57-584: NAIDOC Week ( / ˈ n eɪ d ɒ k / NAY -dok ) is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee . NAIDOC Week has its roots in the 1938 Day of Mourning , becoming a week-long event in 1975. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. The week
114-706: A fusion with contemporary mainstream styles of music, such as rock and country music . The Deadlys provide an illustration of this with rock, country, pop among the styles played. Traditional instruments such as the didjeridu and clapsticks are commonly used, giving the music a distinctive feel. Country music has remained particularly popular among the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for decades, as documented in Clinton Walker 's seminal Buried Country . Dougie Young and Jimmy Little were pioneers and Troy Cassar-Daley
171-439: A humming sound. The intensity of the sound can be varied by changing the velocity of the rotation. Percussive rasp similar to a Güiro or serrated club, along which the edge of a boomerang is drawn to produce a trill. Manikay are "clan songs" of some groups of Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land , including Yirrkala . These songs are often about clan or family history or other historical or mythological events of
228-572: A letter written by William Cooper that was aimed at Aboriginal communities and at churches. It was written on behalf of the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association, an umbrella group for a number of Aboriginal justice movements, and endorsed by around 100 Aboriginal delegates. The association gathered together a wide circle of Indigenous leaders including Douglas Nicholls , William Ferguson, Jack Patten and Margaret Tucker . In 1937 they organised
285-460: A manifesto at the meeting, Aborigines Claim Citizens' Rights , produced by Patten and APA secretary William Ferguson. The manifesto opened with a declaration that "This festival of 150 years' so-called 'progress' in Australia commemorates also 150 years of misery and degradation imposed on the original native inhabitants by white invaders of this country." At the Congress, the following resolution
342-648: A number of television shows including Underbelly: Razor , Underbelly: Squizzy and Roadtrip Nation . Thelma Plum released her debut album, Better in Blak , in July 2019. DOBBY is an Aboriginal/ Filipino musician, mostly rapper and drummer, who has played with the Sydney band Jackie Brown Jr. As a member of the Murrawarri Republic , he sings in Murrawarri language as well as English, and
399-474: A reenactment of the original Day of Mourning was held to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the protest. About four hundred protesters marched in silence along the original route of the march. Descendants of the original protesters read their speeches, and the ten main grievances in the Congress' manifesto were re-affirmed. The reenactment was accompanied by a campaign to protect the Australian Hall,
456-477: A song series from consisting of 188 songs. Those of the Djatpangarri style, tell of everyday events. The lyrics differ much from song to song, and can vary from performance to performance, improvised by the musicians and lead "songman", within certain structures and patterns. The leader of the ritual choreographs not only the dancers, but also the music, in this form, in contrast to western Arnhem Land, where
513-563: A special bunggul was performed in honour of the recently deceased Yolngu leader and land rights champion Galarrwuy Yunupingu . Kun-borrk (also spelt kunborrk and gunborg ) originated east of the Adelaide , southeast towards Katherine and across to just east of the Mann River and southeast almost to Rose River, then along the coastline beyond Borroloola . Kun-borrk songs always include actual words, in contrast to other song styles of
570-411: A ten-point policy statement, which included a federal takeover of Indigenous affairs from state governments, the establishment of a standalone Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the appointment of an advisory board with Indigenous members, and full rights of citizenship and racial equality for all Indigenous people. He also lobbied for the federal government to make urgent grants to the states to be used for
627-517: A variety of notable Indigenous Australian performers. A didgeridoo is a type of musical instrument that, according to western musicological classification, falls into the category of aerophone. It is one of the oldest instruments to date. It consists of a long tube, without finger holes, through which the player blows. It is sometimes fitted with a mouthpiece of beeswax. Didgeridoos are traditionally made of eucalyptus , but contemporary materials such as PVC piping are used. In traditional situations it
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#1732779598768684-533: A whole week of recognition, rather than one day. The committee's acronym has since become the name of the week itself. In 2020, NAIDOC Week was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia , and postponed from July to 8−15 November 2020. However the national NAIDOC Awards , due to take place in Mparntwe / Alice Springs, were cancelled owing to continuing uncertainties. The 2021 National NAIDOC Awards ceremony
