Clapsticks
The clapsticks are the paired hardwood percussion sticks of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, struck together by singers and dancers to mark the rhythm of ceremony and song. In Arnhem Land they are known as bilma, and they are often painted or engraved with the designs of the clan, with the length and tone of each pair chosen by the songman. The sticks accompany the didgeridoo and the singing in corroboree and ceremony, and each song owns a particular beat that encodes the Dreaming story it carries, so the rhythm is part of the knowledge held by the singers. Clapsticks are simple in form bu