ABORIGINAL DIDGERIDOO'S
For thousands of years Australian Aboriginal
people have been making and playing
one of the world’s oldest musical wind instruments the Didgeridoo.
These didgeridoos are made from the branch or small trunk of a tree
which has been naturally hollowed out by termites.
The didgeridoos have been crafted, painted and decorated by the aborigines
in traditional designs, each one is a individual work of art, signed by the artist.
Selection of didgeridoos for sale
John and Steve McKewan he is a shamballa master and
a merkaba meditation teacher.
Please note that there are quite a lot of didgeridoos
on the market that are harvested, manufactured and even painted by non-indigenous people
attempting to copy the Aboriginal art. Some non-indigenous producers will clearfell large
areas of forest with a chainsaw to find a small percentage of didgeridoos of dubious
quality. Often they will hollow out didgeridoos from solid timber rather than search for
trees that have already been naturally hollowed out by termites.
All of our didgeridoos have been harvested by indigenous people in the traditional way
which involves
walking and carrying the didgeridoos for long distances.
- Experienced gatherers will spot a potentially good instrument from quite a distance
- before they cut and trim what they require with an axe
- and carry it back to be crafted into a didgeridoo.
As Aboriginals had to make use of the natural materials available in their area, huts were
often made from bark and boughs, sometimes flimsy and sometimes more substantial,
depending on the climate, the time of year, and the length of time that the group forced
to remain in one camp.
Children
When an Aboriginals child was born, he began to learn
how to cope with the material and
non-material elements of his world. He had been born into the group, and had to learn to
become
a full member with a knowledge of how to keep alive and also the rules and traditions that
governed his nomadic society.
When very young, children were indulged - played with and loved by all members of the
group.
But soon, each child had to begin to fend for himself. Shortly after he could walk, he
began to
handle small spears, followed his father and the other men, watching while they fished,
made
tools. Little girls began to follow their mother, helping her and trying to copy what she
was
doing.
As well as the practical side of life, they began to join in spiritual matters. They were
taught
the rhythms of dances in preparation for later participation in sacred and non-sacred
rituals.
Children began to learn songs and stories that embodied knowledge to be passed on from
generation to generation.
From early childhood to death, the Aboriginal was continuously learning more about the
traditions of the past. Religion was related to the past, the present and future. Man
identified
with animals, plants and other natural phenomenon, and grouped himself according to this
identification - his totem. Relationship with a totem meant a responsibility towards that
totem -
for example, people of a kangaroo totem might not kill kangaroos, and carry out special
ceremonies to ensure the continued increase of the kangaroo.
Dreamtime
The "Dreamtime", the mythological past, was the time when spirit ancestors had
traveled
throughout the land, giving it its physical form, and setting down the rules to be
followed by the
Aboriginals. Beings such as the "Fertility Mother", the "Great Rainbow
Snake", the Djanggawul
brothers and sisters, survive in stories and ceremonies that have been passed down from
generation to generation.
Some sacred aspect of these stories and ceremonies were available only to initiated adult
males.
Women had their own sacred ceremonies from which they excluded men, but there were
ceremonies and songs in which the whole group joined men, women and children.
Art
Art was regarded as an integral part of life, not simply something that was decorative but
outside the import and areas of life. Bodies were painted for ceremonies; the markings and
designs have totemic significance and were taught to the young. Rocks were engraved and
became one of the few
art forms to survive. Designs were painted on the walls of rock shelters; these were
perishable, and relied upon regular re-touching for preservation.
Bark painting is probably the most well known Aboriginal art form but this could be done
only in areas where trees with suitable bark were available, such as Arnhem Land. Pigments
were made from rocks, clay and charcoal, a narrow range of colours that produced
characteristic red, brown, black and white of Aboriginal art.
Paintings told stories; in fact they were the forms by which preliterate people kept a
record of their daily life and religious beliefs. They reflected also what was happening
around them - drawing the animals of the area, and later telling stories of contact with
other peoples, such as the Macassans who visited Arnhem Land and other northern coastal
regions.
Adulthood
As children reach puberty they began to take on greater responsibilities. To mark the
transition
from childhood special ceremonies were held. For girls these were fairly simple, although
they
could be spectacular. For boy's initiation ceremonies extended over several years, and
were
associated with the intensive training in the traditions and mythology of the clan - in
many clans
the focal point of initiation was circumcision. From the point of view of the group, the
boy was
entering upon membership of society. However, he did not learn everything at his
initiation, it
merely open the door of adulthood, and to the sacred life of the group.
After a boy's final initiation ceremonies, he could marry, and it was only when he had a
wife, and
sometimes a child, that the community regarded him as a fully-grown man. He now had an
obligation, obtaining food by using hunting skills learned in childhood, skills used for
the group's
survival.
