Numburindi Festival Artistic Report 13 - 15 September 2018 Red Flag dancers performing NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 1

Contents

Overview 2

Staffing 5

Pre-festival activity 8

Program 8

Opening night 8

Second night 11

Closing night 11

Awards 11

Statistics 14

Dance groups and performers 14

Funding 17

Catering 17

Partnerships 17

Media and marketing 17

Highlights 18

Challenges 18

Forward planning 18

Connecting people and place through arts development and touring

Front cover: All photos by: Jeff Nunggarrgalu Back cover: Jangu Nundhirribala performing Benjamin Warlngundu Bayliss performing with Preparing young Red Flag for Friday's Wungubul All text and images © Artback NT 2018 young dancers Dancers for performing PG. 2 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018

Overview The aims of ITDP are: Numburindi Festival is a unique community • To assist in the coordination of an annual event driven event for local audiences which celebrates that celebrates the diversity of traditional traditional and contemporary arts and cultural Indigenous dance in the , practices from remote Arnhem Land community, providing an exciting cross-cultural platform for Numbulwar, on the western coast of the Gulf of audience and performance development Carpentaria, Northern Territory (NT). The festival • To deliver remote community support that at its core aims to support community capacity facilitates opportunities for arts and cultural development and cross cultural exchange performance and skills development within between Indigenous clan groups across the NT. the region through a series of projects, The festival is a continuation of the inaugural rehearsals, workshops and events each year Numburindi Festival 2016 and is embedded • To provide further Territory, national and in Artback NT’s Indigenous Traditional Dance international performance opportunities Program (ITDP). Until now the Festival had been where appropriate for the hosting community a local community based event with a focus on to establish business and professional providing mentoring and support to Numbulwar development pathways clan groups and local arts workers. The 2018 The objectives of ITDP are: Festival was the first delivered under a three year funding program with Arts NT to support • Sustainability of an annual event in the hosting audience growth. community and its uptake in the region • An improved overall understanding in remote The ITDP was established to support artistic Indigenous communities of the integral White Cockatoo performing and cultural practices through intergenerational relationships between cultural maintenance learning, strengthening relationships between and professional performing arts opportunities elders and young people and encouraging cultural through participation in local, regional and leadership. The ITDP program has delivered national showcase events festival events in Alice Springs (2009) and Tennant Creek (2010 – 2012). Currently ITDP is • An increased awareness of the value of working with the communities of Numbulwar traditional Indigenous dance as an integral (2016 – present) and (2013 – present) strategy in community wellbeing and a to develop a distinct engagement model in pathway to improved employment and response to their specific needs. further education and training for individuals, particularly disengaged youth This years’ Numburindi Festival was held over • The preservation of culture by traditional three days 13–15 September and had a core intergenerational learning methods that focus on intergenerational exchange with clan strengthen the relationships between Elders Elders supporting and empowering youth arts and youth and encourages cultural leadership practice. The Festival saw incredible attendance from visiting music and dance groups travelling • The creation of pathways for cultural from Bickerton Island, Groote Eylandt, , understanding, appreciation and Katherine, Beswick and Darwin. The program respect between Indigenous and celebrated growth in the young peoples’ non-Indigenous programming with a greater number of performing • Undertake independent evaluation through groups and strong young peoples’ Wungubul ·· Data collection performances on the opening night. Since its ·· Qualitative and rich media inception in 2016, Numburindi Festival has gone ·· Structured feedback and review from strength to strength and this year was a ·· Critical reflection vibrant and successful whole-of-community event. ·· Regular, rich reporting

Morgan Wurramara leading the Wurramara dancers NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 5

