Yuupurnju

Yuupurnju: A Warlpiri song cycle documents a ceremonial song cycle situated within the traditional kurdiji “shield” ceremony, as sung by Warlpiri Elder Henry Cooke Anderson Jakamarra at Lajamanu, Northern Territory, in 2013.

The song cycle relates to a women’s jukurrpa Dreaming narrative, and tells the story of a group of ancestral women on a journey across the country. Jakamarra performed the songs (recorded by Carmel O’Shannessy) to make them available to the Warlpiri community and the wider public.

Yuupurnju: A Warlpiri song cycle includes the words of the songs in Warlpiri, interpretation in English as given by the singer, Jakamarra, and Warlpiri Elders Jerry Patrick Jangala OAM, Wanta Stephen Patrick Pawu-Kurlpurlurnu Jampijinpa and Steven Dixon Japanangka, and detailed musical notation by ethnomusicologist Myfany Turpin. It includes a foreword by two senior custodians, Jerry Patrick Jangala OAM, and Wanta Jampijinpa

About the Authors

Carmel O'Shannessy is an Associate Professor at the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, Australian National University. She was resident in Lajamanu community for four years (1998-2001), working to support the teaching and learning of Warlpiri and English in the bilingual education program in the school.

Wanta Steven Patrick Pawu-Kurlpurlurnu Jampijinpa is a senior Warlpiri man. He was an ARC Discovery Indigenous Award Fellow at the Australian National University School of Music, 2012-2015. He lives in Lajamanu community with his family.

Henry Cooke Anderson Jakamarra was a senior Warlpiri knowledge holder who lived in the Tanami Desert, maintaining and teaching traditional Warlpiri knowledges.

Steven Dixon Japanangka was a senior Warlpiri Elder who was involved in community programs such as those to prevent family violence. He lived in Lajamanu community with his family, and passed away in 2023. Myfany Turpin is an Australian Research Council fellow at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney.

Jerry Patrick Jangala OAM is a senior Warlpiri Elder who lives in Lajamanu community with his family and is a central figure of knowledge and authority for both Warlpiri and non-Warlpiri people.