iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Having been active in the world-wide didj community for several years, I have a few questions of my own about ethics and authenticity.

For example, an Australian didj maker based in the NT (whos name will be kept anonymous out of respect,) charges around $3,000 to $5,000 for a didjeridu. Granted, the instruments sound great, and are made from high quality Eucalyptus. Also, these instruments are not claimed to be "authentic," or "traditional" by the maker. The instruments are not painted, and they are not labeled as Yidaki or Mago. They are simply called "didjeridu."

Now, looking at authentic, Yolngu-made instruments for sale on sites like kdidj.com, didgeridoogallery.com, or ididj.com.au, the prices range from around $300-$2000 (max). Furthermore, this money goes back to the artists who craft these instruments.

I am curious as to people's thoughts on this complex issue.

Individuals who have talked to Yolngu people about this issue, what are some of their thoughts on this?

-Simon

Maybe you could pose some questions to make it easier to deal with the issues? Much easier than writing my thoughts on this!

Cheers,

Guan

Well for one, do you consider these actions ethical? Obviously people are free to buy and sell products for whatever price they see fit. I'm just curious as to what someone deeply involved in the trading of traditional Yidaki/Mago thinks about this issue.

I imagine that many Yolngu people are upset that some whitefella is charging $5000 for an instrument that, while having no DIRECT (i.e. tribal color schemes, designs,) connection to Aboriginal culture, originally came from them. Furthermore, their instruments are going for reasonable, yet economically beneficial prices. This bloke's prices simply don't correspond to ANY other didjeridu price I have seen. Granted, I have seen some Djalu didges going for several thousand, but who are we kidding, we know what were paying for there.

Another question I have is, because this guy's instruments are not labeled as "authentic," bearing no clan markings or colors, do some Yolngu feel that it is more acceptable that this guy is charging this insane amount of money for a handcrafted, quality product?

Obviously, different people are going to have different opinions on this topic. I was just curious as to your experiences regarding this issue. Any specific story, conversation, or viewpoint come to mind?

Hi Simon,

As far as ethics are concerned, I don't see anything wrong with it, but mind you, everyone has different shades of ethics so there's bound to be disagreements and different opinions on an issue like that. I do remind people though that for every whitefella-made didgeridoo sold, an Indigneous craftsperson is missing out on potential income. Having said that, I think the more problematic issue is instruments that are obviously low-quality and not authentic (what I call generic, tourist-oriented instruments) but are passed off as the real deal... and sometimes with a price to match. That isn't only unethical, it is downright illegal!

I can't say that I know all Yolngu viewpoints on this, but generally there's no contempt for non-Indigenous made instruments from my personal observations. Sometimes Yolngu would admire the craftsmanship of such 'foreign' instruments, and even marvel at the methods used in production... for example, the Japanese hexagonal didgeridoo that found its way to Djalu! It was in use in ceremony at Ski Beach for a while.

Guan