June 2010 Newsletter from didjshop.com

Newsletter Topics

The winners of our 2009 Prize didjes

Editorial

Well, I never knew what writer's block was until it hit me. My father passed away at the end of March and I just could not write anything for a long time and still find it hard to find words. It was like I had nothing to say compared to all the things I heard from him.
So sorry folks for not writing a newsletter for so long and for this one being not as well written as previous ones.

Better late than never do we bring you below the comments and photos of the three lucky winners of our 2009 anniversary didj-give-away. Ten years of retailing on the internet without any advertising at all has been much more successful than anticipated and we really want to THANK ALL OF YOU for all the word of mouth advertising you have done for us. Surprisingly our sales have not even suffered from the lack of newsletter writing. The last three month have been surprisingly good for us as far as sales are concerned.

Many of you will be pleased to know that we have added a hundred new didjes about a month ago, also you might not be as pleased as we are that over a quarter of the new stock has already been sold. But rest assured we are working on the next big batch of didjes which should be available online in the next few weeks.

Talking about didjes for sale, we suggest you take advantage of the currently extremely low Australian dollar. In mid-April Americans for example got only 1.07 Australian dollar for each US dollar; in early June this was 1.215 Australian dollar for each US dollar!

Did you know that Didjshop.com has increased its prices only once during the last ten years? That was about five years ago and that increase was less than 10%. There would be few other businesses with such long term reliable pricing. During the same time we have increased what we pay to our suppliers by up to 50%.

Further down in this newsletter we share more results from our 2009 visitor questionnaire and provide a sample of visitors comments on what commonly used sales terms mean to them. We announce the winners of the monthly draws (sorry I still have to do the May winner) and this newsletter finishes as usual with the latest Aboriginal news.

Allow me to share this wonderful entry in our Guestbook last month by Cary Cook: "Had to do a school project on something to do with Australia. I was totally not looking forward to it until I found this website, thank you so much for providing great information about such an interesting subject. I'm even thinking about playing now.
P.S. I got an A+!!!"
Please feel free to check out a few more of the by now over 1100 comments in our Guestbook :-)

And I can't help but mention this beautiful customer feedback about his new Didjshop didj by Bruno Misonne from Belgium: "It sounds as expected. I'm a composer so I only wanted a really good sounding didgeridoo (concert quality). My well trained musical ears need quality in any instrument's sound, otherwise it would disturb me for sure ! I have based my critics regarding my al799 sound based on an analysis of many of your mp3 recordings to make my choice. I like it's sound. Especially the artwork is awesome. In fact, the didgeridoo is far more beautiful than what the picture in your shop was able to show and I believe that this must be true for any didgeridoo that you sell."

Comments like that make our day! Happy customers are so fulfilling to have, thank you all! There are many more testimonials (over a thousand!!!) for you to read through!

And thanks to Brendan from South Africa for sending us this interesting link to a video of an electronically modified didj.

Please do fill out our 2010 Didjshop questionnaire, it has some interesting new questions many of which were suggested by newsletter readers.
By filling out the 2010 questionnaire you will automatically receive two entries to our 2010 draw for a didj shopping voucher over A$1000.- (one thousand Australian dollars).

Enjoy the rest of this newsletter

Svargo

The winners of our 2009 Prize didjes

As announced in our last newsletter, the three didjes we gave away in our 2009 didj give-away have been received by their lucky new owners.
We have now received pictures of the winners and their comments on their new didjes.

We gave away three prize didjes worth over A$3500 worth to celebrate Didjshop.com's tenth anniversary on the internet.
And the lucky winners are:

The first prize went to:
Trey Gehring from Baton Rouge in Mississippi, USA

Trey received his didj and kindly emailed us his picture and the following comment:
"I received my beautiful didj only days after being notified that I won it. It arrived in perfect condition despite its long trip from Australia to here in the States. The first thing that really struck me about the didj was the striking hand painted design and the sheer beauty of the eucalyptus. Then I played it and I was blown away. The sound is pristine and the back pressure is truly impressive. This didj is dramatically easier to play than any didj I have ever played. I am so grateful that I won and am incredibly impressed with didjshop.com; I would suggest it to anyone looking to buy a didj. I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and immediately remembered hearing that didjeridoo playing could help. I have found my didj to be not only a source of amusement for my loved ones and I, but has truly become a therapeutic tool for improving my life. Whether you are just learning or an experienced didj player, didjshop.com is the only place to buy a quality didj that is beautiful, well-made, and completely authentic. Thanks So Much!!!
Trey Gehring
Baton Rouge, LA
USA"

