Kashyyyk clarion

The Kashyyykk clarion, or Wookiee Clarion, was a type of musical wind instrument created by the Wookiee species of the planet Kashyyyk from the horn of a bantha, bronzium, wroshyr wood, and cerulean gemstones. The clarions were used to summon Wookiees to gatherings in times of peace and acted as an alarm in times of war, and they were also considered a piece of cultural art. By around 232 BBY, the pirate Blackbolt had stolen a Kashyyyk clarion from the planet Tenoo and stored it in his treasure hoard on the cruiser Terror of Tenoo. A clarion was also part of the treasure stored in Tanglevine Base on Tenoo.
During the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, a clarion was sounded to summon Wookiees to defend the city Kachirho against the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In 5 BBY, a Kashyyyk clarion thought to have been made by the Porr'trrr tribe was displayed in the human antique dealer Luthen Rael's gallery on the planet Coruscant.
==Description==
The Kashyyyk clarion, also known as the Wookiee Clarion, was a type of musical instrument created from a bantha horn with an orange lacquer finish. It was jacketed with patterns of hand-hammered bronzium plating that was merged with natural wroshyr wood and natural cerulean gemstones, the latter of which were set into the body.
Immense lung capacity was required to sound a call from the clarion, but with the lung strength of an adult Wookiee, they could then be heard as far as twenty kilometers (twelve miles) away. The sound's pitch could be changed using a series of at least four raised keys on the instrument's body. The clarions ranged in size from small to large enoughStar Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees that they were crafted to wrap around a Wookiee player and were comfortable to wear on the move due to how they cradled the wearer's torso.
==History==
===Treasured instrument of the Wookiees===
Kashyyyk clarions were handmade in a laborious process by the Wookiee species of the planet Kashyyyk. The instrument was considered a piece of cultural art but also had an important function, as its bellow was most commonly used to summon Wookiees to war or other important meetings. This wartime role was vital, as the clarion acted as an alarm that united scattered Wookiee tribes against a common foe. The clarion was also used to summon Wookiee clans together for friendly gatherings or festivities such as Life Day in times of prosperity and peace. However, their cacophonous cry was not ideally suited to making any sort of enjoyable music.
A small Kashyyyk clarion was part of a hoard of treasure that the pirate droid Captain Blackbolt stole from the planet Tenoo and was on board his cruiser, the Terror of Tenoo, when it powered down along with the pirate on an asteroid. A long time later, around 232 BBY, the ship was discovered by the crew of the pilot Nash Durango's shuttle, the Crimson Firehawk, who powered it back up and accidentally reactivated Blackbolt in the process. While trying to escape from him, they discovered the clarion and other treasures, but ultimately left them all on board the Terror of Tenoo when they sent it far away through hyperspace with Blackbolt still on board.
A larger Kashyyyk clarion was part of another treasure hoard kept in Tanglevine Base, a secret hideout on Tenoo used by the adventurer Kaliah Kublop and Jedi Master Staas Ragnabi. Long after the pair's lifetimes, the base's location had been lost, but it was re-discovered by the Jedi Kai Brightstar and Djovi Resmia in 232 BBY, with the clarion leaned against one of the base's beds when they entered. However, the Jedi had been followed by Blackbolt and his crew, who intended to steal the treasure and so attacked the Jedi. Brightstar and Resmia defeated the pirates and prevented them from stealing the treasures.
===Gallery curio===
In the year 19 BBY,Star Wars: Timelines dates the Battle of Kashyyyk to 19 BBY. a clarion was sounded to summon Wookiees to defend the city Kachirho on Kashyyyk from the Separatist Droid Army as part of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Wookiees young and old from all areas of the planet answered the call.
As items of great cultural significance, Kashyyyk clarions were known to fetch quite high prices from high-end art collectors wishing to display them in galleries, and in 5 BBY, takes place in 5 BBY per the reasoning here a Kashyyyk clarion of unknown origin was displayed alongside other Wookiee objects in Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest, a gallery run by the human antique dealer Luthen Rael on the planet Coruscant.
The various swirling decorations on the clarion that Rael displayed were believed to be the insignia of the Porr'trrr tribe, with the artisan who handcrafted the clarion having taken great pains to adorn it with hammered decorations that acted as a clear indicator that the heirloom celebrating the tribe's identity had been used in sacred rituals over many years. A brass plate among the clarion's keys depicted a noble Wookiee looking in the direction of the player, with possible identities for the individual depicted including the instrument's owner and player or someone important to them, a tribal elder, or the clarion maker's own self-portrait used to mark their work.
===Writings on the clarion===
At some point, an artist who was compiling a journal of sketches and stories drew a sketch of a Kashyyyk clarion. The sketch and a caption were included when the journal was restored, expanded, and displayed by the Graf Archive at some point no earlier than 34 ABY. No earlier than 35 ABY,Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees states that the Battle of Exegol, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 35 ABY, has already taken place prior to the writing of The Secrets of the Wookiees. the Wookiee Chewbacca still remembered hearing the Kashyyyk clarion that sounded at Kachirho during the Clone Wars, information that the protocol droid C-3PO included in an entry on the clarions in his book The Secrets of the Wookiees.
==Behind the scenes==
The Kashyyyk clarion was created as a prop for the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary which was released on May 19, 2005,Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded Edition but is not visible in the film's final cut. The instrument was first shown in the current Star Wars canon in the 2016 reference book Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia. It then made its first appearance in "Aldhani," the fourth episode of the Disney+ live-action television series Andor first season, which aired on September 28, 2022.
During production of the episode, the props team was asked for suggestions on what items might be displayed in the gallery, with prop makers like Nick Tyrrell suggesting various objects that had appeared in previous Star Wars media as inspiration. Star Wars 100 Objects, Kristin Baver's 2023 reference book, provided the alternate name of Wookiee Clarion. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the instrument was first mentioned in the reference book Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, which was written by James Luceno and released prior to Revenge of the Sith on April 2, 2005.
==Appearances==
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==Sources==
*Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia 
*Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
*Star Wars: Alien Archive
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*Star Wars 100 Objects 
*Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees
*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy 
==Notes and references==
Category:Wind musical instruments
Category:Wookiee culture