This ceremonial object is known as a "Rain Drum". The Karen people of Northern Burma and Laos rang them to bring the rain out of the clouds at the end of the dry season. Because frogs come out of hibernation in the first heavy rain, the drums also became known as frog drums. The drum itself is made from bronze and was cast in the lost-wax method, which means only one drum can be made from each clay mold. The process is very laborious but results in the most detailed casting possible. It also means that the drum is a whole; the sides and frogs are not welded to the top, they are part of it. This wholeness is required if the drum is to have musical properties. The drum was only used once a year and it was owned by a village in common, their most valuable possession."