Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi are an Australian musical group with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members, formed in 1986 as a merger of two bands formed in 1985 – a white rock group called the Swamp Jockeys, and an unnamed Aboriginal folk group consisting of Mandawuy Yunupingu, Witiyana Marika, and Milkayngu Mununggur. The Aboriginal members came from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Founding members included Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar, Cal Williams on lead guitar, Andrew Belletty on drums, Witiyana Marika on manikay, bilma and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu on keyboards, guitar, and percussion, past lead singer Mandawuy Yunupingu and present Yirrnga Yunupingu on vocals and guitar.
The band combines aspects of both musical cultures. Their sound varies from traditional Aboriginal songs to modern pop and rock songs, where they blended the typical instruments associated with pop/rock bands, such as guitars and drums, with the traditional yidaki and bilma. They adapted traditional Yolngu dance performances to accompany their music. More broadly, they promoted mutual respect and understanding in the coming together of different cultures.
Yothu Yindi's most widely known song, "Treaty", peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA singles charts in 1991 and the related album Tribal Voice peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA albums charts.
The group established the Yothu Yindi Foundation in 1990 to promote Yolngu cultural development, including from 1999 producing the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures and from May 2007 running the Dilthan Yolngunha. Chairman of the foundation was Galarrwuy Yunupingu. He was Mandawuy's older brother, a Yolngu clan leader and sometimes a member of Yothu Yindi on bilma and guitar. Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities and Mandawuy was Australian of the Year for 1992 for his work with Yothu Yindi. In December 2012, the Australian Recording Industry Association inducted the band into the ARIA Hall of Fame, as part of the ARIA Music Awards of 2012. In 2023, the band were inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame.
Career
1986–1990: Early years
Swamp Jockeys were formed in 1985 by balanda Todd Williams songwriter and lead singer, Michael Wyatt, songwriter and lead singer, Andrew Belletty on drums, Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar and Cal Williams on lead guitar. On their tour of Arnhem Land, in Australia's Northern Territory, they were supported by a Yolngu band composed of Witiyana Marika on manikay, bilma and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki, Gurrumul 'The Guru' Yunupingu on keyboards, guitar and percussion, and Bakamana Yunupingu on vocals and guitar. They united to form Yothu Yindi. Yothu yindi is a Yolngu matha kinship term for "child and mother".The band combines aspects of both musical cultures. Their sound varies from traditional Aboriginal songs to modern pop and rock songs in which they blend the typical instruments of pop/rock bands, such as guitars and drums, with the traditional yidaki and bilma. They have adapted traditional Yolngu dance performances to accompany their music. More broadly they promote mutual respect and understanding of different cultures. Michael Wyatt, from the Swamp Jockeys, went on to become Yothu Yindi's pilot and with Stephen Johnson made Yothu Yindi's multiple award winning music video clips. He was also stage manager on Australian tours and their tour to the New York's World Music festival.
Bakamana Yunupingu was a tertiary student studying to become a teacher. He became principal at his own Yirrkala Community School, and touring by Yothu Yindi was restricted to school holidays in the band's early years. In August 1988 they performed in Townsville, Queensland, at the South Pacific Festival of Arts. The next month they represented Australia in Seoul, South Korea at the Cultural Olympics. Bart Willoughby joined on drums in late 1988 and Yothu Yindi toured USA and Canada as support act to Midnight Oil. Upon their return to Australia, they were signed to Mushroom Records, and with Leszek Karski producing, recorded their debut single "Mainstream", released in March 1989. It was followed by debut album Homeland Movement in May; a second single "Djäpana " was released in August. Neither their singles nor album had any major chart success. Yothu Yindi toured with Neil Young in Australia, then head-lined in Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong. In 1990 they toured New Zealand with Tracy Chapman, and then performed in festivals in the UK. In 1990 five clans of the Yolngu formed the Yothu Yindi Foundation to promote Yulngu cultural development. Chairman of the foundation was Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Mandawuy's older brother, a Yolngu clan leader and sometimes a member of Yothu Yindi on bilma and guitar. Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities. Around this time, a relative of Bakamana who bore the same name died, and he therefore changed his first name to Mandawuy, in line with Yolngu tradition.
The band commissioned their friend and relative, master yiḏaki-maker Djalu Gurruwiwi, to make their didgeridoos, which also brought his skills to the attention of the world.
