The Bullroarer Atlas

MUS2026-164 - museum specimen

Gupapuyngu Daygurrgurr

Australia - Eastern Arnhem Land - Howard Island - Oceania - Sahul

Sacred / spirit

Representative—not this record’s object: Australian herringbone-carved bullroarer, shown as a regional stand-in; no image of this record’s own...
Representative—not this record’s object: Australian herringbone-carved bullroarer, shown as a regional stand-in; no image of this record’s own object is available yet. Emile Clement, Ethnographische Beobachtungen in Nordwest-Central-Australien (1903), Plate IV; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek scan Public domain Image source
A board carved edge to edge with a herringbone zigzag pattern — an Aboriginal Australian bull-roarer held by the Wereldmuseum, shown for the...
Representative image. A board carved edge to edge with a herringbone zigzag pattern — an Aboriginal Australian bull-roarer held by the Wereldmuseum, shown for the general form; not the Martuthunira boonangharry from the Pilbara coast documented here. Wereldmuseum / NMVW (acc. RV-2306-7) CC BY-SA Image source

burala English / Gupapuyngu name

Source term: Burala / ceremonial object

burala: name shared by the instrument and a diver duck in the museum account; no literal lexical gloss supplied

On Howard Island in Eastern Arnhem Land, the Gupapuyngu Daygurrgurr called this painted wooden roarer burala. A vegetable-fibre cord passes through the narrow end of the 42.5-centimetre paddle; twirled above the head, it sounded like the diver duck that shared its name as it dove and swooped over the water. The painted lines represent a catfish skeleton. Museums Victoria attributes the circa-1950 object to Djawa Dhawarringu, an identification made by his son Joe Neparrnga Gumbula and other Milingimbi men.

The burala is attached to a string that is twirled above the head.

Museums Victoria X 81286
Object
Painted paddle-shaped wooden slat, 425 x 70 x 30 mm, with vegetable-fibre string through a proximal terminal hole; two exact photographs preserve the complete rig.
Function
Twirled above the head; its sound is compared with a diver duck also called burala. The painted design is said to represent a catfish skeleton.
Map confidence
high - OpenStreetMap Langarra hamlet anchor on Howard Island; the museum gives Howard Island but no exact collection spot.
Source location
Museums Victoria X 81286; API item 226782

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