The second prize went to:
Andrew O'Connor from Melbourne, Australia

"It has a very different sound (note to which I am used to) and have had a lot of fun getting used to it. It is also very large and am unable to get it into my car to even take it to the river where I play all my other didges.
I have annoyed my dog to no end with the constant playing, but the native birds love the sound. You only have to play for about 5 mins before they fly over and start singing. Even my 1yr old daughter is fascinated by the sounds that come out of this amazing instrument, and I hope to be playing for many years to come.
Thanks so much for the new addition to my yidaki family, It will be loved and cherished by my family and me until I pass it down to my daughter.
Andy O'Connor
Eltham/Melbourne/Victoria/Australia"
(sorry, Andrew did not supply us with a photo)

And the third prize went to:
Peter Huber from Lichtenwald in Germany

"One year ago I ordered my first Didgeridoo at didjshop directly in Australia. I received all didgeridoos very quick and in described quality.
It was a pleasure to communicate with very friendly people there. You can trust the description of didges and quality. I´m sure to buy next didges again from them.
Best regards
Peter Huber
Lichtenwald, Germany"

For all of you who missed out on winning a didj, we have a new competition this year and by answering a few questions about didgeridoos and Aboriginal issues you will get two entries into our 2010 draw where you can win a $1,000.- shopping voucher so you can buy your dream didj!

Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation

Imagine: hundreds of people all over the globe co-operating to send a big wave of didgeridoo sound around this beautiful planet of ours. That is what the Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditations are about. Wherever people are, they play their didj for 45 minutes starting at local sunset time, followed by 15 minutes of silence. So together we are creating a wave of didgeridoo sound washing around the globe, following the sunset.

We all know that our Earth's fragile ecosystems are reeling from the impact of human greed. The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is just the latest tip of the iceberg. It is high time that humanity stops exploiting and poisoning the land we live on for short term financial gain. It is this selfish and greedy attitude which is threatening not just many other species on this beautiful planet, but by now human society itself.
Unless humanity learns to respect the land and look after it for future generations, just like Aboriginal people in Australia have done for tens of thousands of years, humanity as we know it will have no future. Our economy relies on constant growth, but that growth has reached the capacity of the limited resources of our planet and our economic balloon is certain to bust if we insist on continued growth...

The intent behind the Worldwide Didgeridoo meditation is first and foremost to have a relaxing, yet empowering personal experience, but it is also to reflect on the importance to look after country, to honour and respect nature and to take care of our natural resources for future generations, to let our didjes speak for Mother Earth. Let us send a message around the world that human society can learn these things from Aboriginal people and thus last for thousands of generations to come.

The last Worldwide Didgeridoo Circle on 21 March 2010 was the biggest such event yet with nearly 500 registered locations participating in 55 different countries. We welcome Pakistan, Romania and Slovenia to the long list of participating countries. each red and yellow dot on the map at the top right is a participant (or group of participants) and it is wonderful to see so many dots all over the world! THANK YOU to everyone who participated!!!

At our local event we had a really deep and wonderful meditation. With the help of professional singers Shells and Barunka, and with Jeremiah playing didj as well as a drum and a flute we created a really moving piece of music and took the about twenty attendees into a very deep meditative space.

We trust that everyone had a similarly beautiful experience and will participate in the next Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation on 21st June 2010. And we hope that many more of you will want to become part of that next Worldwide Didgeridoo Wave, so there will be more and more dots on the world map. And please do invite your friends to participate in our next Worldwide Didgeridoo Circle.

Keep on didjing...

'Genuine', 'Authentic', 'Traditional' and 'Aboriginal' Didgeridoos

'Genuine', 'Authentic', 'Traditional' and 'Aboriginal' are terms used frequently by didgeridoo sellers to describe their products. But what do these terms really mean???
We believe they are meaningless and misleading unless used in context. For example 'Aboriginal' didgeridoo is meaningless as it could refer to the generic origin of didjes and thus be used for a PVC pipe, but 'Aboriginal made' didgeridoo is meaningful as it relates to the production of the individual didj which is labelled as 'Aboriginal made'.

But we wanted to get some other opinions on the matter and decided to ask our visitors. So we did.

