"Treaty" is a
protest song
A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.
Among social mov ...
by Australian musical group
Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi ( Yolngu for "child and mother", pronounced ) are an Australian musical group with Aboriginal and '' balanda'' (non-Aboriginal) members, formed in 1986 as a merger of two bands formed in 1985 – a white rock group called the Swam ...
, which is made up of
Aboriginal and ''
balanda (non-Aboriginal)'' members.
Released in June 1991, "Treaty" was the first song by a predominantly Aboriginal band to chart in Australia
and was the first song partly in any
Aboriginal Australian language
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 ...
to gain extensive international recognition, peaking at No. 6 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Dance Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...
singles charts.
The song contains lyrics in
Gumatj, one of the
Yolngu Matha dialects and a language of the
Yolngu people of
Arnhem Land in northern Australia.
The song was released three years after the presentation of the
Barunga Statement
Barunga, formerly known as Beswick Creek and then Bamyili, is a small Aboriginal community located approximately southeast of Katherine, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is part of the Roper Gulf Region local government area. At the ...
to then-Prime Minister
Bob Hawke. Brothers
Mandawauy and
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy Yunupingu (born 30 June 1948), also known as James Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Dr Yunupingu, is a leader in the Aboriginal Australian community, and has been involved in the fight for Indigenous land rights in Australia throughout his ca ...
wanted to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
and the
Australian government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
.
"Treaty" peaked at No. 11 on the
ARIA Singles Chart in September 1991. In May 2001 "Treaty" was selected by the
Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) as one of the
Top 30 Australian songs of all time. In 2009 "Treaty" was added to the
National Film and Sound Archive's
Sounds of Australia
The Sounds of Australia, formerly the National Registry of Recorded Sound, is the National Film and Sound Archive's selection of sound recordings which are deemed to have cultural, historical and aesthetic significance and relevance for Australi ...
registry. In January 2018, as part of
Triple M
Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations.
The network dates back to ...
's "Ozzest 100", the "most Australian songs of all time", the
Filthy Lucre version of "Treaty" was ranked number 10.
Background
In 1988, as part of
Bicentennial __NOTOC__
A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to:
Europe
*French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
celebrations, the
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
,
Bob Hawke, visited the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
for the Barunga Festival, where he was presented with a statement of Aboriginal political objectives by
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
Galarrwuy Yunupingu (born 30 June 1948), also known as James Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Dr Yunupingu, is a leader in the Aboriginal Australian community, and has been involved in the fight for Indigenous land rights in Australia throughout his ca ...
and
Wenten Rubuntja
Wenten Rubuntja (c. 1923 – 2005) was an Australian artist, Aboriginal rights activist, and historian.
Wenten was born at Bart's Creek, about 56 km north of Alice Springs.
A meeting of representatives of Central Australian Aboriginal co ...
, known as the
Barunga Statement
Barunga, formerly known as Beswick Creek and then Bamyili, is a small Aboriginal community located approximately southeast of Katherine, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is part of the Roper Gulf Region local government area. At the ...
.
Hawke responded to the Barunga Statement with a promise that a treaty would be concluded with
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
by 1990.
In 1991, Yothu Yindi were Hughie Benjamin on drums, Sophie Garrkali and Julie Gungunbuy as dancers, Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar, Witiyana Marika on ''
manikay
Indigenous music of Australia comprises the music of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, intersecting with their cultural and ceremonial observances, through the millennia of their individual and collective histori ...
'' (traditional
vocal
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...
s), ''
bilma
Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger with, as of the 2012 census, a total population of 4,016 people.
It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. It ...
'' (ironwood clapsticks) and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on ''
yidaki
The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...
'' (didgeridoo),
Gurrumul Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was an Aboriginal Australian musician of the Yolŋu peoples. A multi-instrumentalist, he played ...
on
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, guitar and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
, Makuma Yunupingu on ''yidaki'', vocals, ''bilma'', Mandawuy Yunupingu on vocals and guitar, Mangatjay Yunupingu as a dancer.
Mandawuy Yunupingu, with his older brother Galarrwuy, wanted a song to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between Aboriginal peoples and the federal government. Mandawuy Yunupingu recalls:
Production and release
"Treaty" was written by Australian musician
Paul Kelly and Yothu Yindi members Mandawuy Yunupingu, Kellaway, Williams, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mununggurr and Marika and
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician.
In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his signa ...
.
The initial June 1991 release received limited radio and television exposure (mainly on
ABC radio and
SBS television
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...
).
Reception
After the initial release of the song failed to chart, Melbourne-based DJ
Gavin Campbell (Razor Records), approached
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
to create a dance-oriented remix.
The
Filthy Lucre production team, consisting of Campbell, Paul Main and Robert Goodge produced a remix without the band's involvement but with the understanding that the Yolngu side of the music would be preserved.
The remix not only modified the musical backing but dispensed with the majority of the English language lyrics, with the song sung almost entirely in the Aboriginal language,
Gumatj.
The Filthy Lucre remix was released in June, entering the charts in July and peaking at No. 11 on the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA) singles
charts
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tab ...
by September, spending a total of 22 weeks in the national charts.
"Treaty" was the first song by a predominantly Aboriginal band to chart in Australia.
Success for the single was transferred to the related album ''
Tribal Voice
''Tribal Voice'' is the second studio album by Yothu Yindi, released in September 1991 on the Mushroom Records label. The album peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Charts and was certified 2× Platinum.
At the 1992 ARIA Awards Yothu Yindi won ARIA ...
'' which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
The album produced by Mark Moffatt for
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
was released in September 1991.
Mandawuy Yunupingu took leave of absence from his duties as principal to tour and promote the single and album.
"Treaty" peaked at No. 11 on the
ARIA Singles Chart in September 1991.
