Eliot Stone's Fulbright research project

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:57 pm

Eliot Stone from Texas, USA, has approached iDIDJ Australia with a proposed Fulbright research project which I have Mr Stone's permission to post here on the Forum. If anyone has feedback, suggestions, comments, criticisms, additions etc. please feel free to chip in. My thinking is that, collectively, we will be able to better critique this proposal than if only I was to tackle this. I helped Randin (better known as Randy to all of us) Graves formulate his Fulbright project many years ago which he has successfully and recently completed... if you're reading this, congrats again Randy.

Mr Stone's proposal is as follows:

Quote:

As per our last exchange, I had not come up with a complete workable project and over the course of the last two months, I have been working with professors and classmates to come up with an idea. I came up with something that plays into my skills and training and remains both beneficial to the Yolngu people and to the continual cultural exchange we share with them through the didgeridoo. If you see any problems with this plan, no matter how minuscule, please point them out. I would appreciate your support while carrying out this project and I hope that this project can turn into something worthwhile. Basically, I want to cataloge the phonetical systems that didgeridoo playing communities use to actually play the instrument and establish those phonetics as part of their intangible cultural heritage. Here is a more detailed explanatation of what I mean, however, it is still far from complete.

In the past 15-20 years the didgeridoo has become more and more popularized as a world music instrument. Many musicians from varied backgrounds play this instrument and add their own musical aesthetic interpretations of how it should sound to their final products. Because of the specific origin of this instrument, many peoples' first encounter with the didgeridoo comes from recordings or live performances of non-aboriginal musicians. This is problematic because the very sound itself is dramatically changed when played by aboriginal people. Reasons for this difference in sound are many and varied, but the most important aspect of playing this instrument has the most dramatic affect on the sounds produced.

The didgeridoo is an aerophone that produces rhythmic pulses based on the phonetics of the player. As a player produces sounds with his vocal apparatus the didgeridoo acts as an amplifier. It then follows that just as each language in the world has phonetical differences, didgeridoo sounds produced by speakers of different languages would produce different sounds through the instrument. Because of the difference in sound that non-aboriginal players create while playing this instrument, I believe it is important to recognize and establish the authentic sounds of the didgeridoo in order to accurately represent their cultures and broaden worldwide awareness of the traditional methods of playing this instrument.

Language is not the only reason for misrepresentation of this instrument, however. As societies the world over rush to modernize, few cultures, if any, are fighting the forces of change. Aboriginal society is no exception. In the mid to late 80s an aboriginal rock band Yothu Yindi was formed. This band featured a didgeridoo player accompanied with Western instruments such as the guitar and drum kit. Yothu Yindi became world famous and exposed many people to the aboriginal playing style of the didgerioo, however, the music yothu yindi created was obviously pandering to a Western musical aesthetic. This is evident in that guitar, bass, etc were never part of aboriginal peoples' musical repetoir.

I propose that this problem of misrepresentation of the didgeridoo be resolved by creating a World Heritage Site in North East Arhnemland. By cataloging specific playing styles of the didgeridoo present in Australia, we can perhaps preserve them as part of the intangible cultural heritage of the indigenous people of Australia. By having a specific facette of the didgeridoo's sound identified and cataloged, UNESCO can proclaim the sung rhythms of the didgeridoo as part of a culture's intangible heritage and allocate funds to use modern equipment to preserve them. I believe that my research could be a basis for accomplishing this final goal.

I'm confident that you are familiar with UNESCO and the proclamations they establish every 2 years. If not here is a link to a summary of what that entails.

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev. ... N=201.html

I would like to get a dialouge going about my project as soon as possible, so even if I need to call you in Australia to make things progress at a faster rate, I don't mind paying the phone bill. Let me know what you think, if you are willing to support this project, etc. and hopefully we can get the ball rolling!

kdidj · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:03 am **Posts:** 470

A very interesting idea and quite a project to take on. Why limit it to North East Arnhem Land though as evidence shows that there are tribes in other regions that include the didjeridu as part of their cultural heritage. Of course, this may mean a larger geographical area would need to be covered but the end results would be far more comprehensive as far as the instrument and it's traditional context is concerned.

