During a visit to see the youngest members of the family we had a demonstration of the conch shell as a trumpet. The baby's father had lived in Papua New Guinea as a child and had learnt how to play the conch which had traditionally been used for communication between communities with the sound being able to travel some considerable distance. There were different sounds with each family having its own distinctive call for announcing fishing, hunting, gatherings etc but there was a curfew on it not being blown after 4 pm except in dire emergency.