This is a popular song in parts of Arnhem Land, NT, Australia.

African song

Original song by Brendon Ganambarr of Galiwin'ku community, Elcho Island, NT, Australia.

Waltjan by Brendon Ganambarr

Beautiful song Yothu Djarimi (Rainbow child) by Manuel Dhurrkay of Galiwin'ku, Elcho Island, NT, Australia.

Yothu Djarimi (Rainbow Child) by Manuel Dhurrkay

Mawuka - Yothu Yindi

Type: overtone-absent didgeridoo
Key: F# fundamental
Length: 107 cm
Mouthpiece diameter: 3 cm
Distal end diameter: 8.5 cm
Weight: 2.9 kg
Region: NT, Australia
Description: mago is one of numerous Indigenous names for a type of didgeridoo from the Top End of Australia - specifically parts of Western, South-central and South-western Arnhem Land - traditionally played without the overtone note among its Aboriginal practitioners. This particular instrument has been painted in ochres with designs of Saratoga fish (Scleropages sp.) and has outstanding acoustics.

Overtone-absent didgeridoo 107 cm Saratoga mago

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Djalu Gurruwiwi
Artist: Zelda Balpiyangay
Key: D# fundamental / D# overtone
Length: 161 cm
Mouthpiece diameter: 3-3.5 cm
Distal end diameter: 11-11.5 cm
Weight: 4.8 kg
Region: north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: A post-2000 didgeridoo with good playing characteristics and somewhat old-school Galpu acoustics combined with the power and build of more contemporary instruments.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Djalu Gurruwiwi 161 cm D#/D#

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: low A fundamental / D overtone
Length: 176 cm
Mouthpiece diameter: 3 cm with sugarbag beeswax
Distal end diameter: 6-6.5 cm
Weight: 2.7 kg
Region: north-central Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: An old instrument possibly belonging to the secret-sacred domain. The term "malagatj" has been used to describe this particular didgeridoo by Yolngu men who have seen and played it. Minimal decoration consisting of a red ochre base with white pipeclay banding and dotting, no cross-hatching discernible.

Overtone-present didgeridoo 176 cm low A fundamental

Type: overtone-absent didgeridoo
Key: E-F fundamental
Length: 125.5 cm
Air chamber volume: 1800 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.5-3.7 cm
Distal end diameter: 6.5-7.5 cm
Weight: 2.5 kg
Region: Daly River region, north-west NT, Australia
Description: This is an old instrument estimated to be from the 1950s-60s period.

Replete with adze marks, otherwise undecorated except for traces of white pipeclay adornment at the distal end characteristic of artwork found on didgeridoos from the Daly River region during that era.

From the deceased estate of an elderly lady Ms McCook who was described as fiercely independent and a great lover of the Australian bush who travelled extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea exploring and collecting indigenous artifacts.

Overtone-absent didgeridoo 125 cm E-F fundamental

Type: overtone-ambiguous / overtone-agnostic didgeridoo
Artist: Maylambarr Wunungmurra
Key: D# fundamental
Length: 129 cm
Air chamber volume: 1775 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.3-3.4 cm
Distal end diameter: 7.0 cm
Weight: 2.0 kg
Region: Gapuwiyak, eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia
Description: Didgeridoos don't always fit neatly into the overtone-present and overtone-absent categories.

This particular instrument is described as overtone-ambiguous or overtone-agnostic. It was made in an area typically associated with overtone-present didgeridoos but is better suited to a style of play that is overtone-absent. In eastern Arnhem Land, this playing style may fall within the Djatpangarri genre - a popular recreational style of more recent origin compared to traditional manikay clan songs.

A non-commercial didgeridoo, this instrument was made as a gift by Maylambarr, is ochre-painted, and has a smudge of sugarbag beeswax on the mouthpiece.

Overtone-ambiguous didgeridoo 129 cm D# fundamental Djatpangarri

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: low B fundamental / D overtone
Length: 173.5 cm
Air chamber volume: 2050 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.7-3.2 cm
Distal end diameter: 7.5 cm
Weight: 2.9 kg
Region: eastern Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: Decorated in ochres with what appears to be Manggalili clan miny'tji from eastern Arnhem Land, this instrument is estimated to be from the 1970s.

In spite of its length and deep tone this yidaki is not considered to belong to the restricted category.

It was used in studio recordings in late 2016 for musician Paul Grieves.

