These pictures show some of the dancers displaying herbal remedies and playing the didgeridoo. They are made from the branches of gum trees hollowed out by termites and are selected by tapping on the outside and listening for a hollow sound. Once cut, they are cleaned and given a beeswax mouthpiece before they can be played. Often, they are decorated with images of animals or fish, or other totems of the tribes. One must blow into it while vibrating the lips.
Early attempts sound a bit like bad digestive ailments.
The real trick is to continue to breathe in through the nose while blowing out through the mouth, a technique called circular breathing. There is a wonderful website on the didgeridoo here at Didgeridoo University . According to Aboriginal belief, all life as it is today - Human, Animal, Bird and Fish is part of one vast unchanging network of relationships which can be traced to the great spirit ancestors of the Dreamtime. The events of the ancient era of creation are enacted in ceremonies and danced in mime form. Song chant incessantly to the accompaniment of the didgeridoo or clap sticks relates the story of events of those early times and brings to the power of the dreaming to bear of life today.