Garma Festival

In tonight's Bunggul Galarrwuy introduced the Dhuwa people from Rarrakala on the Wessel Islands, a group of beautiful islands to the north of here. There are only a few people left from this family

'Some have been painted with the Mawaka, a special Yam that grows on the Wessels. These Yams bloom after the rainy season and have been eaten here for thousands of ears.'

'The people we have a connection to have been almost totally destroyed by tribal war. There is a record that suggests that caves fell on the people, possibly an enormous earthquake. If you visit the areas now, skeletons and skulls can still be seen, handmarks as you can see (on the bodies) have been left on the faces of the rocks. Its a unique style of dancing that the mainland has not seen. The leading dancer uses strings that represent the Mawaka yam.'

Another dance represented a special row of clouds that connect the people of Yirrkala with Rarrakala

Mandawuy asks the elders from Rarrakala to tell their story of their connections to Garma to the camera

The Ngaarra legal forum continued today with a range of stimulating and inspiring presentations. In the first session, Chris Cunneen from the Institute of Criminology, Sydney, gave an overview of sentencing and Aboriginal imprisonment rates from a national and Northern Territory perspective. Veronica McClintic, Director of the North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (NAALAS), discussed the impact of the recently passed Public Order and Anti-Social Behaviour Act on Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. David Woodroffe (NAALAS) outlined the situation of juveniles in Arnhem land and the criminal justice system, while John Hughes (NAALAS) provided an insight into some of the community housing issues faced by Aboriginal people.

One of the highlights of the forum were the presentations from two Indigenous Canadian speakers, Paul Chartrand (Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission), and James Guest (University of Alberta), who spoke on the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission, and restorative justice respectively. This session also included a talk on Victim-Offending Conferencing by Declan Roche of the Australian National University. The session was fortunate enough to include impromptu presentations by Penna Gaeia of the Palm Island Community Justice Group, and Rev. Djinini Gondarra, a Yolngu elder who discussed the meaning of Ngaarra.

After workshop discussions, the forum reconvened. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions to members of a panel that included John Toohey, Aden Ridgeway, Larissa Behrendt, Bob McMullan, Mayatili Marika, Djinini Gondarra and Paul Chartrand. During this session a conference statement was being developed, and was later put to the session chair, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, who read out the four principles in the statement. One outcome of this session was support for a working party to the Shadow Minister for ATSI Affairs, Bob McMullan. This working party would look at ways in which Australian and Indigenous law could work together, responding in different circumstances in different parts of the country.

After presentation of the conference statement, Galarrwuy closed the Ngaarra forum, thanking all participants, and declaring that next year’s Garma Academic Forum would be on Arts and Culture.

UK recording artist Nitin Sawhney revisited Arnhem Land after working on a collaboration with Mandawuy that was included on his latest album 'Prophecy'. His recent tour of Australia gave him the opportunity to come to Garma to renew his friendship with Mandawuy and his own quest for balance. He is pictured jamming with Mandawuy and Jodi Cockatoo-Creed down at the beach metres away from the Yothu Yindi Foundation Recording Studio.

Spear workshops with Lalambarri and Bortha

Children from the Nhulunbuy primary school came to Gulkula for a cultural experience

TEABBA, (Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association) has been transmitting an FM signal during the festival and have been commenting on the festival and playing some great indigenous music.