally a large murex shell, with a bamboo inserted near the apex. The Maoris also used the triton-shell, with a wooden mouthpiece, as a trumpet; but they preferred the long wooden trumpet with a wide end to fit the mouth. Usually there was a reed or tonsil inside near this to vibrate; sometimes there was a hole in the middle to be covered or uncovered in order page 215to vary the note. There was a bent trumpet used in the South Island, that has been compared to a trombone; and from Taranaki has come a calabash-trumpet with two or three holes. The roria, or Jew's-harp, was simply a slip of bark held between the lips and made to vibrate. The pan-pipes reported once or twice from New Zealand, and frequently from Tonga, was a rude affair in which the reeds, varying from five to twelve, were not arranged to make a regular scale of notes.