After a three-year hiatus due to COVID, Garma Festival has made a return in the Northern Territory, during a historic weekend.
The event is considered the leading Indigenous cultural exchange event and a national hub for major forums with discussion, policy and action formulation.
The festival brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through youth forums, art gallery, music, film, song, dance and expo exhibitions.
Take a look at all the color from the weekend below.
Dancers performed to open the festival. (ABC: Michael Franco)
The Prime Minister and Galarrwuy Yunupingu enjoyed the opening performance. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Marcia Langton spoke at a forum on the Friday. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Dancers opened the key forum on Saturday. (ABC: Michael Franco)
The Gurruwiwi family are seen with a memorial for old man.(ABC: Michael Franco)
Jennifer Gurruwiwi painted a yidaki during the festival. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Face and body paint featured throughout the festival. (ABC: Michael Franco)
The main stage saw plenty of performances across the weekend.(ABC: Michael Franco)
Nyassha Horne, and Solman Gurruwiwi, 2, were part of the final ceremony on Sunday.(ABC: Michael Franco )
The evening Bunggul had plenty of colour. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Galarrwuy Yunupingu sees off the dancers performing for the evening Bunggul on Sunday. (ABC: Michael Franco)
When the Prime Minister came to Arnhem Land to meet with Indigenous leaders, he was continuing a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years at ancient place called Gulkula.
Key points:
Garma has been held at Gulkula every year for centuries
Thousands of people, including international delegates, attend the Garma festival
Garma is back after a COVID-19-induced hiatus
Anthony Albanese made headlines at this year’s Garma festival by meeting with Yolgnu leaders, pleading to adopt the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart in full and to hold a referendum on the proposed Voice to Parliament.
Garma is held at Gulkula every year and this weekends festival has been one of many gatherings held at the site over the centuries.
Gumatj leader Balupalu Yunupingu said Gulkula had always been a place for people from different tribes to come together and learn new perspectives.
More than 2,000 people attended Garma this year and camped at Gulkula.(ABC: Dayvis Heyne)
“This place is special to us because Ganbulapula, the spirit man, created this place and named the place Gulkula,” he said.
“It’s a place of teaching.”
Gulkula is surrounded by stringy trees and Yolgnu ancestor Ganbulapula is said to have shooed the bees away from the site to find honey.
Modernizing Yolgnu traditions
It’s an area of learning for the Yolgnu people, and it was the site of the first Garma in 1999.
Balupalu’s brother, Djawa Yunupingu, said it was “just like a bush camp.”
“We looked at Garma and said, ‘Why don’t we do a festival out here?'”
He says Garma is a continuation of the Yolgnu traditions, “but in a modern way”.
Now thousands of people from around the country, including international delegates, attend the Garma festival, which is considered a key event on the political calendar.
Djawa (left) and Balupalu Yunupingu hope Garma will continue to grow. (ABC: Dayvis Heyne)
“In the olden days, going back 50,000 years ago, people had Garma to bring the tribes together, whether it was a morning ceremony or some kind of ritual or sorry business,” he said
“Whatever issues we want to bring up we talk about them.”
Garma is back for the first time since 2019, after a COVID-19-enforced hiatus, and the Yunupingus say there’s been plenty of excitement leading up to this year’s festival.
“This Garma is different. We are being friendly. Everyone’s shaking hands,” Balupalu Yunupingu said.
“It’s great you know.”
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Breaking down the PM’s Indigenous Voice to Parliament proposal.
It is hoped Garma will continue to grow every year.
“I’d like to see more people out here, maybe an extension of the days we have here,” Djawa Yunupingu said.
“The land were on now is Gumatj country. It’s always been Gumatj country since time began.”
