Emily Wurramara and the Anindilyakwa language
- Supernaturegirl
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Take 2 minutes to be inspired by Emily Wurramara! ✨
This short music-based video shares some insight and passion from the singer songwriter based in Australia. Emily is a Warnindhilyagwa woman from Ayangkidarrba (Groote Eylandt). She has won a ton of awards for her music, ranging from Breakthrough Independent Artist to Australian Video of the Year. She has an EP with 4 language-based children's songs. Her latest album, called Nara, came out last year and won Best Adult Contemporary Album. She describes her musical style as soul, a bit blues and rootsy, with some folk and soft rock influences. Her “music has played a massive role in empowering and inspiring her community. Wurramara has always been a strong advocate for many causes such as environmentalism, and the importance of Indigenous communities maintaining pride within their identity.”
Her songs are sung with English and the Anindilyakwa language. Have a listening to a mesmerizing song completely sung in the Anindilyakwa language and called Ngarrikwujeyinama. 'Ngarrikwujeyinama' means ‘I’m hurting’ and is referred to as ‘The Seabed Mining Song’. The song was written in response to the mining on Groote Eylandt and “talks about how we all come from the sea and how it’s our duty to protect and cherish her, and the pain we cause when we don’t.”
Bonus Song: Ngarrikwujeyinama
The Anindilyakwa language is spoken by 1,516 people according to a 2021 census. The language has many different spellings, and is sometimes thought to have the toughest grammar out of all Australian Aboriginal languages. One titbit on Wikipedia is that there is no term for 'infinity' in the language, but the concept 'innumerable' can be translated as 'there are too many stars to count’, which would be 'yinguwurramur dinama dakwulyingarrijanga.'
There is an Anindilyakwa dictionary, an online dictionary, a web app, and a YouTube channel with learning videos. How do the resources at the Groote Eyland Language Centre compare to your own language resources? Ayakwa-langwa angalya - Groote Eylandt Language Centre
** Information above was found by searching the internet and sources like Wikipedia.
______🎤______ Artist Quotes:
“Language is such an important subject for where I’m from, it’s important for me to archive that for future generations. And I couldn’t have thought to do it any better than to do it with music. Melodies, they’re catchy, they get stuck in people’s heads. It’s a beautiful way to share language.“
“I feel more powerful as a female, and as a woman. To be able to have a voice, and a perspective that I can speak on, that’s something I’m really passionate about.” ______🎨______
Artist Links:
______♩______ Music Resource: Emily Wurramara – Inspiring Indigenous women
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