Playing the Didgeridoo

Playing the didjeridu can be fun and challenging. You can learn about gender issues and the difference between traditional Aboriginal and non-traditional non-Indigenous playing styles.ction.

Gender issues

The didjeridu is a male-oriented musical instrument in Australian Indigenous society. In the 'Top End' of Australia where the didjeridu is endemic, men play the instrument in ceremonial and recreational contexts, just as men play the clapsticks and sing during ceremonial events (though women also have 'wailing songs' when news of a death is announced). It is not, however, taboo for Aboriginal women to play the didjeridu in this part of Australia, and there are occasions where women role play and take hold of the instrument in comical mimicry of men (for example, in the entertaining phases of circumcision rituals). In rare cases, some Aboriginal women in 'Top End' communities have become proficient at playing the didjeridu, though they never perform in ceremonial contexts.

In other parts of Australia, there are stricter restrictions on Aboriginal women playing the didjeridu with outright prohibition in some areas.

Despite the didjeridu being a male-oriented instrument in Australian Aboriginal culture, non-Indigenous women around the world have begun to explore the musical possibilities of the didjeridu. There is a diversity of opinions relating to this among Aboriginal men, ranging from encouragement and amusement to indifference and downright scorn. Generally, Aboriginal men in 'Top End' communities do not have a problem with non-Indigenous women playing the didjeridu. They reason that the cultural rules and conditions that govern behaviour in Indigenous society do not apply to non-Indigenous women, which are bound by their own set of Western laws and moral codes.