This is where visitors are met by Fred, Douglas and Jenny Hunter, and Andy, Jenny's balanda (white-skinned) husband.
For almost six years the London filmmaker Ben Strunin has been piecing together the mysterious life story of Djalu who has through his musical offerings – including sellout tours of England and continental Europe – tried to bridge the Yolngu and balanda (western) divide.
And so Djalu, Dhopiya and her two dogs, Dhanggal, the children, the nieces, the film-maker, the balanda artists and I all sail into the black Arafura at 4am, just as the first luminous hints of dawn threaten to crack the horizon.
But I also saw the way he developed techniques to connect with balanda, to connect these two worlds in such a seamless way".
It also brings pressure for people to live in two worlds – their Aboriginal culture and also the aspirations of the balanda".
"Not only is he a master of the old ways, he is also incredibly adaptable and perceptive in his ability to embrace the modern balanda world so he can transmit this highly complex and refined culture to anyone ready to listen.
There is space for everyone here, Yolngu, balanda or other, and room, too, always for the beloved dogs, the music, the yirdaki-making and the painting that accompany it (both Djalu and his wife, Dhopiya, are acclaimed artists whose works – including yirdakis and occasional bark paintings – sell at the nearby Yirrkala art centre, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka).
He's like, 'I will share this information with balanda and let the world know what we're about.' " Last night, just before he left the boat, Djalu performed a healing ceremony for all of us balanda.
These incidents are all possible reference points for non-Indigenous people like me – or balanda, as the Yolgnu call us – who are compelled to map Djalu's corporeal existence as we do our own.
His melding of worlds serves to inspire both balanda and the next generations of Yolngu," Strunin said.
Klaus Helms is a stout balanda, or non-Indigenous person, with a shock of white hair.
