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Whilst some people believe the Aboriginal people of Australia
have been using the didgeridoo for 40,000 years or more, archaeological
research suggests that the didgeridoo is only about 2000 years
old. The evidence of this research comes in the form of rock
art studies in the Northern Territory which show images of
humans playing the didgeridoo painted on cave walls starting
from about 2000 years ago. Before this time, there are no
images of didgeridoos or humans playing didgeridoos.
Regardless of how old the didgeridoo is, Western society
has only recently - relatively speaking - become acquainted
with the didgeridoo. The following timeline shows important
dates relating to our understanding of the didgeridoo. The
timeline includes historic events that either directly or
indirectly led to greater awareness and understanding of the
didgeridoo and the Aboriginal cultures that it is a part of.
A useful feature of this timeline is the date of establishment
of mission stations in the didgeridoo's traditional heartland.
Missions were important outposts through which early collecting
efforts by institutions and individuals alike were conducted.
| 1788 |
Australia colonised
by Europeans. |
| 1835 |
First written account
of the didgeridoo is published where it is described as
a trumpet. |
| 1908 |
Mission station established
at Roper River. |
| 1912 |
First audio recording
of the didgeridoo. These recordings were made by Sir Baldwin
Spencer using a phonograph and wax cylinders. |
| 1916 |
Mission station established
on South Goulburn Island. |
| 1921 |
Galiwin'ku Mission
established by Rev. J. C. Jennison. |
| 1921 |
Mission Station established
at Groote Eylandt. |
| 1922 |
Anthropologist Norman
Tindale conducted ethnographic research on Groote Eylandt. |
| 1923 |
Mission at Galiwin'ku
shifted to Milingimbi. |
| 1925 |
Mission station established
at Oenpelli. The word didgeridoo came into being, attributed
to Herbert Basedow. |
| 1926 |
Anthropologist W.
Lloyd Warner commenced field research at Milingimbi, and
later published "A Black Civilization: A Social Study
of an Aboriginal Tribe", the first ethnographic study
of an Australian Aboriginal tribe. Mention is made of
the Iraki, a "trumpet about four feet long". |
| 1931 |
Arnhem Land is established
as an Aboriginal reserve. |
| 1934 |
Mission established
at Yirrkala by Rev. Wilbur S. Chaseling. A local arts
and craft industry is created at Yirrkala to supply ethnographic
museums and private collectors. |
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