Description:

Australia, Aboriginal culture, late 19th-early 20th c. The bullroarer is an aerophone instrument that is central to the Australian Aboriginal culture. Traditionally bullroarers have been used in conjunction with didgeridoos in initiation ceremonies and in burials to ward off evil spirits and ill tidings. Bullroarers are regarded as the domain of secret male societies by some Aboriginal groups. Consequently, women, children, non-initiated men, and outsiders are forbidden to even hear the sound emitted by the bullroarer. According to scholars, if one were caught transgressing this secrecy, he/she would be punished by death! (Lorimer Fison and Alfred W. Howitt, Kamilaroi and Kurnai Melbourne: G. Robertson, 1880, p. 198) The sound bullroarers produce is thought to represent the Rainbow Serpent by some indigenous cultures; and it represents the voice of Daramulan to the cultures of southeastern Australia. According to their beliefs, in order for bullroarers to be effective, they must be cut from a tree containing his spirit. This example is beautifully carved from one piece of fine-grained wood. It is decorated with stylized linear and geometric markings - characteristic Aboriginal motifs - as well as woven human hair. ~11 1/2"L x 2"W at widest

Provenance: Ex-Leonard Kalina Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA

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October 24, 2014 8:00 AM MDT
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Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000