Australian aboriginal music, painting and culture has existed for countless thousands of years Whilst aboriginal painting has become increasingly popular around the world, the culture that creates it - and the stories behind it - has not received the same attention
Arnhemland is situated in the mid north of Australia; the closest city being Darwin in the Northern Terrritory It is one of the last places in Australia that still contains vestiges of traditional music and culture
Due to its isolation, rough terrain, monsoonal tropical climate - and resistance from the Aboriginal inhabitants - most attempts by arriving white settlers (100 years ago) to acquire land failed; however the unrelenting pressure from grazing, mining, army, missionaries, governments, businesses, disease, alcohol - all the usuals - have taken their toll and the 'small' language clans are disappearing quite quickly
Much day to day business and ceremony (Initiation, funeral) is still conducted traditionally; indeed the prevalence of funerals means that there is much activity in this area ..
The NE Arnhem Aboriginal peoples refer to themselves as Yolngu
All aspects of Yolngu life are divided into two fundamental principles – or moieties – called Yirritja and Dhuwa. Everything is categorized as being one or the other – people, trees, birds, animals, country, stars – the importance of finding and maintaining ‘balance’ between the two halves being the prime aim of the relationship system
Knowledge is passed on from 'elders' to younger people as the time, the need and the ability of the 'initiate' to comprehend, is optimum Traditional songs, stories, dance, ceremony and painting are all part of this.
Songs and stories belong to - and are about - particular places; people belong to place too - so they belong to the songs and stories as well
The old songs are very old; they are concerned with totemic objects (birds, spirits), instruction for finding food and water, ceremony (initiation, funeral)
The old fellas are not interested in 'rap' or 'hip-hop' - or passing fashion, visiting bureaucrats, external governments and schemes; they have been seeing and hearing the same fleeting things for years - and realize that not only do they mean nothing, but nothing comes of them anyway
The younger fellas are interested in the old songs - when they get to hear them ! 'Sharing' is a named 'category' of Yolngu life; we all share - language, story, song - everyone is welcome to participate Respect for culture - along with the genuine desire to understand (a little) of the culture - are necessary prerequisites though
My contact - and interest - with traditional aboriginal culture springs from years of making sound environment recordings, and having developed an awareness of the ‘specificality’ or the ‘local’ nature of environmental (especially bird) sound. As this awareness grew and my musical compositional techniques became duly influenced by these considerations, I realized that Australian Indigenous music was based on place too - and also included stars, trees, people, birds, spirits .. !
'Waak Waak and Min Min' - Black crow, White cockatoo
A new project designed to showcase traditional Australian Aboriginal song in a contemporary musical settings; songs from the Yolngu peoples of Arnhemland
The participants are: Jimmy Djamunba, ceremonial songman from central Arnhemland Bobby Bunnunggurr, singer and painter, also from central Arnhemland and me (PM), as producer and musician
Song titles: ‘Waak waak’ - black crow ‘Min min’ - white cockatoo ‘Bumbulla’ - Stringy bark (tree) ‘Mangurra’ - Sun and rain (at dawn) ‘Djambacco’ - Smoking (sharing) song and others
Jimmy Djamunba
Ceremonial song and lawman from Walkabimmirri nr Ramingining NE Arnhemland
Of the Dhuwa moiety, his tribe is the Marangu and language Djinang His dreamings are black crow, stringy bark, honey bee, bream fish and palm trees.
Has toured around Australia and in Japan with 'waak waak jungi' group Sang with 'Sunrize band' and also an 'arts collaboration' project through NSW in the mid 1990s Completed a Tourism Australia sponsored trip to the US and Canada promoting NT and Arnhemland - 2006/7
As an 'elder' law and songman; he knows the functionality, purposes and requirements of 'running' ceremony (mostly funerals) JD is approx 56 years old
Bobby Bunnunggurr Songman, painter and dancer from Ramingining NE ArnhemlandCultural adviser and elder/traditional owner
Of the Yirritja moiety, his tribe is the Malibirr and language Gannalbingu. His dreamings are water lillies, long neck turtle, crocodile, magpie goose and Rainbow Serpent.
Bobby has toured to the US, Europe and Japan Had (hair belt) work in the Telstra 2003 art awards, painting and singing on 'waak waak jungi' cd package
The songs
Notes: Djamunba's 'Stringy bark' song is a ceremonial (funeral) song; its topic is the finding and preparation of a suitable (stringy bark) tree to be used as a 'hollow log' - the recepticle for storing human remains after death and funeral The function of this song is to 'welcome' (naming) visiting clan groups to ceremony; the clan's names must be sung in the right 'order' - as determined by their homelands geographic location - in order to maintain 'balance'. Clans live in 'moiety' relationship to their neighbours, and this is also respected in the welcome song (manikay)
The effects (and affect) of a 'successful' bunggul (ceremony) can be stunning - just listen to Djamunba singing this song - and this is out of context !
Stringybark is a 'work in progress' - the music is in its 3rd incarnation and is not right; the piece was recorded outside at Walkabimmirri - near Ramingining; Jimmy sang his heart out (you can hear a microphone breaking) whilst I played and recorded it
Some of these songs appeared on the 1997 cd 'Waak Waak Jungi'; some of JD's later songs and talk have been broadcast on national radio
Stringy bark - bumbulla - mixed version Jimmy's Dhuwa song and was recorded on his homeland outside ramingining in 2001, it is a 'manakai', a ceremonial 'welcoming song' that names many different clans in sequence, under the common 'big' name/totem of the stringy bark tree
Minmin - white cockatoo; song about the bird; Bobby's mixed version
Mangurra - sun and rain at dawn; recorded at ramo 2001, mixed version; Jimmy sings
Djambacco - smoking song; sharing and being together, mixed version - Bobby sings
Djungulla - Devil song; trad version - Jimmy's song, Bobby didj
Stories We've produced a program or two for radio; one of these was about trad song - manukai - and how they 'work'
Here's Jimmy explaining a bit
'Waak waak jumgi' - crow fire
Traditional and 'mixed' songs by Jimmy Djamunba and Bobby Bunnunggurr from Ramingining, NE Arnhemland
Bobby Bunnunggurr and Jimmy Djamunba are two traditional Yolngu song and lawmen from ne arnhemland They began visiting Melbourne around 1990 on tours with David Gulpilil (cousin and brother from Ramingining) Traditional song recordings and later 'mixed' recordings were made there with Peter Mummé
There was slight interest in the work from record companies and radio; 'waak waak jungi' band group was formed and toured in Australia, Japan in 1998
A cd was released with Festival in 1997 Other members of the group were Sebastian Jorgensen and Sally Grice
Group 'balance' was maintained on 'moiety' lines, Bobby being a Yirritja man and Jimmy, Dhuwa; song order was likewise ordered PM has travelled to arnhem a couple of times prior to moving to Darwin 2003 (back in Melbourne now); new material for performance and recording was 'roughed' 2001-2007
Bobby Bunnunggurr