Yothu Yindi
Encyclopedia
Yothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda (non-Aboriginal) members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands
near Yirrkala
on the Gove Peninsula
in Northern Territory
's Arnhem Land
. Founding members included Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar
, Cal Williams on lead guitar
, Witiyana Marika on manikay (traditional vocals), bilma (ironwood clapstick
s) and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki (didgeridoo
), Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
on keyboards
, guitar and percussion, and leader Mandawuy Yunupingu
on vocals and guitar.
The band combines aspects of both musical cultures, their sound varies from traditional Aboriginal songs to modern pop
and rock
songs, where they blend the typical instruments associated with pop/rock bands, such as guitars and drums
, with the traditional yidaki and bilma. They have adapted traditional Yolngu dance performances to accompany their music, more broadly they promote mutual respect and understanding in the coming together of different cultures. Yothu Yindi's most widely known song "Treaty
" peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA singles charts
in 1991 and the related album Tribal Voice
peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA albums charts. The second single from Tribal Voice was "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" which peaked at No. 13 in 1992. Their debut album was Homeland Movement
in 1988 on Mushroom Records
, other albums are Tribal Voice
in 1991, Freedom
in 1993, Birrkuta - Wild Honey
in 1996, One Blood
in 1998 and Garma in 2000.
The group helped established the Yothu Yindi Foundation in 1990 to promote Yolngu cultural development, including from 1999 producing the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
and as from May 2007 running the Dilthan Yolngunha (Healing Place). Chairman of the foundation is Galarrwuy Yunupingu
, he is Mandawuy's older brother, a Yolgnu clan leader and sometimes a member of Yothu Yindi on bilma and guitar. Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year
in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities and Mandawuy was Australian of the Year for 1992 for his work with Yothu Yindi.
, Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar
and Cal Williams on lead guitar
, on their tour of Arnhem Land
in Australia's Northern Territory
they were supported by a Yolngu
band containing Witiyana Marika on manikay (traditional vocals), bilma (ironwood clapstick
s) and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki (didgeridoo
), Gurrumul 'The Guru' Yunupingu
on keyboards
, guitar and percussion, and Mandawuy Yunupingu
(born Bakamana Yunupingu) on vocals and guitar. They united to form Yothu Yindi , yothu yindi is a Yolngu matha
(Yolngu language) kinship term for "child and mother". The band combines aspects of both musical cultures, their sound varies from traditional Aboriginal songs to modern pop
and rock
songs, where they blend the typical instruments associated with pop/rock bands, such as guitars and drums, with the traditional yidaki and bilma. They have adapted traditional Yolngu dance performances to accompany their music, more broadly they promote mutual respect and understanding in the coming together of different cultures.
Mandawuy Yunupingu was a tertiary student studying to become a teacher, he later became principal at his own Yirrkala
Community School, touring by Yothu Yindi was restricted to school holidays in the early years of the band. In August 1988 they performed in Townsville, Queensland
at the South Pacific Festival of Arts, next month they represented Australia in Seoul, South Korea at the Cultural Olympics. Bart Willoughby
(ex-No Fixed Address
, Coloured Stone
) joined on drums in late 1988 and Yothu Yindi toured USA and Canada as support act to Midnight Oil
. Upon return to Australia they were signed to Midnight Oil's label, Mushroom Records
and, with Leszek Karski producing, recorded their debut single "Mainstream" released in March 1989. It was followed by debut album Homeland Movement in May, a second single "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" was released in August, neither singles nor album had any major chart success. Yothu Yindi toured with Neil Young
in Australia, the band then head-lined to Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong, in 1990 they toured New Zealand with Tracy Chapman
, and then performed in festivals in the UK. In 1990 five clans of the Yolngu formed the Yothu Yindi Foundation to promote Yulngu cultural development. Chairman of the foundation is Galarrwuy Yunupingu
, he is Mandawuy's older brother, a Yolngu clan leader and sometimes a member of Yothu Yindi on bilma and guitar. Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year
in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities.
