Banula Marika

{{Short description|Aboriginal Australian dancer, actor and performer}} {{distinguish|Bayulma Marika|Banduk Marika}} {{use dmy dates|date=July 2021}} {{use Australian English|date=July 2021}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = Banula Marika | honorific_suffix = | image =  | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | other_names = David Marika | birth_name =  | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | education = | alma_mater = | known_for = Work with Bangarra Dance Theatre and Yothu Yindi<br>Environmental conservation | occupation = Dancer, musician, actor | notable_works = | style = | movement = | spouse = | father = Roy Marika | children = Milika | relatives = | awards =  | website =  | module = }}

'''Banula (David) Marika''' is an Aboriginal Australian dancer, actor, singer and performer from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. The son of Roy Marika, he is a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people, and is known for his performances with the Bangarra Dance Theatre since the 1990s.<ref name=ground>{{cite web | title=Banula Marika | website=Bangarra Knowledge Ground | url=https://bangarra-knowledgeground.com.au/people/banula-marika | access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref>

He is credited as David Manula Barika for his role as didgeridu player in ''Jindalee Lady'' (1992),<ref name=oz>{{cite web | title=Jindalee Lady | website=Ozmovies | url=https://www.ozmovies.com.au/movie/about/jindalee-lady | access-date=26 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{IMDb title|0402299| Jindalee Lady}}</ref> and as Banula (David) Marika for his first role as an actor in the film ''Bedevil'' (1993),<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.roninfilms.com.au/get/files/13490.pdf| title=Bedevil: When the unexplained happens [Press kit]|publisher=Ronin Films|access-date=25 July 2021| quote= For the role of Stompie... Moffatt turned to the Bangarra Dance Theatre in Redfern, casting Banula Marika, a member of the famous Marika family of Arnhem Land... Banula had never acted before, but he had a quality of stillness which was exactly right.}}</ref>

His stage performances with Bangarra include ''Up Until Now'' (1991), ''Praying Mantis Dreaming'' (1992-3) and ''Bloodland'' (2011-2).<ref>{{cite web | title=Banula Marika | website=AusStage | url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/233816 | access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> He also served as cultural consultant on Bangarra's 2020 television production of ''Ochres''.<ref>{{cite report| url=https://www.bangarra.com.au/media/xkjcgbvu/bdt-annualreport_20_v27.pdf| publisher= Bangarra Dance Theatre| date=2020| title=2020 Annual Report| page=27}}</ref>

He has performed as both vocalist and dancer and toured extensively with the band Yothu Yindi, including on their famous song "Treaty".<ref name=ground/> He performed vocals on their third album, ''Freedom'' (1993).<ref name="McF">{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |last=McFarlane |first=Ian |author-link=Ian McFarlane |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=1999 |chapter=Encyclopedia entry for 'Yothu Yindi' |chapter-url=http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=800 |isbn=1-86448-768-2 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040930230809/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=800|access-date=4 November 2008 |archive-date= 30 September 2004}}</ref> He also performed with them in a joint project with East Journey, called ''Genesis'', in 2015,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/au/album/the-genesis-project/962641014|title=The Genesis Project (DD)|website=Apple Music|date=February 2015 |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> which included a performance at the National Indigenous Music Awards 2015.<ref>{{cite web | title=PJ White from East Journey and Banula Marika from Yothu Yindi | website=ABC News |format=Photo| date=24 July 2015 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-24/pj-white-from-east-journey-and-banula-marika-from-yothu-yindi/6647388 | access-date=25 July 2021| quote=PJ White from East Journey and Banula Marika from Yothu Yindi rehearsing before National Indigenous Music Awards 2015.| first=Felicity| last=James}}</ref>

He has collaborated with founder of the Australian Dance Theatre, choreographer Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, in a work entitled ''Morning Star'' (2012–3). Marika is custodian of the Morning Star (Barnumbirr) story,<ref>{{cite web | title=A passion for dance | website=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=10 March 2012|first= Jennifer |last= Kingma| url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/a-passion-for-dance-20120309-1uns9.html | access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> and served as cultural consultant on the work. The Mirramu Dance Company performed ''Morning Star'' in March 2013 at the James O. Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.<ref>{{cite web | title=Morning Star. Mirramu Dance Company | website=Michelle Potter... On Dancing | date=21 March 2013| first= Michelle| last=Potter | url=https://michellepotter.org/reviews/morning-star-mirramu-dance-company/| access-date=9 December 2022}}</ref>

{{as of|2021}}, Marika is on the board of the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation (since at least 2018<ref>{{cite report| url=http://www.dhimurru.com.au/uploads/8/9/3/6/8936577/2018-19-dhimurru-ar_180919.pdf| publisher= Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation| date=2019| title=2018-19 Annual Report |p=6}}</ref>), along with artist and law man Mawalan 2 Marika,<ref>{{cite web | title=Board of Directors | website=Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation | url=http://www.dhimurru.com.au/board-of-directors.html | access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> and has also been a Dhimurru Indigenous ranger since 2002.<ref name=ground/><ref>{{cite web | title=What is the source of all this rubbish?| website=GhostNets Australia | url=https://www.ghostnets.com.au/the-problem/what-is-the-source/ | access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> In this role and as a traditional owner, he has contributed to papers on cross-cultural consultancy<ref>{{cite journal | last=Hoffmann | first=Benjamin D. | last2=Roeger | first2=Steve | last3=Wise | first3=Phil | last4=Dermer | first4=Jane | last5=Yunupingu | first5=BaluPalu | last6=Lacey | first6=Daryl | last7=Yunupingu | first7=Djäwa | last8=Marika | first8=Banula | last9=Marika | first9=Mandaka | last10=Panton | first10=Bill | title=Achieving highly successful multiple agency collaborations in a cross-cultural environment: experiences and lessons from Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation and partners | journal=Ecological Management & Restoration | publisher=Wiley | volume=13 | issue=1 | year=2012 | issn=1442-7001 | doi=10.1111/j.1442-8903.2011.00630.x | pages=42–50| doi-access=free }}</ref> and environmental conservation measures.<ref>{{cite report| url=https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/9997a85a-4e3f-432a-bb71-d8c8e634f914/files/e-enastri.pdf| title= National Recovery Plan for the Gove Crow Butterfly, Euploea alcathoe enastri | first=Michael F. |last=Braby| publisher= Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, Northern Territory|date= 2007| p=10}}</ref>

His son, Milika, is also a dancer, primarily in the hip hop style, and has featured in a TV series shown on NITV.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://deadlyvibe.com.au/2014/01/arnhem-land-shoot-for-dance-show/| website= Deadly Vibe| title=Arnhem Land shoot for dance show| date=10 January 2014}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{cite web | title=Banula Marika | website=AusStage | url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/233816}} *{{cite web | title=Tracey Moffatt as Ruby and Bandula Marika as Stompie in 'Choo Choo Choo Choo'| first=Elise |last=Lockwood | website=Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits | url=https://starstruck.gov.au/exhibition/211| format=Photo}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marika, Banula}} Category:21st-century Australian dancers Category:Australian male dancers Category:Australian actors Category:Australian performance artists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Indigenous Australian male actors Category:Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory Category:Living people Category:Indigenous Australian dancers Category:20th-century Indigenous Australian people Category:20th-century Australian dancers