Overtone-present didgeridoo 173 cm low B fundamental

Type: overtone-ambiguous / overtone-agnostic didgeridoo
Key: D# fundamental / F# overtone
Length: 137 cm
Air chamber volume: 940 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.2-3.7 cm
Distal end diameter: 8-9 cm
Weight: 3.8 kg
Region: Ulpanyali, Northern Territory, Australia
Description: This didgeridoo was made in the heart of desert country in Central Australia at Ulpanyali, a small Aboriginal community about 6 hours drive from Alice Springs.

The instrument appears to have been extensively used with a glossy sheen from handling and a heavy build up of patina on the mouthpiece.

Overtone-present desert didgeridoo Ulpanyali NT

Type: overtone-ambiguous / overtone-agnostic didgeridoo
Artist: Claver Dumoo
Key: C fundamental / F overtone
Length: 139 cm
Air chamber volume: 940 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.4-3.5 cm
Distal end diameter: 7-7.5 cm
Weight: 3.0 kg
Region: Wadeye, north-west NT, Northern Territory, Australia
Collection date: 2007
Description: Didgeridoos used ceremonially in the Wadeye community and in neighbouring regions in the NW Northern Territory are usually of the overtone-absent type.

In Wadeye, the didgeridoo is known as marluk in the local language.

This particular didgeridoo was not made for ceremony and does not have the acoustic specificity matching it to any specific songman's voice.

Rather, it was made as a general instrument and an art piece, and is therefore classified here as an overtone-ambiguous or overtone-agnostic didgeridoo.

It is played here in an overtone-present manner due to the instrument's configuration and acoustic characteristics but can be equally enjoyed played in an overtone-absent style.

Claver Dumoo is one of Wadeye's leading artists and is a didgeridoo expert, man of culture and a consultant on language.

Overtone-ambiguous didgeridoo 139 cm C fundamental Claver Dumoo

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Don Guyuwuru Gumana
Key: E-F fundamental / G-G# overtone
Length: 132 cm
Air chamber volume: 1890 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.5-4.0 cm
Distal end diameter: 10.5-11 cm
Weight: 3.0 kg
Region: Nhulunbuy, Gove Peninsula, north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: The personal yidaki at that time of Dhalwangu clansman Don Guyuwuru Gumana who gifted the instrument to Nabalco worker Syd Wilson in the 1970s.

It bears the handwritten inscription "From Don Guyuwuru Gumana to Syd Wilson" and "D.G.G".

This is an unpainted yidaki which has acquired a glossy surface patination from use and handling.

To view this instrument being played by yidaki master A. M. Wunungmurra (RIP), head over to our iDIDJ Australia YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7HlGQxrjCU

Overtone-present didgeridoo Don Guyuwuru Gumana yidaki

Type: overtone-absent didgeridoo
Key: F-F# fundamental
Length: 111 cm
Air chamber volume: 855 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.1 cm
Distal end diameter: 6.5-7 cm
Weight: 2.3 kg
Region: Mandorah, north-west Northern Territory opposite Darwin on the western side of the harbour, NT, Australia
Collection date: 1977
Description: In the local language where this article was collected, in the Darwin region, the didgeridoo is known as kenbi or mamiylim. This particular instrument was purchased at Mandorah after a corroboree performance in 1977. It is decorated with what appears to be water designs representing Belyuen waterhole.

There are suggestions that the didgeridoo was first made and used in the NW region of the Northern Territory before it spread to other parts of Australia. The evidence for this is biogeographic with doyen of Australian ethnomusicology Alice M. Moyle proposing a model for the instrument’s history in her article The Australian didjeridu: a late musical intrusion:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249007065_The_Australian_didjeridu_A_late_musical_intrusion

It is also likely that the very first didgeridoos were of the overtone-absent type as this superb kenbi/mamiylim specimen is.

Overtone-absent didgeridoo F fundamental Kenbi / Mamiylim from Mandorah 1977

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: D fundamental / F-F# overtone
Air chamber volume: 1420 cm3
Length: 141 cm
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.3 cm
Distal end diameter: 6.5 cm
Weight: 1.8 kg
Region: Yirrkala, Gove Peninsula, north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: This is a 1960s ceremonial yidaki with classic old school acoustics replete with painted Rirratjingu clan designs. It is an instrument that was made for use and has a finely carved mouthpiece with a smooth, worn patina. Rirratjingu senior elder Bakamumu Marika has confirmed that the artwork on this yidaki was painted by Wandjuk Marika.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Wandjuk Marika yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: G fundamental / G overtone
Length: 122 cm
Air chamber volume: 1610 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.6-3.0 cm
Distal end diameter: 7-8.5 cm
Weight: 2.0 kg
Region: North-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: A recently-made yidaki with outstanding fast acoustics noteworthy for its balance in every way. In particular, there is a nice contrast between crispness and bluntness that makes this instrument suitable for rapid-fire trad technique that the Ngaymil are known for. Entirely termite-hollowed with no chiselling evident, the bore of this yidaki delivers nuanced, complex sonics that are lively and sensitive to air pressure changes.

