Comments on: You won't find Elcho Island in the Mediterranean

You won't find Elcho Island in the Mediterranean

mattoxic — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:57:44 -0800

I'm sure you'll agree that these Yolngu dancers offer a different interpretation of Zorba the Greek. The dancers have become a youtube 'hit' and are set to tour the Greece in '08.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:11:26 -0800

Hey, cool! I'm Yolngu, and from Elcho Island, no less! Hi brothers, uncles, cousins, grandfathers, sons & grandsons!

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:20:45 -0800

Hey Ubu. Anyone you recognise?

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:24:34 -0800

mattoxic: um, no. i've only ever spent about a week there. the disclaimer is that i'm a whitey but my sis & her husband were adopted into the kinship system through being doctors-in-residence on the island for a year or two. i apparently become part of that kin system by relation. i'm an emu!

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:34:59 -0800

Elcho's pretty cool - because it's an island, the elders / council can "quarantine" it, avoiding some of the problems that plague mainland communities: 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 directly or via the Galiwin'ku Council. Total alcohol restrictions apply and there is no gasoline available on the island; all gasoline-powered vehicles use Comgas as a fuel substitute. Here are some photos.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:35:59 -0800

Yeah this video has been going around Darwin for the last few weeks, and is now clearly having an international impact. Those boys sure can dance!

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:37:49 -0800

permission to visit is required by law ...not for long...

By: carmina

carmina — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:39:37 -0800

Awesome! In fact I hope it catches on in Greece in the summer, complete with the loinclothes (woo!) and the ceremonial paint. Summers can be scorching boring in the Greece.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:41:15 -0800

a few more photos. keep following "next"

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:42:11 -0800

Darwin Correspondent Jimbob: what's happening with the law?

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:45:54 -0800

4 Corners had a piece the other week about the ~~Intervention~~ Land Grab where loss of CDEP is very detrimental. Listen here blackfella, we whitefellas have jobs, I myself used to be a suburban solicitor specialising in probate and conveyancing. Now there's nothing to stop you from getting a job, just like me. I'm sure this large desert you live in has abundant employment opportunities for a go-getter like yourself. Tell you what, we'll make it easy for you. We'll give you four weeks to find a job, then we'll cut your dole. You'll see. All you need is a kick up the bum.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:51:10 -0800

what's happening with the law? Well I don't know. Removing the permit system was part of Brough's whole "Northern Territory Intervention" - but I don't know if the permit system has been abolished yet or not. Apparently a lot of people think it has - there are reports of Grey Nomads crossing the East Alligator into Arnhem land to go on little tours, and reports of hippies in Combi vans turning up in Maningrida and asking the locals where the Centrelink office is...

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:55:54 -0800

The killing of CDEP is probably the first time in history that a government has introduced a policy that deliberately kicks people out of paid employment onto the dole. In the top end, 8000 people rely on CDEP income. Most of these remote communities don't have a local council to collect the rubbish or maintain the infrastructure. They don't have a commercial mechanic to fix the cars. CDEP pays people to do real jobs. Brough, I think, says he wants to create 2000 jobs in the top end. Kill off 8000 jobs, create 2000 jobs, put the rest of the people on the real dole, then take half of that away, whether they've been good parents or not. Another project that's been supported by CDEP is the Maningrida sea rangers, who are a team of blokes who go out and do surveillance operations along the Arnhem Land coast, looking for illegal fishing vessels from asia. For all the Government's talk about stopping illegal boats, and stopping illegal fishing, they're killing off one of the few services that actually performs this function and gives meaningful employment to local people.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:10:35 -0800

*blood boils* oh, hang on. mal brough will be out of a job in *checks clock* about 52 hours from now... or, at least, he won't be the minister any more. considering that the intervention was nothing but a liberal wedge stunt, i'm assuming that Rudd will overturn it, although he's probably not said a word about it. i hope.

By: growabrain

growabrain — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:17:44 -0800

"Zorba the Greek was shot on location on the Greek island of Crete. Specific places featured include the town of Chania, the Apokoronas region and the Akrotiri peninsula. The famous scene, in which Quinn's character dances the Sirtaki, was shot on the beach of the village of Stavros"

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:27:42 -0800

Ubu, I have a horrible feeling that I'll be sitting down to watch the count on Saturday night, and they will start saying things like, well it looks like that swing just hasn't materialised.... I'm going to leave Australia.

By: Rich Smorgasbord

Rich Smorgasbord — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:07:16 -0800

Someone there is brilliant. I suspect it's the front/center dancer. Am I imagining that a few of the others are looking at him for cues? Anyway, those are genius moves, whoever deserves the credit for them.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:44:48 -0800

Rich Smorgasbord: aboriginal dancing is pretty big on the leg moves, from what I have seen. Here are some Yolngu kids dancing by a creek. I have reason to believe that the dancers in the youtube clip would be pretty familiar with this sort of thing.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:51:33 -0800

*blood boils* oh, hang on. mal brough will be out of a job in *checks clock* about 52 hours from now... mal brough lost his seat. *performs emu dance*