The Emotional Business of Noongar Song single work   criticism  
Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 The Emotional Business of Noongar Song
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'This article explores connections between history, emotion and Aboriginal song in the south of Western Australia. Songs performed in the Noongar language in the 19th and early 20th centuries provide insight into the emotional worlds of Western Australia’s past. Historical documentation reveals how Noongar sang to deal with rapid changes associated with colonisation, with song acting as a conduit for cultural resilience. Today, the Noongar language is endangered, and few people remember the old songs. Community aspirations to claim, consolidate and enhance cultural heritage have driven a collaborative process of translating, interpreting and revitalising some of this repertoire. Listening to and performing Noongar songs at community gatherings today stirs strong emotions, feelings of connection to the past and senses of both loss and hope. In this context, songs are also key to maintaining links to ancestors, language and a sense of community.' (Publication abstract)

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  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Journal of Australian Studies vol. 44 no. 2 2020 19490028 2020 periodical issue

    'Research that relates to Indigenous Australian history has changed considerably since Aboriginal history first emerged as a distinct field in the 1970s. Beginning as an interdisciplinary field, Aboriginal history has since been shaped by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists and linguists who have brought to light a diverse range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ historical experiences. Such research has sought to answer eminent anthropologist W. E. H. Stanner’s call to shatter the “Great Australian Silence” that is said to have omitted Indigenous people from national narratives of Australia’s past. Since its inception, Aboriginal history has proved to be a dynamic field. Much early work focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experiences of colonisation—from first encounters with Europeans, to histories of frontier conflict, governmental intervention through protection and assimilation policies, and Indigenous labour histories. The influence of anthropology and linguistics has also ensured that Aboriginal history explores Indigenous worlds, drawing on languages and ethnography to reveal insights into so-called traditional practices concerning caring for Country and land management, diplomacy and law, and ceremonial life.' (Shino Konishi, Introduction)

    2020
    pg. 140-153
Last amended 8 Jul 2020 16:04:35
140-153 The Emotional Business of Noongar Songsmall AustLit logo Journal of Australian Studies
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