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Introduction |
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The Djalu.com website is a culmination of years of effort by many people, not the least of which being Djalu himself. |
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explore the information in these pages freely. You will go away with a
greater sense of the driving forces behind this website.
Yirdaki is an important symbolic instrument in Yolngu culture and as its popularity increases around the world it is important to understand its heritage and cultural significance. |
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Key objectives and philosophy |
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Rripangu Yirdaki is the name of my enterprise. 'Rripangu' means lightning and all that lightning represents – it is a powerful symbol of my Galpu clan and, as lightning, I am strong and I do not fear anything. |
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come and explore with me the world of yirdaki – do not be afraid, but
come in peace and honour and you will discover something you don’t
know.
Whilst I am the central figure in this enterprise, other members of my
family are also involved in various aspects of production,
administration, and sales. In other words, this is a family-run
business. We are:
Making yirdaki is not new to me. I have been making yirdaki for many years, even before it became popular among Balanda (non-Aboriginal people). But this time, I am involving my family in bringing all this to the rest of the world through the internet. This is very exciting for me, and I hope it is equally exciting for you. By bringing Rripangu Yirdaki onto the internet, I hope to be able to fulfil several objectives based on the philosophy which drives the whole process – bridging cultures. I would like to share my culture and my knowledge with everyone regardless of who they are and where they come from. This is my gesture of friendship and goodwill which I hope will lead to better understandings between Balanda and Yolngu (Aboriginal people from North East Arnhem Land). This is my part in the Reconciliation process. In return, I hope you will gain insights into my people's life and our struggles... I hope you will respect our law, our culture, and our way of life – autonomy and independence. My family and I wish to live a life that we have control of... this is why we are running this business by ourselves, instead of relying on other people to do it for us. We also want to be economically self-sufficient – to work for ourselves – instead of relying on governments and their agencies to 'help' us all the time. This is the time for Yolngu to win back our pride and work ethic – cultural maintenance. In a world that is experiencing dramatic social change, Yolngu must be able to remember who they are and to maintain their culture. By establishing Rripangu Yirdaki, our children will be able to be involved in the enterprise by learning from the old people... when we are gone, our children will carry on our memories and keep our culture alive. Please be patient with us. Our operation is only recently established and it will take time for us to be able to operate smoothly and systematically. Furthermore, please be aware that we will never run our enterprise like a conventional business... our output or production of yirdaki and other items for sale will inadvertently fluctuate... sometimes there will be greater demand than supply I am sure. Also, we might not be as quick to respond to email orders or general inquiries as other businesses. Be assured of one thing... each yirdaki I produce will be crafted with the care, patience and love that is the age-old custom taught to me by my father. |
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The gove peninsula area |
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Gove is situated in the north-east corner of Arnhem Land, fringed by the Arafura Sea in the north, and the Gulf of Carpentaria in the west. |
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amongst a near pristine environment that is akin to Paradise, the Gove
region is home to many clans, each with their own distinctive dialect,
culture and land.
This is the home of the yirdaki, where our mythology tells the story of its origin and its spread to other areas of Arnhem Land. Today, Gove is a changing and vibrant environment. Several decades ago, mining started on our lands, and with it brought many irreversible changes, including changes to the landscape and to our culture. The mining settlement, Nhulunbuy, is the second largest town in the Northern Territory, and all sorts of modern things have come into our lives – vehicles, grocery shops, paved roads, electricity – but we still maintain our identity in the face of such changes. We cannot lose our language, culture or land. If we do lose these things, we will not be Yolngu people anymore. Some Yolngu people have decided to exercise more control over their lives by establishing, and living in, outstations or homeland centres where life is more traditionally oriented. We still hunt our food from these lands, and gather bush foods and medicines that our ancestors survived on. Gove, then, is an example of the ancient as well as the modern. We have visitors such as academics, politicians, adventurists, film makers, musicians, tourists, naturalists, sports fishermen, government agencies, and even celebrities coming to see what life in our part of Arnhem land is like. If you wish to visit us, you may do so through our Awareness Program. |
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The yolngu people |
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The Yolngu are a tribe or distinct group of people sharing certain cultural norms and linguistic traits. |
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clans, each with their own estate and laws, comprise the Yolngu
cultural group. Each clan speaks a particular dialect laid down by
traditional lore... in Ancestral times, powerful Wangarr or Beings
bestowed each clans with its own land, law and language; these Beings
instituted social relations and behaviour amongst the Yolngu, and
today, in Yolngu ceremonial life, the great acts of these Ancestral
Beings are re-enacted and re-told through song, dance and painting.
In the world of the Yolngu, everything belongs to one of two named social categories: Dhuwa and Yirritja. Some have compared this naming system or social division to the Yin-Yang dichotomy of Chinese culture, though there are distinct differences. Some clans are Yirritja whilst others are Dhuwa. All things found in nature and even phenomena such as atmospheric conditions are either Yirritja or Dhuwa. For example, the Galpu clan is Dhuwa... everyone belonging to this clan is Dhuwa. Animals such as the dolphin, brolga, shark, seagull, and mudcrab are Dhuwa. Trees such as the stringybark tree is Dhuwa. The wind that blows from the west, Ba:rra' is also Dhuwa. In contrast, things that belong to the Yirritja category are: crocodile, paperbark tree, white cockatoo, emu, dog, and numerous other animals and plants. Yolngu learn from a very young age which category they and all their kin belong to. They also start to learn which features of their environment belong to Dhuwa and Yirritja. Knowing this is the basis for social relations among Yolngu that also structures or organises the ownership of knowledge and ritual, participation in ceremonial performance, and responsibilities and obligations towards close relatives. |
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The galpu clan |
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The Galpu clan is but one clan belonging to the Yolngu cultural group. Djalu Gurruwiwi and other Yolngu who use the name 'Gurruwiwi' are also Galpu clan members. |
| Galpu people speak the Dhangu language and they are Dhuwa people.
The homeland centre of the Galpu people is at Ngaypinya. Other estates of the Galpu people are: Garrimala, Gaynguru and Gangan. All these lands are Dhuwa. In ceremonies, the subject matters that Galpu people sing about are all Dhuwa: dolphin, seagull, thunder and lighting, the build-up of clouds, Wititj the Olive Python and djaykung the file snake, amongst others. |
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