Notes from Galarrwuy’s commentary on last night's bunggul

All of Garma gives a special welcome to the Chief Minister of the NT and Minister for the Arts, Clare Martin, who has come to see what is taking place at Garma. Sid Stirling, John Atkin and Commissioner Hill, ATSIC representative in Canberra.

Dancers from Dhalinybuy begin the bunggul with their song cycle, singing and dancing to the beautiful land of Dhalinybuy … cockatoos gossiping in the evening, in flight, flying, dancing, looking, feeding, in flocks. Dhalinybuy is river country, rainforest, feeds into mangroves and mud plains. It’s full of life with its own character of wild things. Trees are dancing. They never dance but consider it the other way, when we are sitting down, they are firm in the ground but their branches are waving when the wind comes. Yam and pretty flowers create seed to drop for new vines next wet so the spirit people can dig them up next season…spirit people digging up yams, yukuwa, the yam all over! Chuck them in the bag and take them home to cook. The blossom of the yam vine, running, winding winding to the top of the tree attracts birds, not an ordinary bird but the beautiful bilitjipilitj.

The leading dancer is Djakapurra, Galarrwuy’s poison cousin, Wangurri recently returned from Sydney, who is the backbone of Bangarra: teachers nationally and internationally.

This year’s Garma is larger than any other and marks a growth in the movement. The Caring for Country Forum – djakamirri wangawu, is finished and everybody has learnt and is full of ideas to teach their mates and friends in offices and schools: to show them what Garma is about.

Music workshops were well attended this year.

There were workshops at the Yirrkala School with Paul Mac, Peta Morris and David Bridie and recording sessions at the Yirrnga Studio with Stu Kellaway and Matt Cunliffe from the Yothu Yindi Band.

The bands were Trabal Vision from Ngukkur, Shadow Band from Maningrida, Yiirkala CEC Band and Yirrkala Miyal'ku band, Nunggabuyu band and Yillila band from Numbulwar, Gapuwiyak CEC band and the Ramingining CEC Band.

Mandawuy and Jack Thomson during a live satellite cross to national television.