Ngapartji Ngapartji facts for kids

Ngapartji Ngapartji was a special project in Australia that helped keep Indigenous languages alive and strong. It also helped communities grow. This project ran from 2005 to 2010. A play with the same name, created by Scott Rankin and Trevor Jamieson, was a part of it. This play traveled all over Australia between 2005 and 2008.

The Ngapartji Ngapartji project was put together by an Australian arts group called Big hART. It took place in different areas, including the APY Lands in South Australia, Central Australia, and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

The project used art to help communities. It created an online website where young people, elders, and language experts could learn the Pitjantjatjara language and culture. There was also a play that toured, which used two languages. Plus, a media campaign worked to get Australia to create a national plan for Indigenous languages.

What the Project Wanted to Do

The main goal of Ngapartji Ngapartji was to bring good changes to Indigenous communities that were facing difficulties. It gave local people chances to use their culture and skills in art.

Through different types of art, Big hART wanted to keep the Pitjantjatjara language strong and help it grow again. This also helped save important cultural knowledge. The project aimed to improve how well people could read and write, and also how they could use new technology. It also wanted to bring people together to help prevent crime. A big part of the project was to show the strength of Indigenous culture, especially when news often focused on health and social problems in the area.

On a bigger scale, the project hoped to make people around the world more aware of Aboriginal Australian languages. It also wanted to show how other endangered languages could be brought back to life.

Why the Project Started

Between 1955 and 1963, the British military did a number of nuclear tests near Maralinga in the South Australian desert. At first, the Australian and UK governments didn't fully admit how much these tests affected the environment and people. But in 1994, they agreed to pay 13.5 million Australian dollars to the local Maralinga Tjarutja people as payment.

Trevor Jamieson, an actor, dancer, and singer, wanted to research his family's story for a play. This led him, along with Big hART's creative director Scott Rankin and producer Alex Kelly, to the APY Lands. Many of the Maralinga Tjarutja people who had to leave their homes found shelter there.

Talking with community elders and Trevor Jamieson's family about the history and challenges of the region gave them the first ideas for the project. In 2002, a play called Career Highlights of the Mamu was the first step in exploring the family's story through theatre.

How the Project Worked

The project happened in different places across the APY Lands (where the Anangu, Pitjantjatjara, and Yankunytjatjara people live) in Central Australia and in Alice Springs. It ran from 2005 to 2010.

The project was set up as an experimental program that used art to help communities. This included:

• Creating an online website for learning language and culture. Young Pitjantjatjara speakers, elders, and linguists made this.
• A bilingual (two-language) play that toured.
• A media campaign to encourage a national plan for Indigenous languages in Australia.

In 2005, Alex Kelly moved to Alice Springs. She started meeting more people, groups, and organizations in the APY Lands. The goal was to listen to locals' stories and hear about the problems their communities faced. They also wanted to learn about local ideas for solving these problems. People often said that two main issues were causing problems: people from different generations feeling disconnected, and the danger of losing the Pitjantjatjara language and culture.

It was a challenge for Big hART workers and community members to find a way to bring old and young people together. They wanted to make sure everyone was interested and could share ideas. One way was to create a second main theatre show with the Ernabella community.

Another way to help with language was to create an online language course using short film clips. Young people liked the technology and fun of making films and digital media. Elders could share their language and cultural knowledge in a way that showed respect for their experience. In workshops, Big hART artists worked with young people from town camps and remote communities to make short films about their country. Elders helped guide the content of the language lessons.

This way of working helped people learn from each other. Participants felt creative and productive, and it helped reduce the feeling of disconnect between generations. Beth Sometimes, who worked on the project, noted that by doing activities like music recording, filmmaking, and traveling to cities for the bilingual play, the language was used in more ways. Both younger and older Pitjantjatjara people talked more about their language and shared their experiences.

Many of the films were put on the ninti-website and also on DVD collections. Young people shared these DVDs in their communities. Workshops were also offered in dance, photography, digital storytelling, and music. Activities included writing songs, performing, voice training, recording, and sampling.

