Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu i(A117883 works by) (a.k.a. Gurrumul (traditional name); Dr Yunupingu)
Born: Established: 22 Jan 1971 Elcho Island, East Arnhem Land, Arnhem Land, Top End, Northern Territory, ; Died: Ceased: 25 Jul 2017 Darwin, Darwin area, Northern Territory,
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal Yolngu ; Aboriginal
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 4 y separately published work icon Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu , Winnellie : Manmoyi Music, Skinnyfish Music , 2018 13021785 2018 selected work lyric/song

'Over four years in the making and completed just weeks before his passing in 2017, ‘Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)’ is Gurrumul’s gift to the world, an astounding achievement of music, presenting traditional songs and harmonised chants from his traditional Yolngu life with dynamic and hypnotic orchestral arrangements in a blend of the highest forms of both his culture and our European orchestral culture. It’s a final message. A window into his supreme culture. A recording of an iconic artist at his creative peak, and a legacy that will not be surpassed.'
1 Gurrumul Wiyathul Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu , 2008 single work lyric/song
— Appears in: Our Languages Are the Voice of the Land : the FATSIL Newsletter , September vol. 38 no. 2008; The lyrics for Geoffrey Gurrumul's sone Here is Wiyathul, Scrub Fowl, song.
1 11 Treaty i "Well I heard it on the radio", Paul Kelly , Mandawuy Yunupingu , Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu , Milkayngu Mununggurr , Stuart Kellaway , Cal Williams , Banula Marika , 1991 single work lyric/song
— Appears in: Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature 2009; (p. 1287-1288) Antipodes : Poetic Responses 2011; (p. 102)

'"Treaty” was composed by Yothu Yindi in collaboration with Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil to protest against the failure of the Australian Government to honour the Prime Minister's promise to Indigenous Australians.

'Dr M Yunupingu's comments about this song:

'"This song was written after Bob Hawke, in his famous response to the Barunga Statement (1988), said there would be a Treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Australian Government by 1990. The intention of this song was to raise public awareness about this so that the government would be encouraged hold to his promise. The song became a number-one hit, the first ever to be sung in a Yolu language, and caught the public's imagination. Though it borrows from rock 'n' roll, the whole structure of “Treaty” is driven by the beat of the djatpangarri that I've incorporated in it. It was an old recording of this historic djatpangarri that triggered the song's composition. The man who originally created it was my gurru (maternal great-grandmother's husband) and he passed away a long time ago in 1978. He was a real master of the djatpangarri style."' [source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/06/03/read-lyrics-yothu-yindi-song-treaty ]
X