Culture is really important for kids. vital asset for the Festival. This year whilst she Their culture is important for them, supported the planning of Numburindi Festival as for their future. Dancing everything, in their Festival Director, Ella was unable to participate in the delivery of the event due to Sorry Business own country, so they know their story, and family circumstances which took her away from where their country is, their song line, the the community for the duration of the festival. kids follow their song line, they are singing Eve Pawlik Project Manager, Artback NT worked and dancing in the right place.” alongside Numbulwar community to develop Grant Nundhirribala, Numburindi Festival Director and deliver the Numburindi Festival for 2018. Having been involved with the ITDP program and Staffing the DanceSite Festival events in both Borroloola (Malandarri) and Numbulwar (Numburindi) over the Artback NT prioritises fostering strong and last few years, Eve has built strong relationships embedded relationships and employment in in the region. Working remotely from the Darwin remote communities. In Numbulwar, we are lucky office, Eve further developed stakeholder to have wide community support and to engage relationships, managed logistics and funding the diverse skill sets of the community under the alongside the community. On the ground, Eve direction of Artistic Director Grant Nundhirribala. assisted the Technical Manager, Josh Grant, run the Grant Nundhirribala is a significant cultural production elements for the event and coordinate leader and songman in Numbulwar from the the artistic program with Grant Nundhirribala. Nundhirribala clan group. He is the winner of six Josh Grant was the versatile and highly skilled music awards, lead singer of the band Yilila and Planning at the Festival site with Grant Nundhirribala, Eve Pawlik and Hilda Ngalmi Technical Manager for the Festival. He hails the Red Flag dancers and featured as guest artist from an extensive background in visual arts, with the Australian Ballet Company and Bangarra live and recorded sound engineering and music. Dance Theatre. Grant sings in Wubuy, Anindilyakwa, With a particular strength and passion for Creole, English and Bahasa Makasar. As the remote Indigenous community festivals and arts Numburindi Festival Artistic Director and advisor programs, Josh has ongoing relationships with a on cultural protocols, his vision continues to number of Arnhem Land communities delivering ground the festival locally, showcasing content that workshop programs and festival activities. As reflects the community. This year Grant was vital in Artback NT’s go-to production guru, he has been coordinating Murrungun, Red Flag dancers, Ngalmi engaged with numerous projects through ITDP and Nunggarrgalu - the four clans performing and the Performing Arts Program. Josh has been their traditional dance and song practices and key in the production of DanceSite in Borroloola, integral in the preparation of bush tucker catering, and its transition to Malandarri Festival and coordinating local staff, supporting and managing Numbulwar’s Numburindi Festival in 2016 and 2017. production including the Emcee, visiting bands and dance groups. Alongside this core team, Numburindi Festival employed more than 200 local staff as Ella Geia, a Torres Strait Islander woman, has musicians, performers, cleaners, caterers and been based in Numbulwar as a media officer, production staff. This is an important aspect of Community Development Program (CDP) women’s the ITDP model to ensure the festival empowers mentor and arts practitioner for nine years and community members to be active makers in the has strong community relationships. Ella is the event. Local staffing also provides a large injection manager of the renowned band Yilila and the Red of funds into a remote and isolated community Flag dancers. She has vast experience working in where opportunities for employment are limited, remote community settings delivering high level particularly for those in the arts. arts and program management. Her media and arts programming background, in particular, is a

Jumping Castle youth activities from Darwin Castles PG. 6 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 7

Nunggarrgalu preparing young dancers for performing PG. 8 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018

