The fujara is made from a single piece of elderberry wood, hollowed out, and decorated with carved patterns. The player blows into a small tube at the top, while their hands cover three holes near the bottom of the long pipe. The deep, soft, breathy sound carries for kilometres across a mountain valley.
Shepherds used the fujara up in the hills, while watching over their flocks of sheep. The music was slow and a little melancholy - perfect for the long, quiet hours of mountain life. Each shepherd would play tunes they had learned from older shepherds, and add little flourishes of their own.
Because the fujara is so big, the player usually rests the bottom of it on the ground or on their foot. Some traditional fujaras have a smaller second pipe attached, which the player can blow into for a steady drone underneath the main tune. The whole instrument feels alive in the hands.
Today, fujara makers in central Slovakia still craft new instruments in the old way. Each one is unique - different woods give slightly different sounds, and every carver decorates the surface with their own patterns. Folk music festivals across Slovakia feature fujara players, and a few young Slovaks are learning to keep the tradition alive.