Identity, language and collaboration in Indigenous music

I begin this chapter by arguing against any sort of prescriptive definitions for Indigenous Australian music. I will then illustrate change in public discourse on Indigenous music by examining the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards for Best Indigenous Release (1987-1998) and for Best World Music Album (1999-2016). The chapter then proceeds to highlight two increasingly common features of the work of Indigenous musical artists: reference to one\u27s specific Indigenous cultural identity (e.g. Noongar, Bundjalung, Yorta Yorta) in popular music performance, and writing and performing popular music in Indigenous languages. The chapter concludes by illustrating how frequently Indigenous artists collaborate with non-Indigenous artists in the production and performance of popular music. These practices serve as examples of Indigenous agency: position-taking within the cultural field of popular music

Rebuilding as Research: Noongar song, language and ways of knowing

In Australia, language and song are integral to maintaining Aboriginal knowledge systems. British colonisation and ensuing Australian government policies of assimilation have adversely impacted these knowledge systems, at least partially by functioning to dramatically diminish the vitality of many Aboriginal languages and song traditions. As a Noongar researcher motivated by community-oriented goals, I employ a multidisciplinary approach to enhance the revitalisation of the endangered Noongar language and its song traditions in the south coast region of Western Australia. This work draws on established methods from ethnomusicology and linguistics, engaging with community knowledge-holders and archival records to rebuild repertoire while increasing opportunities to gather together, sing and speak. While the processes developed to aid this endeavour may function as useful models for others involved in similar projects across the world, its aims are primarily oriented towards empowering the local community. Given the continued development of approaches to Indigenous research, this article will discuss the potential for language revitalisation, song and performance to expand available ways of knowing

The Emotional Business of Noongar Song

This article explores connections between history, emotion and Aboriginal song in the south of Western Australia. Songs performed in the Noongar language in the 19th and early 20th centuries provide insight into the emotional worlds of Western Australia’s past. Historical documentation reveals how Noongar sang to deal with rapid changes associated with colonisation, with song acting as a conduit for cultural resilience. Today, the Noongar language is endangered, and few people remember the old songs. Community aspirations to claim, consolidate and enhance cultural heritage have driven a collaborative process of translating, interpreting and revitalising some of this repertoire. Listening to and performing Noongar songs at community gatherings today stirs strong emotions, feelings of connection to the past and senses of both loss and hope. In this context, songs are also key to maintaining links to ancestors, language and a sense of community

The fringe or the heart of things? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musics in Australian music institutions

Teetering on the fringe of Australian music scholarship and knowledge institutions, research and teaching of local Indigenous musics hold a marginal place, belying the positioning of Indigenous music-makers at the centre of international representations of Australian culture, and the dynamic local connections of Indigenous music-making to Australian landscapes and social realities. Music’s ubiquity and diversity worldwide show its potential as a tool to manage the changing world in societies of the past and present, yet this potential is largely neglected in contemporary Australia, and our theories and evidence base are limited by the narrow western focus within our knowledge institutions. The sheer weight of institutional investment in purportedly superior European musics prolongs Australia’s characteristic cultural cringe and the trivialization of Indigenous cultures. Recent calls to decolonize music education and decentre the study of western classical music ring hollow in the Australian context because, despite the glossy pictures and stated aspirations, there is a big gap at the heart of our music institutions. Addressing this gap requires not just greater inclusion of Indigenous people and their musics, but also, we argue, advocacy for Indigenous self-determination as core business

Educative power and the respectful curricular inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music

This chapter argues for the full, respectful curricular inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music in order to promote a more balanced and equitable social and cultural vision of the nation-state in Australian schools. It challenges views that claim Indigenous cultures have been irretrievably lost or are doomed to extinction, as well as the fixation on musical authenticity. We propose that the gradual broadening of Indigenous musical expressions over time and the musical renaissance of the new millennium have created an unprecedented opportunity for current music educators to experience the educative power of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music. This means that culturally nonexposed music teachers can employ familiar musical-technical approaches to the music even as they begin to more fully investigate the music’s cultural-contextual meanings. The chapter considers issues that impinge on the music’s educative power, especially those relating to its definition, its intended audiences, and pedagogies. It aims to help clear the way for the classroom to become an environment in which students can sense the depth and vitality of contemporary Australian Indigenous music

