Indigenous Cultural Livelihoods In Focus
Interviews by John Greatorex
Dhaŋgal 2: Livelihoods from Yidaki and Tourism
Monday 8 August, Garma 2005
[This following text has been translated from Galpu}
John: Ŋandi, would you mind telling about what you do with yidaki?
Dhaŋgal 2: In a Yolŋu language?
John: Whatever you like.
Dhaŋgal: And you can translate this when you return, ok? Right now there is only our family working with Yidaki. Yidakis are our business.
Long ago when Djalu was selling yidaki at Galiwin'ku. He received income for selling them, then later he moved to Ski Beach. He made yidakis with his own hands. Many people would approach him, locals, others from Darwin and from 'down south'. They heard about Djalu's yidakis and they came here, to Gunyaŋara.
He would go and cut two or three then come back and begin to work. Ŋapaki would go to him to buy one. If he needed food he would sell them at the Yirrkala craft shop.
When tourists from overseas went there (to the art and craft shop) they would ask, 'Who made this yidaki?' They would tell them. 'These were made by Djalu.' Overseas people would order yidaki from the craft shop, then they would ask. "Who made this Yidaki?"' He became well known, his name became big.
Then Djalu and I thought of starting our own business because many people were going to him (for Yidakis). He asked me for assistance, so I left my work and started to help him. We have been running this for years.
One Ŋapaki helped us, an Italian ŋapaki, - um, what's his name, Jan Luka Valentini, an Italian. He helped us. Others came and talked about [helping us to] make web-pages and start a business, but we didn't believe in them. They were just playing with words, no action.
We believed in that Italian man. He stayed at Gunyaŋara, he's a business man, with a big name. He sat on a mat like this, and we spoke together. Not long after, there was a web page. We employed one man, his name, Adam Fletcher from Melbourne, then he started designing web pages.
He would ring up and ask what to put into the computer for the web pages. Pictures were taken of Djalu, and a story welcoming everybody to the Yidaki. We are still working on it.
We have a problem. How can we make the young people to be sensible, to be interested in this work? Nowadays they want to go their own way, grog and grass are number one in their lives. There is nothing else in their lives. But how do they see other things?
We tried to return to Gikal (our homeland) and run our business from there, and other businesses, but there's no funding. Now we are thinking, whatever small amount of money that comes, from where ever, from selling yidaki, we'll give them (the young people) some money so it will encourage them, so they can see that there is money available through yidakis.
That might open their minds to work, to live and work on the homeland, for later on, for the future, the future. So the young people can live on their homeland, working and running their own business. Whatever it is they want to do. Whether it is yidaki, or farming seafoods. Use what the land is supplying, fish, crabs, shellfish, or oysters or clams, farming, and fish farming. Send them off fresh, to interstate and overseas.
That's the type of business that Yiwarr might help us with, but when? First we must keep trying to encourage our own young ones, and our family to return to our country, to Gikal. Stop their cravings for grog and marijuana, so that they will live with clear heads, without alcohol or marijuana on their minds, and look clearly to the future, to where we are heading.
John: You have lots of energy for your work.
Dhaŋgal: Firstly, I thank God for my strong determined spirit, to reject bad and powerful influences that come our way. I also see the present generation, for whatever reason are giving away their power, and following a path of rejecting our ways, rejecting the ways that our elders passed to us, the way they lived. We must be joyous in the ways of the elders, without grog, without other (bad) influences. They weren't confused. In the past all families grew up following the straight path, the mind is what (I'm) mainly talking about. They lived with clear heads (and thoughts).
Now marijuana is confusing the young ones minds, alcohol will break you down, but marijuana causes confused heads. That person will talk right, but make wrong decisions. They think only of themselves. They don't listen to discipline. We are tired of seeing families going down the drain.
That's why we are thinking about moving, back to Gikal, or another country, that's what my families want. I want my families to move to Gikal. That's our country. So we can have a good life. Running our business properly, with just our family, yothu-yindi. Tourist can go if they like, if they pay us a small amount for (going there), then that money would help us grow, and provide employment for families.
Sweat is important, if we go back to land (our homeland), our own land will be pleased, there will be no one saying to us "You've got no homeland, shove off from here!"
Only our families will be there, as one, working together as one, the young ones will be taught how to behave, like before when the old people lived as one.
See: www.djalu.com