Djalu Gurruwiwi
Djalu Gurruwiwi | |
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Born | c. 1935 National Indigenous Music Award |
Djalu Gurruwiwi, written Djalu (c. 1935 – 12 May 2022), was a
Life
Gurruwiwi was born at the mission station on Wirriku Island (also known as Jirgarri), one of the smaller islands in the Wessel Islands group.[1] He has also self-reported being born on Milingimbi Island (also known as Yurruwi, in the Crocodile Islands),[2][3] with both of these island groups being off Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. His date of birth is uncertain (the missionaries recorded his and two brothers as having the same birthdate – officially 1 January 1930), estimated c.1940[1] or probably earlier.[4]
He was given the European name "Willie" at some point, "Wulumbuyku" was another Aboriginal name, and his
He was a leader of the Dhuwa moiety
After a period when he succumbed to the destructive effects of alcohol after it was introduced to the remote areas, he says he was visited by a spirit in gaol one night and "found Jesus". He gave up drinking and devoted his life to the yiḏaki and spiritual and other studies.[6] In 1994 he completed studies in Christian theology at Nungalinya College in Darwin, and became a respected Yolŋu lawman as well as a Christian leader.[1]
As of 2020, Gurruwiwi and his family, along with some other members of the Galpu clan, lived at
Gurruwiwi died in Arnhem Land after a long illness on 12 May 2022, believed to be aged in his late 80s.[4]
Family
Gurruwiwi's wife is a sister of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, and they have several sons[8] and at least one daughter, Zelda.[4]
His son Larry Larrtjaŋga Gurruwiwi is the future spiritual keeper of the yiḏaki[9] and custodian of the Yolngu songlines and healing techniques passed down by his father.[10][11] He featured as a didgeridu player in the feature film Jindalee Lady (1992), directed by Aboriginal director Brian Syron (credited as Larry Yapuma Gurruwiwi).[12][13]
Larry and Andrew Gäyalaŋa Gurruwiwi led the Bärra West Wind band, with Jason Guwanbal Gurruwiwi, Vernon Marritŋu Gurruwiwi, Dion Marimunuk Gurruwiwi, and Adrian Guyundu Gurruwiwi also listed as members of the band in 2010.[Note 1][14][15] The band and Larry are featured in the 2017 film Westwind: Djalu's Legacy.[8]
Larry, Jason and Vernon, in their new band, Malawurr, performed in
Music, culture, and law
Gurruwiwi spent much time over several decades crafting his instruments and refining his technique. He sold his pieces to the local community arts centre, and various non-Indigenous workers and visitors.[5] He had the ability to find adequate material for the yidaki by just walking through the woods and allowing his connection to nature to choose the correct log for making the instrument.[18]
Gurruwiwi was a senior member of his clan, having learned to play and make the yiḏaki from his father, Monyu, an important leader and warrior. Monyu gave Djalu the role of primary custodian of the yiḏaki for his clan, which is significant also for the wider Yolŋu communities, because other Arnhem Land clans see the Gälpu clan as one of the primary custodians of the instrument. However, there are many other Yolŋu people with the same role within their own clan, and their own particular type of yiḏaki.[1]
Upon the death of his father, Djalu assumed the role of the elder responsible for passing on the skills as well as the cultural importance of the instrument. He became known among his people as the senior player and maker of the yiḏaki after attending many
In 1986, his reputation as craftsman was given a world stage when several of his friends and relatives formed the musical group
Gurruwiwi's source of spiritual power has been linked to Wititj, the huge ancestral
Tours and performances
Gurruwiwi delivered the first Yiḏaki masterclass at the inaugural
He has attended numerous other festivals and events both in Australia and abroad, including:[1][5]
- 2002 Rripangu Yiḏaki Festival, Eisenbach, Germany
- 2003 Joshua Tree Festival, USA
- 2003 Indigenous Peoples Commission cultural visit, Taipei, Taiwan
- 2004 Dubai Sister Cities Forum, United Arab Emirates
- 2005 Yiḏaki Festa 2005, Okuhida & Tokyo, Japan
- 2005 Played for Nelson Mandela in Sydney
- 2007 Mulu Music Festival, Mooloolaba, Australia
At the 2015 edition of
Partial discography
Gurruwiwi's music released on CD includes:[5]
- Waluka: Gurritjiri Gurriwiwi, featuring Djalu Gurruwiwi. Traditional music from north-east Arnhem Land, Volume 2. Yothu Yindi Foundation – Contemporary Masters Series, 2001
- Djalu teaches and plays yidaki (didjeridu). Traditional music from north-east Arnhem Land, Volume 3. Yothu Yindi Foundation – Contemporary Masters Series, 2001
- Djalu Plays and Teaches Yidaki, Volume 2 (Songs and Stories from the Galpu Clan). Traditional music from north-east Arnhem Land, Volume 6. Yothu Yindi Foundation – Contemporary Masters Series, 2003