This year Numburindi Festival supported the Senior Teacher Numbulwar School, continued development of the strategic Remote Indigenous his work with the Numbulwar School Band and Arts Workers and Festival Directors exchange rehearsals for new choir and music groups. project, which saw an invitation extended to Marlene Timothy, Festival Director of Malandarri Program Festival (Borroloola). This was the first stage For 2018, Numburindi Festival ran across three- in the Festivals in Dialogue initiative managed nights with diverse programming of clan groups by Artback NT, which connected the Festival from Numbulwar as well as external dance groups Directors of Numburindi Festival and Malandarri from Bickerton Island and Beswick. The program Festival, sparking new ideas and conversations for also hosted local youth dance groups, youth and future collaborations between the communities. adult bands from Numbulwar, Ngukurr, Katherine “Teaching the kids how to dance, and Tongan and Fijian performances. Day time activities included a youth program, Community how to sing. Show them how to Market Place, men and womens basketball dance, keeping the culture up. In the competition, bush tucker feed and an awards future they need to be the next ones.” ceremony. The diversity in programming enhanced Neysa Nundhirribala, community member this year’s festival and continued the model of cultural exchange and music collaboration. Pre-festival activity Opening night In the lead up to the Numburindi Festival, the The Festival opened with a Youth Night, and creative design and set up of the festival site diverse content from across the community Mambali Band performing was heavily supported by Neysa and Rosabelle ranged from music, dance and art. Leading Nundhirribala and the Roper Gulf Regional Council through the evening (as well as each night CDP Women’s Group. This involved the painting following) were the fantastic Emcee duo Grant of rubbish bins, marquee art, painted flags and Nundhirribala, Festival Director, and Cerice Farrell, fabric banners. Roper Gulf Regional Council staff community member. The evening began with the including Municipal staff and the CDP Men’s young people's Wungubul and throughout the Group installed the shipping container/ projector day each Numbulwar clan prepared their young screen, stage, flag poles and sand and supported dancers for performance. This enabled beautiful bump-in including installing the stage, site exchange and teaching moments in the festival design and production set up. They were where young people were given an opportunity invaluable and their input was an important to celebrate their culture and be strong way for the community to share in the creation Numbulwar peoples. and ownership of the Festival. Following the Wungubul were a range of The Numbulwar School focused the week before performances from the Numbulwar School. New the event on a range of festival programs with performances included primary and senior choirs daily music rehearsals for the school music as well as a fantastic set from the Numbulwar groups and preparations for the Community School Band. In the past year the band has had Market Place. This was the first year the Remote incredible success, most recently performing Op Shop operated, receiving an overwhelming at Katherine Beat in June. This year for their amount of donations, with money supporting performance of ‘This is the Truth’, forty primary future school programs. In the weeks leading students supported their peers as a choir – up to the Festival, staff and students began an absolute highlight of opening night! organising the donated goods and set up an op shop residence at the school. Christopher O’Neill,

Numbulwar School Band performing NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 11

Second night Six bands performed from Numbulwar, Ngukurr and Katherine – Numbulwar School Band, For Friday the focus of the festival turned to Yilila, Mambali Band, NT Express, Numburindi dance with ten vibrant acts showcased in the Reggae Band and T-Lynx. The bands showcased full Wungubul, with Numbulwar dance groups a unique contemporary sound that drew together Red Flag dancers, Murrungun, Nunggarrgalu and reggae, funk and rock and roll, with lyrics in Ngalmi / Mangurra. The Festival this year was English, Anindiliyakwa, Wubuy and Creole. The privileged to have two visiting dance groups from DanceSite was alive with dancing, kicking-up Bickerton Island (Wurramara) and Beswick (White sand and tunes! Cockatoo). This was a fantastic exchange, and celebrated by audiences as both groups have Awards family relationships in Numbulwar.

Following the Wungubul was an incredible Award Category Winner performance from Numbulwar’s John Terepo and Best Youth Mangurra / Ngalmi Christine Smith alongside Tulekina Malafu and Performer (female) 1) Kattisha Ngalmi Lusianne Malafu from Tonga. The four performed 2) Meralda Daniels five dance compositions from Tonga, Fiji and First and Kiribas. Closing the evening were youth dance Second Place Red Flag groups MCGheez and Lipstick as well as visiting 1) Janice Nundhirribala Elcho dancer, B-fella. The diversity of cultural 2) Marylina Nundhirribala practice celebrated on the Friday evening was Murrungun / Numamurdirdi a demonstration of how the festival continues 1) Marsha Ngalmi Song men from Ngalmi, Mangurra and Murrungun performing together to evolve and grow. 2) Rikanni Nunggumadjbarr

Closing night Nunggarrgalu 1) Vinnisha Rami Saturday’s programming included day time youth 2) Sedonia Mirniyowan activities, the Numbulwar School Fete, Community Best Youth Mangurra / Ngalmi Market Place, a free community bush tucker feed Performer (male) 1) Brendon Ngalmi and was topped off by a Darwin Castles jumping 2) Keith Kerr Ngalmi castle and waterslide program! Numbulwar School First and set up a range of stalls such as a Remote Op Shop, Second Place Red Flag youth activity hub, café, BBQ and stalls selling 1) Duwayne Nundhirribala art and craft. It was fantastic to see the school 2) Ian Wurramara represented and engaged in this way. Murrungun / Numamurdirdi Happening offsite was the inaugural men 1) Fabio Nundhirribala and womens Numburindi Festival Basketball 2) Trixon Nunggumadjbar Competition. Amanda Ngalmi and Cerice Farrell, Nunggarrgalu with Roper Gulf Regional Council Sports and 1) Jamarcus Nunggarrgalu Recreation staff managed the competition. It was 2) Leydon Nungarrgalu a buzz of activity, with visiting basketball teams from Ngukurr joining the competition. Overall Best Devandro Nunggarrgalu Youth Performer Opening the Saturday night festival programming was the awards ceremony for both the youth Basketball Competition - Results Winner Wungubul and the Basketball Competition. Thank you to the secret judges and those who presented Women’s Competition Lightning the awards! Hon Selena Uibo's office generously Men’s Competition Smokeys sponsored the trophies and donations for second place were received from the Numburindi Store.

