"Standing
Up Alive" Men's Gathering-
.......The Power Of Spirit.......
PAGE
1
To
write
about this week, feels like one of the hardest writing tasks I've
embarked upon. I feel adrenalin
pumping and heart beating as I begin to
type.
I can't share in detail for many reasons, but by telling my story of
it and many parts of the journey I will endeavor to share the spirit
and
learning's that came from a powerful week.
Being
with a hundred and ten men in
a beautiful bush setting, in sacred
space
for such a time was bound to make it
an amazing time. Add 9 Yolngu
(aboriginal)
men from East Arnhem Land, three
who were elders and
custodians
of Yidaki (didgeridoo), Bilma (Clapsticks) and dance and the
recipe
was spiced and bound to be something else.
Before
I share more on a week with this special mob , I'll share a bit of
background
on the Yolngu people.
The
Yolngu mob as a people only became
connected with white folk in a
substantial
way 50 years back. Their language is totally intact and English
is
their second language. They live in the far far north on the north
eastern
tip of Arnhem Land. They are surrounded by land that they continue
to
own and care for as they have for thousands of years.
When
we consider what has happened to most
other tribes across Australia,
their
country is largely as it always was and they live a very traditional
life
and have found and continue to find
ways to integrate both worlds.
There
are nethertheless many challenges to their people that have come out
of
colonization. Thankfully though they
feel to have the strength to find a
way
through so their culture lives on
rich and strong.
As
you folk know too well, yidaki - didgeridoo and indigenous contempory
music
have become popular throughout the world. Interestingly Djalu as
elder
and custodian of the yidaki, and
Yothu Yindi as a succesful rock and
dance
band, are both Yolngu In their respective ways
they
lead the aboriginal peoples Australia wide in being examples of
aboriginal
culture shared from a place of strength and balance.
Both
Djalu and Yothu Yindi have become
highly respected and loved for the
beauty
in their work and music. It carries the spirit of their people. As
Mandaway
from Yothu Yindi shared in a speach he once gave, "Our music is
all
about continuing to sing love songs to the land, and as Djalu so often
shares
with his hand over his big heart and chest, "Yidaki shares spirit and
comes
from the heart".
Mandaway
went on to encourage us all to find ways to sing love songs to the
land.
Djalu
encourages us to find ways to sing our own heart song through the
didg.
I
share what I have so far to give a background to the blessing it was, to
have
these special men come so far; interested
in us white fellas coming
together,
to find sacred ways to live and work together.
I
reread what I've written so far and feeling the power behind what they
share,
my heart pumps fast again.
Back
to SUA (Standing Up Alive gathering) and a bit on the history of
it
as
a gathering. In Northern New South Wales, since the 60's there has been a
large
influx of people interested and committed to finding alternatives
to
our
western culture. From Bellingen in the South where I live to the Melany
area
in southern Queensland in the north, this area has often been referred
to
as the Rainbow Triangle. Interestingly I've heard said, that its the
positive
pole to the Bermuda Triangle directly opposite on the other side
of
the globe. Either way it has been the home of multiple
occupancy
communities,
festivals, gatherings, workshops and sharings as well as
businesses
and cottage industries, grounding positive alternatives. Many of
the
folk who were in their 20's and the 30's when they first moved here full
of
vision have been through much over the years in the natural challenge to
bring
them down to earth, and the seeds
planted are now bearing fruit.
After
the Womens Liberation movement of the 60's & 70's
and onwards, it
wasn't
until the 80's and 90's that the
mens movement took foundation out
of
the gaping need for new role models and forums and circles
to support
men
healing the damage done. In 1993
the first SUA gathering came
out of
a
strong mens movement throughout the region. John Allen , Rob Fleetwood,and
others with
Rein
Van der Ruit who bought David Mowaljarlai from the Kimberlies and Davids’
dream made this gathering to be what it is. Arne
and Bere have also for many years
been running a
Pathways to Manhood initiation process for teenagers
coming
into manhood.
Harry
who lives in Arnhem land, and attended SUA a couple of years back shared of his journey with his best mate
a Yolngu teacher
Timmy Burarrwanga , who is very passionate about his
culture.
Timmy saw a few
photos
from the gathering with David and looked at the book Yorro Yorro and said
to Harry
that
in the photos
he saw sacred business shared amongst white fellas
and
this
interested him. He asked
to go down with Harry next time around. The
story
went around the community and three of the elders also wanted
to
be part of the long journey down south .
By the time
the
9th gathering came to be,
9 Yolnga
men
had their flights booked.
Djalu,
Alfred , Samuel
,Timmy,
Wesley
Hamish Andrew, Wapit and Nunukwuy
So
at this point 110 guys from the far north to the far south
and from
overseas,
prepared for a journey to Byron Bay to meet
and share in powerful
ways.
Hearing
that there was to be a
few tipis set up, I packed the tipi and
with
a few fella's from our mens group in Bellingen
and a couple of other
mates
we headed north 3 hours. The site
immediately felt to be home.
Hearing
from a mate who
came up in my car, Jonathon, about " Pathways
to
Manhood"
and previous " SUA" events that have
been on that land, it
was
clear
this was
a powerful site and the
land was charged. It is
beautiful
coastal
dry rainforest, with old
big Squiggly Gum trees many who were
hollow
and emanated
strong spirit. A short walk away was
a river who
flowed
into the sea.
A short walk down the river and over the sand dunes
and
into the ocean. Soft and naturing land.
