''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' was an Australian Indigenous language maintenance/revitalisation and community development project that ran between 2005 and 2010. One of its spin-off projects, a stage production of the same name co-created by

Scott Rankin Scott Rankin (born 1959) is an Australian theatre director, writer and co-founder and creative director of the arts and social change company Big ''h''ART. Based in Tasmania, Rankin works in and with isolated communities and diverse cultural set ...

and

Trevor Jamieson Trevor Jamieson (born 7 March 1975) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actor, playwright, dancer, singer and didgeridoo player. Early life Trevor Jamieson was born on 7 March 1975 in Subiaco, Western Australia (WA). He grew up in t ...

, toured Australia extensively in between 2005 and 2008. ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' was produced by the Australian arts and social change company Big ''h''ART, and conducted in various locations across the

APY lands Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, also known as APY, APY Lands or ''the Lands'', is a large, sparsely-populated local government area (LGA) for Aboriginal people, located in the remote north west of South Australia. Some of the aṉangu ...

(South Australia),

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...

and in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

(Northern Territory). The project ran from 2005 to 2010, with spin-off projects and related performances. The project was structured around an experimental and reflexive arts-based community development program which included the creation of an online interactive language and culture learning website by Pitjantjatjara-speaking young people, elders and linguists; a

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...

touring theatre work and a media campaign promoting the development of an Australian national Indigenous

language policy Language policy is an interdisciplinary academic field. Some scholars such as Joshua Fishman and Ofelia García consider it as part of sociolinguistics. On the other hand, other scholars such as Bernard SpolskyRobert B. Kaplanand Joseph Lo Bianco ...

Objectives

''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' main objective was to effect a sustained positive change in various disadvantaged, struggling

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

communities by offering local individuals opportunities to engage with their

cultural capital In the field of sociology, cultural capital comprises the social assets of a person (education, intellect, style of speech, style of dress, etc.) that promote social mobility in a stratified society. Cultural capital functions as a social relat ...

in arts-based practice. Through the creation of art in various forms, Big ''h''ART sought to maintain and revitalise the

Pitjantjatjara language Pitjantjatjara (; or ) is a dialect of the Western Desert language traditionally spoken by the Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia. It is mutually intelligible with other varieties of the Western Desert language, and is particularly c ...

and thus to preserve cultural knowledge, to improve general

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

levels (defined as both the ability to read and write as well as the ability to engage in a culturally meaningful manner with

new media New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...

and modern technology) and to promote

social cohesion Group cohesiveness (also called group cohesion and social cohesion) arises when bonds link members of a social group to one another and to the group as a whole. Although cohesion is a multi-faceted process, it can be broken down into four main co ...

as a crime prevention measure. It was part of the project's aim to "positively rofilethe strength of culture at a time where health and social issues eredominating ��media ccounts of the region and its people. On a global scale, the project aimed to raise awareness, interest and appreciation of

Aboriginal Australian languages The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

in general and to provide a model for

Language revitalisation Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community groups, o ...

of endangered languages.

Background

Between 1955 and 1963 the British military was given permission to conduct a number of

nuclear tests Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...

around

Maralinga Maralinga, in the remote western areas of South Australia, was the site, measuring about in area, of British nuclear tests in the mid-1950s. In January 1985 native title was granted to the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Aborigi ...

in the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n desert. After initially downplaying the environmental and social impacts of those tests, the Australian and UK governments conceded in 1994 to a payment of million in compensation to the local

Maralinga Tjarutja The Maralinga Tjarutja, or Maralinga Tjarutja Council, is the corporation representing the traditional Anangu owners of the remote western areas of South Australia known as the Maralinga Tjarutja lands. The council was established by the ''Mara ...

people. The research for a planned

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

show on actor/dancer/singer

's family brought him and Big ''h''ART's creative director

and producer Alex Kelly to the

APY Lands Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, also known as APY, APY Lands or ''the Lands'', is a large, sparsely-populated local government area (LGA) for Aboriginal people, located in the remote north west of South Australia. Some of the aṉangu ...

where many of the displaced Maralinga Tjarutja people found shelter. Consultations with community elders and the Jamieson's extended family about the regions' history and contemporary challenges brought forth first ideas about the project's focus and structure. In 2002, the play ''Career Highlights of the Mamu'' represented the first stage in the theatrical exploration of the family's story.