- Diltjimurru: Djalu Gurruwiwi. ON-Records & Djalu Gurruwiwi, 2003
Art
Guruwiwi's art includes
Gurruwiwi is a respected artist, with his bark paintings on eucalyptus bark being acquired by numerous important institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria,[21] the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum, the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia and many private collections. His work has been included in numerous exhibitions since 1990.[1][5]
Some of his themes, styles and types of work include:[5]
- Mandji-dak body painting
- Clan miny’tji (designs of saltwater and freshwater areas)
- Wititj (olive python)
- Material:earth pigments on Stringybark
- Dimensions: 304.0 × 72.1 cm
- Location: Naypinya, Northern Territory[22]
- Dhonyin (Javan file snake)
- Bol’ngu ("the Thunderman")
- Material:earth pigments on Stringybark
- Dimensions: 190.7 × 81.4 cm
- Location: Naypinya, Northern Territory[22]
Films and videos
Westwind: Djalu's Legacy
In 2017, Westwind: Djalu's Legacy was released. It was directed by British filmmaker Ben Strunin, and Djalu's son Larry Gurruwiwi, and multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Gotye are in the cast.[8] Initially titled Baywara (Yolngu for "lightning power", which features as a theme),[20] the story tells of Gurruwiwi's need to pass on the sacred knowledge of the yidaki and its songlines, and Larry's initial reluctance to take on the role. The film's title echoes that of Larry's band, Bärra West Wind (Bärra being the Galpu name of the West Wind songline).[14]
The film played to packed houses at the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival.[23]
In Between Songs
Joshua Bell, emmy award nominee, anthropologist interested in aboriginal artworks and music, directed a documentary about Gurruwiwi called “In Between Songs.” He helps share and expose problems that Australian aboriginal artists face in order to maintain their lifestyle in the midst of the contemporary world.[24] During a personal interview with Gurruwiwi, he shares that he remembers Japanese bombings on his homeland during World War II. Because neither him nor his family have ever been exposed to a plane, let alone an explosion, they cheered. They had naturally felt a sense of celebration over a sense of fear. This is yet another depiction of the Yolngu’s lack of exposure to modern war, and the modern world as a whole.[18]
Morning Star
The maker of Westwind: Djalu's Legacy, Ben Strunin, was invited by Djalu and Larry Gurruwiwi to make a sequel to Westwind, which is as of January 2020[update] in the process of crowdfunding the film. It follows the brothers' band, Malawurr, on tour through England, the Czech Republic, Wales, and France in 2019. The film will also include Larry's participation in groundbreaking medical research, "to quantify the effects of the traditional vibrational sound healing that he was taught by Djalu".[10][11]
Other films and videos
Gurruwiwi has also featured in other films:[5]
- 2000 Yidaki. Directed by Michael Butler, narrated by Jack Thompson, produced by Michelle White for Discovery Channel[25]
- 2014 In Between Songs. Written, directed, produced, and co-edited by Joshua Bell and narrated by James Cromwell.[26] In 2006, Bell spent six months in Nhulunbuy with Gurruwiwi, his wife, his sister, and various family members who came and went; they also traveled to the remote island of Rrakala, where Gurruwiwi and his family lived for long stretches when he was a child.[6]
He also features in numerous YouTube videos, which attract tens of thousands of views.[27]
Recognition, influence, and legacy
Awards
Guruwiwi won the 2015
Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia
Gurruwiwi was the main consultant for Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia, ex exhibition curated by the South Australian Museum in 2017. This exhibition was dedicated to learning about the power of this instrument, and what it meant to the Yolngu people. Not only did it aim to educate what the instrument could do, but also to demonstrate how it could communicate to the rest of the world outside of Australia, which was always Gurruwiwi's aim, as he consistently tried to use his instrument and music to bridge the gap between different cultures.[29]
Teaching
Gurruwiwi spread international master classes to outside continents such as Europe, Asia, and North America. He used to hold annual yidaki workshops at the Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures for advanced students, and produced two instructional albums on how to play the instrument.[30]
Footnotes
- ^ It is not known if Dion and Adrian are sons.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Djalu' Gurruwiwi" (PDF). Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020 – via Hollow Logs Didgeridoos.