Bob Hawke
visited the Northern Territory for the Barunga festival where he was presented with a statement of Aboriginal political objectives by Galarrwuy Yunupingu
and Wenten Rubuntja
. Hawke responded to the Barunga Statement with a promise that a treaty would be concluded with Indigenous Australians
by 1990. By 1991, Yothu Yindi were Hughie Benjamin on drums, Sophie Garrkali and Julie Gungunbuy as dancers, Kellaway, Marika, Mununggurr, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Makuma Yunupingu on yidaki, vocals, bilma, Mandawuy Yunupingu, Mangatjay Yunupingu as a dancer. Mandawuy, with his older brother Galarrwuy, wanted a song to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between Aboriginal peoples and the federal government. Mandawuy recalls:
"Treaty" was written by Australian musician Paul Kelly
and Yothu Yindi members Mandawuy Yunupingu, Kellaway, Williams, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mununggurr and Marika. The initial release had little interest, but Melbourne-based dance remixers Filthy Lucre's Robert Goodge (ex-I'm Talking
) and Gavin Campbell adapted the song, their version peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) singles charts
by September. The song contains lyrics in both English and in Yolngu matha, it was accompanied by a video showing band members performing vocals, music, and dance.
Success for the single was transferred to the related album Tribal Voice
which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA albums charts, The album produced by Mark Moffatt for Mushroom Records was released in September 1991. Mandawuy Yunupingu took leave of absence from his duties as principal to tour and promote the single and album. Other singles from the album were a re-released "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" which peaked at No. 13 in 1992 and "Tribal Voice" which didn't reach the Top 50. At the 1992 ARIA Awards
Yothu Yindi won awards for 'Best Cover Art' for Tribal Voice by Louise Beach and Mushroom Art; 'Engineer of the Year' for "Maralitja" (maralitja is Yolngu matha for crocodile man - one of Mandawuy's tribal names), "Dharpa" (dharpa is tree), "Treaty", "Treaty (Filthy Lucre remix)" and "Tribal Voice" by David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson and Simon Polinski; 'Best Indigenous Release' for Tribal Voice; 'Song of the Year' for "Treaty"; and 'Single of the Year' for "Treaty". Both "Treaty" in 1992 and "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" in 1993 charted on the Billboard
Hot Dance Club Play
singles charts, with "Treaty" peaking at No. 6, Tribal Voice peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums chart in 1992.
In October 1992, then Prime Minister Paul Keating
's government awarded Yothu Yindi with a $30,000 grant. The money was used to travel to New York, where they performed at the United Nations for the launch of International Year for the World's Indigenous People. Mandawuy Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year
by the Keating government on 26 January 1993. His older brother, Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities.
In 2009 'Treaty' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive
's Sounds of Australia Registry.
was released in November 1993, the line-up included Mandawuy, Gurrumul, Makuna and Mangatjay Yunupingu, Marika, Williams, Kellaway, Benjamin and Munumggurr; and new members Banula Marika on vocals and dance, Bunimburr Marika on yidaki, Natalie Gillespie on vocals, Jodie Cockatoo Creed on vocals and clan leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu on bilma and vocals. After intense touring in 1994, Williams left Yothu Yindi and was replaced by Colin Simpson on guitar, they added Ben Hakalitz (ex-Not Drowning Waving) on drums and Baruka Tau-Matagu on keyboards. Gurrumul Yunupingu had left by 1995 to live full time on Elcho Island
, he later formed Salt Water Band to record three albums, and in 2007 released his self-titled solo album. Yothu Yindi's fourth album Birrkuta
(birrkuta means wild honey) was released in August 1996.
"I Am Australian
" is a popular song written in 1987 by Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers
and Bruce Woodley
of The Seekers
. It was released as a single in 1997 by trio Judith Durham
of The Seekers, Russell Hitchcock
from Air Supply
and Yothu Yindi's Mandawuy Yunupingu
by EMI
Australia and it peaked at No. 17 on the ARIA Singles Charts in June.
Yothu Yindi's fifth album One Blood
was released in 1999 and included "Treaty '98". They sponsored the Yothu Yindi Foundation, which produces the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
celebrating Yolngu culture from 1999, and their sixth album Garma was released in 2000, with Cal Williams returning on guitars. In 2000, Yothu Yindi performed at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games
. On 9 August 2000, 30-year old Betsy Yunupingu was kicked in the head and subsequently died, Yothu Yindi band member Gavin Makuma Yunupingu was found guilty of "committing a dangerous act causing death" and in June 2002 he was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment at Berrimah Jail, Darwin
. Gavin is the son of Galarrwuy and nephew of Mandawuy.
