Xingu yellow-banded giant

Source term: bullroarer

No local term recorded.

A narrow slot cleaves one end of this nearly seventy-one-centimetre blade; the cord passes through a second hole and loops around the split, making the suspension part of the silhouette. Faded yellow bands cross its hand-whittled faces. The particular Xingu community and the instrument’s use were never recorded, so its unusual size and rigging carry the story alone.

This bullroarer is quite long (close to 28 inches in length) in comparison to many bullroarers found around the world.

Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection, item 7436, Description

Particulars

Object

A 27.8 in (70.6 cm) pointed elliptical wooden blade with sharp edges, a thick central spine, faded yellow painted bands, a narrow two-inch terminal slot, a drilled hole below it, and a short looped cotton cord.

Function

Not recorded.