1991–1992: "Treaty" and ''Tribal Voice''
In 1988, as part of Bicentennial celebrations, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke visited the Northern Territory for the Barunga festival where he was presented with a statement of Aboriginal political objectives by Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Wenten Rubuntja. Hawke responded to the Barunga Statement with a promise that a treaty would be concluded with Indigenous Australians by 1990. By 1991, Yothu Yindi were Hughie Benjamin on drums, Sophie Garrkali and Julie Gungunbuy as dancers, Kellaway, Marika, Mununggurr, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Makuma Yunupingu on yidaki, vocals, bilma, Mandawuy Yunupingu, Mangatjay Yunupingu as a dancer. Mandawuy, with his older brother Galarrwuy, wanted a song to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between Aboriginal peoples and the federal government. Mandawuy recalls:"Treaty" was written by Australian musician Paul Kelly and Yothu Yindi members Mandawuy Yunupingu, Kellaway, Williams, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mununggurr and Marika. The initial release had little interest, but when Melbourne-based dance remixers Filthy Lucre's Gavin Campbell and Robert Goodge adapted the song, their version peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association singles charts by September. The song contains lyrics in both English and in Yolngu matha. It was accompanied by a video showing band members performing vocals, music, and dance.
Success for the single was transferred to the related album Tribal Voice which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA albums charts, The album, produced by Mark Moffatt for Mushroom Records, was released in September 1991. Mandawuy Yunupingu took leave of absence from his duties as principal to tour and promote the single and album. Other singles from the album were a re-released "Djäpana " which peaked at No. 13 in 1992 and "Tribal Voice" which peaked at number 51.
At the 1992 ARIA Awards Yothu Yindi won awards for ARIA Award for Best Cover Art for Tribal Voice by Louise Beach and Mushroom Art; ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year for "Maralitja", "Dharpa", "Treaty", "Treaty " and "Tribal Voice" by David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson and Simon Polinski; ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Release for Tribal Voice; ARIA Award for Song of the Year and Single of the Year for "Treaty. Both "Treaty" in 1992 and "Djäpana " in 1993 charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play singles charts, with "Treaty" peaking at No. 6, Tribal Voice peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums chart in 1992.
In October 1992, then Prime Minister Paul Keating's government awarded Yothu Yindi with a $30,000 grant. The money was used to travel to New York, where they performed at the United Nations for the launch of International Year for the World's Indigenous People. Mandawuy Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year by the Keating government on 26 January 1993. His older brother, Galarrwuy had been named Australian of the Year in 1978 for his work for Aboriginal communities.
In 2009 'Treaty' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia Registry.
1993–2000: Continued success
At the 1993 ARIA Awards, Yothu Yindi won 'Best Video', Burrundi Pictures Michael Wyatt and Stephen Johnson, directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson, and 'Best Indigenous Release' for "Djäpana " and 'Engineer of the Year' for Greg Henderson's work on "Djäpana" and "Tribal Voice".Yothu Yindi's third album Freedom was released in November 1993, the line-up included Mandawuy, Gurrumul, Makuna and Mangatjay Yunupingu, Marika, Williams, Kellaway, Benjamin and Munumggurr; and new members Banula Marika on vocals and dance, Bunimburr Marika on yidaki, Natalie Gillespie on vocals, Jodie Cockatoo Creed on vocals and clan leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu on bilma and vocals. After intense touring in 1994, Williams left Yothu Yindi and was replaced by Colin Simpson on guitar, they added Ben Hakalitz on drums and Baruka Tau-Matagu on keyboards. Gurrumul Yunupingu had left by 1995 to live full-time on Elcho Island, he later formed Saltwater Band to record three albums, and in 2008 released his self-titled solo album. Yothu Yindi's fourth album Birrkuta was released in August 1996.
"I Am Australian" is a popular song written in 1987 by Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers. It was released as a single in 1997 by trio Judith Durham of The Seekers, Russell Hitchcock from Air Supply and Yothu Yindi's Mandawuy Yunupingu by EMI Australia and it peaked at No. 17 on the ARIA Singles Charts in June.
Yothu Yindi's fifth album One Blood was released in 1999 and included "Treaty '98". They sponsored the Yothu Yindi Foundation, which produces the annual Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures celebrating Yolngu culture from 1999, and their sixth album Garma was released in 2000, with Cal Williams returning on guitars. In 2000, Yothu Yindi performed at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.
On 9 August 2000, 30-year-old Betsy Yunupingu was kicked in the head. She subsequently died, Yothu Yindi band member Gavin Makuma Yunupingu was found guilty of "committing a dangerous act causing death" and in June 2002 he was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment at Berrimah Jail, Darwin. Gavin is the son of Galarrwuy and nephew of Mandawuy.