In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Treaty" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time. In 2003 Yothu Yindi toured through Northern Territory schools with Mandawuy Yunupingu, yidaki players Gapanbulu Yunupingu and Nicky Yunupingu, and Kellaway using songs, storytelling and open discussions to inspire and encourage some of Australia's most vulnerable young people to attend school and stay healthy. The Yothu Yindi Foundation in May 2007 established the Dilthan Yolngunha (Healing Place) using traditional healing practices and mainstream medicines. On 23 July 2008 a 23-year old woman was stabbed numerous times, Nicky Yunupingu, who was described by Northern Territory police as the offender, was later found dead by hanging. Nicky was the nephew of both Galarrwuy and Mandawuy Yunupingu, and, as members of Yothu Yindi, they had just played a concert for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
some hours before the stabbing of the woman, who was admitted to hospital, and Nicky's subsequent death.
In 2009, News.com.au reported that Yothu Yindi lead singer Mandawuy Yunupingu needed a kidney transplant due to chronic alcoholism. Yunupingu said he drank up to four cartons of alcohol a day. "Alcohol was a big influence in my life. I didn't know what harm it did to my body. Before I knew, it was too late," he said.
(ARIA) Music Awards
from 14 nominations.
|-
| rowspan="6"| 1992
|| Louise Beach / Mushroom Art – Tribal Voice
|| Best Cover Art ||
|-
| | Tribal Voice
|| Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| "Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix)" || Best Video ||
|-
| | Single of the Year ||
|-
| | "Treaty" || Song of the Year ||
|-
| | David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson, Simon Polinski – "Maralitja", "Dharpa", "Treaty", "Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix)", "Tribal Voice" || Engineer of the Year ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1993
|| "Djapana" || Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| | Stephen Johnson – "Djapana" || Best Video ||
|-
| | Greg Henderson – "Djapana", "Tribal Voice" || Engineer of the Year ||
|-
| | 1994
|| Freedom
|| Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| | 1995
|| "Dots on the Shells" || Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| | 1997
|| Birrkuta - Wild Honey
|| Best Indigenous Release ||
Yolngu
The Yolngu or Yolŋu are an Indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.-Yolŋu law:...
near Yirrkala
Yirrkala, Northern Territory
Yirrkala is a well-known indigenous community in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, at , 18 km South-East from the large mining town of Nhulunbuy...
on the Gove Peninsula
Gove Peninsula
The Gove Peninsula is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when an airforce base was constructed at what is now Gove Airport. The peninsula was named after Pilot Officer William Gove, who...
in 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...
's 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...
. Founding members included Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Cal Williams on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Witiyana Marika on manikay (traditional vocals), bilma (ironwood clapstick
Clapstick
Clapsticks or clappers are a type of drumstick or percussion mallet that are used to serve the purpose of maintaining rhythm. Unlike drumsticks, which are generally used to strike a drum, clapsticks are intended for striking one stick on another....
s) and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki (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"...
), Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is an Indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language.He was born in Galiwin'ku , off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. He is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu and his mother from the Galpu nation...
on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitar and percussion, and leader Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu , born 17 September 1956, is an Aboriginal Australian musician, most notable for being the front man of the band Yothu Yindi.-Early life:...
on vocals and guitar.
The band combines aspects of both musical cultures, their sound varies from traditional Aboriginal songs to modern pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
songs, where they blend the typical instruments associated with pop/rock bands, such as guitars and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, with the traditional yidaki and bilma. They have adapted traditional Yolngu dance performances to accompany their music, more broadly they promote mutual respect and understanding in the coming together of different cultures. Yothu Yindi's most widely known song "Treaty
Treaty (song)
"Treaty" is a song by Australian indigenous music band Yothu Yindi, which is made up of Aboriginal and balanda members. Released in June 1991, "Treaty" peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart in September...
" peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA singles charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
in 1991 and the related album Tribal Voice
Tribal Voice
-Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" #"Treaty" #"Djäpana" #"My Kind of Life" #"Maralitja" -Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" (Traditional song, arranged by Galarrwuy Yunupingu)#"Treaty"...
peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA albums charts. The second single from Tribal Voice was "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" which peaked at No. 13 in 1992. Their debut album was Homeland Movement
Homeland Movement (album)
Homeland Movement is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1989 on the Mushroom Records label.-Track listing:* "Mainstream" * "Yolngu Woman" * "Homeland Movement" * "Djapana"...
in 1988 on Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
, other albums are Tribal Voice
Tribal Voice
-Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" #"Treaty" #"Djäpana" #"My Kind of Life" #"Maralitja" -Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" (Traditional song, arranged by Galarrwuy Yunupingu)#"Treaty"...
in 1991, Freedom
Freedom (Yothu Yindi album)
Freedom is an album by Yothu Yindi released in 1993 under the Mushroom Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:#"Timeless Land" #"World of Innocence"...
in 1993, Birrkuta - Wild Honey
Birrkuta - Wild Honey
Birrkuta – Wild Honey is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1996 under the Yothu Yindi Music record label.-Track listing:#"Tears for Law" #"Yolngu Woman"...
in 1996, One Blood
One Blood (album)
One Blood is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1999 under the Yothu Yindi Music label.-Track listing:# "Laykarrambu" # "One Blood"...
in 1998 and Garma in 2000.
The group helped established the Yothu Yindi Foundation in 1990 to promote Yolngu cultural development, including from 1999 producing the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
The Garma Festival of Traditional Culture is an annual festival that is held in north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is a celebration of the cultural inheritance of the Yolngu people.-History:...
and as from May 2007 running the Dilthan Yolngunha (Healing Place). Chairman of the foundation is Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy YunupinguAM is a leader in the Australian Indigenous community, and has been involved in the fight for Land Rights throughout his career...
, he is Mandawuy's older brother, a Yolgnu clan leader and sometimes a member of Yothu Yindi on bilma and guitar. Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities and Mandawuy was Australian of the Year for 1992 for his work with Yothu Yindi.
Early years: 1986–1990
Swamp Jockeys was formed in 1985 containing balanda (European/non-Aboriginal people) Andrew Belletty on drumsDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Cal Williams on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, on their tour of 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 Australia's 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...
they were supported by a Yolngu
Yolngu
The Yolngu or Yolŋu are an Indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.-Yolŋu law:...
band containing Witiyana Marika on manikay (traditional vocals), bilma (ironwood clapstick
Clapstick
Clapsticks or clappers are a type of drumstick or percussion mallet that are used to serve the purpose of maintaining rhythm. Unlike drumsticks, which are generally used to strike a drum, clapsticks are intended for striking one stick on another....
s) and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki (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"...
), Gurrumul 'The Guru' Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is an Indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language.He was born in Galiwin'ku , off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. He is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu and his mother from the Galpu nation...
on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitar and percussion, and Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu , born 17 September 1956, is an Aboriginal Australian musician, most notable for being the front man of the band Yothu Yindi.-Early life:...
(born Bakamana Yunupingu) on vocals and guitar. They united to form Yothu Yindi , yothu yindi is a Yolngu matha
Yolngu Matha
Yolŋu Matha is a cover term for the languages of the Yolngu , the Indigenous people of northeast Arnhem Land in northern Australia. .Yolngu languages have a fortis–lenis contrast in plosive consonants...
(Yolngu language) kinship term for "child and mother". The band combines aspects of both musical cultures, their sound varies from traditional Aboriginal songs to modern pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
songs, where they blend the typical instruments associated with pop/rock bands, such as guitars and drums, with the traditional yidaki and bilma. They have adapted traditional Yolngu dance performances to accompany their music, more broadly they promote mutual respect and understanding in the coming together of different cultures.
Mandawuy Yunupingu was a tertiary student studying to become a teacher, he later became principal at his own Yirrkala
Yirrkala, Northern Territory
Yirrkala is a well-known indigenous community in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, at , 18 km South-East from the large mining town of Nhulunbuy...