741-537: Is a political activist for Aboriginal issues. The nephew of Dr M. Yunupiŋu and the son of Stuart Kellaway , both founding members of Yothu Yindi, started their own band, King Stingray , whose sound they call "Yolngu surf rock ". Their first single, written by Yirrnga Yunupiŋu and Roy Kellaway, was released in October 2020. The Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), founded in 1972, now exists as part of
798-473: Is a type of musical instrument that, according to western musicological classification, falls into the category of percussion. Unlike drumsticks , which are generally used to strike a drum, clapsticks are intended for striking one stick on another, and people as well. They are of oval shape with paintings of snakes, lizards, birds and more. Also called 'tatty' sticks. The leaf of the Eucalyptus gum tree
855-423: Is among Australia's successful contemporary Indigenous performers of country music. Aboriginal artists Kev Carmody and Archie Roach employ a combination of folk-rock and country music to sing about Aboriginal rights issues, using the song type called barnt . The documentary, book and soundtrack Buried Country showcases significant Indigenous musicians from the 1940s to the 1990s. The movie Wrong Side of
912-592: Is observed not just by Indigenous Australian communities but also by government agencies, schools, local councils, and workplaces. In 1984, NADOC (the forerunner of NAIDOC) requested that National Aborigines Day be made a national public holiday to help celebrate and recognise the rich cultural history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. There is no national public holiday in NAIDOC Week, but there have been calls by some Indigenous leaders to create one. The idea behind NAIDOC goes back to
969-602: Is performed east of the Mann River as far south as Mainoru and southeast across the Rose River region to Numbulwar . The songs contain specific words and use a similar structure, and there is often a "final recitative", where lyrics are sung for a long period after the didjeridu and stick beating has stopped. Some songs tell of epic journeys in the far past, of ancestors in the Dreaming ; Elkin cited an example of
1026-409: Is played only by men, usually as an accompaniment to ceremonial or recreational singing, or, much more rarely, as a solo instrument. Skilled players use the technique of circular breathing to achieve a continuous sound, and also employ techniques for inducing multiple harmonic resonances. Although traditionally the instrument was not widespread around the country - it was only used by Aboriginal groups in
1083-723: Is related to that of adjacent parts of New Guinea . Music is a vital part of Indigenous Australians' cultural maintenance. In addition to these Indigenous traditions and musical heritage, ever since the 18th-century European colonisation of Australia began, Indigenous Australian musicians and performers have adopted and interpreted many of the imported Western musical styles, often informed by and in combination with traditional instruments and sensibilities. Similarly, non-Indigenous artists and performers have adapted, used and sampled Indigenous Australian styles and instruments in their works. Contemporary musical styles such as rock and roll , country , rap , hip hop and reggae have all featured
1140-446: Is used as a hand-held free reed instrument. The instrument was originally used to call birds. An example is the "Coo-ee" call seen in the opening credits of hit television series Skippy . The bullroarer (or bull roarer) is an instrument used in ceremonial ritual . It consists of a few feet of cord attached to a flat piece of wood. The player holds the free end of the cord and swings the piece of wood around in circles, thus creating
1197-508: Is usually a circumcision ceremony or a ceremony to purify a dead person's belongings with smoke. A number of Indigenous Australians have achieved mainstream prominence, such as Jimmy Little (pop), Yothu Yindi ( Australian aboriginal rock ), Troy Cassar-Daley ( country ), Jessica Mauboy (pop, R&B), NoKTuRNL ( rap metal ) and the Warumpi Band (alternative or world music). Indigenous music has also gained broad exposure through
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#17327795987681254-667: The Board for the Protection of Aborigines should be reorganised along the lines envisaged by the APA. Stevens initially accepted Gollan's recommendations, but changed his mind after consultation with anthropologists. Day of Mourning protests have been held on Australia Day ever since 1938. However, in recent years, National Sorry Day on 26 May, and counter-protests held on 26 January ( Australia Day ), such as Invasion Day and Survival Day , have been more prominent in Australia. In 1998,
1311-508: The Day of Mourning . This day was called to: to call the attention to the present deplorable condition of all aborigines, of whatever stage of culture, after 150 years of British rule. It is expected that such action will create such sympathy on the part of the whites that full justice and recompense will follow. The organisers requested that all Christian denominations would observe the day and that: sermons be preached on this day dealing with