In our 2009 visitor questionnaire we asked people what they thought a 'genuine' didgeridoo, an 'authentic' didgeridoo, a 'traditional' didgeridoo and an 'Aboriginal' didgeridoo actually means to them.
Below we give you a few randomly selected answers for the meaning of these terms.

Please note that we do not agree with most of the below statements and provide them here only to show how widely different these terms are actually understood by different people.

"What is a 'genuine' didgeridoo?":

Ryan from USA: "Genuine doesn't really mean anything. It's like Homestyle on a can of soup."
Tyler from USA: "It is made by an Aboriginal person, from wood available in that area, strictly following traditional methods."
Sandra from Australia: "A piece of wood hollowed by termites painted and carved out by elders."
Anonymous from USA: "Genuine to me doesn't really mean much. I feel that this term could mean anything from a termite hollowed didgeridoo to a cheap Indonesian didgeridoo."
Paul from USA: "One that is machine or poorly made"
Mike Griffith from USA: "A didj that comes from Australia. (I'm as confused as everyone else)"
Anonymous: "It is not an imitation"
Lauren from USA: "I think "genuine" is meant to lead people to believe it is a naturally crafted didge from Australia."
Anonymous: "A Didj that is harvested by aborigines, hand painted by aborigines, and naturally hollowed by termites."
Tiago from Portugal: "For me, 'genuine' just means it's a 'real' didgeridoo, one that was made to be played. It can be made out of any material, in any country by anyone - if it's made to be a didgeridoo, instead of a piece of decoration."
Raffaele Giampaolo from Australia: "A genuine didg is one carved out by termites in the Australian bush."

"What is an 'authentic' didgeridoo?":

Tanya Kendall from Canada: "One that is made and painted by an aboriginal of australia who is a traditional custodian of the instrument"
Erik Putnam from USA: "Any didgeridoo represented as a didgeridoo is Authentic."
Davide Vismara from Switzerland: "It's an old did made by Aboriginal people a lot of years ago, before Cook"
Caroline from USA: "Not meaningful to me. Kind of like "all natural" label on foods."
Bart Reinier from USA: "An 'authentic' didgeridoo is the same as a 'genuine' didgeridoo. It has to be an authentic 'something' didgeridoo, like 'authentic termite hollowed' didgeridoo, or 'authentic aboriginal made' didgeridoo."
Anonymous from USA: ""I" would not use the word "authentic" if it were not eucalyptus, termite hollowed, cut, and crafted by Aboriginal people. This is just to not be misleading."
Roberto Bazzano from Italy: "Made in Australia"
Anonymous: "A didgeridoo to be an authentic Aboriginal didgeridoo only if the didgeridoo is genuine termite hollowed AND made by an Aboriginal."
Mathilde from France: "Genuine didgeridoos are naturally hollowed out by termites. Not made by Aboriginal people"
Jusa Keränen from Finland: "Aboriginal didgeridoo"
Dani from Spain: "Each didgeridoo is authentic, isn't? even pvc..."

"What is a 'traditional' didgeridoo?":

Anonymous: "Traditional didjeridoo where found in Central Australia around Alice Springs"
Ken from USA: "Aren't they all?"
Curtis from USA: "Traditional didge is one made from traditional materials such as eucalyptus, hollowed out from the inside, and cut as dead-fall. it isn't bored or carved out, and is made with traditional materials and tools"
Anonymous from Greece: "Genuine didgeridoo that is recommended for playing traditional aboriginal style"
Frans Essers from Netherlands: "Just a didgeridoo. probably from an other country than Australia"
Anonymous from Germany: "Termite eating but tuned . The most times by Australian white people and didjeridu-player. Cutting by aboriginals is possible or by a white man with a claim"
Matthew from Italy: "A Didgeridoo used in traditional ceremonies or for specific reasons. It could be traditionally made without the use of power tools."
Raffaele Giampaolo from Australia: "A traditional didg is one handed down by a member of an aboriginal family or tribe to the next generation player. The traditional YiDaki is one that has been used for traditional and ceremonial music and rituals. It cant be inherited by a non Aboriginal person or by another member of another tribe. That's what Alan [Dargin] told me about Aboriginal culture."
John Carroll from USA: "Made the way they used to make them before machines and modern means came to be. Made by native peoples the way they were made before Australia was colonized. Made the ancient ways."
Anonymous: "One used centuries ago."
Bruce Wilson from USA: "Item not necessarily made by an Aboriginal, but rather a copy."

