Elcho Island, known to its

traditional owners Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rig ...

as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

, in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the

Wessel Islands The Wessel Islands is a group of uninhabited islands in the Northern Territory of Australia. They extend in a more or less straight line from Buckingham Bay and the Napier Peninsula of Arnhem Land, and Elcho Island, to the northeast. Marchinb ...

group located in the East Arnhem Region. Galiwin'ku is also the name of the settlement where the island's largest community lives. Elcho Island formed part of the traditional lands of the

Yan-nhaŋu The Yan-nhaŋu, also known as the Nango, are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an s ...

, according to

Norman Tindale Norman Barnett Tindale AO (12 October 1900 – 19 November 1993) was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist. He is best remembered for his work mapping the various tribal groupings of Aboriginal Australians ...

. According to J. C. Jennison, the Aboriginal inhabitants were the

Dhuwal The Dhuwal are an indigenous Australian people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Language Dhuwal belongs to the Yolŋu-Matha branch of the Pama-Nyungan language family. Country The Dhuwal were described by Norman Tindale in 1974 as on ...

, who called themselves the ''Kokalango Mala'' (''mala'' = clan.)

History

The settlement was originally established as a Methodist mission in 1942, with the arrival of Harold Shepherdson, a lay associate of the

Methodist Overseas Mission The Methodist Church of Australasia was a Methodist denomination based in Australia. It existed from 1902 to 1977, when the Uniting Church in Australia was formed. It did missionary work in Australia through two organisations: the Methodist Overse ...

from

Milingimbi Milingimbi Island, also Yurruwi, is the largest island of the Crocodile Islands group off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Location Milingimbi lies approximately east of Darwin and west of Nhulunbuy. History Aborig ...

. It remained under church direction until 1974, when it became self-managed.

Geography and demographics

Elcho Island is approximately long and across at its widest point. It is bounded on the western side by the

Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea is ...

and on the east by the Cadell Strait. Elcho Island is a short distance away from the mainland and Howard Island. Galiwin'ku, located near the island's southern tip, is the main community on the island. It is the largest and most remote Aboriginal community in northeast Arnhem Land, the second largest Aboriginal community (in terms of concentrated population) in the Northern Territory, and ranks eleventh in population of the 69 local government bodies in the Territory. There are 60 ''mala'' or hereditary tribal groups, with up to 22 different dialects being used in the community. The

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

is now

Djambarrpuyngu Dhuwal (also Dual, Duala) is one of the Yolŋu languages spoken by Aboriginal Australians in the Northern Territory, Australia. Although all Yolŋu languages are mutually intelligible to some extent, Dhuwal represents a distinct dialect continu ...

. The people of Galiwin'ku, approximately 2,000 residents, retain their traditions and culture. These are passed to future generations by adherence to strict traditional methods and education, including a means to help them embrace the wider Australian community. There are also many outstations, including

Inglis Island Inglis Island is the largest of a group called the English Company's Islands, in Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an sta ...

on the namesake island and Matamata, Maparru, and Gariyak on the mainland. The island has a base population of 2,200 people, including 70 non-Aboriginal people. It was the home of the late Aboriginal folk musician

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was a Yolŋu Aboriginal Australian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards ...

. The population of Galiwin'ku varies during the seasons, with many outstation residents migrating to the community during the wet season due to inaccessibility. The community also serves approximately 25 outstations with a total population of approx. 450 people, with 12 of the outstations on Elcho Island, which are listed from north to south: # ''Nanyingburra'' # Gawa (Gäwa) # ''Ban'thula'' (Gampura) # ''Djurranalpi'' (Djanalpi) # ''Dharawa # ''Gitan'' # ''Gulmarri'' # ''Watdagawuy'' # ''Dhayirri'' # ''Dyawili'' (First Creek) # ''Dadupu'' # ''Galawarra'' Eighteen connected clan groups within the Elcho Island locale have close cultural ties with mainland Arnhem Land clans and language groups. The most commonly spoken languages are Djambarrpuyngu and Gupapuyngu (both

Yolngu Matha The Yolngu or Yolŋu ( or ) 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. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnumat ...

languages). However, there are at least 12 more languages in use in the region.

Facilities

Galiwin'ku is a traditional Aboriginal community with restricted access; permission to visit is required by law and can be made through the

Northern Land Council The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin. While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strug ...

directly or via the Galiwin'ku Council. Total alcohol restrictions apply and there is no petrol available on the island; all petroleum-powered vehicles use the low-aromatic petrol "

Opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silicon dioxide, silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% and 10%. Due to the amorphous (chemical) physical structure, it is classified as a ...

" as a fuel substitute. The island is served by

Elcho Island Airport Elcho Island Airport is an airport on Elcho Island, Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Aus ...

Geology

A "subsurface radial dyke swarm" of

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...

known as Galiwinku Dolerite (named after the township) occurs on the

Gove Peninsula The Gove Peninsula is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed at what is now Gov ...

and continues under the Arafura Sea and on the Wessel Islands, including Galiwinku and

Milingimbi Island Milingimbi Island, also Yurruwi, is the largest island of the Crocodile Islands group off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Location Milingimbi lies approximately east of Darwin and west of Nhulunbuy. History Aborigin ...

s. The layer of dolerite lies under the Mamadawerre Sandstone.

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. * 97.7% of people were born in Australia. * 78.1% of people spoke Djambarrpuyngu at home. 4.9% of people only spoke English at home. * The most common response for religion was Uniting Church at 86.8%. * 42.2% of the population is under 20 years of age, with 14% over 50.

