Indigenous Australian music facts for kids
Australian Indigenous music is the amazing music of the Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. These groups are also known as Indigenous Australians. Their music includes many unique traditional styles. It also features modern music that blends with European traditions. Music has always been a very important part of their social, cultural, and ceremonial life. This is true both in the past and today.
Some musical performances and instruments are special to certain regions or Indigenous Australian groups. However, some musical traditions are shared across much of Australia and even beyond. The culture of the Torres Strait Islanders is also connected to New Guinea.
Since the 18th century, European settlement has influenced Indigenous music. Also, non-Indigenous artists have used Indigenous Australian styles and instruments in their own music. Many famous Indigenous Australian performers have made music in modern styles like rock and roll, country, rap, and reggae.
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Traditional Musical Instruments
Indigenous Australians use special instruments to create their unique sounds. Two of the most well-known are the didgeridoo and clapsticks.
The Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a very old musical instrument. It is a long tube with no finger holes. The player blows through it to make sound. Sometimes, it has a mouthpiece made of beeswax. Didgeridoos are usually made from eucalyptus trees. However, new ones can also be made from materials like PVC pipes.
Clapsticks
A clapstick is a type of percussion instrument. Unlike drumsticks, which hit drums, clapsticks are used by hitting one stick against another. This creates a rhythmic clapping sound.
Traditional Music Styles
Indigenous Australian cultures have many different traditional music styles. Each style often tells stories or is used for specific ceremonies.
Bunggul
Bunggul is a music style that comes from the area around the Mann River. It is known for its powerful lyrics. These lyrics often tell stories about long journeys. The singing sometimes continues without music after the instruments stop playing.
Clan Songs and Songlines
In Aboriginal culture, a particular clan or family might share special songs. These songs are about their history. They are often updated to include popular movies, music, current events, and social relationships.
Songlines are about the Dreamtime. They are like maps made of oral stories and songs. These songs often describe how the land's features were created and named during the Dreamtime. By singing the songs in the correct order, Indigenous Australians could travel long distances across the land.
Death Wail
The Death Wail is a mourning song. It has been recorded in many places in central and northern Australia and among the Torres Strait Islanders. It is a sad song used during times of loss.
Krill Krill
The Krill Krill song cycle is a newer music style from east Kimberley. A man named Rover Thomas discovered this ceremony in 1974. This happened after a woman he was spiritually connected to passed away. Thomas said her spirit visited him and gave him the ceremony. Along with the music, Thomas and other artists, like Hector Jandany and Queenie McKenzie, created a famous style of painting to go with the ceremony.
Kun-borrk
Kun-borrk started around the Adelaide, Mann, and Rose Rivers. It begins with a didgeridoo, then adds percussion and singing. The singing often includes specific words.
Wangga
Wangga music began near the South Alligator River. It starts with a very high note, joined by rhythmic percussion. Then, it suddenly shifts to a low tone.
Modern Indigenous Music
Many Indigenous Australians have become very successful in mainstream music. These include artists like Jimmy Little, Yothu Yindi, Troy Cassar-Daley, and NoKTuRNL. Indigenous music has also become well-known through the world music movement. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu had international success singing modern music in English and in the Yolngu language.
Torres Strait Islander musicians include Christine Anu and Seaman Dan.
Images for kids
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Tom Foster conducts his Gum Leaf Band
