''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' was an
Australian Indigenous language maintenance/revitalisation and community development project that ran between 2005 and 2010. One of its spin-off projects, a stage production of the same name co-created by
Scott Rankin and
Trevor Jamieson
Trevor Jamieson (born 7 March 1975) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actor, playwright, dancer, singer and didgeridoo player.
Early life
Trevor Jamieson was born on 7 March 1975 in Subiaco, Western Australia (WA).
He grew up in th ...
, toured Australia extensively in between 2005 and 2008.
''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' was produced by the Australian arts and social change company
Big ''h''ART, and conducted in various locations across the
APY lands
Annual percentage yield (APY) is a normalized representation of an interest rate, based on a compounding period of one year. APY figures allow a reasonable, single-point comparison of different offerings with varying compounding schedules. Howev ...
(South Australia),
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...
and in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
(Northern Territory). The project ran from 2005 to 2010, with spin-off projects and related performances. The project was structured around an experimental and reflexive arts-based
community development program which included the creation of an online interactive language and culture learning website by Pitjantjatjara-speaking young people, elders and linguists; a
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
touring theatre work and a media campaign promoting the development of an Australian national Indigenous
language policy
Language policy is both an interdisciplinary academic field and implementation of ideas about language use.
Some scholars such as Joshua Fishman and Ofelia García consider it as part of sociolinguistics. On the other hand, other scholars such as ...
.
Objectives
''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' main objective was to effect a sustained positive change in various disadvantaged, struggling
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
communities by offering local individuals opportunities to engage with their
cultural capital
In the field of sociology, cultural capital comprises the social assets of a person (education, intellect, style of speech, style of dress, social capital, etc.) that promote social mobility in a stratified society. Cultural capital functions as ...
in arts-based practice. Through the creation of art in various forms, Big ''h''ART sought to maintain and
revitalise the
Pitjantjatjara language
Pitjantjatjara ( ; or ) is a dialect of the Western Desert language traditionally spoken by the Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia. It is mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible with other varieties of the Western Desert languag ...
and thus to preserve cultural knowledge, to improve general
literacy
Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...
levels (defined as both the ability to read and write as well as the ability to engage in a culturally meaningful manner with
new media and modern technology) and to promote
social cohesion
Group cohesiveness, also called group cohesion, social harmony or social cohesion, is the degree or strength of bonds linking members of a social group to one another and to the group as a whole. Although cohesion is a multi-faceted process, it ...
as a crime prevention measure. It was part of the project's aim to "positively
rofilethe strength of culture at a time where health and social issues
ere
Ere or ERE may refer to:
* ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal
* ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies
* Ere language, an Austronesian language
* Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
dominating
��media
ccounts of the region and its people.
On a global scale, the project aimed to raise awareness, interest and appreciation of
Aboriginal Australian languages
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
in general and to provide a model for
Language revitalisation
Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community group ...
of endangered languages.
Background
Between 1955 and 1963 the British military was given permission to conduct a number of
nuclear tests
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of Nuclear explosion, their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to si ...
around
Maralinga
Maralinga is a desert area around large located in the west of South Australia, within the Great Victoria Desert. The area is best known for being the location of several British nuclear tests in the 1950s.
In January 1985, in recognition of ...
in the
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
n desert. After initially downplaying the environmental and social impacts of those tests, the Australian and UK governments conceded in 1994 to a payment of million in compensation to the local
Maralinga Tjarutja
The Maralinga Tjarutja, or Maralinga Tjarutja Council, is the corporation representing the traditional Anangu owners of the remote western areas of South Australia known as the Maralinga Tjarutja lands. The council was established by the ''Mara ...
people.
The research for a planned
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
show on actor/dancer/singer
Trevor Jamieson
Trevor Jamieson (born 7 March 1975) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actor, playwright, dancer, singer and didgeridoo player.
Early life
Trevor Jamieson was born on 7 March 1975 in Subiaco, Western Australia (WA).
He grew up in th ...
's family brought him and
Big ''h''ART's creative director
Scott Rankin and producer
Alex Kelly to the
APY Lands
Annual percentage yield (APY) is a normalized representation of an interest rate, based on a compounding period of one year. APY figures allow a reasonable, single-point comparison of different offerings with varying compounding schedules. Howev ...
where many of the displaced Maralinga Tjarutja people found shelter. Consultations with community elders and the Jamieson's extended family about the regions' history and contemporary challenges brought forth first ideas about the project's focus and structure. In 2002, the play ''Career Highlights of the Mamu'' represented the first stage in the theatrical exploration of the family's story.
