Bullroarer

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Description

wood, brown patina, red pigment, symbolic signs, drilled hole for suspension, slightly dam. (rim), metal base;
bullroarers belong to musical instruments (aerophones). Attached to cord and swirled around very fast they produce a tone in various frequences. They were used in the cult and were interpreted as the voices of ancestors and spirits. Just like the “tjuringas” they have to be hidden, women and children are not allowed to see them. They play an important role during initiation rites. There are different bullroarers for different purposes, for example for amatory enchantment. For bullroarers and “tjuringas” partly the same ornaments are used, just like their functions seem to be mixed up.

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Comparing literature

Rose, Frederick, Die Ureinwohner Australiens, Leipzig 1969, p. 217, ill. 59

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