The svystulka is a small clay wind instrument, a kind of ocarina, moulded by Ukrainian potters. Most often it was given the shape of a bird, a little horse, a lamb, or a fantastical beast, and painted with traditional patterns — so the svystulka is at once a musical instrument and a painted folk toy.
The svystulka's sound is pure and high, like birdsong; some models were filled with a little water to produce a “warbling” trill. In folk culture, whistles are tied to the spring rites of calling back the birds and warmth, to fairs, and to children's play. The centres of their making — the pottery towns of the Poltava region, Podillia, and Opishnia — preserve this tradition to this day, where folk ceramics and music merge in a single tiny creation.
