Watjuku Gurruwiwi

Date of Birth - c. 1955
Moiety - Dhuwa
Homeland - Ngaypinya
Clan - Gälpu
Clan language - Dhangu

Firstly I would like to introduce myself. My name is Andy Watjuku Gurruwiwi. Djalu's my cousin in mother's side, mother's side... he's my cousin. Djalu we come from same area, same dreaming and he's a famous... Djalu's a famous didjeridu maker, same like my old man. My father was an artist, well known artist. My father Mithinarri was famous, you know....he used to produce, make didjeridu, locally, but nowadays, I pick up some magazine and go through magazine and look at all some other people doing it in other parts of the country... in Australia or somewhere in... somewhere in overseas, places like Germany or other places...

When they want to make a didjeridu, they want to talk about Aboriginal thing that they was taught by Aboriginal People, but.. but yidaki itself, didjeridu, eh... was originally made, made here in East Arnhem Land.

Nowadays you see, throughout the world, people making lots of didjeridu, some not properly, properly made out of what comes naturally, what the nature has provided, you know? because we Yolngu people, we don't use a drill... drill and uh, make hole like this (pointing to the mouthpiece) This is natural... (pointing to his yidaki) it is eaten by wild ants, but we don't use cutting with jigsaw... because it just undermining the Aboriginal thing, you know? The way of making didjeridu, you know? Because I believe that the way it is done in overseas is something that is not the way it should be, you know. It should be locally made, you know your local product, you know? That is what Yolngu people believe, you know?

But some Yolngu, other people (Aboriginals outside of Arnhem Land) who are making didjeridu up or even painting it, painting it using a totem like snakes, brolga, you know? That has to go with the right didjeridu, then that can tell that didjeridu has been made by a traditional Yolngu person, not from urban Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal People. They just taking... taking our rights away from Yolngu People.... places down south... central as well, that area, they only use boomerang not didjeridu. But didjeridu only for the Northern part of the Australia...

So it's really hard nowadays that people just want... want to make up a didjeridu. Firstly they'll think.... think that is made by Yolngu People, but they copy it from, copy it from Yolngu People. I didn't go to internet and pick it up... I'm carrying on my old man's tradition.

Nowadays that we got the new technology like internet it's quicker to get well known through the world, you know? But before long time ago when my old man was making didjeridu, it was really hard... you have to put it on paper, send off, take it out, to take it in to some part of like museum, gallery... do little bit of exhibitions. But with that new technology it's quicker, then everybody gets to know like that, with the flick of a mouse, you get to other side of the world...

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