Community School, touring by Yothu Yindi was restricted to school holidays in the early years of the band. In August 1988 they performed in Townsville, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
at the South Pacific Festival of Arts, next month they represented Australia in Seoul, South Korea at the Cultural Olympics. Bart Willoughby
Bart Willoughby
Bart Willoughby is an Indigenous Australian musician, noted for his pioneering fusion of reggae with Indigenous Australian musical influences, and for his contribution to growth of Indigenous music in Australia....
(ex-No Fixed Address
No Fixed Address
No Fixed Address is an Australian Aboriginal reggae group formed in 1978. Led by Bart Willoughby, the band supported Peter Tosh on his 1982 Australian tour...
, Coloured Stone
Coloured Stone
Coloured Stone is a band from the Koonibba Mission, west of Ceduna, South Australia. Their sound has been described as having a unique feel and Aboriginal qualities...
) joined on drums in late 1988 and Yothu Yindi toured USA and Canada as support act to Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
. Upon return to Australia they were signed to Midnight Oil's label, Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
and, with Leszek Karski producing, recorded their debut single "Mainstream" released in March 1989. It was followed by debut album Homeland Movement in May, a second single "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" was released in August, neither singles nor album had any major chart success. Yothu Yindi toured with Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
in Australia, the band then head-lined to Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong, in 1990 they toured New Zealand with Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, and then performed in festivals in the UK. In 1990 five clans of the Yolngu formed the Yothu Yindi Foundation to promote Yulngu cultural development. Chairman of the foundation is Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy YunupinguAM is a leader in the Australian Indigenous community, and has been involved in the fight for Land Rights throughout his career...
, he is Mandawuy's older brother, a Yolngu clan leader and sometimes a member of Yothu Yindi on bilma and guitar. Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities.
"Treaty" and Tribal Voice: 1991–1992
In 1988, as part of Bicentennial celebrations, Australian Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
visited the Northern Territory for the Barunga festival where he was presented with a statement of Aboriginal political objectives by Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy YunupinguAM is a leader in the Australian Indigenous community, and has been involved in the fight for Land Rights throughout his career...
and Wenten Rubuntja
Wenten Rubuntja
W. Rubuntja was an Australian artist and Aboriginal rights activist. He belonged to the Arrernte indigenous people of Central Australia. His works were painted in acrylic or watercolours and influenced by themes from Dreamtime myths. His paintings are to be found in Australia's Parliament House,...
. Hawke responded to the Barunga Statement with a promise that a treaty would be concluded with Indigenous Australians
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....
by 1990. By 1991, Yothu Yindi were Hughie Benjamin on drums, Sophie Garrkali and Julie Gungunbuy as dancers, Kellaway, Marika, Mununggurr, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Makuma Yunupingu on yidaki, vocals, bilma, Mandawuy Yunupingu, Mangatjay Yunupingu as a dancer. Mandawuy, with his older brother Galarrwuy, wanted a song to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between Aboriginal peoples and the federal government. Mandawuy recalls:
"Treaty" was written by Australian musician Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
and Yothu Yindi members Mandawuy Yunupingu, Kellaway, Williams, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mununggurr and Marika. The initial release had little interest, but Melbourne-based dance remixers Filthy Lucre's Robert Goodge (ex-I'm Talking
I'm Talking
I'm Talking was a 1980s Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" and "Holy Word" and a top fifteen album, Bear Witness, before disbanding in...
) and Gavin Campbell adapted the song, their version peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) singles charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
by September. The song contains lyrics in both English and in Yolngu matha, it was accompanied by a video showing band members performing vocals, music, and dance.
Success for the single was transferred to the related album Tribal Voice
Tribal Voice
-Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" #"Treaty" #"Djäpana" #"My Kind of Life" #"Maralitja" -Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" (Traditional song, arranged by Galarrwuy Yunupingu)#"Treaty"...
which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA albums charts, The album produced by Mark Moffatt for Mushroom Records was released in September 1991. Mandawuy Yunupingu took leave of absence from his duties as principal to tour and promote the single and album. Other singles from the album were a re-released "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" which peaked at No. 13 in 1992 and "Tribal Voice" which didn't reach the Top 50. At the 1992 ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
Yothu Yindi won awards for 'Best Cover Art' for Tribal Voice by Louise Beach and Mushroom Art; 'Engineer of the Year' for "Maralitja" (maralitja is Yolngu matha for crocodile man - one of Mandawuy's tribal names), "Dharpa" (dharpa is tree), "Treaty", "Treaty (Filthy Lucre remix)" and "Tribal Voice" by David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson and Simon Polinski; 'Best Indigenous Release' for Tribal Voice; 'Song of the Year' for "Treaty"; and 'Single of the Year' for "Treaty". Both "Treaty" in 1992 and "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" in 1993 charted on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
singles charts, with "Treaty" peaking at No. 6, Tribal Voice peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums chart in 1992.
