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Datjirri E flat yidaki, played by Gavin Yomunu Yunupingu |
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Datjirri E flat yidaki, played by Gavin Yomunu Yunupingu I first recorded Yomunu Yunupingu almost 4 years ago. Sadly, "Yomsie" passed away a week ago at a tender age of 28. May your spirit rest in peace ngapipi, your memory lives on in all of us who have been touched by you in one way or another. Despite standard protocol in the media not to name the recently deceased, I have not followed convention in this case because of the importance of this young man to iDIDJ Australia's very existence. We owe it to him and wish for his name and his story to be known far and wide. When iDIDJ Australia was established in 2003, our aim was to seek out and promote the best quality traditional Aboriginal didgeridoos from Arnhem Land and other northern coastal areas of the Northern Territory. I was motivated to do this because of the disturbing trends in the 'didgeridoo industry' I had witnessed over a span of 10+ years. Whilst it was relatively easy to purchase a good-quality absolutely authentic didgeridoo in the 1980s and very early 1990s in Australia, that quickly changed by the mid-1990s onwards. Retailers and souvenir shops got swamped by ghastly tourist souvenirs, some so obviously not made for playing but could be bundled into a backpack with ease. Or if you slipped one under your jacket and walked through security or customs at the airport, there would not have been any questions asked in those days. But what good is a didgeridoo that measures 30 cm in length? With the currency exchange rate as it was then, floods of tourists especially those from the USA visited the Land Down Under, and savvy manufacturers, retailers and businesses caught on. It was the death knell for Arnhem Land craftsmen, who had previously enjoyed a monopoly on the didgeridoo market pre-1980s. It was after all their birth right and their cultural heritage, and no where else in Australia was there a demonstrable unbroken tradition of making and using this unique woodwind musical instrument. By the year 2000, with the Sydney Olympic Games, there were more didgeridoos imported into Australia from overseas than made in Australia, to cope with the tourist demand for this iconic symbol of Australia. With the turn of the century, it became increasingly difficult - almost impossible in fact - to find authentic Arnhem Land didgeridoos in Australian shops. Those that previously had a selection of such instruments no longer stocked them, preferring cheap tourist didgeridoos of standard made-to-order lengths. Meanwhile, Australians with time on their hands and even overseas backpackers found they could make a tidy profit taking trees from the bush and crafting them into didgeridoos. Some of these started larger enterprises, supplying outlets in Darwin, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne and other major centres. Others acquired a reputation for their craftsmanship and artistry, with lower output and higher quality. With the establishment of iDIDJ Australia in 2003, it was our intention to turn the situation around through the multi-pronged strategy encompassing advocacy, education, promotion and ethical trade. Yomunu Yunupingu was the first Yolngu yidaki player recorded by iDIDJ Australia for the purpose of showcasing the best authentic instruments played in the most authentic manner. Over the years, we recorded more than 100 clips of Yomunu playing our selection of fine yidaki. As far as legacies go, this will remain a formative part of iDIDJ Australia's identity and a key part of our success in changing things around in the didgeridoo industry. This yirdaki was made by Datjirri #1 Wunungmurra, and was used at Milingimbi for ceremony. It plays in the key of E flat, Yomunu's favourite key along with F#. We will offer some of Yomunu's favourite instruments in the iDIDJ Store soon, which have previously been in iDIDJ Australia's Reference Collection. http://www.ididj.com.au/s tore/fine_didjeridus.html Thank you Yomunu for all your have given us.
Date : November 06, 2007 - 05:54:57 AM
Tags : yidaki yunupingu ididj land yirdaki gumatj arnhem gavin aboriginal djalu People didgeridoo yomunu yindi didjeridu yolngu yothu
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