1368-607: The National Centre for Aboriginal Language and Music Studies at the University of Adelaide , located within the Elder Conservatorium . While it has in the past (1980s) offered three-year diploma courses, as of 1993 it offers only a one-year foundation course, owing to funding cuts over the years. CASM has access to a state-of-the-art dedicated recording studio , along with teaching and practice rooms,
1425-566: The West Australian Football League has been played during NAIDOC week since 2007, with the winner being awarded the Jimmy Melbourne Cup, in honour of the first Indigenous Australian player to play senior football in a major Australian football league. Day of Mourning (Australia) The Day of Mourning was a protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the 150th anniversary of
1482-525: The stock routes of the pastoral industry, as Aboriginal workers and their families travelled between stations. Wave Hill Station was the site of much of this exchange. Wangga originated near the South Alligator River . An extremely high note starts the song, accompanied by rhythmic percussion, followed by a sudden shift to a low tone. Wangga is typically performed by one or two singers with clapsticks and one didgeridoo player. The occasion
1539-600: The world music movement and in particular the WOMADelaide festivals. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu , formerly of Yothu Yindi, attained international success singing contemporary music in English and in one of the languages of the Yolngu people. Successful Torres Strait Islander musicians include Christine Anu (pop) and Seaman Dan . Contemporary Indigenous music continues the earlier traditions and also represents
1596-556: The Congress in the Sydney Town Hall, but they were refused access, and instead held it at the nearby Australian Hall in Elizabeth Street . They were not allowed in through the front door and were told they could only enter through the rear door. Congress was open to all Aboriginal people, and about 100 people attended, making it one of the first mass Aboriginal civil rights gatherings. The APA and AAL distributed
1653-466: The Day of Mourning protesters, who were not allowed to visit the men from the reserve when they were staying at Redfern. However, the Sydney media focused more on the fact that convicts had been excised from the reenactment. On 31 January 1938, twenty of the conferenced delegates met in Sydney with Prime Minister Joseph Lyons , his wife Enid , and federal interior minister John McEwen . Patten put forward
1710-617: The Government removed a group of Aboriginal men from an Aboriginal reserve in the west of the state and brought them to Sydney. The men were kept overnight in the stables at the police barracks in Redfern . On Australia Day, they were taken to a beach at Farm Cove , where they were told to run up the beach, to convey the impression that they were fleeing in fear from the First Fleet. The reenactments attracted heavy criticism from
1767-720: The Internet, organising an art competition and watching programmes on both Australian television (and their streaming services) related to the week. Television stations such as the ABC and SBS structure programming across the week to celebrate events, actors and more on their various channels (as well as their streaming services). Major celebratory events take place in Australia's major cities as well as in larger rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, including Alice Springs , Hermannsburg , Shepparton and Mildura . The National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony and Ball, celebrating
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1824-652: The Road and its soundtrack (1981), highlighting Indigenous disadvantage in urban Australia, gave broad exposure to the bands Us Mob and No Fixed Address . Australian hip hop music and rap music has a number of Aboriginal exponents, including the award-winning Baker Boy , 2019 Young Australian of the Year , who raps and sings in Yolngu Matha . The genre-defying Mojo Juju has been nominated for or won several awards since 2018, and her music has been featured in
1881-416: The aboriginal people and their need of the gospel and response to it and we ask that special prayer be invoked for all missionary and other effort for the uplift of the dark people. The Day was discussed in newspapers, with David Unaipon arguing against it, stating that the "most effective way of helping the natives is not by weeping and bemoaning the past, but by acting in the level present" and that instead
1938-532: The area, social relationships and love, and are frequently updated to take into account popular films and music. Similar clan songs are known as emeba on Groote Eylandt . Manikay have been described as the "sacred song tradition performed by the Yolŋu when conducting public ceremonies...a medium through which the Yolŋu interpret reality, define their humanity, reckon their ancestral lineages, and evidence ownership of their hereditary homelands through their ability to sing in
1995-503: The arrival of the First Fleet , which marked the beginning of the colonisation of Australia . It was declared to be a protest of 150 years of callous treatment and purposefully coincided with Australia Day celebrations. Day of Mourning protests have been held on Australia Day ever since 1938, though protests sharing its aims on this day are more commonly held under the names Invasion Day or Survival Day. The Day of Mourning protest
