Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures

At Garma 2017, the Gumatj Corporation entered into several historic agreements with the federal government and other parties. These included plans for the Gulkula Regional Training Centre, a township lease agreement for Gunyangara, and an agreement with Rio Tinto Alcan on bauxite sales for the Gulkula Mine project. This would be the first Indigenous-owned and -operated mining venture on traditional owner land. In addition, the Corporation discussed the potential hosting of a rocket launch site (see below).[4]

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing Garma to go on hiatus in 2020, the 22nd will return in 2021.

In 1964, many of the trees on the escarpment at Gulkula were bulldozed and then burnt by the Department of Works so the Gove Down Range Guidance and Telemetry Station could be built. At the time, the Yolngu owners had no rights in Australian law, and they were powerless to prevent the European Launcher Development Organisation from installing a rocket tracking station on the ceremonial site. The purpose of the station was to track the path of rockets launched from Woomera in South Australia, and its state-of-the-art technology was operated by mainly Belgian scientists.[5]

In September 2020, the original twenty-tonne satellite tracker, which had been stored at Woomera for decades, was returned to the Gove Peninsula, to be restored and put on display at the Gove Airport headquarters of the Arnhemland Historical Society.[5]

In 2017, thanks to the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976, the Yolngu landowners were consulted on the possible construction of a new space facility. In 2017, the Gumatj clan, through the Northern Land Council, approved a lease to the Gumatj Corporation for the purposes of operating a sub-orbital rocket launch pad, a first not just for Yolngu but for Australia.[6][4]

The proposed site covers 65 hectares (160 acres), and had by 2019 been sub-leased to Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) by the Gumatj people. ELA will hire out Gulkula Launch Site to aeronautical organisations such as NASA.[7] In May 2019, NASA announced its intention to sign a contract with ELA, and launch four rockets in 2020.[8] The site is seen by NASA as a move from its previous preferred site for rocket launches in Australia at Woomera, which it has not used since 1995. The proximity of a deep-water port is seen as an advantage, reducing the cost of transporting rockets and payloads, compared with road transport across the desert.[9] In July 2019, scientists from NASA visited the site, funded by the Northern Territory Government and ELA. The facility is seen as a huge opportunity to boost the economy of the region, providing jobs and pathways for STEM graduates.[7]

One of Garma's main highlights is the nightly bunggul - traditional ceremonial dances performed each day from 4:00pm until sunset. In these highly significant ceremonies, men, women and children from the 13 Yolngu clan groups perform a dance unique to northeast Arnhem Land. During these performances, the senior holders of the Yolngu songlines share with guests their stories of manikay (song), accompanied by the call of the yidaki (didgeridoo) and the rhythm of the bilma (clapsticks). In 2014, The Monthly's "Best of Australian Arts" edition described the bunggul as "an exhilarating performance" and "an example of one of the world’s oldest musical traditions. We must do everything to recognise its enormous value to our lives as Australians".[10]

Held over three days, the Garma Key Forum has become an important platform for the discussion and debate of Indigenous issues and policy, attracting political, business, academic, and philanthropic leaders from Australia and overseas. It is an important political event for this reason.[11][12] Although the conference agenda changes from year to year to reflect the Garma theme, topics such as Indigenous land rights, Indigenous health, education, economic development and government funding are regularly part of the program.[13][14][15][16]

Set in a grove of stringy-bark trees adjacent to the bunggul grounds, the open-air Gapan Gallery features limited edition artworks from a range of local and regional arts centres. Arts centres featured at recent Garma events include Buku-Larrnggay, Bula’bula Arts, Elcho Island Arts and Ngukkur Arts Centre.

Senior Yolngu men and women provide a series of cultural workshops which provide guests with an immersive experience in an authentic bush setting. Workshops include instruction in the local Yolngu Matha language, kinship lessons, 'Learning on Country' walks, spear-making, and basket-weaving.  

The Garma Youth Forum runs a 4-day program for children and youth aged 8–18, including an Education Fair on the first day of the event. Schools from across Australia join with students from local and regional schools for a range of activities and workshops aimed at building cross-cultural bonds and sharing knowledge. There's also a strong emphasis on developing leadership skills for the next generation, and in recent years, participants from the Youth Forum have led the closing Key Forum session, sharing the lessons they have learned over the course of the 4 days and their hopes and dreams for the future.[17]

Music has always been a major feature of the Garma program, showcasing the distinctive Arnhem Land sound and providing a platform for new and emerging regional acts as well as more established Top End bands and singers. Crowd favourites such as Bärra West Wind, Sunrize Band (Maningrida), Eylandt Band (Groote Eylandt), Mambali Band (Numbulwar), Garrangali Band (Baniyala), Wirrinyga Band (Milingimbi) and Wildwater (Maningrida), all regularly feature on the bill.

Djalu Gurruwiwi delivered the first Yiḏaki Masterclass at the inaugural Garma Festival in 1999, and has delivered all subsequent Yiḏaki Masterclasses since.[18][19]