Dauan madub of ubar wood

madub

Source term: Madub (bullroarer)

madub: bullroarer (Dauan). ubar: the wood of blade and handle. bail: the plant fibre of the cord.

Blade and handle alike were cut from ubar wood, and the cord was two strands of bail fibre twisted together. On Dauan, the high island off the New Guinea coast that sailors named Mount Cornwallis, the madub was held by its little wooden handle in the left hand; the right hand took the string about halfway along, and the long, round-ended blade was sent swinging fast in circles above the player's head. A life-size drawing of one, cord and all, was made on Dauan on 8 September 1971.

Particulars

Object

A long, round-ended wooden blade on a cord of two twisted strands, tied to a short wooden handle; blade and handle of ubar wood, cord of bail fibre. Drawn life-size.

Function

Not recorded.