Abstract
This article explores the role of legacy recordings of song for a family of Arrarrkpi (Mawng-speaking people), who are contemporary singers and dancers of manyardi, a public ceremonial performance of western Arnhem Land, in their collaborative work with a team of Balanda (Euro-diasporic) researchers. Drawing inspiration from the dialogical approach of the YolLatin small letter Engu ceremonial leader and scholar Joe Gumbula, the article reflects on various dialogues that inform the research, practice and archival recording of manyardi. We demonstrate how legacy recordings reinvigorate contemporary performance practice in collective settings, rather than serving as canonical or ideal versions of song sets to be replicated by an individual singer. We suggest that maintaining the linking and organisation of enriched song metadata from this community to the archival collection will enable future song inheritors to maintain dialogues with archives that hold recordings of manyardi.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 102-114 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Preservation, Digital Technology and Culture |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Indigenous song
- archiving practices
- Indigenous knowledge
- song and language documentation
- cultural maintenance and revitalization
- manyardi
- manikay