Services

The local government for Elcho Island is the

East Arnhem Regional Council The East Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia, governed by the East Arnhem Regional Council. Situated in Arnhem Land in the far north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, the region covers an area of ...

(EARC), formed in 2008, which services a total of nine remote communities of Arnhem Land. The Council delivers a range of services across community services and commercial services and, in doing so, they aim to support the ongoing sustainability of their communities as well as to suppoty quality of life, employment and the provision of basic services. These services include: * Aged and disability service * Animal management * Cemetery management * Children and family services * Citizenship ceremonies * Commercial services * Community patrol * Environmental and waste services * Library: Galiwin'ku Community Library provides books, magazines and resources for the use of community members; also provided is free internet, activities for children and

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

information. Library services are provided to the community via Library & Archives NT and they are operated by local Indigenous Community Library Officers. In 2017 Galiwin'ku Library staff participated in Yolŋu Rom Napurrn Dhukarr: the Living Room Project, the development of a pilot classification system based on Yolngu knowledge, and replacing the Dewey Decimal System. * Local emergency management * Traffic management and local roads * Youth, sport and recreation

Education

Shepherdson College is a

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

school, teaching around 700 students ranging from birth to year 12 in Djambarrpuyŋu and English. Like nine other schools in the NT (including Yirkala School), it aims to teach "Both-ways": Yolŋu and Balanda (white person's way). It is named after the

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

Ella Shepherdson, who from 1943 taught students under a tree. Her husband, Rev. Harold Shepherdson, known as "Bäpa Sheppy" built the first school building with the help of Yolngu people, including one of Ella's first students. As a "Centre of Cultural Excellence", it teaches dance, visual arts, music and crafts. Artist and senior land custodian of Yalangbara, Mawalan 2 Marika, has been working at the school.

Elcho Island Dancers

In 2007 a group of local Elcho Island dancers, the Djuki Mala dancers, choreographed and performed a dance routine to

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' (, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and m ...

. The performance was recorded and uploaded to YouTube on 2 November of that year; in six weeks the video received more than 360,000 views, averaging 8,000 a day. Due to this success the group toured parts of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and performed in the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in June 2008. They also appeared as the opening act at the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...

Gala 2009.

Elcho Island Arts

Elcho Island Arts supports

Yolŋu The Yolngu or Yolŋu ( or ) 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. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnumat ...

artists in sharing their culture and allows them to derive an income from selling their artworks. It provides assistance in production and professional development for both emerging and established artists from Galiwin'ku and the surrounding Marthakal homelands, and helps to promote and distribute Yolngu art. The centre has been community-operated since 1992, and includes well-known artists such as fibre artist Mavis Warrngilna Ganambarr, painter Peter Datjin Bararrwanga, carver and weaver Judy Manany and senior custodian of the

Banumbirr Barnumbirr, also known as Banumbirr or Morning Star, is a creator being, creator-spirit in the Yolngu culture of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, who is identified as the planet Venus. In Yolngu Dreamtime, Dreaming mythology, ...

Morning Star Pole,

Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi (1942–2020) was an internationally acclaimed Aboriginal Australian artist from Elcho Island (Galiwin'ku), an island off the coast of Northeast Arnhem Land. Gali was a Yolngu Mala leader and Gälpu clan representati ...

, among others. In 2018, Elcho Island Arts was relaunched under the direction of senior artists Ganambarr, Manany, Burarrwanga, and Gurruwiwi.

Discovery of an ancient coin

In 2018 a coin, thought to be from the medieval

Kilwa sultanate The Kilwa Sultanate was a sultanate, centered at Kilwa (an island off modern-day, Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania), whose authority, at its height, stretched over the entire length of the Swahili Coast. According to the legend, it wa ...

on the east coast of Africa was found on a beach on Elcho Island by archaeologist and member of the Past Masters, Mike Hermes. Similar coins have been found on

Marchinbar Island Marchinbar Island is the largest island in the Wessel Islands in the Northern Territory of Australia in the Arafura Sea. Location It is separated from Rimbija Island, the most northeasterly of the Wessel Islands, by a narrow channel, which i ...

, also in the Wessel Islands group.

Cultural references

Elcho Island was the inspiration for the song "

My Island Home "My Island Home" is a rock song written by Neil Murray for George Burarrwanga. It was originally performed by the Warumpi Band. The song references lead singer's ( George Burarrwanga) home up at Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land in ...

" originally written by Neil Murray for the

Warumpi Band Warumpi Band () were an Australian country and Aboriginal rock group which formed in the outback settlement of Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1980. The original line-up was George Burarrwanga on vocals and didgeridoo, Gordon Butcher Tjapana ...

. The song was later covered by

Christine Anu Maia Christine Anu (born on 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress of Torres Strait Islander origin. She gained popularity with the cover song release of the Warumpi Band's song " My Island Home" in 1995. Anu has been no ...

and she performed her rendition at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games. A memorial ceremony for

George Burrarrawanga George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga (1957 – 10 June 2007), known in life as George Rrurrambu and George Djilangya, was known as the frontman of Warumpi Band, an Aboriginal rock band. Burarrwanga was a Yolngu man, born in the remote homeland of Mata ...

, one of the founding members of the Warumpi Band, was performed on the island in June 2007.

Notable people

* Baykali Ganambarr, actor * Cyrus Villanueva, singer * George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga, musician *

, musician * Leila Gurruwiwi, television presenter

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * *

External links

* *
Elcho Island
{{Authority control Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory Islands of the Northern Territory