Shellie Morris, the Yanyuwa Song Women and the Gondwana Children’s Choir perform li-Anthawirriyarra at the Sydney Opera House for the DEADLY AWARDS 2011.
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SINGING YANYUWA IDENTITY
This chorus is a rough cut of Li-Anthawirriyarra a traditional/contemporary collaboration born from saltwater people their Yanyuwa identity and connection to the country. It involves the traditional singers, Shellie Morris and children from Borroloola .
Waliwaliyangu li-Anthawirriyarra
li-Yanyuwa
Calling from island to island
we Yanyuwa
Shellie Morris, the Yanyuwa Songwomen and the Gondwana Children’s Choir perform li-Anthawirriyarra at the Sydney Opera House for the DEADLY AWARDS 2011. (photos courtesy of Vibe Australia and Heidi Riederer)
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
An example of a collaborative song between Shellie Morris and the Borroloola Songwomen.
Over 500 local people from Tennant Creek enjoyed a sneak preview of the SONG PEOPLES SESSIONS during a performance for the DESERT HARMONY FESTIVAL at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre.
Shellie Morris and the Borroloola Song Women brought their blend of satlwater traditional and contemporary music to the desert country for the enthusiastic Tennant Creek crowd.
Warren H Williams and the Warumungu Songmen’s collaborative CD, ‘WINANJJARA’ was also launched to the local community and culminated with members of the local community singing the new Warumungu anthem, ‘Junkurakurr’.
The national launch of the ‘WINANJJARA’ CD is scheduled for the New Year in 2012.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
The title track, ‘Winanjjara’, from Warren’s new album with the Warumungu Songmen.
WARREN H WILLIAMS and the WARUMUNGU SONGMEN
CD LAUNCH of the SONG PEOPLES SESSIONS - WINANJJARA -
DESERT HARMONY FESTIVAL, TENNANT CREEK, 2 SEPTEMBER 2011
SHELLIE MORRIS and the BORROLOOLA SONGWOMEN
perform at the 2011 DESERT HARMONY FESTIVAL, TENNANT CREEK
SHELLIE MORRIS recently returned to Borroloola to continue working with her grandmother’s family to sing and record the final songs for the upcoming release.
A great week was had by all and a big thanks once again to Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Association, Warulungku Arts and the Li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Ranger unit for their assistance.
The launch of the album will take place in Borroloola on 28 June 2012 and everyone is invited to share this special moment.
KEEPING THE YANYUWA LANGUAGE STRONG - WORKING WITH THE KIDS
The Song Peoples Sessions worked with Shellie Morris, senior Yanyuwa songwomen and interpreters Leanne Norman, Joanne Miller and Mavis Timothy to translate more songs from English into Yanyuwa to work with the local kids.
Lots of laughter and fun was had working on the latest Yanyuwa dance song!
SINGING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
THE INDIVISIBILITY OF LAW, COUNTRY AND KIN woven through the knowledge from the SONG PEOPLES.
The Song Peoples Sessions, is a collaboration between traditional and contemporary Indigenous musicians to support Indigenous language maintenance. These first sessions will produce two traditional Indigenous music CDs and two collaborative CDs combining traditional and contemporary Indigenous music, which will be launched and released in late 2011 and early 2012.- The first project supports Shellie Morris to return to her Yanyuwa grandmothers’ country and collaborate with traditional singers from the Borroloola and McArthur River region.
- The second project supports Warren H Williams to return to his Warumungu grandmother’s country and collaborate with traditional singers from Tennant Creek and the Barkly region.
THE KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS
The Warumungu Songmen commenced their recordings at WMC tonight. After considerable reunions, yarning and consultation, the appropriate songs were selected and the metadata collected before recording commenced.
The songs sung and recorded included public songs about the Flying Fox - Pirttangu, Dog - Kunapa and Turkey Kurtinja dreamings and totems that represent Warumungu identity. Some of these songs are often accompanied by pujjali, men’s traditional dancing. These are ancient songs that represent continuing connection to country and intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge.
WINANJJIKARI MUSIC CENTRE - SINGING FOR BELONGING
Thanks to Adrian McNamara and his crew at Winanjjikari, consultations and planning with the Warumungu Song Peoples have been under way in Tennant Creek over the last week. Mark Johnny has joined the team and is working closely with his old mate Lex Holt to liaise with all of the elders involved in the recording. They are planning the songs to be sung, working with interpreters and organising locations for the recordings.
Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Warren H Williams to join the Warumungu singers and the crew here at WMC. Only one week to go!
THE SONG PEOPLES SESSIONS returns to TENNANT CREEK to work with WARUMUNGU, WARLMANPA and ALYAWARR Song People.
Ancient songs have echoed for thousands of years throughout what is now the Barkly Region of the Northern Territory. From the Barkly Tablelands to Banka Banka Station, Phillip Creek Mission to Attack Creek and from Jurnkurakurr to the Gosse River and the Davenport Ranges the Barkly Song People have been singing the connections between country.