In October 1992, then Prime Minister Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
's government awarded Yothu Yindi with a $30,000 grant. The money was used to travel to New York, where they performed at the United Nations for the launch of International Year for the World's Indigenous People. Mandawuy Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
by the Keating government on 26 January 1993. His older brother, Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities.
In 2009 'Treaty' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
's Sounds of Australia Registry.
Later years: 1993–present
At the 1993 ARIA Awards, Yothu Yindi won 'Best Video', directed by Stephen Johnson, and 'Best Indigenous Release' for "Djäpana" and 'Engineer of the Year' for Greg Henderson's work on "Djäpana" and "Tribal Voice". Yothu Yindi's third album FreedomFreedom (Yothu Yindi album)
Freedom is an album by Yothu Yindi released in 1993 under the Mushroom Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:#"Timeless Land" #"World of Innocence"...
was released in November 1993, the line-up included Mandawuy, Gurrumul, Makuna and Mangatjay Yunupingu, Marika, Williams, Kellaway, Benjamin and Munumggurr; and new members Banula Marika on vocals and dance, Bunimburr Marika on yidaki, Natalie Gillespie on vocals, Jodie Cockatoo Creed on vocals and clan leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu on bilma and vocals. After intense touring in 1994, Williams left Yothu Yindi and was replaced by Colin Simpson on guitar, they added Ben Hakalitz (ex-Not Drowning Waving) on drums and Baruka Tau-Matagu on keyboards. Gurrumul Yunupingu had left by 1995 to live full time on Elcho Island
Elcho Island
Elcho Island is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhem Region. The island's largest community is the settlement of Galiwin'ku....
, he later formed Salt Water Band to record three albums, and in 2007 released his self-titled solo album. Yothu Yindi's fourth album Birrkuta
Birrkuta - Wild Honey
Birrkuta – Wild Honey is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1996 under the Yothu Yindi Music record label.-Track listing:#"Tears for Law" #"Yolngu Woman"...
(birrkuta means wild honey) was released in August 1996.
"I Am Australian
I Am Australian
I am Australian is a popular Australian poem written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley of The Seekers and Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers. Its lyrics are filled with many historic and cultural references, such as to the 'digger', Albert Namatjira and Ned Kelly, among others...
" is a popular song written in 1987 by Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers
The Bushwackers (band)
The Bushwackers Band, often simply The Bushwackers, is an Australian folk and country music band or Bush band founded at La Trobe University in Melbourne in 1971....
and Bruce Woodley
Bruce Woodley
Bruce William Woodley , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful pop-folk group The Seekers, and co-composer of the anthemic song "I Am Australian"...
of The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
. It was released as a single in 1997 by trio Judith Durham
Judith Durham
Judith Durham, OAM is an Australian jazz singer and musician who became the lead vocalist for the Australian popular folk music group The Seekers in 1963. She left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career...
of The Seekers, Russell Hitchcock
Russell Hitchcock
Russell Charles Hitchcock is an Australian musician and one half of the group Air Supply. He formed the group after meeting Englishman Graham Russell in 1975 on the set of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar....
from Air Supply
Air Supply
Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
and Yothu Yindi's Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Yunupingu , born 17 September 1956, is an Aboriginal Australian musician, most notable for being the front man of the band Yothu Yindi.-Early life:...
by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Australia and it peaked at No. 17 on the ARIA Singles Charts in June.
