Aboriginal music & dance in the Northern Territory

于节日期间拜访文化中心，观赏原住民表演，聆听迪吉里杜管和敲敲木发出的沙漠之声。

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无论是传统歌舞还是现代风格歌舞都是原住民文化不可分割的一部分。于节日期间拜访文化中心，观赏原住民表演，聆听迪吉里杜管和敲敲木发出的沙漠之声，仔细辨别其中对嘻哈文化和雷鬼音乐的诠释。

庆典仪式

欣赏北领地的传统歌舞 —— 原住民神圣庆典与聚会的基本元素。在庆典聚会上，梦幻时光主题通过身体彩绘、音乐与律动舞蹈等多姿多彩的方式展示出来。鉴于这些活动的神圣性质，如果未获邀请，游客一般无法参加。但是您可以造访遍布北领地的文化中心，观看传统表演，亦或选择在当地举办艺术节与传统活动时前来拜访。

梦幻时光的音乐

从迪吉里杜管和敲敲木的悠扬合奏中可轻易辨别出传统原住民音乐的特色。许多土著部族在这一地区分散而居，人们按各自的语言演唱土著音乐，音乐里蕴含着梦幻时光的自然与风俗主题。传统舞蹈主要见于庆典仪式，也是讲述故事的一种形式，内容五花八门，包括模仿袋鼠、鸟儿和持矛狩猎。

现代音乐

近几十年以来，当代土著音乐已跻身世界音乐舞台，受到世人关注。北领地诞生了好几位知名艺人和乐队，例如Yothu Yindi、Warumpi Band与Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu。音乐流派包括雷鬼、嘻哈、乡村与摇滚。传统乐器经常在这些流派中大放异彩。音乐不仅关乎孕育万物的自然之地，更是一个表达原住民政治与社会问题的有效平台。

Traditional Aboriginal musical instruments

Fell in love with the music and the dance? Now learn more about the instruments behind it. 

Clapping sticks

The bilma, or clapping sticks, are a part of the oldest songs of the Aboriginal people, often used as the rhythm for chants and melodies. Clapping sticks shows are frequent around Alice Springs and Darwin, and you can be sure to catch plenty of them at one of our annual festivals.

If you missed the festivals, the next best stop is the Karrke Cultural Experience Tours, held in the beautiful Watarrka National Park. These tours impart wisdom about not only the music and dance of the region, but how the land was used by the Aboriginal people for bush tucker, medicine and even to make musical instruments. Sign up to make your very own clapping sticks so you can keep the beat going when you get home.

Didgeridoos

First developed right here in the North of Australia about 1,500 years ago, the didgeridoo’s distinctive buzz is an enduring part of the songs and ceremonies of the Aboriginal people. While the instrument has an important role in Aboriginal culture, these days it can also be played casually around the campfire for guests as the unofficial soundtrack of the Top End.

If it’s not enough to just hear the music and you want to get involved in it, guests are in the right place. Didgeridoo lessons are offered across the NT, so whether you’re staying in Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs or even camping around Uluru there’s plenty of opportunities to learn.

In the Dry Season, some of the finest in the country are manufactured at the Didgeridoo Hut and Art Gallery in Humpty Doo, less than half an hour outside Darwin city. Owned and operated by Indigenous Northern Territory artists and musicians, visitors have the opportunity to meet the maker of their instrument and hear the stories behind every piece sold. Just remember, these instruments are generally over a metre in length – so you might need to clear some space in your luggage.

Music & dance in Aboriginal culture

Song and dance are a vital, vibrant part of Indigenous culture today, both in exploring new musical styles and celebrating the traditions of old. This passion for dancing and traditional music has been a part of Aboriginal life throughout history, as the stories of ancestors are passed down. The music and ceremonies our guests can experience in the NT contain the preserved history of one of the oldest civilisations on the planet – and there’s nowhere it’s more celebrated than up here. To learn more about the history of the region’s music, visit one of our cultural centres, catch a show or check out one of our captivating musical tours.

Body painting

Body paint is also a part of these ancient Aboriginal traditions, as dancers use vibrant colours as a part of the storytelling in the songs. Drawn from the flowers and the clay of the land, this body art was traditionally applied by a dancer’s family, and could only be changed by a relative. Along with the music and dance itself, the paint was a showcase of the performer’s ancestors, spiritual beliefs and relationship with the land.

Tribes

Part of the reason for music and dance’s cultural significance is the role it played within the traditional Aboriginal tribe. As well as revered rituals such as bereavement and Dreamtime ceremonies, tribes used songs to celebrate seasonal changes and events such as weddings and initiations. Specific tribes had very different styles of music, and our guests are sure to find out plenty about the myriad of tribes that have populated the Top End during their stay.

