Fire Carriers

Aboriginal Instruments 

Aboriginal culture has a few instruments made out of eucalyptus wood hollowed out by termites. The aboriginal people started to make these instruments 1,000 - 1,500 years ago. 

Some of the instruments are called :

•  English - Didgeridoo  Aboriginal - Yidaki or Yiraki
•  English - Clapsticks   Aboriginal - Bilma or Bimla
•  English - Bullroarer    Aboriginal - Bullroarer 
•  English - Gumleaf      Aboriginal - Gumleaf 

The didgeridoo is a long, wooden trumpet that makes a deep vroom-vroom sound. To play it, you wiggle your lips to make a buzzing noise, almost like a giant bee. The coolest part is that players use a special trick called circle breathing so they never have to stop for air, letting the music hum along forever during big, happy celebrations.

Aboriginal clapsticks are special wooden tools used to make music. For thousands of years, Aboriginal people have used them like a heartbeat to keep the rhythm for songs, dances, and amazing stories about the land.

The bullroarer is a special musical instrument used by First  Nations Australians for a very long time. It is made of a flat piece of wood tied to a long piece of string. When you swing it around in a big circle, it makes a cool, deep humming sound that sounds like a lion's roar.

By Cleo Vranjes

Fire Carrier