Yothu Yindi's fifth album One Blood
One Blood (album)
One Blood is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1999 under the Yothu Yindi Music label.-Track listing:# "Laykarrambu" # "One Blood"...
was released in 1999 and included "Treaty '98". They sponsored the Yothu Yindi Foundation, which produces the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
The Garma Festival of Traditional Culture is an annual festival that is held in north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is a celebration of the cultural inheritance of the Yolngu people.-History:...
celebrating Yolngu culture from 1999, and their sixth album Garma was released in 2000, with Cal Williams returning on guitars. In 2000, Yothu Yindi performed at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. On 9 August 2000, 30-year old Betsy Yunupingu was kicked in the head and subsequently died, Yothu Yindi band member Gavin Makuma Yunupingu was found guilty of "committing a dangerous act causing death" and in June 2002 he was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment at Berrimah Jail, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. Gavin is the son of Galarrwuy and nephew of Mandawuy.
In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Treaty" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time. In 2003 Yothu Yindi toured through Northern Territory schools with Mandawuy Yunupingu, yidaki players Gapanbulu Yunupingu and Nicky Yunupingu, and Kellaway using songs, storytelling and open discussions to inspire and encourage some of Australia's most vulnerable young people to attend school and stay healthy. The Yothu Yindi Foundation in May 2007 established the Dilthan Yolngunha (Healing Place) using traditional healing practices and mainstream medicines. On 23 July 2008 a 23-year old woman was stabbed numerous times, Nicky Yunupingu, who was described by Northern Territory police as the offender, was later found dead by hanging. Nicky was the nephew of both Galarrwuy and Mandawuy Yunupingu, and, as members of Yothu Yindi, they had just played a concert for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
some hours before the stabbing of the woman, who was admitted to hospital, and Nicky's subsequent death.
In 2009, News.com.au reported that Yothu Yindi lead singer Mandawuy Yunupingu needed a kidney transplant due to chronic alcoholism. Yunupingu said he drank up to four cartons of alcohol a day. "Alcohol was a big influence in my life. I didn't know what harm it did to my body. Before I knew, it was too late," he said.
Members
Arranged alphabetically:- Andrew Bellety — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Hughie Benjamin — drums
- Jodie Cockatoo Creed — vocals
- Sophie Garrkali — dancer
- Natalie Gillespie — vocals
- Julie Gungunbuy — dancer
- Ben Hakalitz — drums
- Stuart Kellaway — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Banula Marika — vocals, dance
- Bunimburr Marika — yidaki (didgeridooDidgeridooThe 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"...
) - Witiyana Marika — manikay (traditional vocals), bilma (ironwood clapstickClapstickClapsticks or clappers are a type of drumstick or percussion mallet that are used to serve the purpose of maintaining rhythm. Unlike drumsticks, which are generally used to strike a drum, clapsticks are intended for striking one stick on another....
s), dancer - Milkayngu Mununggurr — yidaki
- Tom Neil — harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
/triangle player - Baruka Tau-Matagu — keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Cal Williams — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Bart Willoughby — drums
- Galarrwuy YunupinguGalarrwuy YunupinguGalarrwuy YunupinguAM is a leader in the Australian Indigenous community, and has been involved in the fight for Land Rights throughout his career...
— vocals, bilma, guitar - Gapanbulu Yunupingu — yidaki
- Gavin Makuma Yunupingu — yidaki, bilma, vocals
- Geoffrey Gurrumul YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul YunupinguGeoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is an Indigenous Australian musician, who sings in the Yolngu language.He was born in Galiwin'ku , off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia about 350 miles from Darwin. He is from the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu and his mother from the Galpu nation...
— keyboards, guitar, percussion, yidaki, vocals - Mandawuy YunupinguMandawuy YunupinguMandawuy Yunupingu , born 17 September 1956, is an Aboriginal Australian musician, most notable for being the front man of the band Yothu Yindi.-Early life:...
— singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, guitar - Mangatjay Yunupingu — dancer
- Narripapa Nicky Yunupingu — yidaki, dancer (d. 23 July 2008)
Awards
- 1991 - Human Rights and Equal Opportunity CommissionHuman Rights and Equal Opportunity CommissionThe Australian Human Rights Commission is a national human rights institution, a statutory body funded by, but operating independently of, the Australian Government. It has the responsibility for investigating alleged infringements under Australia’s anti-discrimination legislation...
