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The Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a musical instrument developed by the aboriginal people of Northern Australia. Being nomadic, they created an instrument that they did not have to take with them; they would just make a new one each time they moved. They do this by looking for a termite mound. Termites make huge mounds and eat out the center of nearby gum trees. So the native people find a mound and then tap the surrounding trees to find one with a hollow sound. When they find one, they cut a section of the tree, and then clean out the loose wood and the termites. To play the didgeridoo, it is necessary to have a tight seal around the mouth. So if the hole at the top is too large, they use bee's wax to make it smaller. A didgeridoo is basically a hollow log. Now didgeridoos are made out of a number of materials including plastic, metal, or any type or combination of wood or plant material.

Aboriginal people generally did not decorate a didgeridoo, unless it was for a special occasion. Today most of the didgeridoos for sale are decorated. The tribes in the central part of Australia use dots and many didgeridoos are decorated in this why. However didgeridoos originated in the north of Australia, and the people of the north draw an animal and then the body is hatched with lines of yellow, red, black and white. Yellow is the sun, red is the earth, black is the people, and white is Spirit.

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