Blog: Music
The AIATSIS blog is our space to showcase our expertise, and for you to discover the stories behind the work we do and the items we are working on.
We'd love to hear from you, but please read our comment guidelines before joining the conversation.
Treaty - Yothu Yindi
'Treaty', by the band Yothu Yindi, was a worldwide hit and remains one of Australia’s most iconic rock songs.
Warupaw uu (The Echo of the Drums)
MusicTorres Strait Islander culture
3 Aug 2018 Rita MetzenrathAIATSIS highlights collection materials that document ways the drum embeds Torres Strait Islander identity and has acted as an agent of musical change in the sacred song repertoire in the Torres Strait Islands. The Collections cover the period 1920s-1995.
A Larrakia - Filipino Love Story
The Gary Lee collection: ephemera 1991-2012 contains a number of unique items relating to the play ‘Keep Him My Heart: A Larrakia - Filipino Love Story’. These include draft scripts, the original ink set designs, cue sheets and the art work for the promotional poster for the play.
Audiovisual Heritage of Torres Strait Singing and Dancing
DigitisationFilmCollectionMusicDanceTorres Strait Islander cultureTorres Strait Islands
27 Oct 2017 Kelly WiltshireWorld Day for Audiovisual Heritage raises awareness about the importance and vulnerability of audiovisual collections. For AIATSIS the content at risk includes recordings of Aboriginal cultural, social and political life from the 1940s to early 2000s.
My Brown Skin Baby: The first anthem of the Stolen Generation
MusicMusiciansStolen Generations
4 Apr 2017 Dr Blake SingleyBob Randall was one of the thousands of Aboriginal children throughout Australia that were subjected to the official government policy of forcibly separating Aboriginal children from their families and placing them in institutions or with European families. These experiences led him to write what is widely regarded as the first song to chronicle the events and impacts of the Stolen Generation.
Song for the Gurindji
The efforts of the Gurindji to reclaim their ancestral land became one of the emblematic events of the land rights struggle in Australia.