Indigenous online creative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Western Australia

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many communities of endangered Indigenous languages have utilised digital technologies and created online language resources with renewed motivation. In this article we explore the ways that Noongar community members have shifted, adapted and persisted in creating new language revitalisation resources for their endangered Aboriginal language, describing three case studies of video content created and shared online through social media as localised responses to the pressing need for easily produced, accessible and engaging online approaches to support Indigenous communities and their languages

Supporting the performance of Noongar language in Hecate

As the first adaptation of a complete Shakespearean work presented entirely in one Aboriginal language of Australia, Hecate is a landmark production in Australian theatre. The Noongar language of the southwest of Western Australia is a critically endangered language impacted by colonisation since the early 1800s and suppressed until the 1970s. Working with an all-Noongar cast learning what is by birthright their mother-tongue, the Noongar language, on a full Shakespearean work presents a range of challenges. Consideration of effective rehearsal strategies to support brave spaces for the cast to flourish holistically, both as language learners and performers, was imperative. As most of the cast had limited understanding of spoken Noongar language until working on the production, song functioned as a catalyst for language learning, working as a mnemonic device. Vocal exercises were introduced to empower the performers to articulate freely and to liberate the text. Additionally, the stage manager’s comprehension of Noongar language was important, particularly as the production transferred to the stage. In reflecting on the necessarily unique processes developed for Hecate, this paper offers strategies to support future training of performers, directors, vocal coaches and stage managers engaged in productions that involve Indigenous and/or endangered languages

Maya kora koorliny (language comeback): Access and arts in Australia

Australia is home to hundreds of Indigenous languages, most in various states of endangerment and revitalisation. This paper concentrates on two pressing challenges, how to make historical language material more useful to Indigenous peoples reviving their languages, and how to increase opportunities for Indigenous peoples to build and maintain language capacity. It provides a snapshot of language revitalisation activity in Australia, focusing on the development of a dynamic online platform for Indigenous language manuscripts designed to increase Indigenous community access to primarysource language material. It will also share a case-study on the long-term revitalisation Noongar language in the southwest of Western Australia. Building on foundations established via community meetings and collaboration with linguists in the 1980s, Noongar language revitalisation has escalated in recent years amid burgeoning Noongar performing arts projects across theatre, film, and music led by Noongar creatives. Australia es el lugar de origen de cientos de lenguas indígenas que en su mayoría se encuentran a diferentes niveles de riesgo y revitalización. Este trabajo se concentra en dos retos que apremian: la necesidad de hacer que la documentación lingüística histórica sea de mayor utilidad para los pueblos indígenas que buscan revitalizar sus lenguas, y de incrementar las oportunidades para que los pueblos indígenas puedan generar y mantener capacidades lingüísticas. El trabajo presenta un panorama sobre la revitalización que se lleva a cabo en Australia, enfocándose en una dinámica plataforma digital para materiales de archivo de lenguas que mejora el acceso para las comunidades indígenas a estos materiales. También se presenta un estudio de caso acerca de la revitalización a largo plazo de la lengua Noongar en el suroeste de Australia occidental. Con base en reuniones comunitarias y una colaboración con lingüistas en los años ochenta, la lengua Noongar ha tenido un apogeo en años recientes sobre todo en el contexto de las artes escénicas Noongar incluyendo proyectos de teatro, cine y música por parte de creadores Noongar

‘Keep the music going’: How the isolation tour 2020 maintained community and cultural connectedness during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Western Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social isolation measures had a profound impact on communities worldwide. In regional and remote Western Australia, the use of online platforms has become increasingly important for maintaining social and emotional well-being. This article examines the role of ‘The Isolation Tour 2020’ Facebook page in providing a lifeline for its mostly Aboriginal audience to stay connected with culture, Country, and one another during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Western Australia. The authors conducted an in-depth interview with one of the administrators of the page and supplemented this with a thematic analysis of publicly available Facebook data. Data were analysed using NVivo qualitative analysis software and common themes were identified. The findings show that ‘The Isolation Tour 2020’ provided an effective virtual platform for people to interact with loved ones and feel a sense of belonging and comfort in the uncertainty of the pandemic. This research highlights the importance of online spaces for supporting social and emotional well-being during extended periods of social isolation and offers insights into how similar initiatives can be supported in future