“The garamut have two functions in this society. First, they are used to communicate between people through a code of beats, which enables the Reite to say things such as “the whiteman will come to eat banana in [a particular] hamlet tomorrow afternoon, as long as there is no rain” – this last sentence demands very good skills, but basically everyone is able to hear their own names when called by the slit-gongs. The second functions of the garamut is to “accompany the voices of water-dwelling spirits when the spirits are drawn to the village by men of the cult”[9], in other words to communicate with them. Besides, each spirit “is known by the unique tune of its voice, and by the unique beat which properly accompanies it””