Wow, someone told me this thread got even wackier. Neat! I'll make one more attempt at clarifying things. Sorry, this may get long. Fortunately my wife and a few friends are away for a few days so I've got nothing better to do tonight than sit at the computer a bit! I'll use emoticons so people don't think I'm stressed out and need mental help, okay?
1) Quick intro for those who don't know me. I gave up a whole life elsewhere to live and work in Yirrkala giving Yolngu a voice in modern media. Believe me, it wasn't for wealth or glory. They won't even let me and my wife have a house. Please browse the following:
Yidakiwuy Dhawu Miwatjngurunydja - the only comprehensive yidaki website owned by Yolngu and presenting their own voices on issues related to the instrument, done as part of my master's.
http://www.yirrkala.com/yidaki/dhawu
Hard Tongue Didgeridoo - the CD I wish I had in 1998, again part of my master's degree, available from iDidj here:
http://www.ididj.com.au/store/music.html
The Mulka Project, my current job as the one white guy in the joint:
http://www.yirrkala.com/mulka
http://www.youtube.com/TheMulkaProject
If you don't approve of my efforts to empower Yolngu to have their own voice in the 'modern world' please show me what you've done.
That's not meant to be egotistical. It's just the choice I've made and what I've done with my life. So don't give me any shite! I do get plenty of humbling here, don't worry. A month ago, I was told at an outstation, 'we want you and all the white people to teach us your jobs and then leave!' I loved it.
2) Sorry for confusion of the use of the Yirrkala Arts name. IIRC, this forum was started just as the Mulka Project was launching and I thought I'd make one login anybody here could use if Yolngu wanted to get involved. Well, they haven't wanted to be involved. I have in fact literally been told by Yolngu several times to represent them to the internet yidaki world, but obviously I barely post, so know that I can't really fill that role of speaking for anyone - besides having plenty else to do. Right now, Yolngu I know frankly don't have the interest to sit in front of computers and chat with people they don't know. It's just too different from the small world in Arnhem Land where you know everybody and where they're coming from! It is however great that the Garrawirtja boys pop in now and then, and that Guan gives individual Yolngu a chance to be artists in residence, which is meaningful employment for Yolngu to represent themselves to you. If there was a particular initiative to do that from Yirrkala's own multimedia centre, we would, but we've been plenty busy with other things, and no Yolngu have asked to do anything like this.
I do however stand by the fact that I am an employed representative of Yirrkala Arts, with the support of the community to act in a spokesperson role particularly where yidaki and the business interests of the community are involved. Of course my views don't represent everyone's here, but I do my best to represent the views of the Yolngu who engage with me on these matters. And it is eminently appropriate that in this case I'm on here pushing business development. I mean, Yirrkala Arts is a freakin' business! Matter of fact, as of a big meeting last week, it's now Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Incorporated, not a division of any other body, which is something to celebrate. We did. With sandwiches.
3) Sorry if the plane metaphor was too removed from the situation. How about this - when I'm spearfishing with Yolngu, I let them take the lead and learn from them. Many Yolngu respect that they have to follow the lead of non-Yolngu in order to develop skills from the non-Yolngu world. That's my job, they are my bosses.
4) Guan, sorry for anything I've said over the years to inspire this "the one-upmanship that goes with being the first, being the closest to the source" and the condescending and insulting comments in this thread. Because I feel strongly about something you don't, I need a holiday? I don't normally swear, but admit I felt like a friendly FU to that one.
You're not getting competitiveness from me, I have no interest in that. If you ever perceive it, stop and relax and please point it out to me right away rather than let it fester. Sometimes I do have something to say because I'm on the scene, and thought some people appreciate that perspective, but now I know that once I got a job with Yolngu I just became an establishment jerk and white devil.
In the case of this CD, yes, I was there, I recorded it and was recently contacted about helping to finish it (since I'm on the scene rather than in Darwin
). I therefore had something to say about it. It doesn't make me better than anybody. I just happen to know about that one particular thing apart from all the million other things in this world I don't know. Am I supposed to avoid contributing when I know something because it might hurt the feelings of people who don't?
5) Again, I never said anything about Galarrwuy & Matjuwi not making decisions or needing me to speak for them. They can and will of course do whatever they want. I just question the logic and motivation of encouraging people who don't know them to approach them personally in order to give them $25 in the moment rather than encouraging long lasting business. It's sort of going out of the way to make a point but being very shortsighted.
Some people out there might not understand as well that I'm not just questioning a general principle here but this specific case. For those who don't know, Galarrwuy is the single wealthiest and most powerful Yolngu (by non-Yolngu standards of wealth and power, at least). He's not a quaint Aborigine who needs protecting from big bad oppressor Randin. He could eat me for breakfast. He doesn't need your $25. He doesn't need help having 'a voice'. He could be on the national news any night of the week with a phone call. I can't say the same. Let's not insult him and the position he's obtained by suggesting I could ever oppress him. All I've said is, the CD was his idea in the first place, he's the chair of YYF whom he asked to help make it and the project currently rests with him.
The manikay is most important and yes Yolngu would pass around a CDR happily. But they also take great pride in seeing themselves and family on nice finished products. For a title with as little demand as this one will have, copies floating around may discourage completion of the project. Both for Galarrwuy if he knows all his friends already have it and for YYF who will have to pay the manufacturing costs. And once again, I'm being a big bad oppressor in saying, Yolngu have asked for businesses of their own to build their future, so if there's a CD project underway, I will always encourage that rather than a quick $25. Teach a man to fish and all. Besides, it's my job, I love it, and I'm constantly encouraged to do it by the people I do it with!
Matjuwi unlike Galarrwuy is elderly, blind, and could probably use $25. But he also lives at a more remote community and would not likely see any direct benefit from CDR's sold around the Yirrkala area. This is probably part of why Galarrwuy wanted him involved in a proper CD project, and he probably already got a substantial payment. It's not for me to divulge full details and I don't work for them, but know YYF CD artists get a large share of the cost in royalties. I was actually surprised and impressed. They get a payment up front for 150 CDs sold. They don't get any more until more than 150 copies are sold. How many copies of this CD will sell worldwide? It'd be lucky to move 150 in a year. So if even 20 copies end up floating around out there (and 20 begets 20 more etc.) from people at the Djalu class in July, that's a huge chunk of overall sales, and it's that much longer until Matjuwi gets more royalties. So you might put some money in somebody's pocket in the moment, but you're taking money from Matjuwi and from a Yolngu owned business that will still be here long after you and your $25 are long gone.
Again, it's not my decision, but based on all that, everything I've seen living here and the constant demands of Yolngu for education to run proper businesses, my recommendation to Yolngu and buyers will always be in support of building business for the future rather than quick cash.
HOWEVER - being that we've now got recording and internet facilities and wages specifically for multimedia production at the Mulka Project in Yirrkala, if Matjuwi or any other Yolngu person told me or any of the Yolngu staff that they wanted to record manikay to sell over the internet, we'd be there in a second and this forum would be the first (actually second) to know. Even though this forum is so mean to me.
That again would be business development and direct pay to Yolngu, again way better than chasing people down at their homes to ask for one off CDRs.
Phew! I'm getting away from the computer now!
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