AUSTRALIA

In Australia, we are working with Yidumduma Bill Harney, the last fully initiated male Custodian of the Wardaman people in the Northern Territory. Growing up in the early 1930’s and 40’s on his traditional lands, young Yidumduma worked 6 months with his fellow Wardaman on Willeroo Station, and then 6 months going Walkabout, continuing his ceremonial ‘Bush University’ education. He speaks 7 languages. He is a “Songman”, who carries and transmits the oral history of the Wardaman culture. He has been formally acknowledged as one of “Australia’s living national treasures ” and his knowledge has been described by anthropologists as “encyclopedic in nature.” For many years he actively worked to win the Wardaman traditional lands back, finally succeeding in reclaiming 700,000 acres in 1999, to preserve for future generations. We are working with Yidumduma in conjunction with the Yubulyawan Dreaming Project, directed by adjunct professor Paul Taylor, who has been documenting Wardaman oral, art and music history for the past 20 years.