These are just my initial thoughts but I'll happily contribute more in due course once I've had time to digest Eliot's proposal thoroughly.

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:37 pm

kdidj wrote:

A very interesting idea and quite a project to take on. Why limit it to North East Arnhem Land though as evidence shows that there are tribes in other regions that include the didjeridu as part of their cultural heritage.

Hey Kyle,

I'd say that it is to contain the project so that it doesn't grow into something that is not possible to accomplish because of the enormity of the tasks involved as well as the sheer geographic spread that would need to be covered to be comprehensive and all-inclusive.

My main criticism is that when it comes to a phonetic system, what we're really talking about is technique. A 'system' doesn't really exist, at least in my mind, not in the sense that we understand it in our society where there are discrete parts that together make up the 'system'. That is not to say that there isn't a chance of recognising traditional technique as intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO.

I too have to think about the proposal in more detail...

Guan

kdidj · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:03 am **Posts:** 470

I agree with your thoughts. It does seem to be 'grasping at straws' a bit and searching for a topic that can be applied to the Fulbright. At the end of the day it is indeed technique that will be studied and there is as much diversity amongst individual players as there is amongst language groups etc.

SeriousChris · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:23 pm

Quote:

World Heritage Site in North East Arhnemland. By cataloging specific playing styles of the didgeridoo present in Australia, we can perhaps preserve

If he wants to focus on NEAL, I'd say that he's too late with his idea, unfortunately. The multimedia centre at Buku Larrnggay is in its last finishing stages and its purpose is exactly this: to become a world heritage site of sound, video and images of Yolngu culture.
WAL on the other hand would be more promising as, although there's the Murriny Patha Song Project by Marett and Co., a further analysis of the different didgeridoo playing styles is still missing.

flyangler18 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:44 pm

Quote:

WAL on the other hand would be more promising as, although there's the Murriny Patha Song Project by Marett and Co., a further analysis of the different didgeridoo playing styles is still missing.

Focusing study on WAL will likely prove more useful because, as Christian pointed out, the multimedia centre at Buku has already covered this ground, it seems to me.

As you've pointed out before, Guan, there seems to be a real decline of interest among young Bininj in learning ceremony, and a project such as this may be the needed 'nudge' to reinvigorate interest in these matters of intangible cultural heritage. A project centered around Maningrida and Ramingining would yield varied results given the varied language groups and accompanying techniques of didgeridoo play centered in those locations.

kdidj · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:03 am **Posts:** 470

Ramingining is part of the Yolngu group so focusing further west, i.e. Maningrida west to Oenpelli/Gunbalanya and up to Croker Island would be better if the Bininj and associated clan groups were to be the focus.

flyangler18 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:14 am

Quote:

Ramingining is part of the Yolngu group

True, but I also understand it to be a bit of a melting pot as well so I wouldn't want to drop it off the radar just yet. Probably shouldn't be the locus of the research, but could appear as supplementary evidence.

As for Maningrida west to Croker, absolutely!

danielsaan · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:28 am

Will this chap want to record formal clan songs? If so, how is he going to gain enough leverage in the relatively short time he will have for his research to be allowed to document them? What will happen to the field recordings he makes? How will he make his findings available to the academic world, if he does get access to clan secret-sacred data? Although I suspect that members of the academic world have been accepted by members of indiginous society, and this may help him 'in', taking data out could prove interesting.

p.s. if this guy needs a chap to come with him and carry his stuff, then I call shot-gun on that oppotunity!

Yirrkala Arts · **Posted:** Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:51 pm

Hey, if a guy wants to come to NEAL, don't tell him he's got to go somewhere else. ;-)

Yes, we've got the Mulka Project at Buku just about ready to launch, but we're very open to proposed projects and partnerships. If he's successful in his application, perhaps he can base himself here for a time and give some Yolngu here practice in recording and documenting techniques.

