What caused gurrumul to be blind?

What caused gurrumul to be blind?

With a voice that captured the heart of millions across the world, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was an enigmatic talent. Blind from birth, the proud Yolngu man spoke through his music. He found purpose and meaning through songs inspired by his community and country in North East Arnhem Land.

Who inspired gurrumul?

In answer to a question from the audience, Hohnen explained the young Gurrumul had all the old men of Elcho Island singing around him. “But one of the first things that inspired him to sing was going to the church on the hill,” Hohnen said.

Who is the blind Aboriginal singer?

Yunupingu
Yunupingu, who was born blind, grew up in Galiwin’ku, a settlement on Elcho Island off the north coast of Australia, 350 miles from Darwin, the nearest big city. His albums blended English-language lyrics with his native Yolngu and combined autobiographical details with his community’s rich oral history and folklore.

Where is Elcho Island located?

Northern Territory, Australia
Elcho Island, also called Galiwinku or Galiwin’ku, island, Northern Territory, Australia, in the Arafura Sea. It is situated 2 miles (3 km) across Cadell Strait from the Napier Peninsula and is a part of Arnhem Land, a large region belonging to the Yolngu Aboriginal people.

Can I visit Elcho Island?

Galiwin’ku is the main community on Elcho Island, located at the southern end of the Wessel Island group and is home to Elcho Island Arts. A permit is required from the Northern Land Council to visit this community.

What language is spoken on Elcho Island?

Place Elcho Island The most commonly spoken languages are the Yolngu Matha languages; Djambarrpuyngu and Gupapuyngu.

Is Elcho Island a dry community?

Elcho Island is a Dry and Petrol Free Community.

What is the population of Elcho Island?

2,206 people
Population. According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 2,206 people in Elcho Island (counted as Galiwinku (State Suburb) in the Census Report). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 94.0% of the population.

Where do the Yolngu live?

north-east Arnhem Land region
The people who live in the Miwatj or north-east Arnhem Land region are known generally as Yolngu, which simply means ‘people’. They belong to a number of intermarrying clans that are also closely related culturally and linguistically.

Where is Yolngu spoken?

Northern Territory of Australia
The Yolngu or Yolŋu (IPA: [ˈjuːlŋʊ]) are an aggregation of Aboriginal Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.

Is Dr Yunupingu still alive?

Dr. G. Yunupingu, Australian Aboriginal Singer, Dies at 46. Dr. G. Yunupingu, as he is now known in the local news media, performing in 2015.

How did Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu die?

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, an Aboriginal Australian singer whose soulful voice and prodigious guitar playing took him from the remote island of his birth to concert halls around the world, died on Tuesday in Darwin, Australia. He was 46. His record label, Skinnyfish Music, announced his death in a statement, but it did not provide a cause.

How did Yothu Yindi’s Yunupingu die?

Musicians, Indigenous campaigners and politicians are among those mourning the loss of Yunupingu, the former leader of Australian band Yothu Yindi, who has died at the age of 56. Yunupingu died at his home in Yirrkala in Eastern Arnhem Land after being ill with kidney disease for several years.

Who is Geoffrey Yunupingu?

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), also referred to since his death as Dr G Yunupingu, was an Indigenous Australian musician.