Myfany Turpin is an Australian Research Council fellow at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney.
]]>Myfany Turpin is an Australian Research Council fellow at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney.
Congratulations on the publication of your book, Yuupurnju: A Warlpiri song cycle! Tell us a bit about how this project began.
The project began in Lajamanu community in 2013 when Henry Jakamarra asked me to record him singing traditional songs. I was happy to do that, although I didn’t realise at first that he would sing a whole song cycle, or what kind of language documentation work we would be able to do. He came to the place where I was staying more or less every day for three weeks, and sang for between 1 and 3 hours at a time. He was already in his nineties then, but his voice is strong and clear in the recordings. He said that the songs were important, and that anyone could listen to them; he wanted to write them down and keep them safe, and give them out to places that would keep them safe for people to learn in the future. In between each verse he would often give some information about the songs and the story they accompany.
Yuupurnju: A Warlpiri song cycledocuments a ceremonial song cycle within a traditionalkurdijior “shield” ceremony. Could you describe the purpose and process of this ceremony?
I’ve been privileged to witness several Warlpiri ceremonies being performed, but I haven’t witnessed this specific one, because it hasn’t been performed for many years. That is one of the reasons the Warlpiri Elders wanted to document it – so that it can be re-learned. It is a traditional Jukurrpa, or Dreaming, ceremony marking male maturity, and it is also important for women. Typically in these ceremonies men sit on the ground and sing and play clapsticks or boomerangs, which are the traditional Warlpiri percussion instruments. Women dance nearby, and the singing and dancing are performed all night, until dawn. The older people know the songs, and the younger people learn them by participating in the ceremonies. These ceremonies are important because they maintain highly valued long-standing traditions.
For this book, the Yuupurnju song cycle was sung by Warlpiri Elder Henry Cooke Anderson Jakamarra, and documented, translated and interpreted by both Warlpiri and non-Warlpiri co-authors. What was this collaboration process like?
After the songs were recorded I asked Jerry Patrick Jangala and Steven Patrick Jampijinpa to help write down the words. Steven Dixon Japanangka heard about the process and offered to help with some parts too. We would play a verse, then Jangala and Jakamarra would repeat the words slowly so that I could hear the sounds in the words and write them. We would do this several times, with me repeating them back until the men were confident that I had represented them correctly. They would also tell me the meanings of the verses and of the words. I would write them down too, asking questions to help my understanding. We went through versions of this process several times over the years, and then checked and re-checked what we had done, to be as accurate as we could be. Musicologist Myfany Turpin undertook the rhythmic annotation, and transcribed the syllables as sung. Syllables, and in particular vowels, are often pronounced differently when sung compared to when spoken. For example in Song 3, yulu ‘stance, or gait’ is sung ‘⾱’. And when ‘u’ and ‘i' are set to a long note they are sung as ‘ay’, as in English ‘day’. This helps to provide a full picture of the musical aspects of the verses – the rhythms and the words are both important.
Readers can access audio recordings of the songs in the book by scanning QR codes provided on each chapter opener. How important is it for your audience to be able to read about and listen to these songs in tandem? And what potential do you see for technological tools (like QR codes) to break down barriers to access?
Having the audio easily available is critical for Warlpiri people to learn the songs. It also helps to bring the song cycle to life when they hear the voice of Jakamarra, who many would recognise and who they would have known well, and respected as a very knowledgeable senior man. Warlpiri people are more likely to learn the song cycle by listening and singing the verses repeatedly than by reading the written words. The QR codes are an easy way to access to the songs.
Yuupurnju: A Warlpiri song cycleis richly illustrated with colour photographs and illustrations of Warlpiri custodians, Country and local animals. What do you think this imagery adds to the experience of reading and listening to the Yuupurnju song cycle?
We think that the images will help people to remember the details of the songs, because they might relate to the images easily and this multi-sensory experience might help with retaining new knowledge. The images also show the relationship the songs have with things in the physical world, such as places and plants. They also make the book attractive, which we hope will draw people in to read through it completely.
What other resources might you recommend for readers who are interested in learning more about traditional Indigenous song practices and ceremonial life?
Other books in the èƵ Indigenous Music, Language and Performing Arts series provide valuable information from a range of perspective on Indigenous songs and music. For example ‘The Old Songs Are Always New’ about the music of Tiwi people, and the suite of books on Wangga songs from West Arnhem land. Specifically for Warlpiri, the new book Vitality and Change in Warlpiri Songs is a fabulous source of information. There is more and more Indigenous music available in the media, too.
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