Click to hear Yarramunua playing the Didgeridoo

Yarramunua on top of a stack of hundreds of mallee gums that will become didgeridoos. Notice that the insides have been naturally hollowed out. This happens out in the bush and takes white-ants around 100 years to complete. When it comes to making Didgeridoos, Yarramunua uses only the best raw materials and has learned to become a very patient man!

The first step is to fully hollow out the didgeridoo. It is done by hand starting with a hammer and chisel. Often a long rod needs to be inserted down the length of the didgeridoo to completely clean out the insides

The next step is to peel the bark off the outside of the didgeridoo. This is done by hand with a special shaving implement

After the peeling comes the sanding. This is done first by grinding and then by smoothing out the surface of the didgeridoo by hand

Once it is fully sanded back the didgeridoo is ready for carving, burning and painting

After it has been hand carved the didgeridoo is burnt with a hot poker. The carving and burning process is the most time-consuming part of the didgeridoo making process

Click to see Yarramunua use the red hot poker

The next step is to paint and lacquer the didgeridoo. Several coats of lacquer may be needed to bring out the richness of the wood. Once this is completed you have the finished product - A brand new ready to play Didgeridoo crafted by mother nature and Yarramunua

Click to see Yarramunua painting the Didgeridoo

Click to see Yarramunua playing the Didgeridoo

All video excerpts shown here are taken from Yarramunua's Video - 'Spirit of the Didgeridoo', which is an educational movie about Aboriginal culture. It also offers a step by step guide to learning and playing the Didgeridoo. The Video is available for purchase on this website.