2052-595: The basic needs of Indigenous people. In response, Lyons noted that section 51(xxvi) of the constitution would need to be amended to bring the changes about and McEwen promised to convene a conference of state ministers to discuss the matter. An APA delegation also met with George Gollan , a minister without portfolio in the New South Wales state government who had an interest in Indigenous policy. Gollan advised New South Wales premier Bertram Stevens that
2109-478: The day should be celebrated with "a national programme, by which all the privileges of the dominant race ... be given to the blacks". Subsequently, members of the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association met with then prime minister Joseph Lyons to argue for representation in the federal parliament by a non-voting member to represent Aboriginal people. The message to the churches was eventually heeded, with Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane William Wand commending
2166-519: The education and care of Aborigines, and for a new policy which will raise our people to FULL CITIZEN STATUS and EQUALITY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. In order to celebrate Australia Day in 1938, the government of New South Wales had planned to reenact the arrival of the First Fleet in Port Jackson . However, all the Aboriginal political organisations in Sydney refused to participate. In response,
2223-481: The end of NAIDOC Week festivities is held in a different host city each year. The Ball features Indigenous food and live bands. The first NAIDOC poster was created in 1972 to promote "Aborigines Day". The protest nature of the poster continued until 1977 with titles like "Self Determination" and "Chains or Chance" publicising political change and a day of remembrance. In Western Australia, an Australian rules football match between Claremont and South Fremantle in
2280-465: The land or sky marking the routes followed by creator beings during The Dreaming . The paths of the songlines are recorded in traditional song cycles , stories, dance, and art, and are often the basis of ceremonies. Intricate series of song cycles identify landmarks and tracking mechanisms for navigation. Early visitors and settlers published a number of transcriptions of traditional Aboriginal music. The earliest transcription of Aboriginal music
2337-412: The lead-up to the conference the APA also secured the support of prominent author Mary Gilmore . Despite having rejected the APA's petition, Prime Minister Joseph Lyons did agree to meet with the Day of Mourning leaders on 25 January, without any other government officials or media present. However, some media reports at the time attributed this more to Lyons' desire to meet Pastor Doug Nicholls , who
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2394-523: The location of the 1938 Congress. The Government of New South Wales had placed a conservation order on it, but exceptions to the order allowed everything but the façade to be demolished. The building is now permanently protected. Indigenous Australian music Indigenous music of Australia comprises the music of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, intersecting with their cultural and ceremonial observances, through
2451-583: The media. These groups had also sent petitions to the Australian and the British governments , in the early 1930s, for the recognition of Aboriginal civil rights (including Aboriginal representation in the Parliament of Australia ), but they had been ignored or dismissed without serious attention, and each had refused to pass the petitions on to King George V . As a result, a more proactive event
2508-542: The millennia of their individual and collective histories to the present day. The traditional forms include many aspects of performance and musical instrumentation that are unique to particular regions or Aboriginal Australian groups ; and some elements of musical tradition are common or widespread through much of the Australian continent, and even beyond. The music of the Torres Strait Islanders
2565-547: The most northerly areas - today it is commonly considered the national instrument of Aboriginal Australians and is world-renowned as a unique and iconic instrument. However, many Northern Aboriginal people continue to strenuously object to its frequent, inappropriate, use by both uninitiated Indigenous people of either gender, and by non-Indigenous Australians. Famous players include Djalu Gurruwiwi , Mark Atkins , William Barton , David Hudson , Joe Geia and Shane Underwood as well as white virtuoso Charlie McMahon . A clapstick
2622-480: The proposal in 1940 and the day was nationally observed by at least 1946. By 1957, the leaders of the movement decided to change the date from January to July. The National Aborigines Day Observance Committee (NADOC) formed and the first Sunday in July became a day of remembrance and celebration for Aboriginal people and heritage. In 1991 NADOC became NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee), to recognise Torres Strait Islanders and to describe