Bradwyn Murrungun dancing with Yilila Band PG. 12 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 13

Youth Wungubul on Thursday evening, Ngalmi performing Gudarrgu (Brolga) PG. 14 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 15

Statistics

Participants Total 2018 Indigenous Non-Indigenous

Performers 271 99% 1% Production incl. Directors, Coordinators, 12 66.67% 33.33% Photographer and Videographers Committee 8 100% 0% Staffing incl. Emcee, Security, Bus Drivers, 22 100% 0% Cleaners, Stage Managers, Caterers Audience 1000 85% 15%

Dance groups and performers

Language Group Dance Group / Band Community Performers

Nundhirribala Red Flag Dancers Numbulwar 50 Murrungun Dhammbulg Dancers Numbulwar 38 Ngalmi / Mangurra Gudarrgu and Morning Numbulwar 26 Star Dancers Nunggarragalu Nunggarragalu Dancers Numbulwar 28 Wurramara Wurramara Dancers Bickerton Island 24 Myali / Dalabon White Cockatoo Dancers Beswick / Numbulwar 16 Kiribati / Fijian / Tongan John Terepo, Christine Numbulwar 4 Smith, Lusianne Malafu and Tulekina Malafu Yolngu B-Fella Elcho Island (Galiwin’ku) 2 Mangurra McGheez Numbulwar 4 Yolngu Lipstick Elcho Island 2 Nundhirribala Yilila Band Numbulwar 9 Murrungun NT Express Numbulwar 4 Numamurdirdi Mambali Band Numbulwar 8 Nunggarragalu Numburindi Reggae Numbulwar / Katherine 5 Band Ngalakgan T-LYNX Ngukurr / Numbulwar 6 Various Numbulwar School Band Numbulwar 12 Various Primary School Group Numbulwar 33 Choir TOTAL 271 Tulekina Malafu performing Hala Vuna PG. 16 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 17

“It’s important to keep our culture, Partnerships

we need to be here [Numbulwar] Organisation Type of Support you know, it can’t be changed in a different Roper Gulf Regional Site production way, because you can’t change it or let it Council – Katherine installation, stage, go, keep it going the way old people left it, Office/ Numbulwar catering, staff, office it needs to stay strong…Culture is still there, Office, Night resources, cleaners, it is everywhere.” Patrol, Sports and Night Patrol security Recreation and CDP. staff, decoration and Cerice Farrell, community member site design/making and tables and chairs. Funding Funding for children’s program. The 2018 Numburindi Festival was in the fortunate Sport program Basketball position to be delivering the first festival of competition and awards its three year funding agreement with Arts NT. ceremony. This has allowed sustainable forward planning Numbulwar School Marquees, music for Numburindi Festival. There were however, equipment, limitations due to unsuccessful smaller grants accommodation, Wubuy that would have supported a number of projects Language Program such as a specialised printmaking program and videos, music program, increased tourism development. production support Funding for the event was secured from staffing, Market Day Artback NT, Arts NT’s Community Festivals, content and Numburindi Member for Arnhem – Hon Selena Uibo, Tim Festival art workshops. Fairfax Family Foundation and Roper Gulf Regional Numbulwar Generators Council Community Grants. Artback NT is proudly Homelands sponsored by the Northern Territory Government. ALPA Numburindi Donation of meat, Store vegetable and fruit boxes Catering and water for Community During the first two evenings of the Festival John Feed and Youth Day. Terepo and Christine Smith, along with family Donation of award prizes members, ran a food market stall that sold a for the young people’s range of slow cooked pork, salads, desert, laksa Wungubul. and fried rice and noodle dishes. On the Saturday Yugul Mangi Marquees, tables, chairs afternoon, John Terepo and Christine Smith and Corporation - and PA equipment. family provided a bush tucker feed cooked in their Ngukurr home Umu (ground oven). Earlier in the week, beef AiRemote Promotion and film and turtle were hunted that John then cooked in documentation of the Umu with sweet potato, cabbage, carrot and Numburindi Festival. potato. Numbulwar School ran a BBQ and café during the Saturday community market place which offered a range of treats during the day! We were incredibly fortunate to receive Numburindi Store’s generous sponsorship through the provision of an impressive amount of donated meat, vegetables, fruit boxes and water for the event.

