David Blanasi
Encyclopedia
David Blanasi was an Aboriginal
man of the (Mialli language group) who is recognised for popularising the didgeridoo
beyond the shores of Australia. This can be attributed to Blanasi's first television appearance in London in 1967, where he gave didgeridoo playing demonstrations for the popular Rolf Harris Show. Musical collaborations and tours with Rolf Harris followed, in addition to Australian and international outings as part of a traditional dance troupe which variously included Djoli Laiwanga - a talented Aboriginal songman, and David Gulpilil
- an Aboriginal dancer and actor.
Blanasi is best known for playing his Bambu
atop the Sydney Opera House during opening ceremonies.http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac4/void5.html.
Blanasi (a corruption of his Aboriginal name Bylanadji)http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac4/void5.html, first came to public attention as one of a number of traditional Aboriginal didgeridoo players and songmen recorded in 1961-62 by a US linguistic researcher Dr. La Mont West
. These recordings were released commercially in 1963 on a LP record
Arnhem Land Popular Classics.
Blanasi is acknowledged as one of the great master mago
(didgeridoo) players of the 20th century and as a master instrument
maker his didgeridoos have become highly collectible. He lived in south-central Arnhem Land
in the Northern Territory
, Australia
, in a remote Aboriginal settlement variously known as Beswick also known as Wugularr and nearby Bamyili known as Barunga.
Blanasi traveled extensively over a period of thirty years (including tours to England and Mexico) and in 1967 he became the first full-blooded indigenous Australian to travel to England since 1792. He later co-founded the "White Cockatoo Performing Group" in conjunction with his life-long partner, songmaster Djoli Laiwonga. He taught the Australian-born entertainer Rolf Harris
how to play the didgeridoo, Harris becoming perhaps the first notable non-Aboriginal Australian to master the instrument.
have claimed to be "in touch" with him. Although his body was never found, his family eventually held a funeral ceremony for him.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
man of the (Mialli language group) who is recognised for popularising the didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
beyond the shores of Australia. This can be attributed to Blanasi's first television appearance in London in 1967, where he gave didgeridoo playing demonstrations for the popular Rolf Harris Show. Musical collaborations and tours with Rolf Harris followed, in addition to Australian and international outings as part of a traditional dance troupe which variously included Djoli Laiwanga - a talented Aboriginal songman, and David Gulpilil
David Gulpilil
David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
- an Aboriginal dancer and actor.
Blanasi is best known for playing his Bambu
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
atop the Sydney Opera House during opening ceremonies.http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac4/void5.html.
Blanasi (a corruption of his Aboriginal name Bylanadji)http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac4/void5.html, first came to public attention as one of a number of traditional Aboriginal didgeridoo players and songmen recorded in 1961-62 by a US linguistic researcher Dr. La Mont West
La Mont West
Dr. LaMont West is a famous anthropologist. He received his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Indiana. His paper was titled "The Sign Language: An Analysis"....
. These recordings were released commercially in 1963 on a LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Arnhem Land Popular Classics.
Blanasi is acknowledged as one of the great master mago
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
(didgeridoo) players of the 20th century and as a master instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
maker his didgeridoos have become highly collectible. He lived in south-central Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in a remote Aboriginal settlement variously known as Beswick also known as Wugularr and nearby Bamyili known as Barunga.
Background
Blanasi first experimented with the didgeridoo at an early age, imitating the sounds of various animals. The two animals he portrayed included the Brolga. These two animals represented the moeties of his Clan. He told me, while playing his Bambu, he was 'praying' to his grandmother and grandfather. This was a revelation. I saw women at Bamyili making didjeridoos personally. David simply played them http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac4/void5.html. His father later taught him further, as well as the traditional methods of making musical instruments. Young Blanasi was known for always carrying his mago as he and his family wandered the Arnhem Land around Kundirri. (Comment: The Blanasis, so far as I could discover were happy residents of Bamyili, and not nomadic wanderers (http://users.westconnect.com.au/~ianmac4/void5.html). He developed a reputation as a virtuoso player of traditional Gunborg or Gunborrk syncopation.Blanasi traveled extensively over a period of thirty years (including tours to England and Mexico) and in 1967 he became the first full-blooded indigenous Australian to travel to England since 1792. He later co-founded the "White Cockatoo Performing Group" in conjunction with his life-long partner, songmaster Djoli Laiwonga. He taught the Australian-born entertainer Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
how to play the didgeridoo, Harris becoming perhaps the first notable non-Aboriginal Australian to master the instrument.
Disappearance
In 1998 Djoli Laiwonga died, and an emotionally stricken Blanasi retired in solitude to a home in Bamyili. David Blanasi went missing in August, 2001, reportedly after going out to search for wood to be used in instrument making. Newspaper coverage brought the situation into the public eye, and his disappearance generated widespread speculation and a number of rumors regarding "magical" occurrences. No trace of Blanasi has been found since 2001, but a number of spiritualistsSpiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
have claimed to be "in touch" with him. Although his body was never found, his family eventually held a funeral ceremony for him.