In May 2001 "Treaty" was selected by the
Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) as one of the
Top 30 Australian songs of all time.
In 2009 "Treaty" was added to the
National Film and Sound Archive's
Sounds of Australia
The Sounds of Australia, formerly the National Registry of Recorded Sound, is the National Film and Sound Archive's selection of sound recordings which are deemed to have cultural, historical and aesthetic significance and relevance for Australi ...
registry.
In January 2018, as part of
Triple M
Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations.
The network dates back to ...
's "Ozzest 100", the "most Australian songs of all time", the Filthy Lucre version of "Treaty" was ranked number 10.
Awards
At the
APRA Music Awards of 1991
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 1991 (generally known as APRA Awards) are a series of awards held in 1991. The APRA Music Awards were presented by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Me ...
, "Treaty" won song of the Year.
At the 1992
ARIA Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music
The music of Australia has ...
Yothu Yindi won awards for 'Engineer of the Year' for "Maralitja" (''maralitja'' is Yolngu ''matha'' for crocodile man - one of Mandawuy Yunupingu's tribal names), "Dharpa" (''dharpa'' is tree), "Treaty", "Treaty (Filthy Lucre remix)" and "Tribal Voice" by David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson and Simon Polinski; 'Song of the Year' for "Treaty"; and "Single of the Year" for "Treaty".
In May 2001 "Treaty" was selected by
Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) as one of the
Top 30 Australian songs of all time.
Musical style
Musically the song is a mixture of Yolngu and balanda styles. The timbres of the song include the balanda rock ensemble of electric guitars, keyboard and drumkit, and on occasion balanda voices. The Yolngu sounds include the lead singer's vocal quality, and the traditional instruments, ''
bilma
Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger with, as of the 2012 census, a total population of 4,016 people.
It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. It ...
'' (ironwood clapsticks) and ''
yidaki
The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...
''. The song's text is partly in English and partly in Gamatj, and the form of the song, while conforming to the balanda rock structure of verses and choruses with an instrumental break, and the process of intensity through repetition of short motifs, is nevertherless that of a ''
djatpangarri'', a form of Yolngu popular music.
Mandawuy Yunupingu recalled hearing the djantpangarri / djedbangari song "Storm" which originates from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory. He incorporated the beat into the musical composition.
Videos
There were two
video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
clips for "Treaty". The first features footage of the 1988 Barunga Festival where the Barunga Statement is shown in its final stages of preparation, and Prime Minister Hawke is shown participating didjeridu-playing and spear-throwing competitions.
As the Barunga Statement is presented to the Prime Minister, he is accompanied by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs,
Gerry Hand. Also included in this first clip are images of the band in concert, and footage from the
Gove Peninsula
The Gove Peninsula is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed at what is now Gove ...
of industrial bauxite mining, ceremonial dancing led by Witiyana in the bush and children dancing on the beach.
According to the director,
Stephen Johnson, it was never his intention to make a consciously "political" video.
A second clip for "Treaty" was made to accompany the
Filthy Lucre remix. It was also directed by Stephen Johnson
and dispenses with the overtly political shots of the previous video. The video features images of the band in concert as well as footage from the Gove Peninsula of ceremonial dancing led by Witiyana in the bush, Witiyana and Milkayngu dancing with their instruments on the beach, Mandawuy Yunupingu singing over a blazing fire and children dancing on the beach with portable stereo given to them by Mandawuy Yunupingu.
Track listing
Yothu Yindi original version
# "Treaty" (
Paul Kelly,
Mandawuy Yunupingu
Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu , formerly Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu; skin name Gudjuk; also known as Dr Yunupingu (17 September 1956 – 2 June 2013) was an Australian musician and educator.
An Aboriginal, in 1989 he became assista ...
, Stuart Kellaway, Cal Williams,
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was an Aboriginal Australian musician of the Yolŋu peoples. A multi-instrumentalist, he played ...
, Milkayngu Mununggurr and Witiyana Marika) – 3:35
# "Yolngu Boy" (Mandawuy Yunupingu) – 4:14
Filthy Lucre remix version
''Australian 12"/CD/Cassette''
# "Treaty" (Filthy Lucre Remix) – 6:52
# "Treaty" (Radio Mix) – 4:08
# "Treaty" (Dub) – 7:30
''US CD single''
# "Treaty" (Filthy Lucre Radio Edit) - 4:05
# "Treaty" (Filthy Lucre Remix) - 6:53
# "Treaty" (Djulpan/Seven Sisters Mix) - 5:50 (William Orbit remix)
# "Treaty" (Album Version) - 3:36
''US 12"''
# "Treaty" (Djulpan/Seven Sisters Mix) - 5:46
# "Treaty" (VCO Buzz Mix) - 5:25
# "Treaty" (A Cappella) - 0:25
# "Treaty" (Filthy Lucre Mix) - 6:55
# "Treaty" (Filthy Lucre Dub) - 7:27
Personnel
Production details
*Engineer – David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson, Simon Polinski
*Producer –
Mark Moffatt
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
*Remixers – Robert Goodge,
Gavin Campbell, Paul Main (Filthy Lucre version)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
*
Treaty (1991)Australian Screen.
* Aaron Corn (2009) ''Reflections & voices: exploring the music of Yothu Yindi with Mandawuy Yunupingu'' Sydney: Sydney University Press ()
* Castles, J. (1992) ''Tjungaringanyi: 'Aboriginal Rock'' Hayward, Philip (ed) ''From Pop to Punk to Postmodernism'' Sydney: Allen and Unwin
{{ARIA Award for Single of the Year 1990s
1991 singles
APRA Award winners
ARIA Award-winning songs
Yothu Yindi songs
Songs about Australia
Songs against racism and xenophobia
Mushroom Records singles
Yolngu-language songs