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In pictures: Garma Festival was a colorful celebration of cultures

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 holding sticks with yellow body paint.
Dancers performed to open the festival. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Anthony Albanese in front of Aboriginal performers playing the didgeridoo
The Prime Minister and Galarrwuy Yunupingu enjoyed the opening performance. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Marcia Langton at a podium.
Marcia Langton spoke at a forum on the Friday. (ABC: Michael Franco)
A dancer with white body paint performing
Dancers opened the key forum on Saturday. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Four women standing and a man sitting in front of colorful Yidak didgeridoo.
The Gurruwiwi family are seen with a memorial for old man.(ABC: Michael Franco)
A woman painting a didgeridoo
Jennifer Gurruwiwi painted a yidaki during the festival. (ABC: Michael Franco)
Portrait of a girl with butterfly face paint.
Face and body paint featured throughout the festival. (ABC: Michael Franco)
A band performing on a stage with a poster that says "garma" at the front of the stage.
The main stage saw plenty of performances across the weekend.(ABC: Michael Franco)
A mother and baby with traditional indigenous face painting
Nyassha Horne, and Solman Gurruwiwi, 2, were part of the final ceremony on Sunday.(ABC: Michael Franco )
A group of people dressed in rainbow tie dye dancing
The evening Bunggul had plenty of colour. (ABC: Michael Franco)
A group of people watching performers
Galarrwuy Yunupingu sees off the dancers performing for the evening Bunggul on Sunday. (ABC: Michael Franco)

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Australia

Ancient Aboriginal meeting place comes to life after Garma’s three-year absence

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.

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.

Gulkula Camp
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.

Head shots of two indigenous men.
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.”

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