Several years ago, I was playing the Didjeridu on the street when a group of young people past by me. Everyone in the group seemed quite interested in what I was doing, but one young man was dismissive. "Oh yea, that's a Didjeridu. The Indians used it to talk to each other through the woods.", he informed his companions. One girl said, "How do you know that?". "Because I'm Australian", replied the young man. The young man did not speak with an Australian accent, for whatever that's worth.
Over the past several years, I've seen the popularity of the Didjeridu increase. But with that increase in the visibility and familiarity of the instrument, there has not been an increase in the understanding of the culture behind it.
My friend and fellow Didjeridu player, John Burrows send me this story after returning from a trip to L.A. which demonstrates the appropriation of an ethnic instrument to advance a more personal "new age" ego driven message :
During my trip to Los Angeles, I was walking along the boardwalk
at Venice Beach. From a distance I see a guy who looks like he's
busking. Sure enough, there is a young guy playing didj -- if
you can call it "playing." All he did was toot it (one overtone)
and bark -- no drone, no buzzing lips, nothing. Just toots and
yells. His instrument was a dark (burnt?) bamboo Didjeridu with
cord wraps at the mouthpiece and bell.
So I stopped for a second trying to see if he would start to play,
when someone comes up and asks him if he's playing a Didjeridu
He then launches into the craziest schpeal I've ever heard.
He gets very serious and says:
"Yes, this is an authentic African Didjeridu. I was taught to
play by tribal elders when I was initiated into the tribe. It's
a very spiritual and sacred instrument. It takes years of training
to play and you need to learn secret cleansing rituals so that you
do not call up evil while you play. If it breaks, you're not
allowed to play another for a year while you cleanse yourself..."
Then the other guy says, "Wow, I thought the Didjeridu was from Africa,
I saw it at Lalapalooza. That is the coolest ... It's like those
things in the Ricola commercials..."
Theater of the absurd...
Anyway, I thought you might get a cynical chuckle out of the exchange.
As I left, I noticed the guy didn't have more than $0.15 in his hat --
I guess the evil spirits were at work.
John "
Perhaps the most blatant example of cultural appropriation and theft comes from the use of sampled Aboriginal performances without permission or listing in the credits yet many contemporary recordings contain such samples. Many of the recordings by non-aboriginal artists include vague references to "Dreamtime", "Walkabout" and other words associated with the Aboriginal culture but sadly inadequate representations of the deeper spirituality behind it. I've personally taken issue with the practice of body paint and other attempts by some non-aboriginal players to appear Aboriginal. To me that is like dressing up like the Pope to appear Catholic. And that is a view point which I feel is right on. After all, the religion practice of any people is not for sale to use as a substitute for the practice of a spiritual path, let alone borrowed as a costume for a contemporary "theater of the absurd" to borrow from John's story.
With the popularity of Aboriginal Art and Music, comes some degree of salesmanship in the mix of the dissemination of artifacts such as the Didjeridu. I've witnessed several gray areas first hand. I recently watched a customer buy a copy of a popular contemporary recording done by some non-Aboriginal musicians. The customer had picked out the disk herself without help, but the sales person felt the need to congratulate her on her choice. "That is very traditional", he remarked. To which she replied, "Yes, I know, that's why I bought it". It is a good recording, but the performance context and substance is not traditional music. Certainly, it is a fine effort and the level of didj playing on it is more than worthy. But I don't believe that it should sold as a "traditional" recording. As an example of strong rhythmic playing and a aural adventure into the Australian "groove", yes.
I'm often asked if I can recommend "traditional music" which doesn't have "singing" in it. This basic point alone, would lead me to believe that far fewer people are interested in the actual culture than are interested in "ear candy" and vague impressions of some fictitious and exotic culture that better suits a world view in which "it's all good". The music of the Australian Aboriginal Peoples, while as diverse and highly stylistic as the various aspects of their regional cultures, has a common thread of appreciation for song and the vocal component of traditional music is vital toward any understanding of the music.