Conference home

Conference Papers

Session CE2: Contemporary Indigenous music in an urban setting

1. K. Barney and L. Solomon: Connection through contemporary music: the experiences of Torres Strait Islander women performers in urban contexts

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 6.3MB

Abstract

Beckett writes that “to be an Islander you must have an island, but for the mainland-born this ‘island’ has to be discovered all over again, and imagined” (2004, 13). Although about two thirds of Torres Strait Islanders live in urban areas in mainland Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006), many Islanders suggest that it is important to still maintain connections with their own home islands through performances and cultural practices (Lawe Davies and Neuenfeldt 2004, 138). So what does it mean to be a Torres Strait Islander woman in urban centers on the mainland? And further, how do urban Torres Strait Islander women performers express their Torres Strait Islander identities through contemporary music? Drawing on an AIATSIS funded collaborative research project between Katelyn Barney, a non-Indigenous researcher, and a mainland born Torres Strait Islander performer and researcher Lexine Solomon, this presentation aims to open up a two-way conversation about the diversity of Torres Strait Islander women’s experiences in urban contexts on the mainland. Drawing on first-hand interviews with mainland Torres Strait Islander women performers and musical examples of their contemporary songs, this presentation explores issues relating to how Torres Strait Islander women performers living in urban contexts in mainland Australia communicate their Torres Strait Islander identities and how they connect to the Torres Strait Islands and maintain and strengthen their connections through contemporary song. Conclusions will be drawn regarding the ways that contemporary music performance functions in this context as a site for affirmation of their identities as women and as Torres Strait Islanders.

Author bios:

Katelyn Barney is Research Officer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at The University of Queensland. Her doctoral research focused on the performance practices of Indigenous Australian women who perform in contemporary music contexts. Her main research interests include collaborative research with Indigenous Australian women performers, representation and ethics, and reflective writing as a teaching and learning tool in higher education. She is also the Managing Editor of The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, National Treasurer of the Musicological Society of Australia, and Secretary of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (Australia and New Zealand Branch).

Lexine Solomon is from North Queensland and is of Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Island descent. She has been a solo singer, choral director and backing vocalist for more than twenty years and has released two albums This is Woman and Strike a Pose. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education and Community Management at University of Technology Sydney, and continues to perform Australia wide and frequently internationally.

2. Jeremy Morse: New songs from the old - can you use traditional Indigenous songs in your new rap song?

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow

Abstract

Scenario: An urban Indigenous band wants to incorporate a traditional song in their new rap song. What issues arise? Do they need permission? Can they do this, and what are the consequences?

The paper will discuss whether intellectual property laws such as copyright are suited to traditional forms of music, and whether the incorporation of traditional forms of music into contemporary mainstream culture enhances or undermines the integrity and vitality of Indigenous forms of music. I will examine the ways in which intellectual property laws reflect the societies and cultures out of which they have emerged, and how they can operate to commercialise the cultures of Indigenous peoples by excluding the laws that govern those cultures.

As Indigenous cultures have evolved and expanded outwards, they have also entered realms beyond the world of Indigenous laws and customs. And as the distinction between ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary’ manifestations of Indigenous cultures becomes more and more blurred, so too do the muddy waters between different legal systems become ever more difficult to navigate.

Using case studies, I will show that there is a great thirst for Indigenous and traditional forms of music, which in certain instances has led to the appropriation of Indigenous cultural expressions and cultural material. Songs and stories are handed down from generation to generation with each new generation leaving its signature upon the work. But as songs and other forms of cultural expressions leave the cultural and geographical context in which they evolved (as they inevitably do), how can they keep their integrity and cultural significance? Intellectual property laws undoubtedly treat music and other forms of culture as a commodity, allowing individuals to exploit it for financial a certain time, after which it enters the public realm and becomes ‘free for all’ to use.

Ironically, copyright laws have been insufficient to protect many kinds of Indigenous expression, which has left them open to exploitation. As the evolution of cultures cannot, and indeed should not be stopped, how do we establish procedures and protocols that ensure Indigenous cultural expressions are used appropriately, not taken out of context, and that the custodians of those expressions are rewarded and acknowledge? And how can we confront the notion of communal, ongoing ownership in a system based on individual, time limited monopoly rights?

3. Anthony  L Jones: Beyond the Didjeridu: the representation of Aboriginality in the music of Australian films

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow

Abstract

How has the representation of Aboriginal culture in film music developed since the Second World War? What historical, financial and societal factors have affected the development? This presentation addresses these issues, comparing results with similar studies in the US of Native American culture in film music. While there is much shared history between the US and Australia in the twentieth century, the integration of indigenous culture into the wider community has followed differing paths in our two countries.

The influence of music in the narrative of the film is subtle, hidden, or ‘unheard’, rendering its impact potentially more powerful than the images. An understanding of how representa-tion of culture in film music has developed will help the practitioner to understand the im-portance of cultural sensitivity in the telling of stories, and can suggest ways to better en-gage the wider community in the telling of those stories. The presentation is focussed on the analysis of film scores, with video examples, of dra-matic films telling indigenous stories, particularly those which have enjoyed some com-mercial success as they reach to the broadest audience.

Author bio

Anthony Linden Jones is a film composer, musicologist and educator. He is studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, researching the representation of Aboriginal culture in Australian film music. Anthony teaches at the Eora Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Chippendale in Sydney, teaching film composition, music technology, and general studies. He has written scores for a number of short films by Aboriginal directors, including the much acclaimed The Third Note, directed by Catriona Mackenzie (2001) presented by: Anthony Linden Jones, currently enrolled in the M.Mus.(Musicology) at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Unversity of Sydney.