MATERIALS: Wood, seeds, clay.
TECHNIQUE: Some are the appropriation of natural forms: seeds or fruits whose pulp is removed and the skins then perforated. Others are crafted using local materials, such as wood, clay or mud.
USE: Their function is to mimic the sound of birds to attract prey or to serve as means of communication.
Whistles
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WHISTLES
Whistles are very common objects in the Amazon, and their function is to mimic the sound of birds to attract prey or to serve as means of communication, for instance to call to people inside the forest. They are artifacts made of natural local materials, which at the same time assist in the exploration of the local environment itself.
There are several models, and the sounds produced are quite different. Some shapes are the appropriation of natural forms: usually seeds or fruits whose pulp is removed and the skins then perforated. Others are crafted using local materials, such as wood, clay or mud.
Some whistles are played in unusual ways, like blowing it with the nose instead of the mouth. It is also common to find the shape of a bird in hand-modeled whistles, as a direct association of form and function in the object.
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Video: Listen to some of the Amazonian whistles, which imitate the sounds of birds in the forest.
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The body mass of the Mutum makes it a good meal. To attract this bird, amazonians reproduce its sounds through whistles.
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Whistles with bird shapes
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Wooden whistles
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Whistles made with seeds
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