The Kashyyyk clarion, alternatively called the Wookiee Clarion, represented a specific kind of musical wind instrument. These instruments were crafted by the Wookiee species native to the planet Kashyyyk. Their construction involved materials like bantha horn, bronzium, wroshyr wood, and cerulean gemstones. Functionally, these clarions served to gather Wookiees during peaceful times, while also acting as a warning signal in wartime. Culturally, they were regarded as works of art. Around 232 BBY, the pirate known as Blackbolt stole a Kashyyyk clarion from Tenoo and kept it within his treasure collection aboard the cruiser named Terror of Tenoo. Another clarion was included within the treasures hidden at Tanglevine Base on Tenoo.
During the Clone Wars era in 19 BBY, a clarion's sound rallied Wookiees to defend the city of Kachirho from the advancing droid armies belonging to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Furthermore, in 5 BBY, a Kashyyyk clarion, believed to originate from the Porr'trrr tribe, was on display in the gallery of Luthen Rael, a human antique dealer, residing on Coruscant.
The Wookiee Clarion, synonymous with the Kashyyyk clarion, was a musical instrument fashioned from a bantha horn, distinguished by its orange lacquer finish. This horn was encased in intricately patterned bronzium plating, skillfully hand-hammered and integrated with both natural wroshyr wood and cerulean gemstones, the latter of which were embedded into the instrument's structure.
The clarion demanded significant lung power to produce its sound. However, with the natural lung capacity of a mature Wookiee, its call could resonate up to twenty kilometers (or twelve miles). The pitch of the sound could be adjusted through a series of at least four elevated keys situated on the instrument's surface. These clarions varied in size, from smaller versions to larger ones designed to encircle a Wookiee player, crafted for comfortable wear and movement, effectively cradling the player's torso.
The Wookiee species residing on the planet Kashyyyk meticulously handcrafted Kashyyyk clarions. Valued as a piece of cultural art, the instrument also held a crucial function: its resounding call served primarily to assemble Wookiees for war or other significant gatherings. This role was essential during conflicts, as the clarion acted as a unifying alarm for dispersed Wookiee tribes against a shared enemy. In more peaceful times, the clarion also gathered Wookiee clans for celebrations such as Life Day. However, its loud cry was not intended for creating pleasant music.
A smaller Kashyyyk clarion was part of a treasure collection that the pirate droid Captain Blackbolt stole from the planet Tenoo. It was located aboard his cruiser, the Terror of Tenoo, when the ship and the pirate became inactive on an [asteroid](/article/asteroid]. Around 232 BBY, the crew of Nash Durango's shuttle, the Crimson Firehawk, discovered the ship, reactivated it, and inadvertently revived Blackbolt. While attempting to escape him, they found the clarion and other treasures, but ultimately left them on the Terror of Tenoo as they sent the ship through hyperspace with Blackbolt still aboard.
A larger Kashyyyk clarion was included in another treasure stash at Tanglevine Base, a hidden location on Tenoo used by adventurer Kaliah Kublop and Jedi Master Staas Ragnabi. After their deaths, the base's location was forgotten, but it was rediscovered by Jedi Kai Brightstar and Djovi Resmia in 232 BBY. The clarion was found leaning against one of the base's beds upon their arrival. However, Blackbolt and his crew followed the Jedi, intending to steal the treasure and attacking them. Brightstar and Resmia defeated the pirates, preventing them from taking the treasures.
In the year 19 BBY, the sound of a clarion summoned Wookiees to defend the city of Kachirho on Kashyyyk from the Separatist Droid Army. This event occurred during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Wookiees of all ages and from all regions of the planet responded to the call.
Due to their considerable cultural importance, Kashyyyk clarions could command high prices from affluent art collectors who wished to display them in galleries. In 5 BBY, a Kashyyyk clarion of unknown origin was displayed alongside other Wookiee artifacts in Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest, a gallery managed by the human antique dealer Luthen Rael on Coruscant.
The intricate patterns on the clarion displayed by Rael were thought to be the insignia of the Porr'trrr tribe. The artisan who crafted the clarion had carefully adorned it with hammered decorations, clearly indicating that the heirloom celebrating the tribe's identity had been employed in sacred rituals for many years. A brass plate among the clarion's keys showed a noble Wookiee looking towards the player. The figure could be the instrument's owner, player, someone important to them, a tribal elder, or even the clarion maker's self-portrait used to identify their work.
An artist sketching and writing in a journal once drew a Kashyyyk clarion. This sketch, along with a caption, was included in the journal when it was restored, expanded, and exhibited by the Graf Archive no earlier than 34 ABY. By 35 ABY, the Wookiee Chewbacca still remembered the sound of the Kashyyyk clarion at Kachirho during the Clone Wars, a detail that the protocol droid C-3PO included in his book, The Secrets of the Wookiees, in an entry about the clarions.
A Kashyyyk clarion was designed as a prop for the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, which premiered on May 19, 2005. Although created, it wasn't visible in the final version of the film. The instrument's initial appearance within the current Star Wars canon occurred in the 2016 reference book, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia. Subsequently, it appeared in "Aldhani," the fourth episode of Andor, a live-action television series on Disney+'s first season, which was broadcast on September 28, 2022.
During the episode's production, the props team was asked to suggest items for display in the gallery. Prop makers such as Nick Tyrrell proposed various objects that had appeared in previous Star Wars media for inspiration. Star Wars 100 Objects, Kristin Baver's reference book from 2023, provided the alternative name, Wookiee Clarion. Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, the instrument was first mentioned in the reference book Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, authored by James Luceno and released on April 2, 2005, before the release of Revenge of the Sith.