© ATOM 2016 A STUDY GUIDE BY EMILY DAWSON http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-940-5 http://theeducationshop.com.au CONTENTS 1 Indigenous Perspectives 2 Synopsis 3 The importance of language and the need for more projects like Yamani: Voices of an Ancient Land 4 Yamani Artist profiles: language and knowledge holders Music available at: https://wantokmusik.bandcamp.com/albumyamani-voices-of-an-ancient-land a Accompanied by brief introductions to Gunggari, Video available at: https://vimeo.com/140554259 Butchulla, Kalaw Kawaw Ya, Yugambeh and Warrgamay languages INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES 5 Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory This study guide has been written for those Committee committed teachers upholding their responsibility to teach for reconciliation through the use of quality 6 Wantok Musik Fountation of Indigenous content and committed intercultural and cross-cultural pedagogy. 7 National Professional Standards for Teachers, The Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals National professional standards and curriculum for Young Australians, The UN Declaration on the documents (outlined below) mandate that all Rights of Indigenous Peoples teachers are to teach, and therefore all students 8 Direct curriculum links between Yamani: Voices of across all year levels are to be taught, an an Ancient Land and the Australian Curriculum by Indigenous curriculum. However, it is noted that Primary level. Suggested student activities include: these documents do not provide specific outcomes for teachers and students. As teachers experience a Language and singing Country immense time constraints and often low levels of practical and meaningful intercultural education, b Alternative perspectives and alternate texts the scaffolding aim of these curriculum documents can be lost as teachers juggle the various content c Song/text response they must cover. d Geography and mapping Therefore, this study guide for Yamani: Voices of an Ancient Land hopes to equip teachers with specific e Music exploration and collaboration learning outcomes with clear links to the national Australian Curriculum for the Primary Years. f Information Communication and Technology Providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander throughout the song perspectives within the curriculum is fundamental writing and recording process to strengthening identity and cultural esteem for all © ATOM 2016 © ATOM Australians. g Contemporary Indigenous understandings SYNOPSIS 9 References 10 Resources and References Yamani: Voices of an Ancient Land illustrates the 2 power of language, strength of identity and how languages themselves in order to share the songs with others. The womens’ journey portrays how different stages of the language-learning, story-telling and music- making process was significant to the women in different ways. Joyce found that just writing down a song on paper was special, while Ethel was finally able to witness an old and sentimental songbook come to life at 84 years of age. The power of collaboration is portrayed especially though Leonora workshopping with the other women to turn a poem based on her grandmother into a song. Bridget wrote a song about the Warrgamay pride in Indigenous cultures can be shared through creator, sharing her cultural knowledge of her contemporary song. region. Yamani, means “rainbow” in the Warrgamay “We each shared songs in our languages with the language and as the name for this group, reflects others. We sing together in five languages, so we the coming together of different people and had to teach our language and learn the other four languages in a rainbow of song. languages. “It has been a wonderful, challenging – Bridget Priman and joyful experience which truly shows the power for music for sharing language.” Knowledge holders, Ethel Munn (Gunggari), – QILAC Chairperson Joy Bonner. Leonora Adidi (Kalaw Kawaw Ya), Joyce Bonner (Butchulla), Faith Baisden (Yugambeh), Melinda All of the women participated in music and Holden and Bridget Priman (Warrgamay) have technology training for twelve months, proving come together to produce eleven songs in five that it is never too late to learn new skills. With the different languages to share the many voices of assistance of a singing coach, Kristina Kelman, Australian country. As this process empowers the women learned how to use muscles and deep each language through the opportunity to share breathing to develop harmonies and find notes Australia’s ancient knowledge, those who continue that they never knew that could reach. They then to speak and share these languages are also learned how to use new technology throughout empowered. the recording process, working with award- winning composer David Bridie and Wantok Musik The six women have collaborated with the vision Foundation to produce a CD. In David’s words, of making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘language is cultural identity encapsulated by song’ languages stronger for many years, forming the and Yamani illustrates that it is never too late to Queensland Indigenous Languages Advisory learn new languages through new songs to share