The
day we arrived, the
clouds were low and soft rain blessed the setting
up
of camp. It felt perfect. The energy was coming inward and the rain
settled
the dry bush and land that was in need of
rain so much. Next
morning
was to be the beginning of the
journey officially. The day dawned
and
the camp grew as folk arrived,
we
helped out,
settled in, and
explored
the terrain. After a jump in the ocean
and returning to camp I
heard
that the Yolngu mob had arrived. We were close to our first circle as
a
mob and the grounding and
anticipation was doing its
work.
When
I first decided to come, hearing that the Yolngu mob were coming, did
clinch
the decision, and wanting
to go to SUA for a
couple of years and
Djalu
coming , I had to go. Being into Yidaki so much as I am, it would be
understandable
to be carried away with excitement and expectation,
meeting
and
being with Djalu. I
have always felt though, that that aboriginal folk
carry
so much that us western folk now desire to know
or adopt, and at
times
it must be a pain in the neck being in their shoes having us so needy
of
them. Especially Djalu. I hear how sought after he is, by travellers going
to
Arnhem land wanting to be in his presence and learn from him.
If
I was to be around the fella
and the mob I didn't want to bring any of
my
needs with me, I wanted to simply allow
what was to unfold to unfold.
Deep
down I couldn't ignore the build up
but I did also allow it to be in
trust
. This felt healthy. I planned to only bring a couple of didgs, but
then
at the last minute John asked me to bring a mob of didgs in case we
needed
some for others who didn't have any.
This mirrored the two parts of
myself,
one
wanting
to blend in and just drink in what flowed,
the other
wanting
to connect directly
and share
together of Yidaki and culture.
Theres
so much that unfolded over the coming days, so much thats
hard to
put
in words and
so much thats not appropriate to share, but I will try to
share
glimpses of the essence shared
and journey had,
in ways that we can
relate
to, in our
lifes journey and in our interest in playing yidaki.
Yidaki
draws so many of us to aboriginal culture and I see it does so for
reasons
of
its many gifts it has to offer, on our own journey.
Interestingly
though as I've heard it said before, Yidaki is a tool for
connecting
with or sharing spirit not the focus itself. In our western way
its
easy to get carried away by all the amazing sounds we can
make and how
we
can improve our skills in producing
sounds and rhythmic
and intricate
playing,
but this is the didgeridoo as a musical instrument but as Yolngu
folk
know, there is more to the yidaki than that. Djalu sais, " it is
the
song
of Spirit , it is the song of the rainbow serpent and the dreaming."
When
I reflect on the most moving and powerful times playing didg it is when
there
is a purpose or power in the playing. Playing to the dance of
stomping
feet the didg player is part of a
story being enacted, a
celebration,
and the player is one
with the story and
is not focused on
playing
in a technical sense but empowering and supporting the dancers and
the
purpose of sharing.
With
this essence as the truth, any interest in this event being yidaki
focused
I'd let go of a lot, well before the event unfolded, but within the
first
day of being together , it was perfectly clear that the
power of the
gathering
was not about yidaki playing or cultural knowledge, it wasn't
about
asking questions and satisfying all our wonderings, it was about a
journey
that was into the unknown, a journey that perhaps hadn't ever
happened
before. A white fellas gathering, a mob
who
out of cultural
drought
had been unfolding and exploring sacred space and ritual together as
men.
A bunch of black fellas then seeing this and themselves coming from a
place
of cultural strength, excited by what we were doing and interested to
come
and share time with us, to see what came of that. The recipe was strong
,
the result was
in itself the big question.
Now
understanding the important juice of the
gathering, it
can be
appreciated
that in enacting this journey, many forces , feelings and
needs
were
being unleashed.
Cultural
sharing in Australia
has
only in the last few
years in very
isolated
situations began to embrace
at a depth of truth and reality. This
gathering
was part of a shift needed beyond cultural exploitation and
consumerism
that has avoided the pain and issues unresolved between white
and
black.
The
gathering had leaders thankfully who knew that despite their picturings
and
plans as to what would unfold during the week, that the important need
was
to listen to the moment and the dance symbolically that unfolded and
find
a way to support what was truly trying to come through.
This
wasn't necessarily easy at times for the leaders or
for
any of us
participating,
as
for
Yolngu mob to share their gifts meant hat they had
to
take us on a journey and that involved
trusting them and respecting
them.
It involved us letting go as to understanding everything at every
point
in time. It also challenged us, when stuff came up that looked like
being
negative and damaging
that it
was a gift to further clear the way,
to
the power
and the gifts coming through.
Respect
was and is such a powerful gift that they offered us. Respect for
their
culture and what
they wanted us to hold as sacred, respect for
their
stories
shared , respect for the sacredness of the journey they took us on
and
that the detail belonged for those on that journey and not for others
who
weren't there, respect for elders and those holding knowledge, respect
or
in their language "rapirri" was the word , gently but very
firmly
made
clear,
important and essential.
Long
ago in our western culture, respect and ritual with deep meaning
and
relevance
has been lost. The spoken word is now used
loosely and sacredness
is
hard to fine. From this place as a generalization, white culture would
like
aboriginal or native indian or the like to share its depths, we crave
it,
we
want it but in the place of need there is little foundation to be
able
to appreciate it and
respect it. With this understanding indigenous
people
largely contain their knowledge and hold it close. Aboriginal
Australians
particularly, by nature,
in reflecting the land are
both open
and
receptive and
yet centred and contained. Their easygoing nature made
them
easy to succumb by those who colonised Australia but alternatively it
makes
them also
contained and
and boundryed to the people and the
indifference
with
which they have been treated.
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