The Music Makers
The music makers,
Lemuridae melodia, are part
of the same family as the lemurs indigenous to the island of
Madagascar. Given the intense urbanization and deforestation that has
been ravaging this unique island for the better part of a century, it
was commonly believed that the music makers had gone extinct since at
least two decades. However, they have recently been rediscovered on
mainland Africa. How they
came to establish a new population on the continent is unknown as of
yet, but scientists believe that they are the descendants of
illegally shipped animals.
Although
their name might indicate a rather vocal species, the music makers
are extremely discrete animals, and their observation requires
patience and luck in equal amounts. They live in groups of ten to
twenty animals, and between two and four members of the tribe are
always on lookout. Unlike most animals, who only sound the alarm when
danger is spotted, the music maker watchmen/women are constantly
relaying the state of their surroundings to
the group by imitating various sounds found in the jungle.
For
the untrained ear, it is almost impossible to distinguish the
deliberate sounds made by the lemurs from the background noise found
in the forest. And because the whole group is constantly aware of
everything happening around them, it is extremely difficult to sneak
up on them. However, when the music makers are pushed out of their
natural habitat by lack of food or human action, their “music”
renders them extremely conspicuous, and thus easy prey for nearby
predators, or poachers. Which is why their population on Madagascar
was one of the first to suffer massive decline due to human
interference with their natural habitat.
Before
the arrival of the white man, music makers were among the most
revered species of lemurs. Local villages considered them to be an
incarnation of God, and recent research by Prof. Dhamouli Badabambam,
of the African Institute for Dope Beats (AIDB), suggests that the
tribal music that emerged on or around Madagascar was heavily
influenced by the sound of the lemurs.
Even
in modern times, the music makers have continued to inspire
performances around the world, whether it be carnival bands from the
early nineteen-hundreds, or modern drum'n'bass from the nineties. And
who knows? Maybe their recent rediscovery will revive the trend.
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