Marwas (also spelled marwah; Dutch: kleine tweehoofdige trommel — “small double-headed drum”) is a small, double-headed cylindrical drum used in Acheh (Atjēh), northern Sumatra. It is a membranophone of the cylindrical drum family, distinct from the barrel-shaped kendang / Gendang and the single-headed Geudoemba and frame drum rabana / Redep.
Organology
- Hornbostel-Sachs classification: 211.212.1 (double-headed cylindrical drum, struck)
- Body: cylindrical wooden shell, typically carved from a single block of hardwood (e.g., meranti, kayu malam, cempaka); length 20–30 cm, diameter 12–18 cm
- Heads: two membranes (goat, cow, or monitor lizard skin), one on each end
- Tension system: traditionally rattan or cane V-lacing / Y-lacing with wooden tuning wedges; modern variants may use metal turnbuckles
- Playing technique: struck with bare hands (fingers, palm) on both heads; held horizontally across the lap or suspended from a shoulder strap
- Pitch: high, bright, penetrating — tuned a fourth or fifth above the kendang
- Pairing: often played in pairs or sets of three to five in Saman ensembles, each drum tuned to a different pitch for interlocking patterns (tak)
Historical and Regional Context
The marwas is documented by Jaap Kunst in Muziek en Dans in de Buitengewesten (1946, p. 10) as one of the “typically Mohammedan instruments” (typisch Mohammedaansche speeltuigen) for Atjēh, alongside the gambus, rabana, Bangei, and serunai. This classification places it in the Islamic instrumental complex that spread across the Indian Ocean with the Shattariyya, Qadiriyya, and Naqshbandiyya Sufi orders from the 13th century onward.
The marwas is cognate with the Arabian marwas / mirwas (مِروَص) — a small double-headed drum used in Hadrami and Hijazi zāwiyah (Sufi lodge) music, mawlid celebrations, and ḥadrah processions. The instrument likely entered Aceh via Hadrami traders and missionaries from Hadramawt (Yemen) and the Hejaz (Mecca/Medina) from the 15th century onward, coinciding with the rise of the Aceh Sultanate as a major Islamic polity.
In the broader archipelago, related small double-headed drums include:
| Region / People | Local Name | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Acheh | Marwas | Saman, Meuseukat, Zikir, Hadrah |
| **[[Menangkabau | Minangkabau]]** | Marwas / Tambua (small) |
| Malay Peninsula | Marwas / Marwah | Ghazal, Zapin, Hadrah |
| Riau / Johor | Marwas | Zapin, Ghazal Melayu |
| Hadramawt (Yemen) | Mirwas / Marwas | Hadrah, Mawlid, Zaffa |
| Hejaz (Saudi Arabia) | Mirwas | Hadrah, Sama’ |
Role in Acehnese Music
The marwas is the primary rhythmic engine of the Saman dance — the iconic “dance of a thousand hands” of the Gayo Lands and Acheh. In a Saman ensemble:
- 3–5 marwas players sit in a row, each drum tuned differently
- They perform interlocking rhythmic patterns (tak, tak-tak, tak-tak-tak) at rapid tempos (160–220 BPM)
- The patterns are cyclic (ulan), repeating every 8, 16, or 32 beats
- The marwas section is led by a penghulu (leader) who signals tempo changes and transitions with vocal cues (hai, ho, yallah)
Beyond Saman, the marwas appears in:
- Meuseukat (women’s seated dance-song) — lighter, more delicate patterns
- Zikir / Dzikir / Hadrah — Sufi liturgical processions, accompanying qasidah and nasyid
- Nasyid / Qasidah ensembles — popular Islamic devotional music
- Seudati / Sedati — processional dance (less common, rabana preferred)
Rhythmic Patterns (Tak) in Saman
Typical marwas patterns in Saman (Western notation approximation):
Tala 8 (Ulan 8):
Marwas 1: D . T . D . T . (D = dum/bass, T = tak/treble)
Marwas 2: . T . D . T . D
Marwas 3: T . D . T . D .
Marwas 4: . D . T . D . T
Combined: D T T D D T T D → interlocking composite rhythm
The interlocking (kotekan-like) principle creates a continuous, driving pulse that propels the dancers’ synchronized hand, chest, and thigh claps.
Construction Details (Traditional Acehnese)
| Component | Material | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shell | Kayu malam (Diospyros), Meranti (Shorea), Cempaka (Michelia) | Single block, lathe-turned or hand-carved |
| Heads | Goat skin (preferred), cow skin, biawak (monitor lizard) | Soaked, stretched wet, laced wet |
| Lacing | Rattan (rotan), tali ijuk (sugar palm fiber) | V-lacing with tuning wedges (pasak) |
| Wedges | Bamboo, hardwood | Tapered, driven under lacing to tension heads |
| Strap | Woven tengkuluk (rattan), batik cloth | For standing/processional play |
Iconography
Illustrated in Jaap Kunst, Muziek en Dans in de Buitengewesten (1946), Mededeling No. LXVII, Afdeling Volkenkunde No. 20, Plate 10 (small double-headed drums) and Plate 28b (Saman ensemble with marwas row). The plates show the characteristic horizontal playing position and the row of drummers.
See Also
- Saman (dance)
- Meuseukat
- Zikir
- Dzikir
- Hadrah
- Nasyid
- Qasidah
- Gambus (Aceh)
- Rabana (Aceh)
- Redep
- Serunai (Aceh)
- Bangei
- Geudoemba
- Hareubab
- Tjanang Triëng
- Kendang (Aceh)
- Gendang
- Aceh Sultanate
- Islam in Aceh
- Shattariyya
- Qadiriyya
- Naqshbandiyya
- Hadramawt
- Hejaz
- Acheh
- Gayo Lands
- Jaap Kunst
- Muziek en Dans in de Buitengewesten (1946)
Source
Jaap Kunst, Muziek en Dans in de Buitengewesten, Mededeling No. LXVII, Afdeling Volkenkunde No. 20, Koninklijke Vereeniging “Indisch Instituut” te Amsterdam (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1946), p. 10. Based on field research 1919–1934.