The Bullroarer Atlas

No. ALUEDE2006-001

Esan Alimin-Otor land-spirit bullroarer

Nigeria · Esanland · Edo State · West Africa

Restricted

A Yoruba bullroarer of black-stained wood, its cord wound about the blade.
Plate I. Representative — not this record’s object. A Yoruba bullroarer of black-stained wood, its cord wound about the blade. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Image source

Alimin-Otor

Alimin-Otor: Esan for "land spirits," the name of the bullroarer itself.

At midnight in Esanland, the land spirits announced their procession with the roar of Alimin-Otor. Aluede describes a carved piece of wood tied to a cord and whirled through the air; women and children stayed indoors while the spirit company moved.

a carved bob of wood attached to a cord which, when whirled through the air produces a terrifying roar.

Charles O. Aluede, The Anthropomorphic Attributes of African Musical Instruments: History and Use in Esan, Nigeria, The Anthropologist 8(3) (2006): 159.

Particulars

Object
Carved wood attached to a cord and whirled through the air; exact profile unstated.
Function
Midnight land-spirit procession; the sound conveys the presence of spirits; women and children remain indoors.

Source

Charles O. Aluede, 'The Anthropomorphic Attributes of African Musical Instruments: History and Use in Esan, Nigeria,' The Anthropologist 8(3) (2006): 157-160, p. 159

View the source

Part of The Bullroarer Atlas, companion to The Eve Theory of Consciousness.