Festival started from a broken promise looks to future

Perth Now

3 days ago

When two brothers stood on an escarpment in remote northeast Arnhem Land, they looked into the future, and the Garma Festival was born.
Those brothers, M Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, and Dr Yunupingu, a land rights pioneer, were standing on the Gumatj ceremonial grounds of Gulkula, where the annual festival is held.
But the story of Garma starts well before its first festival in 1999, dating back to a different gathering and the words of a prime minister a decade before.
Yothu Yindi Foundation chair and senior Gumatj man Djawa Yunupingu said when his brothers had come to stand at the escarpment at Gulkula, there was a pain in his family.
Prime Minister Bob Hawke had travelled to Barunga Festival in 1988, promising a treaty would be made with Aboriginal people.
That promise was never realised.
"When we thought about Barunga we thought about promises of a treaty that had been washed down by the politics of the day," Mr Yunupingu said.
"We thought about a prime minister who made a promise to powerful leaders and clans and tribes of the Northern Territory only to leave us high and dry."
It is something the Yunupingu brothers never forgot, and as Djawa Yunupingu said, the words are "carved into our hearts and minds".
Addressing the crowd at the 25th Garma Festival, Mr Yunupingu quoted the iconic Yothu Yindi song 'Treaty', which his brother penned while sitting around a campfire, bringing etching promise into the memories of wider Australia.
"Well I heard it on the radio, and I saw it on the television, back in 1988 all those talking politicians," he said.
"You all know the song and you should remember the words."
Garma has become an important event in Australia's cultural and political landscape, with policy discussion and announcements sitting on the agenda next to talks about education, land rights and arts.
One of the major policy announcements of the festival in recent times came in 2022, when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to pursue a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
Following the failed referendum Mr Yunupingu said he and Mr Albanese shared their disappointment, but knew they had to move on.
"Even though we live with shattered dreams we must keep looking to the future," he said.
But what does that future look like?
Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said to to improve outcomes for people in Arnhem Land and other remote regions of the country, structural change was required.
Pointing to the over-representation of First Nations people in the justice system, particularly in the Northern Territory, and the disproportionate rates of rheumatic heart disease in remote Indigenous communities, Ms Bowden said the status quo was not good enough.
"If we do not stem this tide of history, it will do its work and wash away the ancient knowledge and the ceremonies and traditions that keep the world in balance and give us hope." she said.
"This is truly a terrible thought and would be the greatest of tragedies for all those concerned."
Aboriginal people suffered because of the failures of systems imposed on them, Ms Bowden said, calling on the prime minister to work with communities to solve issues.
Northern Territory independent politician Yingiya Mark Guyula said Aboriginal people had the answers, but their voices were not being heard.
"We are fed up with being told we know what is best for you... I've heard this so many times in my time in the parliament," he said.
Gumatj Corporation operations coordinator Michael Yunupingu used the analogy of a tree to outline a vision for the future of his people and Country.
The roots of the tree were the vision, growing as the tree grows; the trunk was the plan, the branches were the areas of focus, and the leaves were the actions and outcomes, which grew as the tree came to fruition.
The Gumatj vision was to lead the way in sustainable development, balancing culture, traditional knowledge and economic self-sufficiency for the region.
"Our next generation of leaders must step up now and carry on the legacy into a world that is transitioning towards a new future, a new era," Mr Yunupingu said.
Just as it was time for the next generation to take the reins, Mr Guyula said this work must also be informed by those who started the journey.
"We need to honour our ancestors, our Yolngu lore and the original Garma ceremonies that happen all around Yolngu Country," he said.
"This must exist in all our decisions today and it is the way we will move forward to genuine truth-telling and treaty."