GurrumulGeoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has released his rendition of the classic Yothu Yindi track Maralitja - called Maralitja - Crocodile Man - today, on the eve of his performance with members of the band as they are celebrated at this year's National Indigenous Music Awards in Darwin.
The song has been released in tribute to his wawa (brother), sadly deceased Yothu Yindi leader Dr Yunupingu.
But, as Gurrumul's friend and musical collaborator Michael Hohnen of Skinnyfish Music, told theMusic.com.au this afternoon, this version of the song has been around for a little while.
“Gurrumul works in strange ways, I've had lots of experiences where he won't explain why we're not doing something or why we are doing something. On his first album there were songs that he brought out that I hadn't heard for ten years and the same sort of thing happened on the second album. When we were in New York last year recording stuff for his third album – which is nothing like this track you hear today – one day he goes 'let's do this song' and he normally doesn't do that many of other people's songs.
“In the last couple of months he and I have been speaking a lot about what happened with the death of the famous man, it wasn't appropriate to do anything around that time but with this tribute coming up we spoke about it and thought this is a really good time to put this out.
“When the NIMAs told us they were going to do a tribute to Yothu Yindi this year, Gurrumul and I thought this was a perfect time to put this out.”
As one might expect, Gurrumul's rendition is a gorgeously restrained affair, but still packs a punch much like the original.
The choice of song is particularly significant for Gurrumul, as he shares the identity of the saltwater crocodile with the departed Dr Yunupingu.
“The Aboriginal people we deal with are born with quite a complex identity and that identity takes on different elements of the world – spiritual elements and, for want of a better word, totemic elements – when you're born you're given a cultural DNA that is really specific to certain clans and families and where you are in the whole complex skin system that everyone is given,” Hohnen explains.
“The man who passed away is almost of that same cultural DNA (as Gurrumul); their clan is both Gumatj and they both share that same identity of the saltwater crocodile. So many things that that man who passed away said about himself and his identity you could almost pick up and place in Gurrumul's identity as well.”
The single is available from iTunes now.
Gurrumul and Hohnen will speak at BIGSOUND this September.