Overtone-present didgeridoo G fundamental Ngaymil yidaki

Type: overtone-ambiguous didgeridoo
Key: E-F fundamental / F# overtone
Length: 143 cm
Air chamber volume: 2590 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.5-3.7 cm
Distal end diameter: 9.0 cm
Weight: 2.2 kg
Region: Northern Territory, Australia - exact locality unspecified by original collector but probably made in the NW region of the NT
Description: This didgeridoo was collected in the 1970s and was the personal instrument of the Aboriginal man who made it. Although not made to sell, he agreed to part with it when an offer was made to purchase it from him. The artwork was applied by the Aboriginal owner at the time of sale and the collector watched the painting process.

Pandanus didgeridoos are much rarer than their hardwood counterparts and they are no longer made in modern times. The fibrous, pithy nature of the pandanus trunk means that it can be artificially hollowed out with a sharpened hardwood sapling and burnt out with hot coals. With the uptake of metal tools by Aboriginal craftsmen, cutting down a termite-hollowed hardwood tree with an axe or saw proved to be an easier, less laborious task than sculpting and shaping a sound chamber in a length of pandanus.

Didgeridoos made from pandanus benefit from priming with water before use. This changes the acoustics of the instrument considerably and results in a rich, dense, resonant voice.

Although pandanus didgeridoos mostly were made in the NW region of the Northern Territory and are played in an overtone-absent manner, they are also sometimes - depending on instrument configuration - favourable to the overtone-present style as demonstrated here.

Overtone-ambiguous pandanus didgeridoo E fundamental

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Barayuwa Mununggurr
Key: E flat fundamental / F-F# overtone
Length: 138 cm
Air chamber volume: 1570 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.8-3.1 cm
Distal end diameter: 7-8 cm
Weight: 2.3 kg
Region: Yirrkala, Gove Peninsula, north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: This yidaki has had some recreational use by Yolngu in NE Arnhem Land. Barayuwa is a noteworthy young artist and craftsman who has been a staff member at the art centre in Yirrkala for many years and is also somewhat of a yidaki specialist.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Barayuwa Mununggurr yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: D fundamental / F overtone
Length: 139 cm
Air chamber volume: 1500 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.5-4.0 cm
Distal end diameter: 6.0 cm
Weight: 2.5 kg
Region: Aurukun, Far North Queensland, Australia
Description: Collected in the 1960s by a pilot at Aurukun, this didgeridoo - known in parts of Queensland as yiki-yiki - is exquisitely painted featuring both a marine and terrestrial theme. There are representations of fish, stringray, shark, crab and jellyfish as well as motifs of snake-in-tree, butterfly, serpentine, bird and anthropomorphic figures.

This yiki-yiki was made for use as evidenced by the deliberately carved mouthpiece opening displaying patina.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Far North Queensland yiki-yiki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: D fundamental / F# overtone
Length: 147 cm
Air chamber volume: 2470 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.8-3.0 cm
Distal end diameter: 8.5-10.5 cm
Weight: 5.0 kg
Region: Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia
Description: This yidaki was used in 2004 at the funeral ceremony for Gatjil Djerrkura OAM, ex. Chairman of ATSIC.

Overtone-present didgeridoo D fundamental Gatjil Djerrkura funeral yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Mithinarri Gurruwiwi
Key: D fundamental / G overtone
Length: 136 cm
Air chamber volume: 1380 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.7-3.3 cm
Distal end diameter: 7-7.5 cm
Weight: 2.5 kg
Region: Yirrkala, Gove Peninsula, north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: Prior to Djalu Gurruwiwi's stardom as a yidaki master, Mithinarri was the leading Galpu clan artist and craftsman who produced superb works of art from the 1960s onwards.

