Australia’s Leading Indigenous Event Garma (Getting People Together) 9-12 August 2013 Sponsors Contents CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME 1 PRINCIPAL SPONSOR GENERAL MANAGERS 3 WELCOME FOUR DAY GARMA 4 PROGRAM GARMA INSTITUTE 6 DHUPUMA COLLEGE 7 PLATINUM SPONSOR GANBULAPULA AND 8 GULKULA SITE SITE MAP 10 GARMA ARTISTS 11 BUNGGUL 13 KEY FORUM PROGRAM 14 GOLD SPONSOR YOLNGU HEROES 17 STRONGER FUTURES 20 YOUTH FORUM PROGRAM OUR SUPPORTERS 24 CULTURAL ACTIVITIES 30 PROGRAM COMMUNITY OPEN DAY 32 SILVER SPONSOR MUSIC 34 FILM 38 EXPO 42 IN KIND PARTNERS ACROSS THE GARMA 44 GROUNDS FESTIVAL INFORMATION 46 GARMA THANKS 48 YOLNGU LANGUAGE 49 DONORS: Professor Simon Tormey, Nordin Foundation, Michael Tong Welcome Djapu and Dhuni-Djapu leaders, through The Mabo (No.2) decision of the High Today, the Yolngu people stand waiting the famous Munungurr family, brought Court of Australia in 1992 and the for this recognition. The 13 clans are at their power to the panels, as did the great Commonwealth Parliament’s Native Title this Garma Festival and have been uniting elders of the Ngaymil, Galpu, Datiwuy, Act (1993) were continuations of a reversal around the idea of a common future. Many Marrakulu, Marrangu and Djambarrpuyngu in attitude by the Australian nation to other great clans of North East Arnhem leaders. Aboriginal rights. land are with us also, like the Madarrpa from Blue Mud Bay. The Madarrpa gave For the Yirritja clans, my father, But real recognition; true recognition; their powerful designs to the Barunga Mungurrawuy gave the Gumatj designs recognition of a type that is foundational Statement in 1988 and won sea rights for with his brother Djarrkudjarrku Yunupingu and cannot be taken away has eluded us. Yolngu people from the High Court in and Watjung Mununggiritj; Birrikitji 2008. Gumana and Gawirrin Gumana AO In my role as Chairman of the Northern represented the Dhalwangu clan, along Land Council for 25 years I spent too much The spirit of the elders who created the with Yanggarriny Wanunmurra. Nanyin of my time arguing with government, Church Panels and the Bark Petition has and Narritjin Maymuru gave the ancestral mining companies and developers over been returning to us. power of the Manggalili clan to the Panels. rights to land. My cousin Wulyanbuma Wunungmurra has now assumed this It is this spirit that I hope will be on display The second response was the Bark difficult task, leading the NLC since 2007. to you at this year’s Garma. Petition. This Petition was directed at the Any Parliament, any Prime Minister can outside world, at the Australian nation and take away the rights we won, and there is In closing I wish to acknowledge the its people. an endless line of interested people urging continuing works of the great Dr Gawirrin them to do so; to wind back the rights that Gumana whose contribution to our past, The Bark Petition was a political statement we won, with both sides of Parliament. our present and our future is set in stone. brought forward by the impending mine I also acknowledge the lifelong service of that had started to take shape without In 2007 we were all stunned when the my great friend and cousin, Wulyanbuma our consent and in a way that gave no Commonwealth Parliament sought to Wunungmurra, currently the Chairman of compromise to our position as land-owners introduce compulsory acquisition laws the Northern Land Council, whose life has or people. The Bark Petition was the first that would take away control of our land. been dedicated to the Yolngu cause. reflection of the unity of purpose that had One of my main responses was to urge the arrived in the Yolngu world and it was the then government to find balance and to And I wish to acknowledge all of the first step in our long road to Land Rights. recognise our people, and our rights, in the clans of North East Arnhem land and We began legal action in 1968 to stop Australian Constitution. In the dying days their leaders and all of their men, women the mine and we asserted our rights of his government, John Howard, agreed and children who all believe in who they as landowners. These rights were, to a pathway to recognition of this type. are: they are Yolngu and they are proud devastatingly, denied us by a single and what they seek is an equal place in judge in a Supreme Court. But our unity And much like the days of the early this nation as any other person, standing of purpose held and we maintained our 60’s, after the initial shock, when new on their foundations as Yolngu people. determination to be who we are: Yolngu challenging things were pressing upon us Friends, let us all work together to give first and foremost; owners of the land, we came back together as Yolngu leaders them that reality. keepers of the law, people with our own and created a new petition. That petition constitution. was given to Kevin Rudd in 2008 and it confirmed the pathway. The Bark Petition triggered events which we carried to a certain conclusion when the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory) was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament effective 1 January 1977. 