Terrence Gaypalani ceremonial yirdaki, played by Vernon and Ngalkanbuy

Описание: I first saw and played this yirdaki in 2008, it was 1 of a pair made by Terrence Gaypalani, both decorated similarly at that time in red, yellow and black duct tape. I bought one, but the other was not for sale. No amount of persuasion could convince Gaypalani to part with it, as it was being used in ceremony at that very time. However, he gave me his word that he would hold it for me after the ceremony. Seeing that I had spent a small fortune on airfares, paid a good down deposit for the stick, and had bought gifts for Terrence including fresh prime beef from Gove which he had asked for, I was hopeful he would.

Surprisingly, almost 1 year later when visiting Gaypalani, he brought out the yirdaki he had promised me from his bedroom in the 2 house outstation at Gikal'. I was touched by his gesture and didn't expect he would remember.

So here it is, a well-used, kick-arse yirdaki that I had pined for and kept thinking about for almost 1 year.

First it is played by Vernon Marritjngu (recorded in 2009), but notice the change in appearance in the stick. Initially it was covered in duct tape starting at the top with red, then yellow in the mid-section, and then black at the bottom, with a strip of yellow intersecting the black section. But over time and with continued use, the yirdaki has had a face-lift! It is now covered in grey duct tape and plays better now compared to when I remember it during ceremony in 2008.

Next Carl Ngalkanbuy shows why he is considered the best of the best at Galiwin'ku, despite him protesting that he has lost it and is now an old man. I recorded this clip in 2008 at Galiwin'ku. Terrence told me that Ngalkanbuy and the late David M*lk*y Mununggurr were best mates when growing up, but with marriage and family life taking over, their priorities changed though they remained close.

With the Ngalkanbuy clip, there's a bit of a prelude showing the seriousness of the guys. They wanted it done properly and Carl asked for water to get hydrated and to prime the yirdaki before setting it on fire! Though Carl might be out of practice, he still has that yirdaki dynamite in him.

Terrence also told me that many of his yirdaki get stolen by Yolngu, whenever his instruments are borrowed for ceremony, they never come back. I'm just glad that this stick which I had put my name to came back to me.