"Mithinari Gurruwiwi learned to paint as a young man, with a group of Dhuwa moiety artists that also included Larrtjannga Ganambarr and Wandjuk Marika. They were taught by Wandjuk’s father, Mawalan Marika, at Beach Camp in Yirrkala. Mithinari belonged to a group of the Galpu clan, and his paintings mainly represent two areas of clan land: a coastal area on Caledon Bay and the inland country of Garrimala.

Mithinari was a prolific and passionate artist, with a reputation for eccentricity. He usually camped slightly apart from other members of his community, although often surrounded by his children, and painted on the beach under a shade of palm fronds stuck into the sand. Long after other artists began using European paintbrushes, Mithinari often continued working with brushes made of frayed stringy bark when applying the back-ground colour and drawing the main figurative components of his paintings. He infilled the design with brushes made of human hair or from the midrib of a palm frond. Mithinari painted with great speed and surety of hand...

Mithinari’s paintings are characterised by a diversity of forms but also have an overall coherence of stylistic elements. Yolngu art characteristically plays upon the relationship between figuration and abstraction. In Mithinari’s paintings, there is often an almost complete integration of the figurative representations with the geometric clan designs, creating a flowing composition. Many of his paintings of Garrimala appear to be bursting with the vibrant life of the rich inland lake as snakes, birds and fish compete with each other among the waterlilies. In other paintings, he reduces the figurative element almost to the point of abstraction, and the energy of the works abounds in the flash of the design.

Mithinari was one of the artists who worked on the 1962 Yirrkala church panels; around the same time he painted a series of superb large barks for the collector Dr Stuart Scougall. Mithinari’s works have appeared in many significant overseas exhibitions including ‘Australian Aboriginal Art’ in Chicago, 1972, and ‘Aratjara – Art of the First Australians’ in Düsseldorf, London and Humlebaek, 1993–94. Mithinari Gurruwiwi is represented in all Australian state galleries and in the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection in the United States." - Howard Morphy in "Tradition today: Indigenous art in Australia", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2014.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Mithinarri Gurruwiwi D yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Mangay Guyula
Key: C fundamental / F overtone
Length: 143.5 cm
Air chamber volume: 1210 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.1-3.3 cm
Distal end diameter: 8-8.5 cm
Weight: 4.1 kg
Region: Gapuwiyak, north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: A yidaki of unusual uniformity and pronounced flared mouthpiece.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Mangay Guyula C yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Yangarriny Wunungmurra
Key: G-G# fundamental / G#-A overtone
Length: 112.5 cm
Air chamber volume: 640 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.9-3.0 cm
Distal end diameter: 6.5-7.5 cm
Weight: 2.1 kg
Region: Yirrkala, north-east Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: This is a late 1960s-early 1970s instrument by 1997 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award winner Yanggarriny Wunungmurra. It has a distinct carved mouthpiece and is painted in ochres featuring Dhalwangu clan iconography.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Yanggarriny Wunungmurra G yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: E-F fundamental / F#-G overtone
Length: 130 cm
Air chamber volume: 1665 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.0-3.4 cm
Distal end diameter: 7-7.5 cm
Weight: 2.4 kg
Region: Mirrngatja outstation, north-central Arnhem Land, NT, Australia
Description: A yidaki that has had use at Mirrngatja, painted entirely in ochres and depicting Ritharrngu clan miny'tji (sacred artwork).

Overtone-present didgeridoo Mirrngatja F yidaki

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Craftsman: Djalu Gurruwiwi
Artist: Zelda Balpiyangay
Key: D# fundamental / E-F overtone
Length: 162 cm
Air chamber volume: 3310 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.9-3.3 cm
Distal end diameter: 13-14 cm
Weight: 7.4 kg
Region: Birritjimi community, Gove Peninsula, NT, Australia
Description: A classic instrument made by the Djalu, used by the master in a workshop/masterclass context, and an all-round incredible piece of wood.

Overtone-present didgeridoo Djalu Gurruwiwi 162 cm D#/E-F

Type: overtone-absent didgeridoo
Key: E flat fundamental
Length: 129 cm
Air chamber volume: 1560 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.8-2.9 cm (sugarbag-waxed)
Distal end diameter: 7.0-7.5 cm
Weight: 2.0 kg
Region: Ankabadbirri outstation, Maningrida region, NT, Australia
Description: Rembarrnga man Bob Burduwal is a didgeridoo specialist and a career artisan whose works of art are to be found in state and national collecting institutions and international collections of renown.

His didgeridoos are prized by local Aboriginal players as well as a growing number of enthusiasts worldwide who have been fortunate to experience his instruments.

