Sunday 12 August 2012

NIMAs: Indigenous music's night of nights


Last night, on a cooler than usual August Darwin night, we huddled under the stars for the 2012 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs).

There was no red carpet, just the wonderful natural amphitheatre in the botanic gardens. Apart from Indigenous outlets, there was little or no media (in a Google search today, only  one short piece on ABC comes up).  The event is one of  the few where there are about equal numbers of black and white Australians in the crowd  - the other that springs  to mind is the football, when the  Tiwi Bombers are playing.

But over the course of the evening, the crowd was reminded of just how much we have to  celebrate, and seek inspiration from, the talent and creativity held within Aboriginal communities, urban and remote, across this enormous continent. “Mainstream” Australian society could do with more exposure to this stuff, rather than the endless reporting on the violence & dysfuntion that is supposedly tearing Aboriginal Australia apart.

Thelma Plum from Brisbane took out this year’s triple j NIMA Unearthed award: her voice took my breath away. A highlight of the evening was when Plum joined Queensland band The Medics (who took out best song, best album, and best new talent) and the legendary Bunna Lawrie from Coloured Stone for a hauntingly beautiful rendition of Blowin’ in the Wind.

Maningrida rock outfit Sunrize Band reminded the crowd that land rights are still an issue to be defended. Described by Rolling Stone as “a swinging Arnhem Land blend of Hendrix, Neil Young and didgeridoo”, Sunrize Band was inducted into the Hall of Fame, as was the Lajamanu Teenage Band and the late Jimmy Little, who mentored and inspired much of the talent on display at the award night.

A new Arnhem Land band, East Journey, mentored by Yothu Yindi’s Mandawuy Yunupingu, took out the NT Film Clip of the Year and the G.R. Bururrawanga Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the NT music industry.

The young men of East Journey blend contempory and traditional instruments, English  and Yolŋu Matha, smart button-down shirts and body paint in a proud display of the two worlds they inhabit. Knowing the  shyness and awkwardness felt by so many  young Yolŋu, who so often feel so lost  in the ever-changing reality of their  worlds , just heightened the appreciation of this group’s bravery and pride.

Desert bands were also well presented on the night. Well-loved country musician Warren H Williams has recently released taken the bold step of releasing an album in his language, the language of the Waramungu people.  He was performing with the Waramungu songmen, showcasing his new fusion of two Indigenous languages and modern and traditional beats. Warren and the songmen shared the Traditional Music Award with Shellie Morris and the Borroloola  Songwomen.

Lajamanu Teenage Band were a local favourite when I lived at  Irrunytju Community in WA 14 years ago. No longer teenagers, the band still manages to speak straight to the heart of many of  the issues facing young people in Aboriginal communities:  drug  and alcohol use, family,  community and country. They were also  inducted into the Hall of Fame, and celebrated by closing the night with a rousing set, performed to countrymen  and women who had travelled from across the Territory to see them.

After the show, we caught the free shuttle bus home. We were pretty much the only whitefellas on that late-night bus, whose route takes in some of the larger town camps. We surrounded by people from different clans and nations – desert and saltwater – bursting with pride in family members who’d performed, singing along with snippets recorded onto smartphones, talking about who they might see on the stage next year. 

It made me think about how there is a huge part of Aboriginal Australia that most people just don’t see: the  family part, the successful, talented, professional and beautiful part.

If more of us did see it, would the mainstream media and the politicians be able to get away with their  racism as easily as they do?

Check out some great new music from Indigenous artists:
Gurrumul and Sarah Blasko:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGxXobjjacY

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