Committee (QILAC). this cultural identity. While some of the women were nervous at the start For tens of thousands of years, the rich and of the project, believing that they couldn’t sing, beautiful sounds of hundreds of different languages read music or let alone write music, that didn’t washed across this land. Over all of Australia it is stop them. Committed to strengthening the many believed there were more than five hundred at one Indigenous languages of Queensland, the women time. use song to help each other learn each of the Teacher Qualities / Quality Teachers possess: • cross-cultural understandings • a sound knowledge of Australia’s vast history • skills in acknowledging their own personal attitudes • the determination and commitment to develop a culturally inclusive 2016 © ATOM curriculum for all students 3 As the English language swept across the country in Australian schools is that they are the original around two hundred years ago powered by the languages of this country. Through learning pervasive wave that was colonisation, languages them, all students gain access to knowledge were silenced and ‘faded to a whisper in some and understanding of Australia that can only places’. come from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander perspective. The languages by their nature embed Since the custodians of Australia’s different this perspective. Learning about and/or how to use languages and places took action to fight for their these unique languages can play an important part right to speak and be heard in their traditional in the development of a strong sense of identity, tongues, a treasury of knowledge continues to be pride and self-esteem for all Australian students. unlocked and appreciated. (Source: http://www.ourlanguages.net.au/ languages/education.html) LANGUAGE FAMILIES YAMANI ARTIST PROFILES: A language family is a group of related languages, LANGUAGE AND KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS usually these languages have a common ancestor. For example the Romance languages are a Over the years, this dynamic group of women subset of the Italic language family. The Romance realised that they also had a collective passion for languages have all derived from Latin; and the music and song. Some just love to sing and others group includes the separate languages Italian, wants to see her songs passed on the younger Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Galician, French women. and Romanian. "This is what it’s all about-sharing and caring for our language and how we as the carriers, preserve TEACHING LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS in many media’s where it can be showcased for others”. The overall rationale for learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages GUNGGARI LANGUAGE Mrs Ethel Munn is an Elder of the Gunggari people of South Queensland. For forty years she has had a copy of the Gunggari Songbook, a collection © ATOM 2016 © ATOM 4 Suy which is about her totem. This bird (a black- winged stilt) is very rarely seen in her region. Kalaw Kawaw Ya is spoken in the Torres Straits, particularly the top Western Islands group of Saibai, Dauan and Boigu. It is also spoken in the communities of Bamaga and Seisia at the tip of Cape York, which were originally settled by people from Saibai in the 1950s. Kalaw Kawaw Ya is a dialect of Kalaw Lagaw Ya, one of the two traditional languages of the Torres Strait, the dialects of this language are spoken in the Western and Central regions of Torres Strait. The other traditional language is Meriam Mir and it's spoken in the Eastern Islands. Kala Lagaw Ya the parent language of Kalaw of songs that were documented from around the Kawaw Ya is classified as a mixed language, with campfires of her people, but has never heard characteristics of both Aboriginal, Papuan and the songs inside. Until this project started. She Austronesian (the family of languages of South East selected the songs Mumma Warrunno, Maranoa Asia and Pacific Islands.) For example the personal Lullaby and Jabbin Jabbin a song about birds rising pronouns are Aboriginal, most kinship terms are in the morning. Papuan, sea and agricultural vocabulary are mostly Austronesian. Eighty percent of its vocabulary is The Gunggari language is spoken in the Mitchell Papuan and Austronesian. (Source: Leonora Adidi) region of South-West Queensland and extends north to Morven and Mungallala, East towards Roma and South along the Maranoa River. It is part of the Bidjara language family. (Source: Ethel Munn.). KALAW KAWAW YA LANGUAGE Leonora Adidi has taken a diverse approach to find ways to promote her Kalaw Kawaw Ya language of the Torres Strait Islands, from teaching and translating to running cooking classes in language. © ATOM 2016 © ATOM She has always had a love of singing and was a great encouragement to the other group members to sing up and find their voices. Leonora wrote the beautiful Aka as a tribute to her Grandmother and 5 WARRGAMAY LANGUAGE Bridget Priman is a Warrgamay Djambi (Elder), who has completed a Degree in Linguistic and Languages to help ensure that the languages are learnt and used by her large extended family in North Queensland and the Bundaberg area.