Paper short abstract:

This presentation explores the recursive reflective process of translation involved in researching and filming Western Desert Kungkarangkalpa song, story and performance traditions and sharing these with museum audiences. Co-presented by Inawinytji Williamson and Lee Brady, APY lands.

Paper long abstract:

The creation of the multi-media presentations of ancient Western Desert Kungkarangkalpa song, story and performances in the national exhibition Songlines Tracking the Seven Sisters involved recursive acts of translation. The Aboriginal elder storytellers and the ethnographic researchers, the filmmakers and the exhibition curators used the NPY Women's Council action research model Maru munu piranpa tjungu nyinara wangkara kulilkatinyi - Black and White sitting together discussing and considering over a long period of time - to make Kungkarangkalpa films and other media.

Thinking and talking over the ever present dilemmas of translation across culturally different spiritual and scientific conceptualisation of creation, time, place, person and ownership or custodianship of knowledge is a complex recursive process of translation and retranslation for different audiences. The Elders' vision was to enhance intergenerational transmission of oral and ephemeral performance knowledge to written and multimedia communication modalities accessible and attractive to future generations. The researchers and filmmakers were tasked with translating the Elders' vision of sharing their Tjukurpa stories, song, dance and art into films that convey the integrity of their cultural knowledge and the beauty and power of their Kungkarangkalpa performance tradition with their descendants and the wider world.

Co-presentation with Inawinytji Williamson and Lee Brady from the APY lands, co-researchers in the Songlines of the Western Desert ARC Project.