Dance rituals

Dance rituals and ceremony are as meaningful and significant to Aboriginal culture as the music itself, and the NT is the best place to see one up close. Experience the colours and energy for yourself with a Lirrwi Tourism tour or the Culture College on Arnhem Land has a specialised tour for students.

Smoking ceremonies

Smoking ceremonies have been a traditional custom amongst the Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years, as native plants are burned to ward off evil spirits and ensure a prosperous future for the land and its inhabitants. Ceremonies promote spiritual well-being and physical health by combining traditional instruments and dancing.

If you’re lucky enough you might also experience a smoking ceremony as part of a Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country. Often held before an event or activity, a Welcome to Country is a way to show respect to the traditional owners of the land. Recognising their cultural heritage, beliefs and connection to the land.

Dreamtime

Like the painting, sculpting and literature of the Aboriginal people, music and dance is traditionally a storytelling medium, used to pass down stories from generation to generation. This means that the ceremonies can often be sacred events for the local people.

Much of the traditional belief system of the Indigenous Australians relates to ‘dream tracks’, which are paths across the land or sky that ‘creator-beings’ followed during the ancient Dreamtime. These songs often describe the actual geography of the land and are the source of Aboriginal creation myths, as well as being the basis for the traditional names of everything from the rocks and trees of the land to the birds and animals they lived alongside.

Guests can get a glimpse into this tradition at a number of the arts festivals across the Northern Territory. Other places to learn more about the fascinating Dreamtime stories include the Crossing Country Cultural expedition or day tour through Gove Gululu.

Corroborees

Because of their role in Indigenous traditions, the many festivals listed above are likely our guests’ best chance to see a traditional Aboriginal dance ceremony that may otherwise be unavailable. Staging these customary songs in elaborate ceremonies is still a crucial part of Aboriginal culture, religious beliefs and social collaboration, which we in the Northern Territory are proud to help preserve. The ongoing importance of these ceremonial rituals and stories to Aboriginal culture means that invitations are generally required for outsiders to be present, however you can catch displays of this music and dance at the many cultural centres across the Northern Territory.

Although these ceremonies are usually kept private, several cultural centres across the territory have the unrestricted rituals on display if you’re interested. First stop should be the Winanjjikari Music Centre, a modern production house and a cultural centre preserving the culture of the land. You can check out a range of their talented musicians on Spotify or ABC Radio National online. The centre is also a superb opportunity for visitors to come and see a Corroboree ritual, chat with the artists behind it and learn more about one of the most enduring cultures on the planet – all to the sound of an authentic Northern Territory soundtrack.

Contemporary artists of the NT

As well as the songs and music of generations past, there’s plenty of contemporary musicians from the NT to enjoy during your stay. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following section contains the names of people who have died.

Warumpi Band

Now disbanded but an important part of the musical history of our region, the Warumpi Band incorporated traditional didgeridoo and vocal work with a guitar-heavy, modern sound. The band was renowned not only for their music, but also how they drew attention to contemporary issues facing Indigenous Australians. With legendary songwriter Neil Murray as one of the founding members, the Warumpi Band are a great place to start to get a feel for the sounds of the Territory.

Jessica Mauboy

One of the success stories of NT R&B, Jessica Mauboy has gone double platinum in Australia since coming runner up on Australian Idol, but we’re glad to say she still comes back to her family home of Darwin from time to time. Australia’s guest contestant at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest and NT Australian of the year for 2013, Jessica has proudly incorporated Aboriginal styles and traditions into her work for years.

Baker Boy

Famous for using both English and his native Yongu dialect in his rhymes, NT rapper Baker Boy had a massive 2019, with two songs in the Triple J Top 100, three ARIA nominations and winning the Young Australian of the Year award. Check him out and be sure to look out around the NT festival scene for other great local hip/hop acts.

Djuki Mala dance troupe

World famous after their viral performance in full ceremonial dress, the Djuki Mala dance troupe hails from the Elcho Islands, just off the coast of Arnhem land. They’ve been busy with multiple international tours and picking up a number of awards but you could just get lucky and catch them at a show around the Northern Territory while you’re here.

Yothu Yindi

One of the most unique musical groups to come out the of the Northern Territory, Yothu Yindi’s story could only have taken place up here. White rock group Swamp Jockeys were touring the Arnhem Land reserve in the 1980s, being supported by a local Yolngu band with traditional vocals, didgeridoos, clapsticks and dance. Loving the way they sounded together, the two groups joined to form Yothu Yindi, and have been playing ever since, entering the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2012.

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

Dr D Yunupingu (referred to before his death as Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu), was a member of the Yothu Yindi band before his passing, but reached the most people with his solo career. He spread the songs of his native Yolngu people to millions around the world and was one of the most celebrated Australian musicians of all time. The land and the people he sung about are what the music and dance of the NT are all about, and we’d love to share it with you.