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History
of the Didgeridoo
Although some believe the Australian Aborigine has been using the
didgeridoo for over 40,000 years, the oldest records of Aborigines
playing the didgeridoo date back 2000 years in the form of old Northern
Territory cave and rock paintings. In the west we have only been
playing the didgeridoo for a maximum of 30 years and only in the
last ten years or so have we been trying to play traditional Aboriginal
style. A growing number of westerners are now discovering the beautiful
rich harmonics and subtleties that come from playing West Arnhem
Land or North East Arnhem Land style!
Just a century ago the didgeridoo had a restricted distribution
in Australia. Earlier researchers such as Elkin (1938) reported
that the didgeridoo was 'only known in eastern Kimberley and the
northern third of the Northern Territory'. With the introduction
of missions, roads and infrastructure, the art of making the didgeridoo
seemed to then spread across most parts of Australia. Despite
removing indigenous Aboriginals from their land, separating them,
damaging their culture, impressing our beliefs on to them (and using
violence in non-compliance); despite these our actions, a rich cultural
heritage of our human past lives in North Arnhem Land and it is
a priceless heirloom that we must do everything to protect. For
in this time of social fragmentation in the west, we have much to
remember about ourselves and to understand what worked well for
different indigenous tribes, who co-existed and thrived for thousands
of years before outside interference.
In the 1930's to the 1940's Donald
Thomson visited Arnhem Land. Donald Thomson was a professor
of anthropology at the University of Melbourne and his work remains
one of the most important anthropological studies on the Yolngu
people and their culture. The large number of artefacts and other
items of material culture he collected are now housed at the Melbourne
Museum.
In NE Arnhem Land there is an unbroken tradition of crafting and
playing the didgeridoo, the vast majority of Yolngu made Yidaki
from NE Arnhem Land are made from 'Stringybark' however, sometimes
'Woolybutt' or 'Bloodwood' are used. The trees are naturally hollowed
out by termites which burrow in to the ground, lay eggs and the
larvae eat up the inside of the eucalyptus tree. An Aboriginal yidaki
maker has a sense of the approriate tree which he then tests by
removing a small piece of bark and hitting the tree with his finger
or a tool to hear if the sound indicates a hollowness. An experienced
Yolngu can tell from that sound, how hollow the tree is and where
to make the initial cuts for the proposed yidaki. If the tree is
not sufficiently hollowed the subject location is remembered and
the tree left for another time. Such sensitivity to nature is vastly
different from the non-indigenous approach where large sections
of forestation are cleared without regard for the environment and
readiness of any particular tree. It is interesting to note that
99.9% of all didgeridoos and yidaki sold on the global market are
not indigenously crafted and painted.
In West Arnhem Land the didgeridoo is commonly referred to as the
mago and was made famous from the 60's by David Blanasi (and some
promotion by Rolf Harris). David
Blanasi was an exceptional didjeridu player and mago maker who
co-founded 'The White Cockatoo'
performing group. David Blanasi travelled and performed extensively
throughout the world for 30 years and brought the mago to international
prominence for the very first time.
Djalu Gurruwiwi is the Custodian
of the didgeridoo, a senior member of the Galpu clan in North Arnhem
Land and an internationally acclaimed yidaki maker and player. Djalu
Gurruwiwi reveals that a didgeridoo made by a traditional owner
or custodian has spirit and that spirit is in the instrument itself!
A yidaki, mago or didgeridoo made by a non-Indigenous person has
no spirit and is merely a musical instrument. Djalu, goes further
and states the same lack of spirit is evident in didgeridoos made
by Aboriginal people who don't have the instrument as part of their
cultural heritage. Which translates to just because a craftsman
is an Aboriginal Australian, it does not necessarily mean they have
the right and cultural backing to make an indigenous didgeridoo.
There are many other names for the didgeridoo, a fact dependant
upon region and clan. In Groote Eylandt the didgeridoo is also called
ngarrriralkpwina and in Mornington Island a djibolu. Didgeridoos
are now made by different races of people and from various types
of material including, hemp, bamboo, cactus, plastic, glass, clay,
metal, etc,.
The most important issue for the discerning didgeridoo buyer who
seeks authenticity and wishes to participate in and support the
rich cultural heritage of the 'didgeridoo,' is to buy from a source
which guarantees instruments are made by an indigenous Australian
Aborigine who has the instrument as part of their cultural heritage!
The British Medical Journal published a study in
2005, which found that practicing the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring
as well as daytime sleepiness. The study concluded that using the
didgeridoo for just 25 minutes a day helped people with sleep apnoea.
The
disorder causes the throat to close and breathing to stop, waking
the patient, but the didgeridoo sessions helped by strengthening
the airways. About 5% of the population has the syndrome, which
can cause people to wake up regularly during the night, the team
decided to investigate whether playing the Aboriginal didgeridoo
wind instrument helped patients after hearing reports that it had
solved some sleep-related problems."Our results are the first
to show that training the upper airways significantly improves sleep
related outcomes." University of Surrey sleep expert Neil Stanley
said: "Exercising the airways in such a way is known to help
people with this condition."
Click here to see the sleep apnea movie and our 10% discount offer!
Another good reason to keep up your practice!
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