Leaf (gum or otherwise) playing is not confined to Australia. There are leaf musicians who make their music in Europe, South East Asia & the Pacific.

continuing -

In Australia leaf playing has a dual identity - on the one hand it is associated with the 'white' bush worker and stockman, and on the other, Aboriginal players of the laf are acknowledged as the source of the musical skill, as they are in many aspects of the bushman's craft. Certainly in the decades leading up to the Second World War, music on the gumleaf was recognised as a symbol of Aboriginality in much the same way as the didgeridoo is today. It's not just a gumleaf though - most leaf players can play bits of plastic, snakeskin or whatever comes to hand, and some prefer exotic leaves.

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