Songwriting Award for "Treaty".
ARIA Awards
Yothu Yindi has won eight Australian Recording Industry AssociationAustralian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
from 14 nominations.
|-
| rowspan="6"| 1992
ARIA Music Awards of 1992
The Sixth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1992 at the World Congress Centre in Melbourne. Hosts were international guest, Julian Lennon and local Richard Wilkins, they were assisted by presenters, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart and Mick Jones to distribute 24...
|| Louise Beach / Mushroom Art – Tribal Voice
Tribal Voice
-Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" #"Treaty" #"Djäpana" #"My Kind of Life" #"Maralitja" -Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" (Traditional song, arranged by Galarrwuy Yunupingu)#"Treaty"...
|| Best Cover Art ||
|-
| | Tribal Voice
Tribal Voice
-Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" #"Treaty" #"Djäpana" #"My Kind of Life" #"Maralitja" -Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" (Traditional song, arranged by Galarrwuy Yunupingu)#"Treaty"...
|| Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| "Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix)" || Best Video ||
|-
| | Single of the Year ||
|-
| | "Treaty" || Song of the Year ||
|-
| | David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson, Simon Polinski – "Maralitja", "Dharpa", "Treaty", "Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix)", "Tribal Voice" || Engineer of the Year ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1993
ARIA Music Awards of 1993
The Seventh Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 14 April 1993 at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney. Host, Richard Wilkins, was assisted by presenters, James Reyne, Elle Macpherson, Billy Birmingham, Tim Finn, Neil Finn and Daryl Somers to distribute 24 awards...
|| "Djapana" || Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| | Stephen Johnson – "Djapana" || Best Video ||
|-
| | Greg Henderson – "Djapana", "Tribal Voice" || Engineer of the Year ||
|-
| | 1994
ARIA Music Awards of 1994
The Eighth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 30 March 1994 at the State Theatre in Sydney...
|| Freedom
Freedom (Yothu Yindi album)
Freedom is an album by Yothu Yindi released in 1993 under the Mushroom Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:#"Timeless Land" #"World of Innocence"...
|| Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| | 1995
ARIA Music Awards of 1995
The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 19-month gap since the previous award ceremony which was moved to be "closer to the business end of the music industry's year"...
|| "Dots on the Shells" || Best Indigenous Release ||
|-
| | 1997
ARIA Music Awards of 1997
The eleventh Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 22 September 1997 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The event was hosted by Australian actor–comedian Paul McDermott, with presenters Elle McFeast, Kylie Minogue, Ben Folds and The Presidents of the United...
|| Birrkuta - Wild Honey
Birrkuta - Wild Honey
Birrkuta – Wild Honey is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1996 under the Yothu Yindi Music record label.-Track listing:#"Tears for Law" #"Yolngu Woman"...
|| Best Indigenous Release ||
Discography
Albums- Homeland MovementHomeland Movement (album)Homeland Movement is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1989 on the Mushroom Records label.-Track listing:* "Mainstream" * "Yolngu Woman" * "Homeland Movement" * "Djapana"...
(1988) - Tribal VoiceTribal Voice-Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" #"Treaty" #"Djäpana" #"My Kind of Life" #"Maralitja" -Reception:The album reached a peak of #4 on the ARIA album charts.-Track listing:#"Gapu" (Traditional song, arranged by Galarrwuy Yunupingu)#"Treaty"...
(1991) - FreedomFreedom (Yothu Yindi album)Freedom is an album by Yothu Yindi released in 1993 under the Mushroom Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:#"Timeless Land" #"World of Innocence"...
(1993) - Birrkuta - Wild HoneyBirrkuta - Wild HoneyBirrkuta – Wild Honey is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1996 under the Yothu Yindi Music record label.-Track listing:#"Tears for Law" #"Yolngu Woman"...
(1996) - One BloodOne Blood (album)One Blood is an album by Yothu Yindi that was released in 1999 under the Yothu Yindi Music label.-Track listing:# "Laykarrambu" # "One Blood"...
(1998) - Garma (2000)
External links
- Yothu Yindi official website
- The Yolngu
- Garma Festival home page
- Listen to an excerpt of 'Treaty' on australianscreen online.
- Yothu Yindi at the National Film and Sound Archive