Lauren Darge

The didgeridoo exists in many Dreamtime stories. The Dreamtime is a period in Aboriginal culture where the earth was created. The instrument plays an important part in the creation story, and is believed to have been created by gods.

 

It is used in both open and secret ceremonies, which only specific menbers take place. It is also used recreationally, for example entertainment songs and story telling. Another use was for long distance communication. In ceremonial occasions only men play, and men and women dance. Women playing the didgeridoo takes place in more informal contexts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It originated in the north of Australia. There is no reliable evidence to the exact age, but there are rock paintings in Kakadu dated to 1500 years ago that suggest it was used then. It was only distributed in the eastern Kimberley and the northern part of the Northern Territory until the early 20th century.

 

In 1835 an explorer first noiced an Aboriginal man playing a didgeridoo-like instrument in the far north of the Northern Territory. Since this time anthropologists have documented the use of didgeridoos.

 

The word didgeridoo was then mentioned in many songs from the 1960s. The sound of the didgeridoo was also heard in many songs, sometimes without permission or compensation.

 

The word didgeridoo only came about in 1925, each group of Aboriginal people has a different name for it. This was when the instrument was discovered by outsiders. Its usage and music has slowly spread and it only became mass produced in 2000 after the Sydney Olympics.