Senior Mawng songmen, musicians and brothers, Rupert and Renfred Manmurulu from Warruwi (Goulburn Island) and non-Indigenous scholar Dr. Reuben Brown talk to us about manyardi (a song ceremony from western Arnhem Land), in particular, the Inyjalarrku ‘mermaid’ songset and dance ceremony. We discuss their research collabs, Reuben’s Mamurrng* “gift” ceremony, Rupert and Renfred’s father’s father, the late George Winunguj MBE, new adaptations, hopes for the future, Reuben’s new book “The Gift of Song” and more!

Disclaimers

The knowledge in this episode is the Indigenous cultural intellectual property (ICIP) of Inyjalarrku manyardi ceremony leaders and custodians. It is used in this podcast with their consent. Further use without proper attribution of the ICIP owners may breach customary laws as well as copyright and moral rights under the Copyright Act 1968 (Australian Govt) 

Listeners are advised that we mention and feature the voices of people who have died. 

Featured music (with podcast timecodes)

  1. Nulatparlangkat (‘fast one’) – Inyjalarrku ‘mermaid’ ceremony song – Rupert and Renfred Manmurulu with Alfred Gawaraidji, recorded by Reuben Brown  (RB2-20230914-13-IL_nulatparlangkat_old_new_edit). (3:04-4:39)
  2. Inyjalarrku by George Winunguj MBE, Kate Conti (collector), Victor Carell (speaker), Dick Roughsey (performer), 1962. Ballet of the South Pacific 1970 . JPEG/TIFF/MPEG/VND.WAV. VCBD-003 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.26278/zcaj-8s50 (15:56-17:50)
  3. Remix – Inyjalarrku ‘mermaid’ ceremony song – Rupert and Renfred Manmurulu and Warruwi community. Recorded by Reuben Brown (RB2-20230914-21-IL_remix). (23:24-24:53)
  4. Jumpy One – Inyjalarrku ‘mermaid’ ceremony song- Rupert and Renfred Manmurulu and Reuben Brown recorded for Music!Dance!Culture! (36:22-37:27)
  5. Iwarruj  (excerpt) – by Warruwi community produced by Wayne Glenn from SoundED with support from West Arnhem Regional Council (42:53-43:43)
  6. Indjalarrgu (excerpt), sung by Nambadambal and Nadjalbur with Wandiwandi (didjeridu), Songs from the Northern Territory No.1: Recorded by Alice Moyle in 1962, AIATSIS 1991. (53:08-54:24)
  7. Inyjalarrku-Shimauta collaboration (excerpt) – performance by Rupert and Renfred with Marin Naruse, singer and sanshin player from Amami Islands in Japan recorded by Reuben Brown (Inyjalarrku-Shimauta collaboration_01_Lisbon). (57:45-58:50)

Reuben Brown recordings to be archived in PARADISEC RB2 collection

Credits

Music!Dance!Culture! is produced by Georgia Curran and Mahesh White-Radhakrishnan, this episode co-produced with Reuben Brown, Rupert and Renfred Manmurulu, theme music by Mahesh remixed by Arian Pearson, transitions by Mahesh and Alexis Weaver. Special thanks to the Manmurulu family and Warruwi community, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, PARADISEC, Wayne Glenn from Sounded, Jodie Kell, Amanda Harris, Isabel O’Keefe, Kate Conti, AIATSIS, our reviewers, beta listeners and supporters. 

Rupert, Renfred and Reuben’s trip to Lisbon was supported by Reuben Brown’s Australian Research Council DECRA Project and by the ICTMD Study Group on Music and Dance of Oceania’s Travel Award, donated by the late Barbara B. Smith. 

