Videos from the Real AUSTRALIA
| Videos from the Real AUSTRALIA |
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The Girringun Festival in Cardwell, North Queensland
Cardwell, south of Tully and opposite Hinchinbrook Island is the scene of the Girringun Cultural Festival, organised by the Girringun Aboriginal Cooperation. Girringun is the name of an ancestral creator who determined the marriage and hunting lore of Warangnu, Jirrbal, Warrgamay and Girramay peoples of the Hinchinbrook region. It is a festival celebrating indigenous culture and is dedicated to the preservation of the natural environment of the region.
Djarragun College, a school catering to indigineous students, mainly from the Cape York and Torres Strait Islands region, was well represented. Their Aboriginal dance group, that performs at many functions at the school itself, was in great form: both the boy's and girl's groups performed a number of times, accompanied by their 12 year old didjeridu player.
There were three groups from the different regions of the Torres Strait Islands: Djarragun College students from the Top Western islands of Boigu and Saibai, just south of mainland Papua New Guinea, performed their distinctive dances, some accompanied by only drumming, others with singing from the girls. The Central Torres Strait Islander students, hailing from Yam Island (or Iama) were joined by a friend, who really inspired them to a great performance. Then there were the Eastern Torres Strait Islander students from Murray Island (Mer) who performed a number of dances, accompanied by drumming and singing, including a very unusual "play dance".
As a contrast the Djarragun students who had earlier performed their traditional dances proved that Hip Hop culture was also part of their repertoire, with a rap about their "DC DC, Djarragun College".
The Djarragun College students were very keen to watch the performance by the men and boys from Injinoo, a small community right at the top of Cape York, on the coast near Bamaga; many have family there so they know most of them. Their dance is unusual in that, using a drum, it shows Torres Strait Islander influence in their Aboriginal dances.
 Djarragun Aboriginal Dancers |  Playing the didjeridu |  Boys practice dance |
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 Aboriginal girl dancers (1) |  Aboriginal girl dancers (2) |  Top Western Islands dancers |  Central Islands dancers |
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 Eastern Islands dancers (1) |  Eastern Islands dancers (2) |  Djarragun Hip Hop Group |  Dancers from Injinoo |
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