There is an old Australian Aboriginal belief that women who play the ancient didgeridoo instrument (which is forbidden) risk losing the ability to give birth to children … but that didn’t stop Aussie minx Nicole Kidman from wrapping her lips around a didgeridoo (or at least try to) and giving a good blow on live German television this week. Actually, her blowing prowess was described as “feeble” but she did her best when she appeared on the show Wetten Dass ..? with Australia co-star Hugh Jackman … behold:

Nicole Kidman has been warned by Aborigines who say she will not be able to have more children because she broke a sacred taboo by playing a didgeridoo on German television. Aborigine culture bars women from playing the traditional instrument because of a belief it will leave them barren. The Oscar-winning actress blew weakly into the long wooden instrument when she appeared on the TV show with fellow star Hugh Jackman to promote her latest movie, Australia. Jackman playfully danced a jig beside her – but Aboriginal tribes were far from amused when they saw pictures of the actress blowing into the instrument. “People are going to see Nicole playing it and think it’s all right,” said Aboriginal language teacher Richard Green. “But it will mean she has no more children. It is not meant to be played by women as it will make them barren.” And Mr Alan Madden, a cultural officer with Sydney’s Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, said Miss Kidman ought to have known better, particularly after the movie had been made on location in outback Australia. “I presume she doesn’t know of the taboo, otherwise she wouldn’t be playing it,” said Mr Madden. But he said movie-maker Baz Luhrmann should have known better ‘after working with those traditional (Aboriginal) fellas on the film’. Earlier this year Australian publisher HarperCollins had to apologise after Aboriginal academics complained about a section of “‘he Daring Book for Girls’ which gave instructions on how to play a didgeridoo. The section was removed from later editions. Miss Kidman, who adopted two children while married to Tom Cruise and has since given birth to Sunday Rose in her marriage to singer Keith Urban, said recently that she might put further films on hold to have more children. “In terms of my future as an actor and stuff, I don’t know,” she said. “I’m in a place in my life where I’ve had some great opportunities. And I may just choose to have some more children.”

Well, here’s hoping that the Aboriginal taboo is just mere superstition. After all, she and former hubby Tom Cruise were never able to have children but I suspect that had more to do with Tom‘s didgeridoo rather than any ol’ superstition. I suppose she should be commended for throwing caution to the wind and tempting the fates with her brazen disbelief in the curse … tho, I’m not sure I’d be willing to tempt fate in that way. I guess we’ll see if Nicole will really get into any trouble after blowing on such a large instrument in front of all those people. And really, that wasn’t meant to sound as dirty as it did ;)

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