Chanted tales from Highland New Guinea: a comparative study of oral performance traditions and their role in contemporary land politics. In parts of Highland PNG there are flourishing traditions of epic-like chanted tales. Often dealing with relationships between people and land, these are a highly valued cultural resource. From the perspective of comparative poetics they are one of the clearest known examples of measured verse that has developed independently of alphabetic or syllabic writing. ....Chanted tales from Highland New Guinea: a comparative study of oral performance traditions and their role in contemporary land politics. In parts of Highland PNG there are flourishing traditions of epic-like chanted tales. Often dealing with relationships between people and land, these are a highly valued cultural resource. From the perspective of comparative poetics they are one of the clearest known examples of measured verse that has developed independently of alphabetic or syllabic writing. This project brings together an interdisciplinary team of investigators to analyse the wide range of styles in which these narratives are performed, and further the understanding of their implications for cross-cultural study of verbal art and the politics of land ownership in present-day Papua New Guinea.Read moreRead less
Yolngu Music: Anthropological and Indigenous Perspectives. The study of Yolngu music has involved some of Australia's most eminent anthropologists and ethnomusicologists, who have gone on to lead the development of their respective disciplines in this country. The history of this research is also very important to Yolngu people themselves, who have a deep intellectual interest in the music of their forebears and a profound desire to recover their cultural resources, which were recorded over the ....Yolngu Music: Anthropological and Indigenous Perspectives. The study of Yolngu music has involved some of Australia's most eminent anthropologists and ethnomusicologists, who have gone on to lead the development of their respective disciplines in this country. The history of this research is also very important to Yolngu people themselves, who have a deep intellectual interest in the music of their forebears and a profound desire to recover their cultural resources, which were recorded over the last 75 years. This project is a critical historical investigation of Yolngu music, from the inter-related perspectives of the musicians who produced it and the scholars who studied it.Read moreRead less
Melpa Kang Rom: A chanted narrative genre from Highland New Guinea and its role in contemporary electoral politics. Across a large region of Highland PNG there are flourishing traditions of chanted tales. These are the subject of a current ARC Discovery project based at ANU, which focuses on both the poetic features of these genres and on their political uses. We seek to augment this project through the participation of Dr. Joseph Ketan, an anthropologist with unique qualifications in that he co ....Melpa Kang Rom: A chanted narrative genre from Highland New Guinea and its role in contemporary electoral politics. Across a large region of Highland PNG there are flourishing traditions of chanted tales. These are the subject of a current ARC Discovery project based at ANU, which focuses on both the poetic features of these genres and on their political uses. We seek to augment this project through the participation of Dr. Joseph Ketan, an anthropologist with unique qualifications in that he comes from the project area, with an insider's knowledge of a local genre of chanted tales and its contexts of use in electoral campaigns, and with extensive previous research in relevant areas of political anthropology. The project will contribute to the cross-cultural study of verbal art, and to and the understanding of contemporary electoral politics in PNG.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100120
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,897.00
Summary
Rethinking the dynamics of place in Warlpiri performance. This project will determine the dynamic ways in which Warlpiri people forge and negotiate connections to place in performance of ceremonial songs. Through collaborative research with Warlpiri people this project innovatively implements Indigenous methodological approaches which emphasise that Warlpiri singing traditions are multimodal and embodied in their practice. This project will undertake the first systematic study of Warlpiri place ....Rethinking the dynamics of place in Warlpiri performance. This project will determine the dynamic ways in which Warlpiri people forge and negotiate connections to place in performance of ceremonial songs. Through collaborative research with Warlpiri people this project innovatively implements Indigenous methodological approaches which emphasise that Warlpiri singing traditions are multimodal and embodied in their practice. This project will undertake the first systematic study of Warlpiri place-based songs in performance contexts incorporating past and contemporary instances to determine the dynamic interconnections between people and places. In validating the contemporary value of Warlpiri performance of ceremonial songs, this project will support the continuing vitality of these traditions.Read moreRead less