The project
The project was conducted in various locations across the
Anangu,
Pitjantjatjara
The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are v ...
and
Yankunytjatjara
The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia.
Language
Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...
(APY) Lands in
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...
and in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
. It ran from 2005 to 2010, with spin-off projects and related performances. The project was structured around an experimental and reflexive arts-based
community development program which included the creation of an online interactive language and culture learning website by Pitjantjatjara-speaking young people, elders and
linguists
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures ...
; a
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
touring
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
work and a
media campaign
Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication.
Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises bo ...
promoting the development of an Australian national Indigenous
language policy
Language policy is both an interdisciplinary academic field and implementation of ideas about language use.
Some scholars such as Joshua Fishman and Ofelia García consider it as part of sociolinguistics. On the other hand, other scholars such as ...
.
In 2005,
Kelly
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* ''Kelly'' (Kelly Price album), 2011
* ''Kelly'' (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), by Mark Charlap, 1965
* "Kelly" (song), by Kelly Rowland, 2018
* ''Kelly'' (film), Canada, 1981
* ...
moved to
Alice Springs
Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
and started to establish further contacts with community members, organisations and institutions across the APY Lands. The objective of this early stage was to meet locals, to listen to their stories and their first-hand accounts of issues facing their communities and to learn about local ideas on how to tackle those problems. At the heart of the issues people repeatedly identified in the
consultations lay two causes:
alienation between the
generation
A generation is all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It also is "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and b ...
s and an imminent loss of the Pitjantjatjara language and culture.
A challenge for
Big ''h''ART workers and community members involved was to find a suitable framework that would capture the imagination of both old and young and would bring them together in a meaningful exchange. The development of a second mainstage theatre production taking place in interaction with the
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti ...
(SA) community provided one possible field of interaction. To allow for a more targeted approach in language maintenance, the development of an integrated online language course based on short film-clips proved to be another: The technological aspect and fun of creating film and
digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...
appealed to a large number of young people, while
elders were able to pass on language and cultural knowledge in a setting which fostered respect for their wealth of experience. In a series of workshops, artists associated with
Big ''h''ART developed short film clips on country with a group of youngsters from town camps and remote communities, while elders were providing and advising on the content of the language lessons.
Over the course of the project, this kind of working environment fostered mutual learning that allowed participants to experience themselves and others as creative and productive co-workers as well as helping to reduce the
alienation between the generations. Beth Sometimes notes that "
ydeveloping activities that
ere
Ere or ERE may refer to:
* ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal
* ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies
* Ere language, an Austronesian language
* Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
driven by an engagement with Indigenous language such as
music recording
Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...
,
filmmaking
Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
and
travelling
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can ...
to cities to deliver
hebilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
theatre show, the domains in which the language is used
ere
Ere or ERE may refer to:
* ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal
* ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies
* Ere language, an Austronesian language
* Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
increased. Both younger and older Pitjantjatjara participants engage
with broader dialogue concerning language, and in discussion around emerging conceptual realms regarding the experiences that
ere
Ere or ERE may refer to:
* ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal
* ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies
* Ere language, an Austronesian language
* Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
being shared.".
Many of the films were, in addition to being uploaded onto the ninti-website, published on DVD compilations and distributed by the young people across their communities. A range of workshops was also offered in other disciplines such as dance, photography, digital storytelling and music. Activities included song writing, performing, voice training, recording and sampling. As well as bringing artists to remote communities to conduct those workshops,
Big ''h''ART also partnered with the record label 'Tracks of the Desert' to record and publish project material, i.e. the "Ngurakutu Ara" CD in
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti ...
(SA) with proceeds going towards purchasing musical equipment for the community. All songs and other materials recorded in the project have been made available to the communities by way of portable storage media and by uploading material onto publicly accessible computers.
Especial care was taken to afford the young people as much exposure for their artworks as possible to enhance the experience of appreciation and to incite communication and reflection. Participants presented the project and their works at conferences and festivals while a strong media strategy ensured regular coverage on local and national level.
To afford opportunities for the expansion of professional skills, creative developments of the associated theatre show were organised in
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti ...
