When ceremony is on, perhaps a funeral or boys’ initiation, you will almost always hear yiḏaki accompanying sacred songs. Yiḏaki is not traditionally a solo instrument, but an integral part of the whole ceremonial scene along with singing, clapsticks and dance. There is some flexibility for the player in many songs, but it is vitally important that sacred laws are followed, and the yiḏaki parts are played properly by a well-educated man who was identified for his talent at a young age. The songs are very complex with many changes, not one simple repetitive rhythm.

While most public ceremonies that everyone can attend include yiḏaki, there are some that do not. Only clapsticks are used for many of the most important and most sacred songs. There are also special sacred yiḏaki that are only used in deeper, secret ceremony, and are not shown in public where everyone can see and hear them.

Usually, young men, from late teens to early thirties, play the yiḏaki in ceremony. Middle-aged men will sometimes play the yiḏaki if necessary, for example if there are no young men present who are knowledgable enough about the songs. The well known yiḏaki maker, player and teacher Djalu’ Gurruwiwi is rare as an elder who still plays yiḏaki regularly, at home and in ceremony. Most older men retire from yiḏaki and prefer to lead the singing. Milkayŋu Munuŋgurr is a good example – he loved yiḏaki and called it his destiny, but before his untimely passing at the age of 40, began moving on to being a singer.

Yolŋu women do not usually play yiḏaki, but contrary to popular theory, they have been known to. We’ll talk about this more later in the Yiḏaki Issues chapter.