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<br /> *mate - buddy
<br /> *no worries - no problem
<br /> *ocker - rough and uncultivated Australian man
<br /> *on the dole - on welfare
<br /> *ripper! - terrific!
<br /> *ropeable - angry
<br /> *sheila - Australian woman
<br /> *squatter - gentleman rancher
<br /> *station - ranch
<br /> *swag - possessions carried by a traveler in the bush
<br /> *tucker - food
<br /> THE DIDGERIDOO & ABORIGINAL MUSIC
<br /> Have you ever seen the TV show "Survivor" or heard an Aussie-theme commercial and wondered
<br /> what is the enchantingly strange sound - "waowaowaow" - in the background? Mate, it's the didgeridoo,
<br /> an Australian Aboriginal aerophone woodwind instrument that sounds and looks as exotic as its name.
<br /> *Essentially a hollowed-out tree branch, the didgeridoo, a.k.a. didg, is among the world's oldest
<br /> instruments, and it produces a dynamic range of otherworldly sounds and tones. Besides being played
<br /> solo, the didgeridoo is also used to accompany singing, dancing, chanting, drumming and almost all other
<br /> forms of music, and for various types of therapy.
<br /> *The didgeridoo is best described as a simple instrument played with much complexity. It is a
<br /> one-note instrument that can be played up or down by half a pitch according to mouth aperture. An
<br /> experienced player will use everything from his or her lips, tongue, cheeks, throat, vocal chords and
<br /> diaphragm to coordinate sounds, rhythm and breathing.
<br /> *The didgeridoo has been played for at least 1,500 years, and is mostly associated with the
<br /> Aboriginal tribes of Arnhem Land in Northern Australia. Since then, the didg has spread among many
<br /> Aboriginal tribes, and around the world.
<br /> *"Didgeridoo" is actually an English onomatopoeic word, used to represent the sound that early
<br /> explorers thought the instrument made. Other spelling variations include didgeridu, did jeridoo and
<br /> did jeridu, or didg(e) for short. Two of many Aboriginal terms for didgeridoo are yidaki and yirdaki.
<br /> *In Aboriginal culture, the didgeridoo is used in both ceremonies and informal settings, often as
<br /> an accompaniment to chanting, singing and dancing. Traditional Aboriginal performances usually consist of
<br /> powerful rhythms paced by one or more singers (one of whom is the lead songman), each with a pair of
<br /> sticks or some percussion, and one didgeridoo. If a didg is unavailable, the piece can still be performed.
<br /> *In some Aboriginal tribes, the didgeridoo is only played by men, but in other tribes men, women
<br /> and children all play it. Ceremonial didg playing, however, is almost always reserved for initiated men.
<br /> *The Aboriginal people have more than 20 native sound instruments, most of which are
<br /> percussive, such as clap sticks (clapping boomerangs can be used for the same effect), hollow log drums,
<br /> skin drums, rasps, rattles, bull-roarers and sticks that are beaten on shields. In some tribes, stones are
<br /> used instead of wood. Hand clapping and body slapping is used by singers of both sexes, sometimes as a
<br /> substitute for clap sticks. The Aboriginal people have no traditional stringed instruments, although some
<br /> stringed instruments are found in contemporary Aboriginal music. The only other native wind instrument
<br /> besides the didgeridoo is the gum leaf (folded leaf whistle).
<br /> *Most traditional Aboriginal didgeridoos start as a branch or trunk of a eucalyptus tree that's
<br /> been naturally hollowed out by termites, which nest by the trillions in Northern Australia. After cutting
<br /> the branch or trunk to an appropriate length - most didges range between 4 and 5.5 feet, although some
<br /> are much larger - the crafter cleans out any remaining termites and pulp, and styles the didg to his
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