iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

It may come as a surprise, but Darryl Digarrnga said the other day that he also has Bunggul-type ceremonies. These are known as Marrnguny and are Yirritja, a bit like the Mularra song series that belong to the Dhuwa... to his Rembarrnga brothers-in-law for example.

Marrnguny is a black catfish species with a yellow underbelly. Though the song series is known as Marrnguny, there are a variety of song subjects other than catfish that together make up the Marrnguny performance.

I have Darryl on video talking about this and giving a demonstration of the didgeridoo accompaniment. Whilst he has every right to play this style, he says he doesn't because he hasn't learn it properly. That's why he sticks to Gunborrk style which his grandfather taught him.

If there's one lesson that I've learnt about methodology and interview style with Indigenous Australians, it is that direct questioning is often a poor form of eliciting information. Participant observation is the way to go. When you least expect it, information gets offered freely or if you listen in on a conversation between countrymen you'll pick up treads of the conversation which can then form the basis for further questioning etc.

Will upload to YouTube at some stage... keep tuned!

Guan

Sounds interesting, but not surprising. I remember Paddy Fordham's (Rembarrnga) playing style on Arnhem Land Popular Classics as being distinctly Bunngul sounding!

Quite right, Kyle. I believe it's actually labeled as such in the liner notes

Like you, I don't find this surprising (though it is quite interesting and worthy of discussion).

I wonder if the movement of styles has something to do with a diaspora of sorts- with groups 'owning' certain traditions being displaced from clan estates into new areas.

Jason

Yup, you're right there. Can someone check the liner notes for ALPC? If I remember correctly (a big ask) there might have been a mention of Dhay'yi or Warramiri songs attributed to the stuff Paddy was playing. Can anyone check? I'm pretty sure they are not his own Rembarrnga songs. Dhay'yi and Warramiri are NEAL people who call themselves Yolngu and speak a suffixing language.

I found out the proper pronunciation of Paddy's bush name too! It should be Wanyburrwanga if using YM orthography.

I'll check the notes this evening. The entry on Manikay doesn't go beyond the basics.



Jason

Hi Jason,

Again, I'm not sure if the assumption of 'movement of styles' is correct. Sure, there's no such thing as stasis when it comes to culture and traditions. But Bininy and Yolngu would claim to have always had their dances, songs, ceremonies and all other cultural property that they can identify as theirs. Unless it is within living memory that certain things got traded between groups, whether it was done freely as a gesture of diplomacy and as an attempt to forge closer economic and social ties with one another. Or as an extraction of 'payback'. I've got some information recorded about this for Djinba, Djinang and Rembarrnga people.

As to the question why some groups have both overtone-present and overtone-absent didgeridoo accompaniment in ceremonial ritual, I don't know really.

Ok, Da'i or correctly Dhay'yi is a Yolngu dialect, not Rembarrnga. Thanks for checking Jason!

Now the question that comes to mind is "Why was Paddy and Billy performing Dhay'yi songs?".

Guan

Exactly! Unfortunately with Paddy's somewhat recent passing we may never know.

Hmm, maybe I should have phrased differently. This often comes up on the forums- looking at traditions as if they are in stasis, and figures such as Paddy Fordham becomes 'examples' for a bit of head-scratching and speculation.

Many identify certain geographical regions of Arnhemland and surrounds as being distinctively 'mago' areas i.e Beswick due to the activities of Blanasi, Tom Kelly, Mickey Hall; hence the confusion when Paddy Fordham's rhythmic patterning doesn't fit nicely into this bucket.

I think what causes the most confusion are those exchanges within living memory-- and again, the fact that these are living traditions makes simple categorization and pigeon-holing impossible. Short of direct questioning, we're left to grasp at straws. Paddy's recent passing may make any discovery into this question impossible.

