Reclaiming archived Tiwi ethnographic song recordings from the Insititute in Canberra.

After some months of planning and fund-raising this visit to Canberra has now been undertaken. Song recordings holding immense musical and cultural significance were heard for the first time by the Tiwi group. Voices of ancestors, songs describing stories, ceremonies and historical events and elements of performance long since passed out of use were rediscovered. As a group strongly connected to each other and their community through song these recordings encapsulate much of their identity and so requesting their return was of great importance. Visiting the National Museum of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive and the Macleay Museum (Sydney University) added to the richness of cultural material discovery.

at AIATSIS. (L to R: back row) Regina Kantilla, Francis Orsto, Agnes Kerinaiua, Walter Kerinaiua, Stephen Kantilla, Eustace Tiploura

(L to R: front row) Genevieve Campbell, Mary Elizabeth Moreen, Teresita Puruntatameri, Jacinta Tipungwuti, Leonie Tipiloura, Mel Fernando

Songs are integral to the traditions of the Tiwi people. Almost every aspect of the community; mythological, historical and social is referred to in song. Although books, newspapers and other documentation are of course now also forms of record keeping, the oral tradition of documenting Tiwi life in song is very strong and current. Knowledge of place, ceremony and community history is held in songs and therefore, through oral tradition is held in the heads of those who know those songs. Song texts often name the country or skin group of those performing. The song is only sung by those from a particular group, and particular songmen are leaders of that group, so often the performer can be identified. Sometimes the event at which the song was performed is mentioned in the song text so an approximate date can be established. In a small community such as Nguiu the voices of singers (now deceased) can often be recognized by older people. It is only recently that people have begun to realize the importance of recording this data before people with this knowledge pass away.

In 2007 we did a catalogue search of archived song recordings held at the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and found a number of recordings of which those we spoke with at Nguiu were unaware. It became very important to the elders that the songs held at AIATSIS be repatriated in order to document the knowledge in the old songs before it is too late. This visit resulted in a strong commitment by elders to impart the knowledge of the experience to members of the community. The rediscovery of song recordings has had an immediate and significant impact on the senior songmen and women in terms of performance practice and ceremonial and song language traditions. Their engagement with the Institutions has put them and the community in a stronger position in relation to develop future protocols surrounding Tiwi cultural and artistic material.

Performance at NFSA