2 Welcome CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME GALARRWUY YUNUPINGU AM This year’s Garma celebrates the 50th federal government would acquire our land Anniversary of a moment in time in Yolngu for the purpose of mining and that we would history that has significance not just for be set aside whilst our land was desecrated Yolngu people but for the Australian nation. and destroyed. This moment in time saw our fathers and Our response was two-fold. grandfathers unite and express themselves in a way that both surprised and shocked The first response was to look to ourselves the politics of Australia. as Yolngu people and seek unity and purpose in ourselves. This is what, to my Up until then the Australian nation had mind, lies behind the Church Panels that proceeded on the basis that Yolngu did not were created in 1962/63. These panels own the land. And, let me be more direct, were statements of title to land through the the nation felt that Yolngu people would sacred designs that each clan holds to itself; die out and the issue would be resolved by in the Panels, balanced against each other, default. the designs were a statement of solidarity and strength amongst Yolngu people. We The deep, hidden meaning of the were speaking to each other and having assimilation policy, which was the policy confidence in each other to show and to of the day, was not appreciated by our share our sacred law in protection of our fathers and grandfathers because they could land, culture and ceremony. never contemplate such a thing – they were Yolngu and their children and their children’s I give my deepest respects to the vision children would be Yolngu. and strength of the great leaders who came together to create the Church Panels. For But by the early 60’s it was dawning on our the Dhuwa clans were the Marika elders leaders that there was indeed a threat to the Mawalan #1, his brother Mathaman and his very existence of Yolngu people; this was son Wandjuk Marika, along with all their hastened by the word that spread that the family. 1 Welcome WELCOME FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER & GARMA FESTIVAL DIRECTOR Welcome to Garma 2013. It is truly an honor by the Yothu Yindi Foundation. If you’re a to have been involved in the direction of new guest to Garma this year, were keen this year’s Garma. Given the Chairman’s to make sure that you share your Garma words, there is no doubt that this year’s experience with your family and friends occasion is integral not only to the North back in your home bases. It is important East Arnhem region, but on a national scale. that we capture guest comments relating to I’m sure we all acknowledge the Yolngu this year’s event, so please head over to the strength of voice. library to jot down your feedback to help us ensure that Garma 2014 continues to grow Garma’wu Buku_Lungthurra is the positively. overarching theme this year, and our dynamic and active Board have been Thank you for joining us. We are staging determined to bring people together to a memorable event that will leave you celebrate a period in time that has moulded yearning for another Garma trip north this the development of this region in many time next year. ways. I too would like to acknowledge the presence of our senior Yolngu Denise Bowden representatives from across the Arnhem General Manager region who walk amongst us. Yothu Yindi Foundation As I have monitored the online registrations I recognize some familiar names re-joining Tell us about the Yothu Yindi Foundation 2013 us onsite this year. It is pleasing to see you Garma partners? I’d like to thank our funding back at Gulkula and thank you for your bodies for their support this year. The Gumatj Corporation and Pacific Aluminium Gove support of the projects being undertaken provide us with foundational support. Without INTERVIEW WITH DENISE BOWDEN them the Yothu Yindi Foundation would not be able to achieve this event. FAHCSIA has been great support through the Garma Institute and Do you have any Garma survival tips? Any recommendations regarding Garma events? the Garma public promotions and marketing Dehydration creeps up on you here, so it’s Introduce yourselves to the fabulous Yolngu campaigns to ensure we’re making a real effort important to keep your liquids up.