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Burarrwanga, Laklak, Ritjilili Ganambarr, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Banbapuy Ganambarr, Djawundil Maymuru, Sarah Wright, Sandie Suchet-Pearson, Kate Lloyd: Songspirals. Sharing women's wisdom of Country through songlines, Allen & Unwin, Sydney; Melbourne, Auckland, London 2019, ISBN 9781760633219

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Review⁄Abstract

Table of Contents

Respecting Country -ix-

Djalkiri -xiii-

Part 1 Wuymirri

Chapter 1: Mum -3-

Chapter 2: Country -15-

Chapter 3: Mapping -28-

Chapter 4: Becoming together -37-

Chapter 5: Harmonising -45-

Gumatj and Warramirri versions -57-

Part 1 Wukun

Chapter 1: Gathering of the Clouds -69

Chapter 2: Singing the clouds -78-

Chapter 3: Clouds forming -86-

Chapter 4: Thundercloud -100-

Chapter 5: Clouds separating -107-

Chapter 6: Raining -113-

Part 3 Guwak

Chapter 1: Being a messenger -121-

Chapter 2: Sky Country -128

Chapter 3: This is political -137-

Chapter 4: The spirits are in everything -148-

Chapter 5: Living in today's world -155-

Part 4 Wititj

Chapter 1: Settling of the Serpent -167-

Chapter 2: Belonging and longing to be with Country -174-

Chapter 3: Wapitja -181-

Chapter 4: Women's knowledge and wisdom -194-

Part 5 Gong-gurtha

Chapter 1: Keepers of the flame -203-

Chapter 2: Passing it on to the kids -212-

Chapter 3: The fire on the horizon -222-

Chapter 4: Order -235-

Chapter 5: Connecting generations -242-

Ending with the wind -253-

Glossary -263-

Acknowledgements -271-

Notes -273-

Index -295-

Cover Text

"We want you to come with us on our journey, our journey of songspirals. Songspirals are the essence of people in this land, the essence of every clan. We belong to the land and it belongs to us. We sing to the land, sing about the land. We are that land. It sings to us." Aboriginal Australian cultures are the oldest living cultures on earth and at the heart of Aboriginal cultures is song. These ancient narratives of landscape have often been described as a means of navigating across vast distances without a map, but they are much, much more than this. Songspirals are sung by Aboriginal people to awaken Country, to make and remake the life-giving connections between people and place. Songspirals are radically different ways of understanding the relationship people can have with the landscape. For Yolngu people from North East Arnhem Land, women and men play different roles in bringing songlines to life, yet the vast majority of what has been published is about men's place in songlines. Songspirals are a rare opportunity for outsiders to experience Aboriginal women's role in crying the songlines in a very authentic and direct form.