Across Australia, West Africa, Greece, and Amazonia, the bullroarer marks initiation as literal spirit indwelling—ritual death, rebirth, and presence of the god or ancestor.
Australia - Research Articles
Sahul in Speech: PNG–Australian Language Connections
A synthesis of evidence for Australia–PNG linguistic ties—Torres Strait contact, Sahul-era areality, and who argued for them—with primary citations.
Dunggul: snake, bullroarer, and the making of men
On Cape York, dunggul names both ‘snake’ and ‘bullroarer.’ What this polysemy reveals about initiation, being ‘snake‑bitten,’ and the ritual voice.
Djang’kawu & Wawilak Sisters: Yolngu Charters of Law, Language, and Country
A research-oriented account of the Yolngu Djang’kawu and Wawilak Sisters cycles—origins of law, language, and ceremony—mapped to EToC.
The Bullroarer Across Aboriginal Australia: Functions, Meanings, and the Eve Theory of Consciousness
Comparative, primary-source survey of the bullroarer’s functions across Aboriginal Australia, mapped to Eve Theory of Consciousness constructs.