ABORIGINAL PEOPLES, AUSTRALIA

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Bullroarers have been used in initiation ceremonies and in burials to ward off evil spirits, and for bad tidings. Bullroarers are considered secret men's business by all or almost all Aboriginal tribal groups, and hence forbidden for women, children, non-initiated men, or outsiders even to hear. They are used in men's initiation ceremonies, and the sound they produce is considered in some indigenous cultures to represent the sound of the Rainbow Serpent. In the cultures of southeastern Australia, the sound of the bullroarer is the voice of Daramulan, and a successful bullroarer can be made only if it has been cut from a tree containing his spirit.

This example features a host of spaced concentric ring motifs; on one side they are varied only with a single arch or rainbow shape, on the other they are joined and connected by sinuous bands recalling rivers, trails, or roots. One side shows a pair of undulating bands while the reverse bears a trio. The uncarved portions of the terra cotta-colored wood are treated with light scoring, and a hole is pierced at one end for attachment.

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