(SA) to give people the chance to observe working processes, to grow and to participate in various capacities on and off-stage, i.e. by joining the multiple tours of the production to national festivals as paid performers or assisting technicians.
Collaboration with ANU
In order to maximise the impact of language revitalisation,
Big ''h''ART collaborated with the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy and Research of the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
(ANU) whose researchers advised on the literacy elements of the project while conducting a three-year study, as part of the "Lifespan Learning and Literacy in Remote Indigenous Communities 2007–10" ANU and
Fred Hollows Foundation linkage project. Improvement of literacy in both Pitjantjatjara and English was a strong element of the project: As many participants had had negative experiences with formal education settings and
shame
Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness.
Definition
Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
being a strong inhibitor to participation in Indigenous communities, literacy was playfully integrated into the general workshop activities and 'trained on the job'. This tied in with the asset-based approach
Big ''h''ART adopted for the project in that the task-focus was laid on the story while literacy skills were imparted by way of accessing this story and supporting the individuals in translating it into art.
Together with the
ANU researchers and other experts in the field,
Big ''h''ART commenced to push for a change in national
policy
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...
regarding the maintenance of Indigenous languages in Australia as part of the project's legacy which eventually prompted the release of the Commonwealth Government's strategy paper "Indigenous Languages – A National Approach" in August 2009 and the tabling of th
House of Representatives Standing Committee Report into Indigenous Language Learning
Theatre show
The two pillars of the project, the Pitjantjatjara language course and the performance piece, kept informing each other throughout the project.
The theatre show ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' premiered at the 2005
Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...
as a work in progress.
The play has lead actor
Trevor Jamieson
Trevor Jamieson (born 7 March 1975) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actor, playwright, dancer, singer and didgeridoo player.
Early life
Trevor Jamieson was born on 7 March 1975 in Subiaco, Western Australia (WA).
He grew up in th ...
recounting his family's story, situating it in the larger context of the
British nuclear testing around Maralinga. The show explores themes of dispossession and displacement from country, home and family, yet within this political constellation, the focus remains firmly on the detrimental impacts the events had on the social fabric and cultural life of the Indigenous people of the region.
As Ben Hermann notes, the play "mixes traditional storytelling, tragedy, humour, pop-culture references and direct audience participation to both entertain and educate audiences about the history of Indigenous Australians". The feature of direct participation awards
audiences
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
opportunities to learn Pitjantjatjara words and phrases, thus tying-in the show with the language focus of the larger project. As a whole, Sometimes argues, "''Ngapartji Ngapartji''
��exposed the general public to Indigenous language in an emotive context – theatre – providing a platform for meaningful engagement and giving liberty to understanding.".
Plot synopsis
The
play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
starts out in its
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
form with an introduction given by Trevor Jamieson in which he establishes his troubled brother Jangala as the touchstone of his narrative. The following show sets out to contextualise his story within the larger family story which in turn is framed by the political history of their home-country, the
Spinifex nation of the South Australian desert which encompasses the
British nuclear testing site of Maralinga.
Before jumping into the narrative which spans 60 years of dislocation and emotional
trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
*Psychological trauma, in psychology and psychiatric medicine, refers to severe mental and emotional injury caused by distressing events
*Traumatic injury, sudden physical injury caused by an external force, which doe ...
, the cast (an Indigenous choir, members of the Jamieson family and a group of non-Indigenous, Australian actors from mixed ethnic backgrounds) teaches the children's song '
Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes' in Pitjantjatjara to the audience. The song resurfaces throughout the performance in different languages and contexts to signal and remind of a common humanity all people on earth share. To strengthen this theme and to open up an emotive space of understanding, the show also makes use of a wide array of popular songs translated into Pitjantjatjara and performed
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
ly.
The family story then quickly proceeds from the family-focalised first encounters with
Afghan Australian people in the desert to the beginnings of Christian missionary endeavours.
Intersecting the family story is a larger global narrative of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and its annihilating race for
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...
which will invariably come to affect the Jamieson's as their home-country is turned into a nuclear testing ground. The links established by this narrative eventually all tie in with the family story and serve to turn the abstract, political frame into an intimately personal one in which accountability and impact can no longer be deferred onto the distant and
other.
