Djalu Gurruwiwi

Djalu Gurruwiwi was born at the mission station on Wirriku Island (also known as Jirgarri), one of the smaller islands in the Wessel Islands group. He has also self-reported being born on Milingimbi Island (also known as Yurruwi, in the Crocodile Islands), 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 1940 He was a leader of the Dhuwa moietyGälpu clan, of the Dangu language group of the Yolngu peoples. Djalu lived in Birritjimi on the Gove Peninsula, about east of Darwin. He grew up practicing Christianity and living a traditional life in the remote area, hunting turtles with his father on a lipalipa (dug-out canoe), and with little contact with "balanda" (white people). Gurruwiwi died in Arnhem Land after a long illness on 12 May 2022, believed to be aged in his late 80s. ==Family==

Gurruwiwi's wife is a sister of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, and they have several sons He is an adjutant to the Royal lore courts and a custodian for the Yolngu songlines. and healing techniques passed down by his father. Larry and Andrew 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. The band and Larry are featured in the 2017 film ''Westwind: Djalu's Legacy''. The band was scheduled to give a yiḏaki workshop and performance at the Rainbow Serpent Festival at Lexton, Victoria on 26 January 2020. == Music, culture, and law ==

Gurruwiwi had 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. 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 clan, with their type of yiḏaki. He has attended numerous other festivals and events both in Australia and abroad, including Partial discography Gurruwiwi's music released on CD includes: • 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 • "The unreleased songs of Djuŋgarriny and Morning Thunder" was scheduled for release in 2025. ==Art==

Guruwiwi's art includes printmaking and earth pigments on stringybark (also known as bark paintings). He was also a painter of sacred ''miny'tji'' and a maker of sacred raŋga, objects rarely seen by outsiders. 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. • Dhonyin (Javan file snake) • Bol’ngu ("the Thunderman") • Material: Earth pigments on Stringybark • Dimensions: 190.7 × 81.4 cm • Location: Naypinya, Northern Territory ==Films and videos==

''Westwind: Djalu's Legacy'' In 2017, Westwind: Djalu's Legacy was released. It was directed by renowned British filmmaker Ben Strunin, and cameo production by Djalu's son Larry Gurruwiwi, and multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Gotye are in the cast. Initially titled Baywara (Yolngu for "lightning power", which features as a theme), More footage and a director's cut editions and previously unreleased materials from Ben Strunin featuring the brilliance of Larry's music is planned for 2025. Some of the new footage will also feature the amazing advocacy work by Queen Zelda and the sheer brilliance and artistic mastery of the masterpiece paintings by the late Jennifer Gurruwiwi. In Between Songs Joshua Bell, Emmy award nominee and 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 maintaining their lifestyle within the contemporary world. During a personal interview with Gurruwiwi, he shared that he remembers Japanese bombings on his homeland during World War II. Because neither he nor his family have ever been exposed to a plane, let alone experienced this before, 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 warfare and the drawbacks of a purported modern world as a whole. Other films and videos Gurruwiwi has also been featured in other films: • 2014 In Between Songs. Written, directed, produced, and co-edited by Joshua Bell and narrated by James Cromwell. 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. He is also featured in numerous YouTube videos, which attract tens of thousands of views. == Recognition, influence, and legacy==

Awards Guruwiwi won the 2015 National Indigenous Music Award in the Traditional Song of the Year category, with East Journey, for "Mokuy & Bonba". Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia Gurruwiwi was the main consultant for Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia, an 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 people about 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. 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. ==Footnotes==