The project

The project was conducted in various locations across the Anangu,

Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are vari ...

and

Yankunytjatjara The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia. Language Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati la ...

(APY) Lands in

and in

. It ran from 2005 to 2010, with spin-off projects and related performances. The project was structured around an experimental and reflexive arts-based community development program which included the creation of an online interactive language and culture learning website by Pitjantjatjara-speaking young people, elders and

linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

; a

touring

work and a

media campaign Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information e ...

promoting the development of an Australian national Indigenous

. In 2005,

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

moved to

and started to establish further contacts with community members, organisations and institutions across the APY Lands. The objective of this early stage was to meet locals, to listen to their stories and their first-hand accounts of issues facing their communities and to learn about local ideas on how to tackle those problems. At the heart of the issues people repeatedly identified in the consultations lay two causes: alienation between the

generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

s and an imminent loss of the Pitjantjatjara language and culture. A challenge for Big ''h''ART workers and community members involved was to find a suitable framework that would capture the imagination of both old and young and would bring them together in a meaningful exchange. The development of a second mainstage theatre production taking place in interaction with the

Ernabella Pukatja (formerly Ernabella) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti, ...

(SA) community provided one possible field of interaction. To allow for a more targeted approach in language maintenance, the development of an integrated online language course based on short film-clips proved to be another: The technological aspect and fun of creating film and

digital media Digital media is any communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device. ' ...

appealed to a large number of young people, while elders were able to pass on language and cultural knowledge in a setting which fostered respect for their wealth of experience. In a series of workshops, artists associated with Big ''h''ART developed short film clips on country with a group of youngsters from town camps and remote communities, while elders were providing and advising on the content of the language lessons. Over the course of the project, this kind of working environment fostered mutual learning that allowed participants to experience themselves and others as creative and productive co-workers as well as helping to reduce the alienation between the generations. Beth Sometimes notes that " ydeveloping activities that eredriven by an engagement with Indigenous language such as

music recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

and

travelling Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...

to cities to deliver he

theatre show, the domains in which the language is used ereincreased. Both younger and older Pitjantjatjara participants engage with broader dialogue concerning language, and in discussion around emerging conceptual realms regarding the experiences that erebeing shared.". Many of the films were, in addition to being uploaded onto the ninti-website, published on DVD compilations and distributed by the young people across their communities. A range of workshops was also offered in other disciplines such as dance, photography, digital storytelling and music. Activities included song writing, performing, voice training, recording and sampling. As well as bringing artists to remote communities to conduct those workshops, Big ''h''ART also partnered with the record label 'Tracks of the Desert' to record and publish project material, i.e. the "Ngurakutu Ara" CD in

(SA) with proceeds going towards purchasing musical equipment for the community. All songs and other materials recorded in the project have been made available to the communities by way of portable storage media and by uploading material onto publicly accessible computers. Especial care was taken to afford the young people as much exposure for their artworks as possible to enhance the experience of appreciation and to incite communication and reflection. Participants presented the project and their works at conferences and festivals while a strong media strategy ensured regular coverage on local and national level. To afford opportunities for the expansion of professional skills, creative developments of the associated theatre show were organised in

(SA) to give people the chance to observe working processes, to grow and to participate in various capacities on and off-stage, i.e. by joining the multiple tours of the production to national festivals as paid performers or assisting technicians.