Jason

I did ask Darryl about "Billy Luganawi" which I would spell as Lukanhawuy but I've forgotten now! Darryl did elicit some information on him including the fact the Billy is no longer with us. But I don't think he said he was Dhay'yi. There are ways of discovering the past so to speak, even when the people directly in question are deceased. I bet Jack Nawilil the old djunggayi for Mialli would know something, or perhaps even Paddy's son Lurick Fordham.

Good one! I'd like to hear what he has to say.

Hi Jason,

Ok, I'm a lot clearer now. I do agree that Paddy's playing style on ALPC is indeed intriguing. I'd love to know why he played the way he played. I would speculate that it is an anomaly in that it is not a widespread Rembarrnga practice, but, instead, was something that Paddy as an individual picked up through association with other groups.

I'm all with you on the shortcomings of simple classification systems.

When I get a chance I'll see if I can find some answers among Yolngu and Bininy on the ALPC recording. Will be an exciting discovery!

Guan

Further to your last post on Paddy's unique playing style I'll comment on his unique painting style, which he developed as a result of not reaching certain age grading levels at ceremony (or at least this is my understanding of the situation). This lack of seniority actually allowed Paddy to create his signature painting style which in turn enrichened his repuation!

Perhaps his playing style has a similar story!

I reminded of a passage in Nancy Williams' book 'Yolngu and their Land", where Williams relates senior Yolngu men who, in their efforts to help non-indigenous people understand their law/connection to land, oversimplified the complexities of their system. Those opposed to Aboriginal land-rights looked at systems that didn't fit neatly as 'evidence' that there wasn't a system of law and polity!!

I dug out the liner notes of ALPC. Here is what they say about three Da'i Bungguls.. I love these commentaries.

Three northeastern Arnhem Land BUNGGULS of the Da'i or Idjduwa song cycle, entitled a. & b. "Wana Gana. Wana Gana. Gojda Jududa." two renditions; c & d, "Da Da Da. Jiri Ganangga Daj-banjdji" two renditions; and e. "Boj Boj Ba," one rendition.

The songman is Billy Luganawi, 36 years (Wylaggy and Rembarnnga languages), accompanying himself with a pair of firewood billets held high before the chest. Paddy Wanjburwanga Fourdom, 25 years (Rembarrnga) pulls the didjeridu, a thick-walled, slightly conical, narrow-bored 4' 7 1/2" long newly made instrument with beeswax mouthpiece. At the conclusion of his didjeridu accompaniment, Paddy occasionally joins in duet with Billy for the final few bars of singing. Songs of this "BUNGGUL" style are calle "MANIGAJ" at Maningrida (L. Hiatt). This is a Jiridja Moeiety song cycle specific to a group of patrilineal descent groups south of Arnhem Bay, and the texts accompanying dances share themes relating to the totemic lore of these groups. Billy had learned the songs during previous contacts with Ridjarnngu visitors from the Goyder River area to Mainoru or Beswick Station, and the texts are in a mixture of current and archaic words from several northeastern Arnhem Land languages. ...


Actually looking through it now, there is a lot of interesting information in these liner notes. A treasure trove of details.

I was quite struck by the comments related to track 5. Port Keats Wongga.

A western Arnhem Land WONGGA style song, entitled "Mamungg Nawodaji, Mamungg Wind-jani," sung by Gordon Gulambara, 31 years (Djawanj language), accompanying himself with a pair of firewood billets. Henry Roper, 22 years (Ngalagan and Mara languages), pulls the didjeridu, a crooked, leaky, heavily caulked, thick-walled, slightly conical-bored, and altogether unsatisfactory instrument 3'8" long with beeswax mouthpiece. The didjeridu was the only one available of correct length to match the singer's voice and required contant sluicing with water to maintain a dubious air seal. Gordon learned the song from his recently deceased father, who had in turn learned it from the still-living composer, Mick Ronnie, 60 years (Bringgen language). The text is a combination of modern language and conventionalized burdened syllables, which Gordon recites at the end of the performance.....

sorry for the deviation, but I started trasncribing and couldn't stop.