Seems to me that he could actually cover lots of ground with this. He's only writing about phonetics and techniques, not about sacred contexts. With a bit of funding, it wouldn't take long to do some recording of played and sung rhythms of heaps of Yolngu up here in the far norteast, and then move on. Maybe two months here to get established and get to know some Yolngu, a month at Elcho, a few weeks each at Gapuwiyak, Ramo, Yurrwi, Maningrida... a survey right across the Top End, wouldn't that be a dream trip? Then use it alongside recordings of Alice Moyle's similar work to show this over multiple generations.

The best thing of all about the Fulbright fellowship though is that they're mainly looking for bright people with good ideas who will make good ambassadors. You're not held strictly to your original proposal. So come up with something grand, then just find out what happens when you get here!

The biggest problem right off is that I was a 2003-4 Fulbright scholar with a closely related project. I don't know Eliot, but I assume that he knows this, eh Guan? Rather than ignoring that fact, I think it would look better on his proposal if he made reference to my work and frames his as a follow up on specific elements of my project. He can point to M*lk*y's CD and parts of the Yidakiwuy Dhawu website as work by a former Fulbright scholar that he'll be expanding. That'll make him look much better informed. Otherwise, they might just say, 'we've already got a yidaki scholar.'

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Mon Jul 02, 2007 10:28 pm

Hey Randy,

The research aspect would be really interesting I reckon. Getting a place recognised as World Heritage, however, is more than just research and would involve lobbying and other work and would be beyond the scope of a Fulbright project I think. It would be one ambitious and highly motivated person who would attempt to get trad technique recognised as intangible cultural heritage, and on that basis, get part of Arnhem Land protected under the instrument of World Heritage listing. I'm not saying it can't be done, but boy it is a LOT of work.

World Heritage listing is actually quite a difficult thing to achieve as the criteria are stringent. Here's the website:

http://whc.unesco.org/

It reminds me of the Register of the National Estate which is an Australian thing. Our Biological Anthropology group at university got the Arafura Wetlands system in Arnhem Land listed in the Register as a natural and cultural landscape which at that time was quite a novel thing as most places on the Register were listed as natural landscapes. For anyone who is interested in these sorts of things, take a look here:

http://www.ahc.gov.au/index.html

I've got reservations too that a project with a similar subject matter to yours might not be looked on favourably this time around by the Fulbright mob. We can only try! I've provided Eliot Stone with your contact details including phone number some months ago and he knows your work, don't worry.

Guan

Yirrkala Arts · **Posted:** Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:06 pm

ididjaustralia wrote:

World Heritage listing is actually quite a difficult thing to achieve as the criteria are stringent.

Yeah... that's why I didn't say anything about that element of the proposal, because I couldn't think of anything encouraging to say about that! Still - even without any big target like World Heritage status, stating that my Fulbright work did great education based on one region, and then adding the goal of taking that further with different communities sounds pretty good to me, and the best shot of being another 'yidaki fellow.'

I don't know if the world heritage thing will make the proposal seem unrealistic, though. So tough to say.

eliotstone · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 10:21 am **Posts:** 14

Wow, great responses! Thank you all for contributing your thoughts. I really liked the ideas proposed by Randy and I expected nothing less seeing as how you have been there as long as you have. I have your contact information including your phone number. Is there anyway we can set up a time to chat and perhaps expand on some of the ideas you proposed (i.e. surveying multiple locals, etc.)? I also wanted to clarify that the idea of applying for UNESCO funds is definitely outside the ambit of a Fulbright project, however, setting goals that extend into the future and that require continued work are often what Fulbright is looking for. I only mentioned the idea to establish that my preliminary research could one day amount to a grand and beneficial end for the Aboriginal people.

Thanks,
Eliot Stone

flyangler18 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 14, 2007 3:45 am

Welcome Eliot. Now of course the burning question- do you play?

eliotstone · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 10:21 am **Posts:** 14

thank you! Yes, i do play in fact. you can see some older recordings of my yolngu style playing on youtube.com. just look up eliotstone as a user name.

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