Collaboration with ANU

In order to maximise the impact of language revitalisation, Big ''h''ART collaborated with the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy and Research of the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

(ANU) whose researchers advised on the literacy elements of the project while conducting a three-year study, as part of the "Lifespan Learning and Literacy in Remote Indigenous Communities 2007–10" ANU and

Fred Hollows Foundation The Fred Hollows Foundation is a non-profit aid organisation based in Sydney, Australia, which was founded in 1992 by eye surgeon Fred Hollows. The foundation focuses on treating and preventing blindness and other vision problems. It opera ...

linkage project. Improvement of literacy in both Pitjantjatjara and English was a strong element of the project: As many participants had had negative experiences with formal education settings and

shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

being a strong inhibitor to participation in Indigenous communities, literacy was playfully integrated into the general workshop activities and 'trained on the job'. This tied in with the asset-based approach Big ''h''ART adopted for the project in that the task-focus was laid on the story while literacy skills were imparted by way of accessing this story and supporting the individuals in translating it into art. Together with the ANU researchers and other experts in the field, Big ''h''ART commenced to push for a change in national

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organ ...

regarding the maintenance of Indigenous languages in Australia as part of the project's legacy which eventually prompted the release of the Commonwealth Government's strategy paper "Indigenous Languages – A National Approach" in August 2009 and the tabling of th
House of Representatives Standing Committee Report into Indigenous Language Learning

Theatre show

The two pillars of the project, the Pitjantjatjara language course and the performance piece, kept informing each other throughout the project. The theatre show ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' premiered at the 2005

Melbourne International Arts Festival Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...

as a work in progress. The play has lead actor

recounting his family's story, situating it in the larger context of the British nuclear testing around Maralinga. The show explores themes of dispossession and displacement from country, home and family, yet within this political constellation, the focus remains firmly on the detrimental impacts the events had on the social fabric and cultural life of the Indigenous people of the region. As Ben Hermann notes, the play "mixes traditional storytelling, tragedy, humour, pop-culture references and direct audience participation to both entertain and educate audiences about the history of Indigenous Australians". The feature of direct participation awards

audiences An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...

opportunities to learn Pitjantjatjara words and phrases, thus tying-in the show with the language focus of the larger project. As a whole, Sometimes argues, "''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' ��exposed the general public to Indigenous language in an emotive context – theatre – providing a platform for meaningful engagement and giving liberty to understanding.".

Plot synopsis

The

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

starts out in its

form with an introduction given by Trevor Jamieson in which he establishes his troubled brother Jangala as the touchstone of his narrative. The following show sets out to contextualise his story within the larger family story which in turn is framed by the political history of their home-country, the Spinifex nation of the South Australian desert which encompasses the British nuclear testing site of Maralinga. Before jumping into the narrative which spans 60 years of dislocation and emotional

trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

, the cast (an Indigenous choir, members of the Jamieson family and a group of non-Indigenous, Australian actors from mixed ethnic backgrounds) teaches the children's song ' Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes' in Pitjantjatjara to the audience. The song resurfaces throughout the performance in different languages and contexts to signal and remind of a common humanity all people on earth share. To strengthen this theme and to open up an emotive space of understanding, the show also makes use of a wide array of popular songs translated into Pitjantjatjara and performed

ly. The family story then quickly proceeds from the family-focalised first encounters with

Afghan Australian Afghan Australians ( prs, استرالیایی های افغان‌تبار ''Ostorâliyâi-hāye Afghān tabar'', ps, د اسټرالیا افغانان ''Da Asṭrālyā Afghanan'') are Australians tied to Afghanistan either by birth or by ...

people in the desert to the beginnings of Christian missionary endeavours. Intersecting the family story is a larger global narrative of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and its annihilating race for