Big hART also worked with the record label 'Tracks of the Desert' to record and release project material. For example, they released the "Ngurakutu Ara" CD in Ernabella. The money from this CD helped buy musical equipment for the community. All songs and materials recorded were given back to the communities on portable storage devices and put on public computers.

The project made sure that young people's artworks were seen as much as possible. This helped them feel appreciated and encouraged communication. Participants presented the project and their works at conferences and festivals. A strong media plan made sure the project was regularly covered by local and national news.

To help people develop professional skills, creative workshops for the theatre show were held in Ernabella. This gave people a chance to see how things worked, grow, and take part in different roles, both on and off stage. Some joined the play's tours to national festivals as paid performers or assistant technicians.

Working with the Australian National University

To make the language project as effective as possible, Big hART worked with the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy and Research at the Australian National University (ANU). Researchers from ANU gave advice on the reading and writing parts of the project. They also did a three-year study as part of a project with the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Improving reading and writing skills in both Pitjantjatjara and English was a key part of the project. Many participants had bad experiences with school, and feeling shame could stop people from taking part in Indigenous communities. So, reading and writing were taught in a fun way during the workshops, "on the job." This meant the focus was on the story, and reading and writing skills were learned by working on that story and turning it into art.

Together with the ANU researchers and other experts, Big hART pushed for a change in national policy about keeping Indigenous languages alive in Australia. This effort led to the Australian government releasing a strategy paper called "Indigenous Languages – A National Approach" in August 2009. It also led to a report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee about Indigenous Language Learning.

The Theatre Show

The two main parts of the project, the Pitjantjatjara language course and the play, helped each other throughout the project.

The theatre show Ngapartji Ngapartji first opened at the 2005 Melbourne International Arts Festival. It was still a "work in progress" at that time.

The play features lead actor Trevor Jamieson telling his family's story. He connects it to the bigger story of the British nuclear testing around Maralinga. The show explores themes of losing land, home, and family. But it mainly focuses on how these events hurt the social life and culture of the Indigenous people in the region.

Ben Hermann noted that the play "mixes traditional storytelling, sadness, humor, pop-culture references and direct audience participation." This helped to both entertain and teach audiences about the history of Indigenous Australians. The audience could learn Pitjantjatjara words and phrases, which linked the show to the project's language focus. Sometimes argued that Ngapartji Ngapartji showed the public Indigenous language in an emotional way through theatre. This helped people connect and understand.

What the Play is About

The play starts with Trevor Jamieson introducing his troubled brother, Jangala. Trevor explains that Jangala is important to his story. The play then tells Jangala's story within the larger family story. This is all set against the political history of their home country, the Spinifex nation in the South Australian desert, which includes the British nuclear testing site of Maralinga.

Before the main story, which covers 60 years of people being moved from their homes and experiencing emotional trauma, the cast teaches the audience the children's song 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' in Pitjantjatjara. This song appears again later in the play in different languages and situations. It reminds everyone that all people on Earth share a common humanity. To make this point stronger, the show also uses many popular songs translated into Pitjantjatjara and performed in two languages.

The family story then quickly moves from their first meetings with Afghan Australian people in the desert to the start of Christian missionaries arriving.

The family's story is connected to a bigger global story: the Second World War and the race to create nuclear power. This global event eventually affects the Jamieson family when their home country becomes a nuclear testing site. These connections show how the big political events become very personal, making it clear who is responsible and what the impact is.

The story continues with Arnold Jamieson, Trevor's father, being born on his country. Soon after, the family is moved to Cundalee mission, about 440 km west of their home. Being moved and the government's efforts to evacuate people not understanding cultural differences cause the grandparents' marriage to break up. This ends with the grandmother being murdered by the grandfather.

The story then follows Arnold as he grows up, missing his country while stuck on faraway missions. He finds love and belonging with his wife Gail, which brings hope for a new start beyond sadness. However, overcoming their past is made harder when Gail's mother is murdered on her way to the wedding by a taxi driver. They also see more and more Pitjantjatjara people struggling between two cultures. The audience learns about cultural rules and is asked to think about how Australia tries to make things right from an Indigenous point of view.

