Monday, June 03, 2019

Celebrating Mabo


. . . with Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project


Although I'm now back in the U.S. after my five-week sojourn in my homeland of Australia, I want to acknowledge something very special taking place in Australia today.

Mabo Day occurs annually on June 3 and commemorates Eddie Koiki Mabo (1936-1992), a Torres Strait Islander whose campaign for Indigenous land rights led to a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that, on June 3, 1992, overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius ("nobody's land") which had characterized Australian law with regards to land and title since the voyage of James Cook in 1770.

In celebrating Mabo Day today at The Wild Reed I share the music video for “Mabo” by Yotha Yindi and The Treaty Project.




“Mabo” was released as a single earlier this year on April 26, ahead of the band's Yirramboi Festival concert at Melbourne's Hamer Hall. Composed by Dr M Yunupingu, Stu Kellaway and Galarrwuy Yunupingu, "Mabo" is a cover of a song which first appeared as a track on the 1993 Yothu Yindi album Freedom.

This release marks the first time the song has been released as a single, and the first song recorded by Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project, a contemporary ensemble which includes founding members of Yothu Yindi Witiyana Marika and Stu Kellaway; Dhapanbal Yunupingu, daughter of founding member Dr M Yunupingu; long-time collaborator Gavin Campbell; multi-instrumentalist Ania Reynolds; and a number of emerging First Nations artists.




"Mabo" has been described as “a joyous celebration with a driving, tribal funk groove” and “a stomping crowd favourite at every Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project show.” Produced by Filthy Lucre, the song "features powerful yidaki (didgeridoo), deftly woven through layers of synths, percussion and anthemic group vocals, sung partly in Yolngu Matha (language), ably led by emerging Yolngu vocalist Yirrnga Yunupingu" (right, minus the cool hat and shades he sports in the official music video for “Mabo” below).




Terra nullius, terra nullius
Terra nullius is dead and gone
We were right
That we were here
They were wrong
That we weren't here

Liya balburrk bapayili
Liya waltjan bapayili
Liya balburrk bapayili
Liya waltjan bapayili

Mirriam people are dancing
Pastime heroes are dancing too
Mabo's spirit is sailing
Telling the world a story
Terra nullius, terra nullius
Terra nullius is dead and gone

Liya balburrk bapayili
Liya waltjan bapayili
Liya balburrk bapayili
Liya waltjan bapayili

We were right
That we were here
They were wrong
That we weren't here...

Mabo's law is standing firm
Shedding power
For us to be strong
Spirit, law, culture and all
Showing the world
See our law
Terra nullius, terra nullius
Terra nullius is dead and gone





Related Off-site Links:
Eddie Mabo and Seasons of Hope – Jeff McMullen (Independent Australia, June 3, 2019).
A Nation With Unfinished Business Can Take Inspiration From Mabo – Jeff McMullen (The Sydney Morning Herald, June 1, 2019).
Australian Aborigines Win Right to Sue for Colonial Land Loss – Bill Code (Aljazeera, March 15, 2019).
Stolen, Imprisoned, and Given a Criminal Record: Australia’s Shameful Treatment of the Stolen Generations Revealed – Sylvia Rowley (NITV News, March 22, 2018).
Native Title: What Does It Mean and Why Do We Have It? – Elliot Constable and Karina Marlow (SBS News, February 16, 2017).
Razor Recordings – Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project's record label.

UPDATES: Traditional Owners Continue Their Fight Against Adani Carmichael Coal Mine – Jennifer Scherer (NITV News, June 14, 2019).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Recognising and Honoring Australia's First Naturalists
Jojo Zaho: “Let Your Faboriginality Shine Through”
Prayer of the Week – November 14, 2012
Saying “Yes” to Marriage Equality in Australia
Return to Guruk

Previously featured musicians at The Wild Reed:
Dusty Springfield | David Bowie | Kate Bush | Maxwell | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Prince | Frank Ocean | Maria Callas | Loreena McKennitt | Rosanne Cash | Petula Clark | Wendy Matthews | Darren Hayes | Jenny Morris | Gil Scott-Heron | Shirley Bassey | Rufus Wainwright | Kiki Dee | Suede | Marianne Faithfull | Dionne Warwick | Seal | Sam Sparro | Wanda Jackson | Engelbert Humperdinck | Pink Floyd | Carl Anderson | The Church | Enrique Iglesias | Yvonne Elliman | Lenny Kravitz | Helen Reddy | Stephen Gately | Judith Durham | Nat King Cole | Emmylou Harris | Bobbie Gentry | Russell Elliot | BØRNS | Hozier | Enigma | Moby (featuring the Banks Brothers) | Cat Stevens | Chrissy Amphlett | Jon Stevens | Nada Surf | Tom Goss (featuring Matt Alber) | Autoheart | Scissor Sisters | Mavis Staples | Claude Chalhoub | Cass Elliot | Duffy | The Cruel Sea | Wall of Voodoo | Loretta Lynn and Jack White | Foo Fighters | 1927 | Kate Ceberano | Tee Set | Joan Baez | Wet, Wet, Wet | Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy | Fleetwood Mac | Jane Clifton | Australian Crawl | Pet Shop Boys | Marty Rhone | Josef Salvat | Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri | Aquilo | The Breeders | Tony Enos | Tupac Shakur | Nakhane Touré | Al Green | Donald Glover/Childish Gambino | Josh Garrels | Stromae | Damiyr Shuford | Vaudou Game


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