Read more
As an ethnography of Central Australian singing traditions and ceremonial contexts, this book asks questions about the vitality of the cultural knowledge and practices highly valued by Warlpiri people and fundamental to their cultural heritage. Set against a discussion of the contemporary vitality of Aboriginal musical traditions in Australia and embedded in the historical background of this region, the book lays out the features of Warlpiri songs and ceremonies, and centers on a focal case study of the Warlpiri Kurdiji ceremony to illustrate the modes in which core cultural themes are being passed on through song to future generations.
List of contents
List of Illustrations, Maps and Figures
Foreword Otto Jungarrayi Sims Acknowledgments
Notes on Text
Introduction Chapter 1. Song and ceremony in Indigenous Australia
Chapter 2. Yuendumu: A Brief Social History
Chapter 3. Warlpiri Songs: Rights, Genres, and Ceremonial Contexts
Chapter 4. Kurdiji, a Ceremony for "Making Young Men"
Chapter 5. Holding Warlpiri Songs: Addressing Musical Endangerment
Conclusion Appendix of songs from the
Kurdiji Ceremony
Glossary
References
Index
About the author
Georgia Curran is an anthropologist with interests in Indigenous music, languages and rituals. She lived in the Central Australian desert settlement of Yuendumu between 2005-2007 and has since continued to work on collaborative research projects with Warlpiri people. She is currently a research associate at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