The Supernatural
In Aboriginal society, like every other society, there were problems; droughts, shortages
of
food, people became sick or injured, and they died. Supernatural forces were blamed for
almost
every event, and magic and ritual used to correct the situation. The "medicine
man" or "doctor"
was a powerful man, and tried to cure many physical ills, sometimes by massage or sucking,
to
remove the "evil" causing the pain, or by the application of natural medicines
made from plants
or roots. The emphasis on healing was on the spirit, rather than the body. It was the
belief that
the spirit was the primary resource of illness - evil thoughts act first on the spirit,
and the
physical symptoms came later - that led to "evil thinking" someone, as in the
well-known custom
of "bone pointing". The person who was a victim of a spell would usually sicken
and die, because
he believed that this would happen.
Old people in Aboriginal society were cared for, and respected for their wisdom and
knowledge.
When a person died the mourning custom and burial rights were complex and varied from
region
to region. The mourners freely expressed their sorrow and distress, sometimes covering
themselves in ochre and clay. The dead were either buried, cremated, placed on platforms
in
trees, or left in caves or rock shelters. Sometimes the bones were recovered and part,
such as
the bone of the forearm, kept as relics for long periods.
Dimbaloo Didgeridoos UK.
The didgeridoo is probably the world’s oldest musical instrument -
first played by Australian Aboriginals. They are made from branches of trees hollowed out
by termites. The type of wood that is used to make the didges varies from area to
area. The didgeridoo is used in the Sacred Ceremonies or corroborees of the
Australian Aboriginals. The didgeridoo was originally the musical instrument of the
Northern Aboriginal tribes, but it has now spread to many other tribes. It is usually
played in conjunction with click or clap sticks or the clapping together of other things
like boomerangs.
There are many dream time stories about how didges were discovered, and here are two of
them. One day the men of the tribe were out looking for food, they knew that hollow logs
were used by small animals for shelter. The logs were shaken and banged on the
ground to get the food source out. One day a man blew down a hollow log and a sound was
made, he kept on blowing and when he looked around the rest of the tribe were clapping and
dancing, from that day on the didge was used in their singing and dancing.
The second story goes that, the women of a Queensland tribe were collecting fire wood and
after stacking it a strange sound was heard. After a search was made they found out that
it was the wind blowing through a hollow log. They blew down it themselves and hence
the didge was born. There are over 30 tribal names for didges so I reckon there must be as
many stories about how it all started.
The didgeridoos I sell are all hollowed out by termites in the bush and collected by hand.
The sticks once found are often carried long distances by the gatherer - the ones I get
from N.S.W. are collected by a man called Lenny from a property owned by an Elder, and are
all from the Malee tree, which is a kind of Eucalyptus . They are then taken to a small
town called Mogo, to the Dimbaloo workshop where they are prepared and painted. This
workshop is run by an Aboriginal man called Colin Davis who is a well known artist and
runs this workshop to help up-and-coming artists and to train beginners. The Dimbaloo
workshop keeps the youths out of mischief and gives them a sense of belonging and pride in
a hostile white man’s world.
The second place I get didges from is a long way from New South Wales. It is north of
Brisbane and is run by a white Australian called Michael. This is run to benefit local
tribal artists; not only do they paint didges here but also paint pictures and make other
artifacts.
Michael organises Aboriginal Art exhibitions as well. I have met the artists and greatly admire their work- the didges painted here have a more modern feel about them and are decorated with totem animals and dreamtime symbols, often on multi-coloured backgrounds. The type of wood varies.
If you feel or drawn to having a exhibition in town or country
Please email me with details and I will try and
arrange something
I have been playing the didge for six years and it was always my dream to meet and play
with native people. In March until early June of 1998, this dream came true. I was in
Australia teaching Shamballa , Earth working, channelling and other forms of healing, when I
had the honour to meet these people and play with some of them. It was then that I got the
guidance to try and help in some way and this is what I came up with- to import their
didges to the west and funnel the money back to them. Most of the cost goes to their
communities and your purchase helps Native People live in dignity and freedom. These
didgeridoos are all works of art and signed by the artists.
PRICE LIST
N.S.W. didges: plain no painting with wax mouth piece, Malee wood~ £75 sterling
N.S.W. painted -traditional colours and designs, wax mouth piece, Malee wood~ £100
sterling.
Queensland didges: Great decorations stunning for the price!!!
Various types of wood, wax mouth piece. £150
sterling.
Play the didge, heal yourself and the Earth at the same time!! All didges are
between 1m. and 1.5m. long, Please let us know if you want a high or low tone and the
length. If you don’t know what will be suitable for you, then get in touch and
I’ll tune in with the medicine men and choose for you. Shipping can be arranged any
place on Earth, please enquire for rates. For any place outside Earth didges and shipping
are free!!!
Tel.+44 (0)7768132977 or email drdas@globalnet.co.uk
Wholesale available for 5 or more didges, please enquire