The last part of the show includes video clips of private family talks. These conversations are about their worry for Jangala's life in this culturally divided world. This brings the focus back to the brother and the current problems faced by the Spinifex people who were moved from their land. The play ends with a message of Indigenous strength and survival, hoping that one day they will be free from sadness and trauma.

Where the Play Was Performed

Ngapartji Ngapartji toured Australia a lot between 2005 and 2008. The show changed and grew during its time. In 2012, a shorter version called Ngapartji Ngapartji One was performed in Canberra.

The show was performed at places like:

• 2005 Melbourne International Arts Festival (still being worked on)
• 2006 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs (showing how it was developing)
• 2006 Melbourne International Arts Festival (first official performance)
• 2006 Sydney Opera House (Language Show)
• 2007 Perth International Arts Festival
• 2007 The Dreaming Festival (Language Show)
• 2007 Adelaide Cabaret Festival (Language Show)
• 2008 Sydney Festival, Belvoir St Theatre
• 2008 Ernabella (Open Air Community Showing)
• 2008 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
• 2011 International Community Arts Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands (Ngapartji One)
• 2012 Canberra, Canberra Theatre Centre (Ngapartji One)

Awards and Recognition

The creative work from the project was featured in local and national media and festivals. The project and the theatre show also received these awards and nominations:

• Deadly Awards 2008 – Won, Most Outstanding Achievement in Film, TV and Theatre
• Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Won, Best Lead Man for Trevor Jamieson
• Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Nominated, Best Mainstage Production
• Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Nominated, Best Direction
• NT Innovation Awards 2008 Finalist

What the Project Left Behind

The Ngapartji Ngapartji project officially finished in 2010. But to make sure its impact lasted, Big hART created different media that showed the project's journey:

The 'Memory Basket' media kit "captures the story of the project through photos, music, text and film." This was given to libraries across Australia.

The film Nothing Rhymes with Ngapartji shows the theatre show being performed in a creek bed in the remote Indigenous community of Ernabella in 2008. It also shows how cultural rules were followed after Arnold Jamieson's death and how this affected the creative team.

The project's efforts to get a new national plan to keep Indigenous languages alive in Australia eventually led to the Australian government releasing its strategy paper "Indigenous Languages – A National Approach" in August 2009. It also led to a report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee about Indigenous Language Learning.

Another lasting impact of the project is the spin-off performance Nyuntu Ngali. This show was first developed in Ernabella in early 2009. It then had seasons at the Adelaide Festival Theatre (Nov 2009), the Australian Performing Arts Market (Feb 2010), and the Sydney Theatre Company (May 2010).

The creative team from Ngapartji Ngapartji was invited to Japan in early 2012. They attended events to remember the Fukushima disaster and celebrate a Japanese translation of the play's script.

Big hART's Namatjira project also started during Ngapartji Ngapartji's time. Elton Wirri, an artist and project participant, connected Big hART to the Hermannsburg community and helped elders trust the company.

According to academic Dave Palmer, a very important legacy of the project was that people connected with their culture in a new way. They built strong identities and learned to be flexible and successful in a multicultural world. The Pitjantjatjara idea of "ngapartji ngapartji" itself was the main idea for this new way of people from different cultures working together. It means 'I give you something. You give me something.' It describes a give-and-take exchange that creates social connections and duties. Unlike Western ideas of trade, here the important part is not the money value of what is exchanged. Instead, it's that the exchange itself creates bonds that connect people – not just in a material way, but also socially, emotionally, and spiritually. This means that waiting for a return keeps people involved, rather than just wanting an immediate trade.

Who Was Involved

• Creative Producer: Alex Kelly
• Key Performer/Co-creator: Trevor Jamieson
• Writer/Director: Scott Rankin
• Performers/singers/teachers/musicians: Jarmen Jamieson, Lex Marinos, Yumi Umiumare, Tomoko Yamasaki, Saira Luther, Andrew MacGregor, Damian Mason, Pantjiti McKenzie, Lorna Wilson, Jennifer Mitchell, Janet Inyika, Beth Sometimes, Julie Miller, Maureen Watson, 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