Collaboration celebrates First Nations languages through the power of song

An exciting collaboration between First Languages Australia and ABC Education is helping to revitalise and celebrate First Nations languages through the power of song.

Yarrabil Bula shares performances by First Nations artists who have created a vibrant collection of children’s songs featuring the artists’ own languages. Yarrabil means “sing” in the Yugambeh language and Bula means "two".

The project’s first series was released during NAIDOC Week 2024 and introduced six songs that included words or were performed completely in the singer’s language. Yarrabil Bula (meaning “two”) is set to launch in time for the first school term of 2025 and features songs in Arrernte, palawa kani Yawuru, Wiradjuri, Pitjantjatjara and Yugambeh.

This second series also introduces a unique collaboration, Greeting Song, which sees the artists translate lyrics into their own languages. The result is a powerful expression of First Nations linguistic diversity.

The Yarrabil collection is available online through First Languages Australia and ABC Education websites. In addition to the songs, the resources include teacher materials and guides for incorporating First Nations languages into classrooms. This project is part of the ongoing work of First Languages Australia and ABC Education to support language revitalisation.

First Languages Australia and ABC Education invite everyone to join in the celebration of First Nations languages and culture. The Yarrabil Bula song and supporting resources create a space for all Australians to engage with and learn from the rich languages of First Nations people.

For more information and to access the Yarrabil songs, visit: https://ab.co/40nqOyz

For a full copy of the press release, head to the ABC Media Centre: Collaboration celebrates First Nations languages through the power of song - About the ABC

Media contacts:

First Languages Australia

For interviews with First Languages Australia:

e: contact@firstlanguages.org.au

ph: 0481 752 578 or (02) 4940 9148

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

For interviews with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

e: education@abc.net.au

Artist profiles

Yarrabil is a collaboration between First Languages Australia and ABC Education. It is aimed at supporting the revitalisation of First Nations languages through the power of song and community.

First Languages Australia and ABC Education would like to thank the artists for sharing their languages as part of Yarrabil Bula.

Faith Baisden

Faith Baisden is a Yugambeh woman. For over 30 years, Faith has collaboratively led national language advocacy first as the Founding Manager then as a CEO of First Languages Australia. She continues to advocate for language preservation and revival through consultations and by writing her own children’s songs and books in the Yugambeh language.

“There are still so many people in this country who have no idea of how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages there are, and how different they are from each other. Listening to the beautiful languages we are sharing in the Yarrabil collection is the perfect way to start the journey of discovery.”

Anthony Ghee

Tony Ghee is a Meriam Mer man and musician from the eastern islands of the Torres Strait. He regularly plays on the Brisbane music scene with his band, CKNU, and has acted as a cultural consultant for various productions.

Ruth Ghee

Ruth Ghee is a Meriam Mer woman, choir director and linguist from the eastern islands of the Torres Strait. She has performed and acted as a cultural consultant in many productions, including for Opera Queensland. She appeared in the first season of Yarrabil.

Bart and Maarli Pigram

Bart Pigram is a Yawuru man from Broome. Bart is an award-winning tour guide and spends time educating people about the mangroves in the Broome area. Maarli is Bart’s daughter and aspires to be a teacher.

Bart Pigram: “When kids sing in language, I see an underlying sense of pride. Kids aren't very emotional when they're in public spaces, but I can see that they're really, really enjoying it and feeling connected to culture and the language. That's beautiful.

“This is a very special project for me. not only showcasing Yaruwu language and songs throughout the nation, but also having my daughter involved, and making sure that we're passing on to the next generation.”

Merinda Sainty

Merinda Sainty is a Palawa/Truwulway woman and performer from Lutruwita (Tasmania). She plays violin and has performed at NAIDOC Balls and national music festivals.

“When I get to see some of our kids speaking our language, they have this excitement, they look so happy and bright and it's just so wonderful to watch their faces when they get to show the grown-ups in their life or the other kids in their life that they can speak their language.”

Alinta McGrady

Alinta McGrady is a Githabul, Migunberri-Yugambeh, Gamilaroi woman and multi-disciplinary creative across music, dance and theatre. She regularly performs under her stage name BADASSMUTHA.

“We're uncovering things now and are able to celebrate it and use it more freely. We need to pass our language on to our next generation so that they continue that celebration and revitalisation of it.”

Myles Turner

Myles Turner is an Arrernte man and performer from Alice Springs. Performing under the name BOUSTA, Myles uses music and storytelling to carry on the legacy of his grandmother, the founder of Children’s Ground in central Australia.

“Music is a universal language, and I feel like it's important to get out there and showcase our language. Kids nowadays listen to heaps of songs. So, if there are songs in our language and that that we're real proud of, I'm showing they still get around that. Music is definitely a good tool to definitely showcase our culture.”

Paul Andy

Tjutjuna Paul Andy is a Pitjantjatjara man from central Australia. He was born in Kaltjiti (Fregon) in the APY Lands. He is a celebrated painter who exhibits both nationally and internationally.

“I think it's great that I've been able to come here. Both of us have been able to come here and teach some of these songs and sing some of these songs, and then teach them as well, so that the kids can learn. But then also when they grow up older, they can hold and continue to sing those songs and, teach their young ones as well.”

Dominic Ngalatji Barry

Dominic Ngalatji Barry is a Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara man from central Australia. A former professional footballer, Dom now works in the fields of psychology and linguistics.

“Any opportunity to show and express your language and cultural identity is enormous for us and our Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara people, but it’s also an opportunity to show our language and sing our songs, but then also store them so that they can be used in the future, so that our future generations can also sit and listen to those songs as well.

“I think when something like the ABC preserving that is enormous for us both individually, but also for our Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara speakers and then also the broader Australian community so that they can understand and listen to language that was here prior to colonisation, but has also been maintained since then, and then also will stay from here on in.”

Sharron mirii Bell

Sharron mirii Bell is a proud Wiradjuri Gamilaraay woman, performer and early childhood educator. She inspires children to l earn and celebrate language through her own songs, dance, storytelling and writing, and appeared on ABC Play School in 2022.

“When I was at school, we had other languages that we learned. I thought it was weird that we never actually ever spoke our First Nations languages. I believe it's really important that all children within Australia learn our First Nations languages, because for them, then they can receive and understand how sacred and how beautiful our language is. When we speak in language, it's like a song. And to help them have that awareness just brings them closer to our people and to our way of life.

“To be a part of this project is such a great honour. And I just want to thank Faith and all the crew here and everyone from ABC, because our languages have been asleep for a long time. And to be able to be a part of a project that wakes them up...we bring health and wellbeing into our country every single time we speak language. To have something like this in such a beautiful educational space is excellent. In our language we would say “murrumbung bilang”, which is exceedingly good. It's exceedingly good.”