"What is an 'Aboriginal' didgeridoo?":

Ed from United Kingdom: "One which has been harvested and decorated by Aboriginal people."
Ros from Australia: "Crafted by an Australian Aboriginal."
David from USA: "I am again guessing that it is a tag that is put on genuine didgeridoos to make them sound more genuine."
Robert from USA: "A didgeridoo made by an Aboriginal Australian in the same way didgeridoos have been made for hundreds of years previously."
Erik Putnam from USA: "Aboriginal means to me: a person born native to the land they live on... Any didgeridoo made by a human is made by an aboriginal. I say this with no disrespect to the Aborigines of Australia or any other native culture."
Mick Langan from United Kingdom: "Eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites."
Joshua from USA: "An "Aboriginal" didge would be one that is handmade, with or without artwork for the soul purpose of Korroboree (sorry about the spelling) or Aboriginal use. Not for commercial sale."
Anonymous: "A copy."
Ryan from USA: "An Aboriginal didge should be a eucalyptus yidaki or mago made in NWA by a person of Aboriginal descent and, if decorated, using dot art or other traditional styles."
Andrew Castle from USA: "Any kind of didgeridoo can be considered "Aboriginal" because didji's are an aboriginal instrument. As wrong as this sounds, it is often how i see them marketed."
Hamid from Iran: "That has art work on it"

The wide variety of people's understanding of the meaning of these terms shows that while they might be clever and misleading marketing tools, they are not very suited to describe didgeridoos.
If you like to read more definitions of these terms, you can do so HERE.

We suggest you are very careful with any didj seller who uses these terms and we advise you rather look for statements like:
'Made by an Australian Aboriginal person'
'Harvested by an Australian Aboriginal person'
'Painted by an Australian Aboriginal person'
'Termite Hollowed Didgeridoo'
'Made in Australia'
If a seller you are interested to buy from does not make any of these more specific statements, ask them to do so.
By the way, all of the above statements are true for all didjes sold by Didjshop.com :-)

We have also added many more visitors comments to our website.

Thanks also to all our customers for their great comments and feedback.

And if you are interested, you can read more visitor comments on a wide range of subjects.

Last not least, if you have not yet filled out our 2010 questionnaire, please do so for your chance to win an AUS$1000.- shopping voucher.

Monthly Winners

January 2010

Karen Thaeter from Bancroft in Canada got her winning ticket when she answered our visitors questionnaire.
Here is her comment about our website: "I am from Australia and have always loved the didgeridoo i did not know this website existed until it was put onto the contest site"
Karen also said this about the difference between Aboriginal and Western society: "Aborigines want to live in a more spiritual place and western society want it all!"

Great to see, Karen that you found lots of info on this beloved instrument in far off Canada and we are looking forward to hear form you when you redeem your shopping voucher. Congratulations...

February 2010

Don Fecteau from Laconia, New Hampshire in USA received his winning ticket by entering our online competition.
Don's comment on Didjshop.com is short and sweet: "Very thorough"
We also liked Don's comment about the difference between Aboriginal and Western society: "The pace of life and the attachment to possessions"

Congratulations, Don and thanks for your comments.

March 2010

Jeremy Potts from Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
Jeremy got his winning entry through his didj purchase. He has not yet filled out our customer survey, so we cannot tell you his feedback about that didj he bought, but we can share his feedback on our website: "Great website with lots of information. probably the single best musical website i have ever seen as far as amount of information available for specific instruments".
And like many others, Jeremy believes that Western society can learn from Aboriginal people about "Man's relationship with nature."

Thanks for your kind comment on our website, Jeremy and congrats on the win.

And for all of you who missed out this time, we have another big prize to be won in our 2010 Competition. To get your two entries into the draw, please simply answer our 2010 visitor questionnaire. You can also win extra entries in the draw if you write a short review about any books about Aboriginal culture/issues or the didjeridoo or movies that have Aboriginal actors or didjeridoo sounds or images.

April 2010

John Adams from Kellerton,Iowa, USA received his winning ticket when he answered our visitors questionnaire.
John gave this short but positive feedback about our Didjshop.com website: "Great info"
John also shared that didj playing did change his live and helped him get a better understanding of Australian people.

Thanks John for your comments and congratulations on your win.

For your chance to win one of our monthly shopping vouchers or the main A$1,000 prize, please answer our visitors questionnaire.

