Whistle of Death and other pre-Columbian noisemakers
A group of interdisciplinary researchers are studying whistles, flutes, and other noisemakers found at pre-Columbian sites in South Central America. For example, archaeologists exploring an Aztec temple discovered a human skeleton holding an unusual skull-shaped whistle in each hand. The researchers dubbed the instrument's wail, the "Whistle of Death." The Associated Press has an article on the topic of pre-Columbian noisemakers including sound samples (snip of photo by Alexandre Meneghini):
Pre-Columbian sounds (Associated Press)The Aztecs sounded the low, foghorn hum of conch shells at the start of ceremonies and possibly during wars to communicate strategies. Hunters likely used animal-shaped ocarinas to produce throaty grunts that lured deer.
The modern-day archaeologists who came up with the term Whistles of Death believe they were meant to help the deceased journey into the underworld, while tribes are said to have emitted terrifying sounds to fend off enemies, much like high-tech crowd-control devices available today.
Experts also believe pre-Columbian tribes used some of the instruments to send the human brain into a dream state and treat certain illnesses. The ancient whistles could guide research into how rhythmic sounds alter heart rates and states of consciousness.
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I think you mean Colombian.
I think you mean Central America, not South America.
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@BESWEEN (#1), No, I mean, pre-Columbian.
@BASIL1321 (#2), OK, I'll make that correction. Thanks.
"Whistle of Death" is my favorite Slayer song
I'm unclear exactly as to how ancient noise-makers will help us know more about how sound affects physiology. Doesn't modern science know much more about measuring physical responses and details of the physics behind sound than an ancient civilization?
The article talks of "scientists" and "experts" (those famously general terms), but I could only find references to a mechanical engineer, and some archeologists who didn't mention the "death sounds" headline at all.
"Whatever you do, DON'T blow that damn whistle of death again! If you do I'll kill you, it's so freaking annoying!"
weren't the stones of Machu Pichu "whistled" into place?
Ok, where can we buy one of these whistles, I've checked and can't find a link.
There is so much wrong with this article that it's hard to know where to start. First off, Cronan, I absolutely agree with what you wrote in your second paragraph. Who are these auditory experts and scientists, anyway? (Surely, some kind of Indiana Jonesian "top. men." that they'll never identify.)
I'll add, though, that although there's no evidence provided to indicate what the Aztecs might have called these whistles, from now on they will be known as "Whistles of Death" because that's what Velazquez seems to have decided they should be called. The circulation of this article will certainly help that. (In this case it might be good that ancient cultures tend to be deaf and mute.)
Further, the notion that "sounds still play an important role in Mexican society" can be said of every society (ice cream truck music, anyone? Car alarms, sirens, steamed peanut boilers in some places, etc). That, and the bit on sounds seems to have no real bearing on the rest of the piece.
And what does it mean to "discover" an instrument's inner croak? If ancient cultures are mute as we know them to be, once you've discovered a croak, how does one know that you have the right one?
On a more mundane level, the provided collage of of so-called "noisemakers" (another somewhat problematic construction, one might argue) is misleading. Not only do they not tell you which instruments you're hearing (is the so-called Whistle of Death EVER played), they also do it identify which of the whistles you're hearing are original and which are replicas. That seems to me to be a rather important distinction.
ps. Slayer rules.
Mexico isn't in Central America, it's in North America. For some reason Americans (that is those from the USA) consider everything south of them to be South America, or central at best. It is another instance of conventional wisdom being wrong.
-a Mexican
I'm sorry but the western bias is evident in some of your comments. I've studied shamanism from Nepal to the remote regions of the amazon and I can tell you that sound is an integral part of altering one's conciousness and connecting spirit. I find it offensive that some of you call these sacred instruments
"noise makers". How sad. The ancients have much more knowledge about different stated of couciousness than western science will ever have.
They have a connection to the Earth that allows them to access an infinite amount of knowledge.
Thats one of the problems of our modern day society, our disconnection to mother earth. Thats why we are on a path of self destruction. Open your mind and try to learn something and in doing so you will learn more deeply about yourself and who you really are.