Latest Southern Craze: Aussie Didgeridoo

A S H E V I L L E, N.C., Sept. 5 -- In the heart of the mountains — home of the dulcimer, bastion of bluegrass — music lovers are doing something very un-American.

Playing the didgeridoo.

The didgeridoo — also known as a “didge” — is an ancient wind instrument from the Australian Outback that produces a low, tonal, some might say slightly monotonous, hum.

Aficionados in Asheville, where a growing didgeridoo-playing circle meets on Mondays, say they love the instrument’s vibrations — and the friendly vibe it creates in the eclectic playing group.

If the didgeridoo seems a peculiar presence in bluegrass country, consider that in Asheville rebel flags fly just a few miles from gay pride rainbow banners, and Bible bookstores operate just blocks from pagan gift shops.

Here, the traditional and the fringe, the old and the new, exist side-by-side. Vendors hawk hot dogs and veggie dogs. Asheville is both greasy spoons and espresso bars, neckties and nose rings, Baptists and Buddhists.

And besides, the didgeridoo, though foreign, is about as traditional as instruments come, with a history that some say dates back 40,000 years.

Interest in Indigenous Culture

“I’ve always been interested in [indigenous] cultures,” said SnakeHawke, a 59-year-old retired electronics technician who lives near Mars Hill in an 1800s-era cabin with no electricity or running water. SnakeHawke says the didgeridoo (pronounced dij-er-ee-DOO) appeals to his search for simplicity.

Aboriginals, or indigenous Australians, typically make didgeridoos from eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites and use the instruments to induce a meditative state. Through “circular breathing,” where a player breathes in while continuing to play, expert didge players can hum for hours without stopping.

In some parts of this country — the West, in particular — didgeridoos have become big doings. A didgeridoo festival near Joshua Tree National Park in California is set to bring in players from all across the country, and Australia, this month.