John Terepo serving up the Community Feed PG. 18 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 NUMBURINDI FESTIVAL ARTISTIC REPORT 2018 PG. 19

Media and marketing and family. The Saturday community market place grew significantly this year with concurrent youth Being in a remote and isolated community the activities, Numbulwar School stalls and basketball value of social media platforms is significant. Pre- competitions. The 2018 Festival program included event marketing saw Artback NT and Roper Gulf its first men and womens basketball competition, Regional Council run a series of on line stories with teams travelling from Ngukurr to compete. through the website and social media platforms, The continued commitment, collaboration and Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to promote the generosity of the Numbulwar community in Festival. Kate Rendell, Communications Manager, shaping this event was inspiring. Artback NT worked remotely from the Darwin office to support the Festival. The Numburindi “So good to see the young kids Festival is not an open event for the public, the hungry for dancing and to see all marketing strategy prioritised general awareness of the Festival rather than attendance. An official other clan groups all jump in and help each Numburindi Festival flyer was designed by Artback other dance…It was the highlight for me all NT Graphic Designer Oscar Waugh and was the young fellas singing and taking over the distributed across the Northern Territory. The lead songs…that generation stepping up.” up to the event was documented through social Marlene Timothy, Malandarri Festival Director media channels with behind-the-scene action shots giving the public a taste of Numburindi Challenges Festival magic. This year our core challenge were staffing changes During the event there were two external media in the lead up to the festival delivery and delayed operators. Benjamin Bayliss, ITDP’s photographer funding announcements. This impacted planning documented the Festival and screened a photo timelines and consultation periods. Ella Geia was montage of the previous two years. Sherita unable to attend, resulting in initial uncertainty Nundhirribala, Rudolph Wurragwagwa, Kaheb about the festival delivery. The broader community Ngalmi, Kyanne Nundhirribala and Tony Grey from rallied around the event more strongly with new Numbulwar Culture and Media project, run by staffing opportunities for members such as AiRemote staff, documented the three days of Amanda Ngalmi, Cerice Farrell and Rebecca Love the Festival. This will become a fantastic cultural and production, security, cleaning and catering and educational archive for the community that teams. Numbulwar has had a number of people not only promotes the festival but becomes a passing away recently and with the unrest on linguistic, social and historical resource and record Groote Eylandt and Milingimbi this impacted of cultural practices from the region. on people travelling to the event including those Highlights in Sorry Business. The delivery of the 2018 Numburindi Festival Forward Planning benefitted greatly from strong community Planning is underway for the 2019 program commitment and ensured community ownership including conversations with Yugul Mangi and local development of the Festival continued Aboriginal Corporation about potential tourism to grow. The Numburindi Festival program ventures to connect the Ngukurr Festival and celebrated a diverse range of cultures that came the Numburindi Festival in the future. Invitations together throughout the Festival to exchange have been extended to Beswick and other dance cultural practice, ideas and stories. This meeting groups to participate in the 2019 Festival. place and teaching platform for young people Artback NT is committed to the sustainability and their Elders is central to the Festival ethos. of an annual event in collaboration with the It was important to see the Festival support Numbulwar community to support opening Numbulwar School Band other cultural practices from those living in performing with primary years’ the Festival to external audiences and increase Numbulwar, through the Tongan, Fijian and Kiribati choir for ’This is the Truth’ participation from neighbouring communities. performances from John Terepo, Christine Smith Connecting people and place through arts development and touring

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