Ngukurr Culture Car

The Ngukurr Culture Car initiative

We are a collective of musicians and arts workers raising money to support the purchase of a Culture Car, that will be managed by Ngukurr Arts to help Wagilak language song keeper and Elder, Daniel Wilfred, serve his community and keep alive the oldest continuously practised music tradition in the world. Our collective includes: Jerry Remkes, Ngukurr Arts, Hand to Earth, Auspicious Arts, Gelareh Pour, Skinnyfish, Peter Knight, Paul Grabowsky AM, and Samuel Curkpatrick.

About Daniel

Daniel Wilfred is both an APRA Art Music Award winning Australian artist and a cultural leader in Ngukurr, NT. He is a songkeeper in his Wägilak community and a seminal figure in Australian contemporary music. Daniel is a wise and charismatic Elder and hugely respected across Arnhem Land and beyond. 

Keeping culture alive

The Wägilak song cycles entrusted to Daniel to practice and pass onto the next generation represent a priceless cultural treasure. This is a tradition that is lifeblood for Yolngu people, but that has so much power for all other Australians as well.

The incredible power of these songs is undeniable. The future of this tradition is also, unfortunately, precarious. Daniel is one of the few remaining songmen able to travel long distances to perform ceremonies and to transfer cultural knowledge to young men outside his own community in Ngukurr.

Daniel's travels

Daniel travels on a weekly basis to various South East Arnhem Land communities for ceremonial duties, covering thousands of kilometres each month on rough dirt roads. All his work is unpaid, but Daniel is fully committed to maintaining his people’s culture and supporting his community.

The main obstacle Daniel and the other songmen constantly face in fulfilling his duties as an elder, is the lack of a vehicle, forcing him to rely on lifts and frequently getting them stranded far away from home.

The fundraiser

The Culture Car will be be purchased for and held in trust by Ngukurr Arts, which is a highly respected Aboriginal run organisation and an important part of the Ngukurr community.

The model for the governance of the Culture Car gives Ngukurr Arts ownership of the car and oversight by the board will ensure that it is used for cultural purposes. Registration, insurance, and servicing will be the responsibility of the organisation. This will help to ensure that the car has a long life and will serve the community for many years. This model comes with a caveat proposed by the board and agreed unanimously, which will ensure that Daniel Wilfred and the other Wagilak song leaders will be able to access the car whenever they need to for cultural use, including attendance at ceremonies and funerals.

Having a car at his disposal will mean Daniel and other songmen, will be able to conduct more ceremonies, involve more people in those ceremonies and share their knowledge with younger generations.

The fundraiser is administered through registered charity, Auspicious Arts ensuring transparency and will also provide a guaranteed service plan to maintain the car overseen by Ngukurr Arts board of directors.

Consultation

We have consulted with people in the Yolngu community as well as many people who have experience supporting Indigenous communities including Ngukurr Arts, Ngukurr Language Centre, and Skinnyfish.

Daniel's personal appeal

Watch Daniel's personal appeal below