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Yidaki Masterclass

“Cherish the sound, for it is the sound of Mother Earth.” Mandawuy Yunupingu, Yothu Yindi

NOTE

At its 2007 annual general meeting, the board of the Yothu Yindi Foundation decided that the Garma Festival's Yidaki Masterclass would be cancelled for five years following the death of the Masterclass co-convener.

This decision was taken after a request from the immediate family and as a matter of respect in accordance with Yolngu cultural tradition. The next Yidaki Masterclass will be at the Garma Festival of 2013.

Djalu Gurruwiwi will continue to teach yidaki but not at the Festival. Any Yidaki Masterclass enquiries will be forwarded to his management.

Yothu Yindi Foundation, October 2007

The sound of the yidaki at Gulkula is a call to the Yolngu clans of Northeast Arnhem Land to come together. It is a call to all peoples to come together in unity. Every August it is also a call to men from around the world who are enthusiastic about the "didjeridu" enthusiasts to come visit the home of the instrument and learn from traditional masters at the Garma Festival.

While the yidaki is now known and played all over the world, this is where the instrument originated and has been in constant use for thousands of years. Many musicians and ethnomusicologists have called Yolngu playing styles the most complicated and virtuosic use of the instrument. Those outside of Arnhem Land who have been playing the yidaki for many years without this influence are always amazed and humbled by their inability to imitate the sounds of local players.

Djalu' Gurruwiwi is a Galpu clan Elder who has been a central figure of the yidaki scene for many years. His instruments have been coveted all around the world, and many have made the pilgrimage to meet him and learn from him in his own country.

Non-Indigenous use of yidaki

In the Northern Territory, around Australia, and even internationally, yidakis are being sold in their thousands by those who have no connection to Yolngu. The Garma Festival hopes to remind people that these instruments and their music have sacred cultural uses associated with them that are still being practiced.

Mandawuy Yunupingu explains:

Yolngu understand the yidaki has become an Australian icon and accept non-Yolngu people throughout the world now use it for informal purposes and enjoyment. Be aware, however, that its origins are sacred and secret to Yolngu men. Those stories can not be told here, they can only be shared with initiated men. The yidaki is a male-oriented instrument. In Yolngu society women are forbidden to play it as its origins are sacred to men.

Healing power of the yidaki

Mandawuy Yunupingu explains:

Yolngu people have long recognised the healing powers of the yidaki. Through the provision of exercises for breathing, the yidaki holds collective powers in the healing process. The sound transfers peaceful vibrations that penetrate the mind and create inner spiritual oneness in an individual or group. In some cases, the yidaki is used for physical healing with the player concentrating his breath on an afflicted part of the patient's body.