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

which will invariably come to affect the Jamieson's as their home-country is turned into a nuclear testing ground. The links established by this narrative eventually all tie in with the family story and serve to turn the abstract, political frame into an intimately personal one in which accountability and impact can no longer be deferred onto the distant and

other Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

. The story resumes with father Arnold Jamieson being born on country just before the family is moved to Cundalee mission ca. 440 km west of their home country. The strain of dislocation and attempts to save as many family members as possible while evacuation measures of the government fall short of communicating over the cultural divide, eventually break up the grandparents' marriage, ending in the murder of the grandmother by the grandfather. The story then follows Arnold on his journey into adulthood, longing for his country while restricted to far-away missions. The love and belonging he finds with his wife Gail opens up the hope for a new beginning beyond trauma and sorrow. Overcoming, however, is barred by the murder of Gail's mother on her way to the wedding by a taxi-driver and the vision of more and more Pitjantjatjara people losing their way in between the two cultures. As cultural protocols are explained, the audience is invited to consider the adopted solutions for reconciliation in Australia from an Indigenous perspective. The last third of the show is increasingly interspersed with video footage of intimate family conversations revolving around the worry for Jangala's life in this culturally divided space, bringing the focus back onto the brother and present issues facing the displaced Spinifex people in their country. The play ends on a note that affirms Indigenous persistence and survival, expressing hope to be one day released from the cycle of trauma and sorrow.

Production history

''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' has toured Australia extensively in between 2005 and 2008 with the show undergoing various developments throughout its production history. In 2012, the show was revived in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in a condensed version under the name ''Ngapartji Ngapartji One''. Presentations of the show included among others: * 2005

(Work-in-progress) * 2006

Araluen Arts Centre The Araluen Cultural Precinct, formerly the Araluen Centre for Arts & Entertainment, in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia, is a cultural precinct which includes the Araluen Arts Centre, the Museum of Central Australia (incorpo ...

(Developmental Showing) * 2006

(World Premiere) * 2006

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

(Language Show) * 2007

Perth International Arts Festival Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

* 2007 The Dreaming Festival,(Language Show) * 2007

Adelaide Cabaret Festival The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ...

, (Language Show) * 2008

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...

Belvoir St Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat D ...

* 2008

, (Open Air Community Showing) * 2008

, Alice Springs * 2011 International Community Arts Festival,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(''Ngapartji One'') * 2012

, Canberra Theatre Centre (''Ngapartji One'')

Awards and recognition

While creative content created for the project received coverage in local and national media and festivals, the overall project and associated theatre show received the following awards and nominations: *

Deadly Awards 2008 The Deadly Awards recognise achievement by Indigenous Australians in music, sport, the arts and in community service. First held in 1995, in 2008 the ceremony was hosted by Luke Carroll at the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2008 and was broadcas ...

– Winner, Most Outstanding Achievement in Film, TV and Theatre *

Sydney Theatre Awards The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...

2008 – Winner, Best Lead Man Trevor Jamieson * Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Nominee, Best Mainstage Production * Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 – Nominee, Best Direction * NT Innovation Awards 2008 Finalist

Legacy

The ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' project officially wrapped in 2010. However, in order to create a tangible legacy of the project, Big ''h''ART produced a range of media illustrating the project's journey: The media kit 'Memory Basket' "captures the story of the project through photos, music, text and film" and was distributed across Australian libraries. The film ''Nothing Rhymes with Ngapartji'' documents the staging of the theatre show in a creek bed in the remote Indigenous community of

(SA) in 2008, the negotiation of cultural protocols following the death of Arnold Jamieson and the personal repercussions for the creative team. The joint advocacy for a new national policy to revitalise and maintain Indigenous languages across Australia eventually prompted the release of the Commonwealth Government's strategy paper "Indigenous Languages – A National Approach" in August 2009 and the tabling of the House of Representatives Standing Committee Report into Indigenous Language Learning. Another legacy of the project is the spin-off performance work ''Nyuntu Ngali'', which was workshopped in

(SA) in early 2009 before completing seasons at the Adelaide Festival Theatre (Nov 2009), the Australian Performing Arts Market (Feb 2010) and the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