Glossary of words/phrases in Mawng (M), Kunwinjku (K) and Yolngu (Y) used in the podcast

Arrarrkpi (M) – men

arrapujpa/warrapujpa (M)- lead singer/singers

arrungpawani warak (M) – slow down the tempo (of the clapsticks)

Balanda (Y) – a non-indigenous white person, a European

delek (K) – white ochre/clay

junkay (M/K) – Ritual/ceremony manager, person in opposite moiety to moiety affiliation of ceremony 

kawunngawun majarr (M) – our throat hurts (from singing)

kobahkabonj (K) – old people

kurrunnyarrikpakpa ja manyardi (M) – clap and sing out for the manyardi

Mamurrng (M/K) – diplomacy and gift exchange ceremony. Also refers to the ceremonial pole after which the ceremony is named, made from wood and decorated with coloured wool which is presented to the recipient and their family by the singers and dancers

nganangka (M) – clapsticks

warramumpik (M) – women

yartparrawarra (M) – didgeridoo player (lit. ‘good didjeridu playing!’)

Research by Reuben Brown on manyardi and other relevant work

Brown, R., O’Keeffe, I., Manmurulu, R., Manmurulu, R. and Manmurulu, J., 2024. ‘Remix!’ Continuity through innovation in the manyardi song tradition of western Arnhem Land. In Supporting Vulnerable Performance Traditions: Keeping it Going in Contexts of Continuity and Change, G. Curran and M. White-Radhakrishnan (eds.). Routledge. ISBN: 9781032693965 

Brown, R., 2024. The Gift of Song: Performing Exchange in Western Arnhem Land. Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003216339 

Brown, R. 2014. ‘The Role of Songs in Connecting the Living and the Dead: A Funeral Ceremony for Nakodjok in Western Arnhem Land’. In Circulating Cultures: Exchanges of Australian Indigenous Music, Dance and Media, edited by A Harris, 1st ed. ANU E Press. https://doi.org/10.22459/CC.12.2014.07

Brown, R. and Nangamu, S. 2022. ‘“I’ll show you that manyardi”: Memory and lived experience in the performance of public ceremony in Western Arnhem Land’, in Music, Dance and the Archive. Sydney University Press. https://doi.org/10.30722/sup.9781743328675.02

Brown, Reuben, David Manmurulu, Jennu Manmurulu, and Isabel O’Keeffe. 2018. ‘Dialogues with the Archives: Arrarrkpi Responses to Recordings as Part of the Living Song Tradition of Manyardi’. Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture 47 (3–4). https://doi.org/10.1515/pdtc-2018-0021

Brown, R, D Manmurulu, J Manmurulu, I O’Keeffe, and R Singer. 2017. ‘Maintaining Song Traditions and Languages Together at Warruwi (Western Arnhem Land)’. In Recirculating Songs: Revitalising the Singing Practices of Indigenous Australia, edited by J Wafer and M Turpin, 1st ed. Asia Pacific Linguistics. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstreams/f956de81-14ed-42aa-ae83-9bb4c7329f69/download

Brown, R, and N Evans. 2017. ‘Songs That Keep Ancestral Languages Alive: A Marrku Songset from Western Arnhem Land’. In Recirculating Songs: Revitalising the Singing Practices of Indigenous Australia, edited by J Wafer and M Turpin, 1st ed. Asia Pacific Linguistics. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstreams/f956de81-14ed-42aa-ae83-9bb4c7329f69/download

Brown, R. 2017. A Different Mode of Exchange: the Mamurrng Ceremony of Western Arnhem Land. In K. Gillespie, S. Treloyn, & D. Niles (Eds.), A Distinctive Voice in the Antipodes: Essays in Honour of Stephen A. Wild (1st ed.). Australian National University Press. https://doi.org/10.22459/DVA.07.2017.01 

Brown, R (collector), 2011. Kun-borrk/manyardi (song and dance from western Arnhem Land) and other performances, 2011-2019. Collection RB2 at catalog.paradisec.org.au [Other Access]. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/56E97741DD607

Lundberg, D., 2019. ‘Music Archives, Identity and Democracy’. Ethnomusicology Matters, pp.215-232.