An intimate conversation with Yolŋu Elder, Ms Djapirri Mununggirritj

An opportunity to sit in the comfort of your own home and hear the wise words from a First Nations Elder discuss ancient teachings that will spark and ignite a fire deep inside you. 

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When: Tues 22/02/2022

At following time in your timezone:

• 8.30am UK/Ireland
• 4.30pm Perth
• 6pm Darwin
• 6.30pm Brisbane 
• 7pm Adelaide
• 7.30pm Sydney/Melbourne AEST
  

Location: Online and available worldwide via Zoom. If you are unable to attend the time, a recording of our conversation will be sent to all ticket holders following the event.

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Elder Djapirri Mununggirritj from North East Arnhem Land, Australia, is known for her wonderful commitment to community, her profound leadership in reconciliation across Australia and has travelled far and wide sharing her message with the world. 

The fire within Djapirri continues to burn to share her wisdom, her story, her learnings and her culture. With a profound message to share - one of unity, growth and love -  it is an absolute honour to be able to bring Djapirri to you. 

During this time together we will ground in presence on the country we reside, in respect to our ancestors and we will go on an organic and evolving journey together which is sure to be woven with depth, wisdom and humour. 

Our time together will be one of exploration into the oldest continuous culture on earth. We will allow the words of wisdom to ripple and engage our hearts, to heal us and to lead us. We will discuss how we can adopt ancient teachings in a modern world and how we take Djapirri’s valuable lessons and embed in our day-to-day life. 

We look forward to welcoming you. We look forward to seeing you. We look forward to finding a new friend in you.

A little about Djapirri Mununggirritj

Djapirri is a Senior Knowledge Holder of the Gumatj clan from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. For decades, she has worked tirelessly to support her community and was awarded Northern Territory Local Hero Award in 2011 for her efforts. Djapirri fosters strong relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians together with non-Indigenous and gracefully dances in both the indigenous and non-indigenous worlds to share her passion for culture, connection, and wellness. An accomplished healer, speaker and artist, Djapirri sits on many boards across Australia in the education and political realm including Reconciliation Australia. 

A little about Soulful Soundwaves

Soulful Soundwaves was founded by Maeve and Lorenzo Colombo back in 2015. With a clear vision to help others on their path to wellness, Maeve and Lorenzo have been on a mission travelling Australia for many years healing hearts and minds through music, intention, energy and counsel. Many people have felt the healing potency Maeve and Lorenzo bring - one of truth, love and compassion. Having recently travelled to Arnhem Land, Maeve & Lorenzo currently reside on Yolŋu country, have been adopted into Gurruṯu (the Yolŋu kinship system) and have a burning desire to share the magic and wisdom from their new Yolŋu family with the rest of the world. Every day Maeve and Lorenzo continue to guide others towards a life of fulfilment, happiness and health. 

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A few words on cultural respect and understanding:

These gatherings are a safe and inclusive place where we can learn and heal together. To ensure everyone feels comfortable, we have included a few points below to help build a solid relationship between us all. Please note some of these cultural points are specific to Yolŋu in North East Arnhem Land and can differ from other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural groups around Australia.

Listening

Yolŋu practice active listening. This means Yolŋu people give full attention to what it is a person is saying. Yolŋu are not preoccupied with formulating their response until a person has completely finished speaking. Only when a person has finished talking do Yolŋu start to think about their response. This is a beautiful way of being present in the conversation from start to finish and we kindly ask that it is something we all adopt during our time together. 

Patience

Due to active listening, Yolŋu response times can be a little longer to what you may be used to. The response to your question has only started to be formulated once you finished speaking, which is often when we expect the response to appear. The response is being carefully considered and translated into a language that is not a first language. 

Being comfortable with silence

Yolŋu people live in presence. There may be pauses (some longer than what you may be comfortable with), however that doesn’t mean the conversation has finished. In Yolŋu culture it is considered impolite to interrupt anyone while they are speaking. The Yolŋu way is to allow the speaker to have their full say. 

If you would like to share, please ensure there is a pause between you and the person whom finished talking to minimise talking over one another. 

Considerate words

Yolnu are taught from birth to think carefully about what they are going to say before saying it. Before asking any questions, please consider the words you would like to use.

Question response

Some questions may be met with silence. This isn’t something to be embarrassed about, it is something to respect. Not all Yolŋu knowledge is for sharing outside of Yolŋu culture due to its sacredness and sensitivity. 

We are really looking forward to gathering together.