Cardboard toy-aircraft bullroarer, Tainan

Source term: Bullroarer

A bullroarer cut from cardboard in the shape of a delta-wing aircraft, with a metal bottle cap locked between folded cardboard appendages over the nose and a length of red nylon thread tied near the tip of one wing. Whirled on that thread, it buzzes. It comes from Tainan, on the southwest coast of Taiwan, and is held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge under accession 1977.340, from the instrument collection of the ethnomusicologist Laurence Picken. The wings still carry the Republic of China's blue-sky-white-sun emblem: a mid-century Taiwanese paper toy remade into the oldest instrument there is. When the blade spins fast enough, the bottle cap begins to vibrate in its cardboard seating, adding its rattle to the roar.

Cardboard bullroarer, whirling aerophone, in form of delta-wing aircraft, with metal bottle cap locked between folded cardboard cut-out appendages over nose of aircraft. Suspended from length of red nylon thread, attached near tip of one wing.

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, acc. 1977.340

Particulars

Object

Cardboard bullroarer in the form of a delta-wing aircraft, 97 x 13 x 170 mm, a metal bottle cap locked between folded cardboard appendages over the nose, suspended from a red nylon thread near one wing tip (MAA 1977.340; the cap vibrates continuously in its seating when the blade is rotated at speed).

Function

A toy.