Introduction

The didjeridu, or yidaki, as it is known in northeast Arnhem Land, is an instrument that originated in Aboriginal Australia but has since spread all over the world in different forms. As it has travelled, it has become removed from its ritual origins, evolving into a fun tool of self-expression for people from many cultures around the world. Many myths have been spread about its origins and uses. As indicated in the 1999 Garma Yidaki Statement, some of the instrument's traditional owners are concerned about this and wish to spread accurate information and gain increased respect for their culture.

read the 1999 Garma Yidaki Statement HERE. (opens in a new window)

This website has been prepared with this goal in mind, as a collaboration between many Yol\u Aboriginal People, Buku-Larr\gay Mulka, the art and craft centre in remote Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia and myself, a musician from the United States of America who relocated to Australia to learn about the yidaki as part of a Masters Degree in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at Charles Darwin University, sponsored by a fellowship from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission. We've created this site to answer questions and clarify common misconceptions about the didjeridu, from the perspective of Yol\u Aboriginal People.

While there are some notes on how the instrument is played, it is only to show a few ways Yol\u yidaki playing is different from other styles. This is not a comprehensive “How to Play Didjeridu” website. We have also produced the CD Hard Tongue Didgeridoo. This CD teaches the fundamentals of Yol\u yidaki playing.

Part of the development of this website was a survey conducted among didjeridu players who are active on the internet, to assess worldwide knowledge of and interest in Yol\u yidaki and to collect statements on various issues related to the didjeridu. With the results, presented in the appendices of this website, a channel of communication was opened between cultures, and Yol\u could see what sort of response was necessary. Thank you to all those who participated in the survey.

It must be noted right from the start that the didjeridu is not solely owned by Yol\u People. There are many diverse Aboriginal groups who have used the instrument for a long time, and no one group can claim full ownership of it. It is also impossible to represent all the views of a whole cultural group in one small document. This website represents the views of certain individuals of one cultural group in one small part of Northern Australia, some of the people who are traditional owners of the specific didjeridu known as yidaki.

Yol\u knowledge belongs to Yol\u people. Information, images, video and audio provided here are to be treated with respect and not reused without permission. If you have any questions about use of this material, please contact us online or send mail to:

Buku-Larr\gay Mulka Centre
CMB1 Yirrkala NT 0880
Australia

While we've tried to anticipate all the basic questions you might like to ask Yol\u about the yidaki, if you have questions that you think need to be addressed on this site, let us know via the above contact information. If it is appropriate and we have time, we will make additions.

The website is set up like a book, and has a natural progression of information that builds on earlier material as it goes. It is meant to be viewed from beginning to end, one page at a time. You can skip to the bits you are most interested in if you like, but your understanding of the whole will be much better if you start from the beginning!

All that being said, I hope you enjoy viewing this site, and hope it makes you think and feel more deeply about the didjeridu. Whether you play the instrument as a way to connect to Aboriginal Australia or use it solely for self-expression, I hope you learn something and gain respect and appreciation for the culture that invented the didjeridu.

Randin Graves
Yirrkala, NT Australia