Toksave: Culture Talks

Jodie Kell and Steven Gagau
  • 5.0 (4)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
Toksave: Culture Talks

Music and Language are central to identity in Indigenous communities and the return of legacy recordings made by researchers can be an emotional and exciting rediscovery of the past, contributing to the continuation of cultural practices. PARADISEC is a digital archive of materials from endangered cultures. Join archivist Steven Gagau and musicologist Jodie Kell from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in a series of interviews with people who have found personal and cultural connections with collections in the archive.

  1. 07/05/2024

    Ngali nuts: work songs and delicacies in Malaita, Solomon Islands

    This is the first of two episodes featuring the music and culture of North Malaita, Solomon Islands from the IF01 collection of Ian Frazer in his fieldwork with people of To’abaita and neigbouring Baegu, Baelelea and Lau. In this episode, we feature the cultural practice and music surrounding the ngali nuts which are harvested from a canarium almond tree. Through conversations with Ian Frazer and Mary Sattin, a Malaitan woman, we are transported back to the 1970s during the ngali nut season where communities working customs and traditions were inspired through music in the cracking of ngali nuts, the retrieval of the kernel for pounding to "kata" pudding with roasted and mashed taro. Ngali nuts was an important and significant food source as a delicacy meal for families, for celebrations in community ceremonies and trading and bartering. Link: IF01 collection https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/IF01

    36 min

  2. 11/11/2023

    PNG: Central Province Music and Dance

    Following on from Episode 13, we continue our exploration of music of the Central Province, Papua New Guinea featuring the PNG Peroveta Singers of Canberra. This is a special episode where the group responds to the PARADISEC collections of IC1 and MG1 with a Sene performance of traditional songs whose meanings are explained by group members Deveni Temu and Tommy Dietz. Sit back and enjoy the journey through the beautiful songs of the region which are also available with transcriptions in the PC2 collection or on our youtube channel.

    32 min

  3. 11/11/2023

    PNG: Peroveta (Prophet Songs)

    This is the first of two episodes featuring the PNG Peroveta Singers of Canberra, a group of diaspora community members who share and perform the music of Central Province, Papua New Guinea. They respond to the PARADISEC collections MG1 and IC1 with song and dance performances recorded in the ACT in 2023. This episode focuses on Peroveta (Prophet Songs) and includes an interview with group leader Deveni Temu and performances by the group in various languages from Hiri Motu to Hula, Keapara and Mailu from the southeastern Papuan coast and over to Rarotongan from the Cook Islands.

    36 min

  4. 19/10/2022

    Buried in the Sand: Digging deep into Gudjal language and culture

    Episode 12: Buried in the Sand: Digging deep into Gudjal language and culture William Santo is a Gudjal elder, author and musician. Opening with William’s song, ‘Buried in the Sand’, this episode discusses William’s long-term aspiration to uncover Gudjal language resources held in archives and utilise them to rediscover Gudjal history and culture and revitalise the Gudjal language. He is joined by colleagues in this project: linguist Peter Sutton, music researcher Myfany Turpin and linguistic student Alex Anderson. Included in the episode are excerpts from recordings made by Peter in the 1970’s with Gudjal elders and excerpts of the language learning podcast created by William and Alex. The Sutton recordings are made available courtesy of AIATSIS, Sutton Collection, item 1913A. AIATSIS has the largest recording of Indigenous Australian ethnographic recordings. You can search their catalogue here: https://iats.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/external

    38 min

  5. 31/08/2022

    True Echoes: Responding to Hula Songs from the Past

    Following on from episode 10, we continue discussions about early recordings made by Charles Gabriel Seligmann during the Daniels Ethnographical Expedition to British New Guinea in 1904. Deveni Temu brings his perspective to the history and context of the recordings. He is a Hula speaker who was born and raised in Kapari and Viriolo villages and who worked as the Pacific Librarian in the Menzies Library of ANU, Canberra. We hear back from Roge and Gulea Kila who share musical responses to the 1904 recordings; a re-enactment of a Leku Leku song, and a stunning Ate Ate song of lament. All three guests express the value of archival recordings for descendants, connecting the past with contemporary relevance and contributing to cultural continuity.

    35 min
  6. True Echoes: Hula language and song

    30/05/2022

    True Echoes: Hula language and song

    Excerpts from and a discussion of 1904 wax cylinder recordings from the Hula village in the Rigo District of Papua New Guinea, with Hula speakers Roge and Gulea Kila. Produced in partnership with the British Library, Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies as part of the True Echoes project.

    37 min
  7. Paama, Vanuatu, Sharks and shark spirits

    15/02/2021

    Paama, Vanuatu, Sharks and shark spirits

    Johnny Obed and Kirk Huffman join Jodie and Steven discussing the cultural significance of sharks in Vanuatu and across Melanesia from the SD1 collection by Simon Devylder. The recordings inspired Johnny from Simon's research on shark spirits, shark attacks and the art of sand drawings. Through Kirk's association with Simon on such recordings and research work, it motivated him to share his long experience in Vanuatu, across Melanesia and the Pacific supporting the maintenance of traditional cultures in a fast-changing world.

    31 min
  8. Sinaugoro, makes me think about my language

    15/02/2021

    Sinaugoro, makes me think about my language

    Eileen Bobone and Mae Carroll join Jodie and Steven to talk about the 2020 Field Methods Lingusitics course conducted at the Australian National University in Canberra with a focus of the Sinaugoro language of the Rigo District of Central Province, PNG. The personal and cultural connections of Eileen as a Sinaugoro speaker working with Mae in the course led to conversations about the recordings in the AC1, MR1 and TD1 collections. From a linguistics context to storytelling of the Sinaugoro region, the conversations with Eileen brought about interesting cultural and gender-based perspectives.

    35 min
See All (15)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Music and Language are central to identity in Indigenous communities and the return of legacy recordings made by researchers can be an emotional and exciting rediscovery of the past, contributing to the continuation of cultural practices. PARADISEC is a digital archive of materials from endangered cultures. Join archivist Steven Gagau and musicologist Jodie Kell from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in a series of interviews with people who have found personal and cultural connections with collections in the archive.

Information

  • Creator
    Jodie Kell and Steven Gagau
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jodie Kell and Steven Gagau
  • Show Website
    Toksave: Culture Talks

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