Aboriginal News

Regular readers would be well aware of Mulrinji's death in the Palm Island police watch house. In November 2005 ago senior sergeant Chris Hurley arrested Mulrinji Doomadgee for drunkenness and took him to the police watch house, where Mulrinji died shortly afterwards from massive internal injuries, including four broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, a split liver, a burst portal vain as well as having a black eye. Security footage showed that Mulrinji was in a lot of pain inside his cell, but his cries for help were ignored.
The first coroner's report by Queensland coroner Christine Clements found after about one and a half years of investigations that the "actions of Senior Sergeant Hurley caused the fatal injuries", that the sergeant's failure to check on the prisoner was "callous and deficient" and that Hurley "responded with physical force against Mulrunji while Mulrunji was still on the floor".
Despite initial recommendations by the the Director of Queensland's Public Prosecution, Chris Hurley became the first ever police officer charged for a death in custody, however he was acquitted of the charge of manslaughter as well as the charge of assault.
About a year later Chris Hurley was even awarded $100,000 in 'compensation' by the Queensland police service.
Well that was not enough for the police union and Chris Hurley. They insisted that the coroner's enquiry, which found that Chris Hurley caused the death of Mulrinji, should be repeated by a different coroner. Well sometimes it is better to let dogs sleep. The report by this latest inquiry has been leaked and it seems it did not come out as the police had hoped for.
Queensland Deputy Chief Magistrate Brian Hine reported that he was unable to rule whether the injuries were inflicted deliberately or accidentally. Brian Hine claims that he was unable to make a definite finding due to the unreliability of police and Aboriginal witnesses. He said that the injuries could have been inflicted when Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley fell on top of Mulrinji or because the police officer then intentionally "dropped a knee" into his prisoner. He also found that Chris Hurley had punched Mulrinji several times as the latter lay on the floor.
But the bombshell in this report is that Queensland police officers stand accused by the coroner to have colluded to compromise proceedings and to protect one of their own, Chris Hurley. Mr Hine found that the police investigation was seriously flawed and asked Police Commissioner Bob Atkins to explain what action he intends to take against the officers involved.
Crime and Misconduct Commission chairman Martin Moynihan said "The investigations were characterised by double-standards and an unwillingness to publicly acknowledge failings on the part of the police. The Police Commissioner has tolerated these self-protecting aspects of the culture and must be held accountable for the flawed 'Palm Island review'."
While we welcome this latest report on its finding of collusion, we regret that the coroner still believes that the massive injuries could possibly have been sustained by Chris Hurley falling on top of Mulrunji. To us that is more than unlikely. For this police officer to walk away with what many Aboriginal people think was murder and to get $100,000 in compensation, is an abhorrent injustice which will not be forgotten by Aboriginal people for a long time. How can they be expected to ever trust any Queensland police officer again?
Rumour has it that two senior officers, which were hand-picked by Commissioner Bob Atkinson to review the investigation, will face disciplinary charges after this latest report.
In related news comes further proof that there is a strong racist culture in the Australian police force.
About one hundred Victorian police officers were recently investigated for passing on racist emails. We are not talking about a single email, but an ongoing email exchange between police officers which all contained racial material and some police officers added their own racist comments to these emails.
Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland revealed that the material in the emails is racist, homophobic, pornographic and one of the emailed images showed an 'ethnic man' being tortured. However the Chief Commissioner refused to release any of the emails and gave this reason: "If the Victorian public were aware of the nature of that material, I believe that it's of such a nature that it would cause significant concern within the Victorian community."
Two officers have been asked to show cause why they should not be dismissed. One of the two, a 47-year-old long-serving officer, resigned and then shot himself.
While it is very regrettable that one of the officers took his life, it is important that all Australian police forces learn out of this incident. The scope and extend of this racist email affair seems to suggest that there is a widespread and entrenched racist culture among many Australian police officers. This clearly taints all police officers, even those who are not racist at all and it creates a perception that police is racist.
It is up to the police service to change that perception and we suggest they introduce an internal education campaign which explains to all police officers what racism is and why it is totally unacceptable in any way, shape or form.
This is the bare minimum which needs to be done and it needs to be done immediately. Australia is a very multicultural country and the credibility of its police force is at stake, so the dismissal of one or two officers is clearly not enough.
The Federal Government wants to establish a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station, about 100 kilometres north of Tennant Creek. Earlier this month and with the help of the Liberal opposition, it passed the Radioactive Waste Management bill, which allows scientific and environmental assessment of the Muckaty Station site.
Not surprisingly, the federal opposition is supporting the governments plans for a nuclear waste dump.
Muckaty Station was chosen as the governments preferred site for purely political reasons. The federal government can overrule the Northern Territory government's objection to the nuclear dump, but could not do that with the other states. This particular site was also chosen because some of the areas traditional owners signed a secret contract with the government offering their land for such a facility in return for 12 million dollars of government aid.
In March those Ngapa elders were flown by the government to inspect the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in Sydney. Amy Lauder, an elder of the Ngapa people said: "Looking at it personally I think everything is going to be safe and secure. I don't think we'll have any problem there." Aunty Amy Lauder also made it fairly clear that the offer of money was the motivating factor: "We proposed our land because we thought we'd get benefit out of it."
We do not think that showing traditional owners a small research reactor can give them any idea about the dangers of a nuclear waste dump and it seems to us that the
But not everyone is happy. Nor do we think that offer them 12 million dollars is any more than a token bribe.
First of all it is worth noting that a thorough scientific study (which took over ten years) identified 15 potential sites in Australia as being the best sites for a nuclear waste dump. Muckaty wasn't one of them, in fact none of those 15 geologically suitable sites are in the Northern Territory. Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson said: "Fourteen years worth of research that was conducted that identified 15 sites around Australia, none of which were in the Northern Territory. This decision should be based on science, not a constitutional weak point....."
Next there are actually serious concerns about the area's recent earthquake activity as well as about potential flooding.
And last not least there is confusion because the government has signed a contract with some traditional owners of the area, but other traditional owners feel ignored.
Dianne Stokes, from the Miyilwayi tribe, claims the government's contract with the Ngapa people is not valid: "There is a secret agreement that was made between the Northern Land Council, the Federal Government and some traditional owners of the land trust,"
Solicitor George Newhouse, who is acting for the Miyilwayi traditional owners said: "Essentially, the Northern Land Council appears to have consulted with the wrong people. The traditional owners with a direct spiritual connection to the site vehemently object to the nuclear waste dump and do not want it to proceed."
While the Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson claims the right traditional owners were consulted a recent senate inquiry was not able to establish whether the traditional owners who signed the Muckaty deal had the authority to do so, or whether opposing traditional owners should be recognised.
The senate inquiry did not follow a request by Tennant Creek locals for a hearing to be held there despite over a hundred people attending a public meeting.
This is another decision which appears to be made for political reasons while ignoring the science and the wishes of the people.
We do hope that the government will reverse this decision sooner rather than later.
This issue also highlights a growing problem of Aboriginal elders being bribed with money and/or job promises into accepting polluting projects on their lands. Similar issues arise in WA with a multi billion gas project and in far north Queensland with Aluminium mining on the Wenlock river