(May 2010). The creative team of ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' was invited to Japan in early 2012 to attend the commemorations of the Fukushima disaster and to celebrate the publication of a Japanese translation of the script. Big ''h''ART's ''Namatjira'' project was also incepted during ''Ngapartji Ngapartji'' lifetime, as Elton Wirri (artist and project participant) provided the link to the

Hermannsburg Hermannsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Südheide. It has been a state-recognised resort town since 1971. It is situated on the river ...

community and helped promote Big ''h''ART as a company of credence among elders. A most important legacy of the project according to academic Dave Palmer was that people connected with their culture in a new way, building strong identities and asserting themselves flexibly and successfully in a multicultural context. The Pitjantjatjara concept of "ngapartji ngapartji" itself provided the overarching framework for such a new form of intercultural engagement: glossed as 'I give you something. You give me something' it denotes a reciprocal exchange of gifts that create a social framework of mutual obligations. In contrast to Western ideas of trade, here the defining element of exchange is not the material value of the objects and services traded but the fact that trading itself establishes bonds that link people to each other – not only in a material way, but also socially, emotionally and spiritually. Consequently, it is deferral of immediate gratification that keeps people engaged and not a quid pro quo situation that is sought.Palmer, Dave: Ngapartji Ngapartji: The Consequences of Kindness, Perth: Murdoch University, 2010. p. 4-6

Selected credits

* Creative Producer: Alex Kelly * Key Performer/Co-creator: Trevor Jamieson * Writer/Director:

* Performers/singers/teachers/musicians: Jarmen Jamieson,

Lex Marinos Alexander Francis Marinos (born 1 February 1949) is an Australian actor. Notable for his acting role as Bruno, the Italian son-in-law of Ted Bullpitt, on the 1980s Australian comedy television series ''Kingswood Country'' and as host of ''Late ...

, Yumi Umiumare, Tomoko Yamasaki, Saira Luther, Andrew MacGregor, Damian Mason, Pantjiti McKenzie, Lorna Wilson, Jennifer Mitchell, Janet Inyika, Beth Sometimes, Julie Miller,

Maureen Watson Maureen Watson, also known as "Aunty Maureen" (9 November 1931 – 4 January 2009), was a supporter of Aboriginal rights in Australia, actor, vocalist, writer, musician and storyteller. Early life and education Watson was born on 9 November 193 ...

, Elton Wirri, Kunmanara (Iris) Ajax, Amanyi (Dora) Haggie, Mervin Adamson, Belinda Abbott, Imuna Kenta, Rhoda Tjitayi, Melissa Thompson, Delaine Singer, Deanne Gillen, Alana Kelly, Sandy Brokus Abbott, Linda Stanley, Unurupa (Nami) Kulyuru, Sadie Richards, Makinti Minutjukur, Renita Stanley, Alison (Milyika) Carroll, Najeeba Azimi, Nathaniel Garrawurra, Conway Ginger, Melissa Abbott, Joanne Andrews, Keischa Haines, Kalem Haines, Nick Hemple, Dilly, * Musical Composer: Damian Mason * Set and Costume Design: Genevieve Dugard * Lighting Design and Production Support: Neil Simpson * AV Design: Suzy Bates, Olaf Meyer * Language Reference Group: Pantjiti McKenzie, Jennifer Mitchell, Simon McKenzie, Paul Eckert, Gordon Inkatji, Yanyi Baker * Translators: Lorna Wilson, Thomas Holder, Beth Sometimes, Yumi Umiumare, Najeeba Azimi, Lex Marinos

References

External links

* {{official, https://web.archive.org/web/20160226231147/https://www.ngapartji.org/ (archived 2016) Culture of South Australia Australian Aboriginal art Community building Australian plays Australian documentary films Music organisations based in Australia Indigenous Australian theatre 2006 plays