2679-424: The region which may consist of sounds, and there are often brief breaks in the songs. The songs nearly always start with the didjeridu, soon followed by sticks (percussion) and vocals in that order. Kun-borrk songs from Kunbarllanjnja (Gunbalanya) almost always follow the order of didjeridu, voice then sticks. Kun-borrk songs terminate most commonly with the didjeridu first, often in conjunction with vocals. Sometimes
2736-469: The songman leads. Bunggul is often used to describe the dance component of the ceremony, while manikay refers to the songs. The Garma Festival has a nightly bunggul performance. In 2014, The Monthly ' s "Best of Australian Arts" edition described the bunggul as "an exhilarating performance" and "an example of one of the world’s oldest musical traditions. We must do everything to recognise its enormous value to our lives as Australians". In 2023,
2793-519: The tradition of their ancestors". It is often translated as a "clan song", and ethnomusicologists and social anthropologists have studied the form since the 1950s. Manikay is often used to describe the song component of the Arnhem Land ceremony , while bunggul (see below) refers to the dance, although each word on its own is also sometimes used to refer to both components. Songlines , also known as "dreaming tracks", represent paths across
2850-610: The vocals finish first, sometimes the clap sticks, but the didjeridu never starts last or finishes last. David Blanasi is known as a master of the tradition of Kun-borrk, with his grandson Darryl Dikarrna continuing the tradition. Wajarra are non-sacred songs originating in the Gurindji region of the Northern Territory and performed for fun and entertainment. During the twentieth century they spread great distances across northern and western Australia, including along
2907-639: Was an Australian rules football player for Fitzroy Football Club at the time, than to any desire to constructively negotiate. The day began with a march through the streets of Sydney, which was attended by both Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous supporters. The march began at the Sydney Town Hall and concluded at the major event on the day, the Day of Mourning Congress, a political meeting for Aboriginal people only. It attracted many major Aboriginal leaders, including Pearl Gibbs and Margaret Tucker . The protesters had originally intended to hold
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#17327795987682964-742: Was by Edward Jones in London in 1793, published in Musical Curiosities , 1811. Two Eora men (of the Sydney area in New South Wales ), Yemmerrawanne and Bennelong , had travelled to England with Arthur Phillip , and while they were in London gave a recital of a song in the Dharug language . The Yolngu term Bunggul refers to song, music and dance, which form a ceremony in central to eastern Arnhem Land , Northern Territory. It
3021-512: Was likely edited by writer P. R. Stephensen , who was honorary secretary of the Aboriginal Citizenship Committee, an organisation for non-Aboriginal supporters of the APA. Advertising and print materials for the conference were printed by The Publicist ' s printer, Stafford Printery, with their manifesto circulated to newspapers. Stephensen also interviewed Patten and Ferguson on his weekly radio programme. In
3078-732: Was organised by the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA), based in New South Wales and led by its founders Jack Patten and William Ferguson . The protest leaders also had support from the Australian Aborigines' League (AAL), based in Victoria and led by William Cooper . In 1888, the centenary of the arrival of the First Fleet, Aboriginal leaders had simply boycotted the Australia Day celebrations. However, this had been ignored by
3135-527: Was passed unanimously: WE, representing THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA, assembled in Conference at the Australian Hall, Sydney, on the 26th day of January, 1938, this being the 150th anniversary of the whitemen's seizure of our country, HEREBY MAKE PROTEST against the callous treatment of our people by the white men in the past 150 years, AND WE APPEAL to the Australian Nation to make new laws for
3192-552: Was planned for the sesquicentenary, which the media and governments could not ignore. This was despite the recent experience of the New South Wales Police engaging in general intimidation of public meetings of such political organisations. In early January 1938, a statement titled "Citizen Rights for Aborigines" was published by Patten and Ferguson in William Miles ' nationalist magazine The Publicist . It
3249-762: Was scheduled for 3 July 2021, but again cancelled. An event was then planned for 3 July at the Sydney Opera House . However, by July Sydney was in COVID-19 lockdown , and the Sydney ceremony was postponed. Due to the continuing pandemic, NAIDOC Week 2021 was also postponed; events for it in the Northern Territory were rescheduled to start on 11 July, but some events were cancelled. NAIDOC activities are held across Australia, activities include cultural and educational activities in schools and workplaces and public displays. NAIDOC Week activities might include listening to Indigenous Australian music , reading dream time stories, visiting Indigenous Australian websites on
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