- ^ Rothwell, Nicholas (5 October 2002). "Mr Didgeridoo – Arnhem Land's latest international cult figure – The stringybark kids". The Australian.
- ^ Daley, Paul (8 September 2014). "The old man and the sea (and Gotye): the story of 'Australia's only guru'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Vivian, Steve (12 May 2022). "Mr Gurruwiwi, globally-renowned master of the yidaki, dies in Arnhem Land". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Djalu Gurruwiwi". iDIDJ Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d Bell, Joshua (13 April 2016). "Aboriginal Didgeridoo Legend Djalu Gurruwiwi, Elder of the Yolngu Tradition, Possesses a Profound Amount of Knowledge and Wisdom". Didge Project. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ Garrick, Matt (3 October 2020). "Djalu Gurruwiwi's family may be forced to leave their Arnhem Land community of Birritjimi". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Westwind: Djalu's Legacy (2017) – The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Larry Gurruwiwi and Malawurr". WOMAD. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ a b "About Morning Star". Morning Star Documentary. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ a b "What is Morning Star?". Morning Star Documentary. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Jindalee Lady". Ozmovies. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- IMDb
- ^ a b "Barra West Wind". triple j Unearthed. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ Daley, Paul (16 March 2017). "'Didgeridoo is his voice': how Djalu Gurruwiwi embodies the sound of a continent". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Malawurr (Arnhem Land) + Nai Palm at The Curtin, Melbourne on 30 Jun 2019". The Curtin. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Special Guests – Larry Gurruwiwi and Malawurr". Rainbow Serpent Festival. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ a b Bell, Joshua (13 April 2016). "Aboriginal Didgeridoo Legend Djalu Gurruwiwi, Elder of the Yolngu Tradition, Possesses a Profound Amount of Knowledge and Wisdom". Didge Project. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about The Garma Festival in Arnhem Land". Australian Traveller. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Bärra w/ Djalu Gurruwiwi & Gotye". WOMADelaide 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Djalu Gurruwiwi – Artists". NGV. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Works | NGV | View Work". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Munro, Kate L. (30 November 2018). "How filmmaker Ben Strunin captured Djalu Gurruwiwi's legacy". NITV. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ In Between Songs (2014) - IMDb, retrieved 7 May 2023
- ^ Butler, Michael; Thompson, Jack (2006), Yidaki, SacredOz Productions, retrieved 20 January 2020,
Now on DVD
- IMDb
- ^ "Djalu Gurruwiwi search". YouTube. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "2015 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "'Irreplaceable': Globally-renowned master of the yidaki, Mr Gurruwiwi, dies in Arnhem Land". ABC News. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ISSN 1444-3058.
Further reading
- Botsman, Peter. "D.W. Gurruwiwi: Yidaki Power, 1933-2022" (PDF).
External links
- Djalu Gurruwiwi discography at Discogs
- Djalu Gurruwiwi at IMDb