The story resumes with father Arnold Jamieson being born on country just before the family is moved to Cundalee mission ca. 440 km west of their home country. The strain of dislocation and attempts to save as many family members as possible while evacuation measures of the government fall short of communicating over the cultural divide, eventually break up the grandparents' marriage, ending in the murder of the grandmother by the grandfather. The story then follows Arnold on his journey into adulthood, longing for his country while restricted to far-away missions. The love and belonging he finds with his wife Gail opens up the hope for a new beginning beyond trauma and sorrow. Overcoming, however, is barred by the murder of Gail's mother on her way to the wedding by a taxi-driver and the vision of more and more Pitjantjatjara people losing their way in between the two cultures. As cultural protocols are explained, the audience is invited to consider the adopted solutions for reconciliation in Australia from an Indigenous perspective.
The last third of the show is increasingly interspersed with video footage of intimate family conversations revolving around the worry for Jangala's life in this culturally divided space, bringing the focus back onto the brother and present issues facing the displaced Spinifex people in their country. The play ends on a note that affirms Indigenous persistence and survival, expressing hope to be one day released from the cycle of trauma and sorrow.
Production history
''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' has toured Australia extensively in between 2005 and 2008 with the show undergoing various developments throughout its production history. In 2012, the show was revived in
Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
in a condensed version under the name ''Ngapartji Ngapartji One''.
Presentations of the show included among others:
* 2005
Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...
(Work-in-progress)
* 2006
Araluen Arts Centre,
Alice Springs
Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
(Developmental Showing)
* 2006
Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...
(World Premiere)
* 2006
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
(Language Show)
* 2007
Perth International Arts Festival
Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...
* 2007 The Dreaming Festival,(Language Show)
* 2007
Adelaide Cabaret Festival
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia ...
, (Language Show)
* 2008
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...
,
Belvoir St Theatre
Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre comprises two performing spaces: the Upstairs Theatre and the small ...
* 2008
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti ...
, (Open Air Community Showing)
* 2008
Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
* 2011 International Community Arts Festival,
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
(''Ngapartji One'')
* 2012
Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, Canberra Theatre Centre (''Ngapartji One'')
Awards and recognition
While creative content created for the project received coverage in local and national media and festivals, the overall project and associated theatre show received the following awards and nominations:
*
Deadly Awards 2008
The Deadly Awards recognise achievement by Indigenous Australians in music, sport, the arts and in community service. First held in 1995, in 2008 the ceremony was hosted by Luke Carroll at the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2008 and was broadcas ...
– Winner, Most Outstanding Achievement in Film, TV and Theatre
*
Sydney Theatre Awards
The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...
2008 – Winner, Best Lead Man Trevor Jamieson
* Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Nominee, Best Mainstage Production
* Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Nominee, Best Direction
* NT Innovation Awards 2008 Finalist
Legacy
The ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' project officially wrapped in 2010. However, in order to create a tangible legacy of the project,
Big ''h''ART produced a range of media illustrating the project's journey:
The media kit 'Memory Basket' "captures the story of the project through photos, music, text and film" and was distributed across Australian libraries.
The film ''Nothing Rhymes with Ngapartji'' documents the staging of the theatre show in a creek bed in the remote Indigenous community of
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti ...
(SA) in 2008, the negotiation of cultural protocols following the death of Arnold Jamieson and the personal repercussions for the creative team.
The joint advocacy for a new national policy to revitalise and maintain Indigenous languages across Australia eventually prompted the release of the Commonwealth Government's strategy paper "Indigenous Languages – A National Approach" in August 2009 and the tabling of the House of Representatives Standing Committee Report into Indigenous Language Learning.
Another legacy of the project is the spin-off performance work ''Nyuntu Ngali'', which was workshopped in
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti ...
(SA) in early 2009 before completing seasons at the Adelaide Festival Theatre (Nov 2009), the Australian Performing Arts Market (Feb 2010) and the
Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...
(May 2010).
The creative team of ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' was invited to Japan in early 2012 to attend the commemorations of the
Fukushima disaster and to celebrate the publication of a Japanese translation of the script.
Big ''h''ART's
''Namatjira'' project was also incepted during ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' lifetime, as Elton Wirri (artist and project participant) provided the link to the
Hermannsburg
Hermannsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Celle (district), Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Südheide (municipality), Südheide. It has been a state-recognised resort t ...
community and helped promote
Big ''h''ART as a company of credence among elders.
