Where did the Tongue Drum originate? A form of tongue drum has been around for a very long time if considering the wooden versions created by the Aztecs known s log drum or tone drums. Another similar instrument is the slit drum of African origin, these were the early predecessors to the modern-day steel tongue drums. A tongue drum (also known as the steel tongue drum, hank drum or tank drum) is a percussion instrument in the idiophone family (instruments that create sounds through the vibration of the material itself without requiring strings, membranes, or external resonators).