Let us finish with a few short good news items:

Archaeologists just confirmed that an ochre painting on a rock wall in central Arnhem land depicts a Genyornis, a giant Emu like bird which was one of the many megafauna species which are believed to have become extinct about 40,000 years ago. Archaeologist Ben Gunn said "If it is a Genyornis, and it certainly does have all the features of one, it would be the oldest dated visual painting that we've got in Australia. The details on this painting indicate that it was done by someone who knew that animal very well."
The 50 million dollar National Centre of Indigenous Excellence has opened its doors in Redfern, Sydney. The centre aims to help young Indigenous Australians to reach their full potential and about 5,000 Indigenous students from across Australia are expected to attend the centre each year and receive targeted tuition in either sports, arts, education or innovation. We welcome this initiative which should help not just Aboriginal youth to learn better and become more confident, but also to bring together young Aboriginal people from all over the country.
Queensland scientists have studied a traditional Aboriginal remedy for headaches and migraine and they have confirmed that it is at least as effective as aspirin. The native lemon-grass (cymbopogon ambiguus) was one of many Aboriginal remedies for various ailments passed on by Aboriginal people to early settlers.

Keep on didjing until the next newsletter and please let your didj be heard during the next Worldwide Didgeridoo Circle on Monday, 21st June at your local sunset time, thanks...

from Svargo and the DIDJSHOP.COM team

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March/April/May/June 2010 Newsletter from didjshop.com

Editorial

The winners of our 2009 Prize didjes

Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation

More 2009 Questionnaire Results

'Genuine', 'Authentic', 'Traditional' and 'Aboriginal' Didgeridoos

Monthly Winners

Aboriginal News