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Documentary series. In Arnhem Land, Northern Australia, a family works to create a 'yidaki' - an ancient and sacred Aboriginal instrument also known as a didgeridoo.

In Arnhem Land in the remote tropical north of Australia, the Gurruwiwi family of the Yolngu Aboriginal people, reveal the world of the 'yidaki', a sacred instrument better known to outsiders as the didgeridoo.

Believing the yidaki can heal people, control the weather, and summon ancestral spirits, the Yolngu place great importance on the making and playing of this instrument. The yidaki is a key feature of local ceremonial life and is used to play 'songlines', the stories of ancestors that the Yolngu communicate through music and dance.

Beginning with a 'hunt' for suitable stringybark trees, the tree is then hollowed out, shaped, and given sacred ceremonial paintings with ochres. The film culminates in a 'bunggul', a ceremonial dance where the yidaki is given its first outing.

Many of the beliefs expressed by the Gurruwiwi family have remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Yet, the modern world has definitely arrived.

29 minutes

Last on

Mon 1 Aug 2022 01:45

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Credits

Role Contributor
Director Alex Brisland
Director of photography Sam Frederick
Executive Producer Russell Barnes
Production Manager Clare Burns
Editor Rob Franz
Production Company ClearStory Ltd

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