Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi
Artist Statement
My belief in the Banumbirr (Morning Star Pole) comes from deep inside my heart. It was taught to me by my father at a time of great change for my people. My mother and father had been resettled to the military base at Milingimbi during the Second World War. This was where I was born. My father was fearful of all of this change. Many Yolngu people were dying. Separated from their land, they witnessed a new culture of machines and powerful weapons. A culture that completely disregarded our long held beliefs. My people started to lose faith in our own culture.
After the war ended, my family was moved again. This time to the mission at Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island. It was very important to my father that I know the story of Banumbirr. He was the last from all the clans who knew the stories so he was custodian of the Banumbirr pole. He taught me that Banumbirr was the brightest star in the sky. It rose in the east, crossed each clan’s country and set in the west, just before the dawn. He taught me that it symbolised the cycle of life and the metamorphosis that occurs within it.
But I could not be certain. I wanted to believe my father but there were all these new ways. I was confused. At the mission I went to church and learned how Jesus was our saviour. I listened to the sermon and heard them say:
“So we are even more confident of the message proclaimed by the prophets. You will do well to pay attention to it because it is like a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the light of the Morning Star shines in your heart.”
I knew from that moment on my Yolngu faith must be true. The Banumbirr I knew was also spoken of in the bible. It was a great realisation in my life. I went forwards with great confidence knowing my faith in my culture had been restored.
My father continued to teach me about Banumbirr and how to make the sacred pole. He was preparing me to take over the custodianship of the Banumbirr pole. The Banumbirr pole was sacred and never to be shared with anyone outside the clans. But my father, after seeing all the damage that was happening to our culture realised that the only way for our people to survive was if Yolngu and balanda could live side by side one another in peace. He knew that his only strength was his culture. He needed to share his culture with the balanda so that they would understand and respect the Yolngu people.
The Banumbirr pole has always been sacred and was created by the Dhuwa clans and presented to the family of an elder who has passed away. They were made from a wooden pole called ngaraka and painted with the four colours of ochres representing the clan’s designs. Feathers at the top of the pole represented the Morning Star, and feathered bunches tied by hand spun bush string and native bees wax represent each of the clans and their link to the Banumbirr. The poles also included human bone and hair woven through the string and feathers.
My father decided that his law had to change and that he should share the Banumbirr Pole with the balanda. So he made a beautiful Banumbirr pole but without the human bone or hair. This rendered it incomplete and so not sacred. He then presented this pole to Dr John Rudder and Mr Fletcher the first missionary on Elcho Island as a gift to help the balanda understand and respect his culture.
Much later in my life I received the opportunity to travel to Israel. I went to see the birthplace of Jesus. There I saw the Star of David. It was exactly like the Banumbirr. I knew it must be true. After that all the places I travelled to and all cultures I met had a similar story. The Inuit people of Canada, the native Indians of American and the indigenous people of Japan all shared the same story of the celebration of the lifecycle and its connection to this bright star in the night’s sky.
To this day, I make Banumbirr poles without the bone or hair for balandas so that they may learn about us and be respectful of our culture.
I openly and confidently share my story straight from the heart. I also give my consent and permission on behalf of my people, Galpu and Djapu clans to use our ancestral and historical story to be publicly read and must be discussed in a respectful manner.
Gali Yalkarriwuy
29th of February 2008
After the war ended, my family was moved again. This time to the mission at Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island. It was very important to my father that I know the story of Banumbirr. He was the last from all the clans who knew the stories so he was custodian of the Banumbirr pole. He taught me that Banumbirr was the brightest star in the sky. It rose in the east, crossed each clan’s country and set in the west, just before the dawn. He taught me that it symbolised the cycle of life and the metamorphosis that occurs within it.
But I could not be certain. I wanted to believe my father but there were all these new ways. I was confused. At the mission I went to church and learned how Jesus was our saviour. I listened to the sermon and heard them say:
“So we are even more confident of the message proclaimed by the prophets. You will do well to pay attention to it because it is like a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the light of the Morning Star shines in your heart.”
I knew from that moment on my Yolngu faith must be true. The Banumbirr I knew was also spoken of in the bible. It was a great realisation in my life. I went forwards with great confidence knowing my faith in my culture had been restored.
My father continued to teach me about Banumbirr and how to make the sacred pole. He was preparing me to take over the custodianship of the Banumbirr pole. The Banumbirr pole was sacred and never to be shared with anyone outside the clans. But my father, after seeing all the damage that was happening to our culture realised that the only way for our people to survive was if Yolngu and balanda could live side by side one another in peace. He knew that his only strength was his culture. He needed to share his culture with the balanda so that they would understand and respect the Yolngu people.
The Banumbirr pole has always been sacred and was created by the Dhuwa clans and presented to the family of an elder who has passed away. They were made from a wooden pole called ngaraka and painted with the four colours of ochres representing the clan’s designs. Feathers at the top of the pole represented the Morning Star, and feathered bunches tied by hand spun bush string and native bees wax represent each of the clans and their link to the Banumbirr. The poles also included human bone and hair woven through the string and feathers.
My father decided that his law had to change and that he should share the Banumbirr Pole with the balanda. So he made a beautiful Banumbirr pole but without the human bone or hair. This rendered it incomplete and so not sacred. He then presented this pole to Dr John Rudder and Mr Fletcher the first missionary on Elcho Island as a gift to help the balanda understand and respect his culture.
Much later in my life I received the opportunity to travel to Israel. I went to see the birthplace of Jesus. There I saw the Star of David. It was exactly like the Banumbirr. I knew it must be true. After that all the places I travelled to and all cultures I met had a similar story. The Inuit people of Canada, the native Indians of American and the indigenous people of Japan all shared the same story of the celebration of the lifecycle and its connection to this bright star in the night’s sky.
To this day, I make Banumbirr poles without the bone or hair for balandas so that they may learn about us and be respectful of our culture.
I openly and confidently share my story straight from the heart. I also give my consent and permission on behalf of my people, Galpu and Djapu clans to use our ancestral and historical story to be publicly read and must be discussed in a respectful manner.
Gali Yalkarriwuy
29th of February 2008