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
East Journey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ukMIi2dJQ
Thelma Plum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93BrMeZ6pMk
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