Burduwal uses the name "mago/mako" for the didgeridoo which is one of over a dozen names for the didgeridoo in the Maningrida and surrounding region.

We filmed Burduwal at his outstation making mako and speaking about his craft:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK7S-KJvu4s

Overtone-absent didgeridoo E flat fundamental Bob Burduwal Mago

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: F# fundamental / G# overtone
Length: 130 cm
Air chamber volume: 2340 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.0 cm (subarbag waxed)
Distal end diameter: 10-11 cm
Weight: 4.0 kg
Description: A yidaki with remarkable acoustics that could be best described as throaty, balanced, dense, richly-textured and fast. This instrument makes it into the iDIDJ Australia Reference Collection and the Didgeridoo Database on account of its superb playing characteristics.

Overtone-present didgeridoo F#/G# bullet yidaki

Type: overtone-ambiguous didgeridoo
Key: E flat fundamental / F# overtone
Length: 134 cm
Air chamber volume: 970 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.6-2.9 cm
Distal end diameter: 7 cm
Weight: 3.3 kg
Description: This didgeridoo is labelled as overtone-ambiguous because we do not know the manner in which it is intended to be played. With further research and as new information emerges we will update this entry.

In addition, we do not know the Aboriginal word for didgeridoo where this instrument was made in Western Australia. As an aside, it seems whenever Aboriginal names for the didgeridoo are discussed or listed on the internet that Wikipedia has been used as a reference, and Wikipedia is clearly wrong for many of the languages and regions.

This is a timely reminder that original sources are crucial in research and that when it comes to the didgeridoo the internet, unfortunately, has sometimes become a convenient but unreliable resource that has facilitated the spread of inaccurate information.

What is clear about this didgeridoo, however, is that it is an instrument that was made with care and that could best be described as non-commercial. The mouthpiece has been carefully shaped and displays a smooth, glossy patina from use.

A late 1970s-early 1980s Western Australian didgeridoo, this is an uncommon example of a tribal instrument originating from outside of the Northern Territory.

Here, the overtone-present style is demonstrated to reveal as much of the instrument's sonic capability as possible.

Addition 16 October 2017: Gooloomboong has been verified as the Miriwoong name for didgeridoo in commentary by Miriwoong family members:

https://www.facebook.com/ididjaustralia/photos/a.370039343132318.1073741828.362223280580591/1121729607963284/?type=3&theater

Overtone-ambiguous Western Australian (Gooloomboong?) didgeridoo D#

Type: overtone-present didgeridoo
Key: low G#-A fundamental / low C#-D overtone
Length: 182 cm
Air chamber volume: to be determined
Mouthpiece diameter: 3.0 cm (waxed)
Distal end diameter: 9-9.5 cm
Weight: 6.3 kg
Description: This is a very large, voluminous and deep-sounding didgeridoo known as giyanggiyang.

Giyanggiyang is not a widely recognised word or type of didgeridoo. It has been described to us as a large, overtone-present style of instrument used by the Rembarrnga people in their bunggul ceremonies.

Documentation of giyanggiyang exists in the form of 3 videos on our YouTube channel, as explained and demonstrated by the late Darryl Dikarrnga Brown while he was artist-in-residence at iDIDJ Australia:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG1WK0W3zSM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cypUioCZRec

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbuScqHhUyM

Overtone-present didgeridoo Central Arnhem Land giyanggiyang low A fundamental

Type: overtone-absent didgeridoo
Key: F# fundamental
Length: 100 cm
Air chamber volume: 1330 cm3
Mouthpiece diameter: 2.8-3.4 cm (sugarbag-waxed)
Distal end diameter: 7.5-9.0 cm
Weight: 2.0 kg
Region: Katherine, NT, Australia
Description: Didgeridoos from Katherine were part of the second wave of mass commercialisation of the instrument and were once a common sight in galleries and retail outlets in tourist precincts around Australia.

They were mainly made as souvenirs and keepsakes though occasionally they were of high musical quality.

Earlier pieces - as this particular specimen is - had strong cultural integrity values and were not dissimilar, acoustically, to instruments made by Jawoyn for their own use.

In his booklet "Gunbarrk Garra" (1993) Nigel Bolda Hunter suggests that in the Jawoyn language the didgeridoo is called "Gunbarrk". This needs to be verified with linguists and Jawoyn people as the phonetically similar "Gunborrk" has a different meaning among Bininj and refers to a style of performance rather than to the instrument per se.

Overtone-absent didgeridoo F sharp Jawoyn Katherine

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