A most important legacy of the project according to academic Dave Palmer was that people connected with their culture in a new way, building strong identities and asserting themselves flexibly and successfully in a multicultural context. The Pitjantjatjara concept of "ngapartji ngapartji" itself provided the overarching framework for such a new form of intercultural engagement: glossed as 'I give you something. You give me something' it denotes a reciprocal exchange of gifts that create a social framework of mutual obligations. In contrast to Western ideas of trade, here the defining element of exchange is not the material value of the objects and services traded but the fact that trading itself establishes bonds that link people to each other – not only in a material way, but also socially, emotionally and spiritually. Consequently, it is deferral of immediate gratification that keeps people engaged and not a quid pro quo situation that is sought.
[Palmer, Dave: Ngapartji Ngapartji: The Consequences of Kindness, Perth: Murdoch University, 2010. p. 4-6]
Selected credits
* Creative Producer:
Alex Kelly
* Key Performer/Co-creator: Trevor Jamieson
* Writer/Director:
Scott Rankin
* Performers/singers/teachers/musicians: Jarmen Jamieson,
Lex Marinos
Alexander Francis Marinos (1 February 194913 September 2024) was an Australian actor and television director, radio personality and voice artist. He was most notable for his role as Bruno, in the 1980s television series '' Kingswood Country''.
...
, Yumi Umiumare, Tomoko Yamasaki, Saira Luther, Andrew MacGregor, Damian Mason,
Pantjiti McKenzie, Lorna Wilson, Jennifer Mitchell, Janet Inyika, Beth Sometimes, Julie Miller,
Maureen Watson
Maureen Watson, also known as "Aunty Maureen" (9 November 1931 – 4 January 2009), was an Aboriginal Australian activist actor, vocalist, writer, musician, and storyteller.
Early life and education
Maureen Watson was born on 9 November 1931, ...
, Elton Wirri, Kunmanara (Iris) Ajax, Amanyi (Dora) Haggie, Mervin Adamson, Belinda Abbott, Imuna Kenta, Rhoda Tjitayi, Melissa Thompson, Delaine Singer, Deanne Gillen, Alana Kelly, Sandy Brokus Abbott, Linda Stanley, Unurupa (Nami) Kulyuru, Sadie Richards, Makinti Minutjukur, Renita Stanley, Alison (Milyika) Carroll, Najeeba Azimi, Nathaniel Garrawurra, Conway Ginger, Melissa Abbott, Joanne Andrews, Keischa Haines, Kalem Haines, Nick Hemple, Dilly,
* Musical Composer: Damian Mason
* Set and Costume Design: Genevieve Dugard
* Lighting Design and Production Support: Neil Simpson
* AV Design: Suzy Bates, Olaf Meyer
* Language Reference Group: Pantjiti McKenzie, Jennifer Mitchell, Simon McKenzie, Paul Eckert, Gordon Inkatji, Yanyi Baker
* Translators: Lorna Wilson, Thomas Holder, Beth Sometimes, Yumi Umiumare, Najeeba Azimi, Lex Marinos
References
Further reading
* Davis, Matt (2009): "Stories with the Heart". In: ''Outback'' (66), p. 88–91.
* Grehan, Helena: ''Performance, Ethics and Spectatorship in a Global Age'', Basinstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. p. 63–92
* Grehan, Helena (2010): "Aboriginal Performance: Politics, Empathy and the Question of Reciprocity". In: ''Australasian Drama Studies'' (56). p. 38–52
* Palmer, Dave: ''Ngapartji Ngapartji: The Consequences of Kindness'', Perth: Murdoch University, 2010.
* Rankin, Scott: Ngapartji Ngapartji, in ''Namatjira / Ngapartji Ngapartji'', Currency Press: Sydney, 2012.
* Sometimes, Beth et al.: "Ngapartji Ngapartji; Indigenous Languages in the Arts", in: Hobson, John et al.: ''Re-Awakening Languages: Theory and Practice in the Revitalisation of Australia's Indigenous Languages'', Sydney: Sydney University Press, 2010. p. 84–89
External links
* {{official, https://web.archive.org/web/20160226231147/https://www.ngapartji.org/ (archived 2016)
Culture of South Australia
Australian Aboriginal art
Community building
2000s Australian plays
Music organisations based in Australia
Indigenous Australian theatre
2006 plays