YACKIN' AWAY

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Maureen K Clifford
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YACKIN' AWAY

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sat Nov 13, 2010 12:40 pm

This was written about the Garma Festival held in Arnhem Land and sponsored by the Yothu Yindi Foundation.

I have recorded it as an Audio tape along with the song that the kids from the community wrote and sang at the Festival - if you are interested here is the link - http://www.pool.org.au/audio/mahalia/yackin_away

Yidaki – Didjeridu

“Cherish the sound, for it is the sound of Mother Earth.”
Mandawuy Yunupingu, Yothu Yindi

YACKIN' AWAY


The young kids in the territory muck up as young kids can
then Manduwuy Yunupingu stepped in to give a hand
the proud and black lead singer of the Yothu Yindi band
who is also a teacher and a quite imposing man.
The Garma festivals a time of cultural exchange
a time of learning, speaking, sharing- - learning how to change.
On the Gulf of Carpentarias beaches of pristine sand
at Gulkula south of Nhulunbuy on the shores of Arnhem Land.


Yolgnu people are happy sharing memories of their past
for by looking back they're moving on – the futures looming fast.
Garma was bringing minds together – sharing technology
and while the talk went on the Black Olive cooked their tea.
Mark Olive's tribe is Bundjalung from Northern New South Wales
he watched his Mum and Aunties cook – noted the fine details.
He cooked Kangaroo fillet and Barramundi from the sea
all seasoned with bush spices that the Yolgnu gather free


The kids all got together and they sang their song out loud
and each kid played a small part – they were out there – they were proud,
and the song told of the bad things that they would no longer do -
no more shoplifting, or disrespect or wagging school – It's true.
Jack Thomson was there on the stage – up there with Mandawuy,
the kids performed hip hop and rap and sang their song of joy
There were workshops for making spears and making yidaki
and art classes and paintings for the visitors to buy.

The paintings hung on whitewashed gums in the Gapan Gallery
and the eerie drone of Yidaki from the bunggull ceremony
came drifting through the eucalyptus 'neath the Milky Way
where the stories of Gulkula were shared with all today.
And the final culmination of the Garma Festival
was the music and the dancing and the stories told to all
and the young kids in traditional paint – who held the audience in sway
as they sang the song they wrote together – just yackin away.

Maureen Clifford ©
Check out The Scribbly Bark Poets blog site here -
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.com.au/


I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

Neville Briggs
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Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2010 12:08 pm
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Re: YACKIN' AWAY

Post by Neville Briggs » Sat Nov 13, 2010 4:43 pm

Goodonya Maureen. I admire Mark Olive, he's a funny bloke. I saw him in a film once trying to get people at Circular Quay in Sydney to sample his possum pies :lol:

Neville
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

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