# data[].attributes.body
ABC Net via Youtube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Iconic Indigenous Australian singer songwriter and stolen generations Archie Roach

# data[].attributes.headline
Wax cylinder recordings tell story of culture across the centuries

# data[].attributes.subject
Wax cylinder recordings tell story of culture across the centuries

# data[].attributes.body
ABC News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For the first time in 80 years, a commercial music recording has been made on an Edison phonograph - technology that was invented in the 1890s.

Aboriginal singer-songwriting duo Stiff Gins were inspired to reprise the old technology when they heard a 100-year-old wax cylinder recording of a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman.

"When we heard it, it was not just of another time and place, that's simplifying it," said Stiff Gins singer Nardi Simpson.

"It was spiritual."

Aboriginal woman Fanny Cochrane Smith was recorded singing in 1903.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

She was born on Flinders Island in 1834 and was typical of Aboriginals of the era who spoke both English and an Indigenous tongue.

Her recordings are in the collection of the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) and are the only known recordings of a Tasmanian Aboriginal language.

"The Fanny Cochrane Smith recordings were captured around the turn of the century, to capture something considered a dying culture," said NFSA CEO Michael Loebenstein.

"If we look at it from the perspective of the anthropologist or the perspective of the museum or archive as a place where things go and die, it captures just that.

"This is the dead record, this is the insect that's in the amber stone."

But Mr Loebenstein views it differently.

"For me it's such a strong statement - 'here I am, I'm a living person and this is 50,000 years of history speaking through me'," he said.

(Re)making history

The Stiff Gins composed an original song in an Indigenous language and the NFSA brought an old Edison phonograph back to life so the singers could record onto wax.

"It's a purely mechanical device," said sound archivist Graham McDonald.

A team of sound archivists worked to 'reverse engineer' the workings of the phonograph.

"There's no electricity," said Mr McDonald.

"The cylinder gets driven by a clockwork motor - you sing loudly down the horn, the mechanical energy of the voice moves a needle up and down on the wax cylinder," he said.

Recordings tell story of culture across the centuries(Siobhan Heanue)

The NFSA had to source wax cylinders from the only remaining manufacturer in the world, a small maker in Devon, England.

The machine's large brass funnel or horn is both the part that is sung or spoken into, and where the sound is played out.

When Thomas Edison invented the machine in the 1890s it was the first time people had ever heard something recorded played back to them.

It enabled a person on an outback station in Australia to hear an opera recorded in London, something revolutionary at the time.

It also allowed ethnographers to take the machine into the field to record the languages of other cultures.

The Stiff Gins wanted to reclaim the technology by using it to express themselves on their terms.

"People should think about this when they walk into a museum," said singer Kaleena Briggs.

"These objects are still alive and they're talking to each other and there are stories there just waiting to be heard."

Spiritual story

The song the duo wrote deals with the idea of life after death, and the continuation of spirit and culture.

"It's been the most rewarding thing," said Simpson.

"We've been doing gigs for 15 years and finally this is something that speaks to our place in the world."

After recording their song in a wood-panelled library room at the National Film and Sound Archive, the singers listened to their voices played back on the wax cylinder.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

The same performance by the Stiff Gins recorded live on modern equipment.

The whoosh of static can be heard on both the antique and the new recordings, but the modern version sounds much crisper.

But both recordings compress and 'thin out' the sound, making the singers (perhaps in all cases) sound much older than they are.

Briggs and Simpson gasped and smiled at each other as they heard the recording.

They were listening to the sound of history being re-made.

"It's not just about collecting something and ticking a box," said Briggs.
See the Edison phonograph in action on ABC 1's 7pm News and News 24's The Culture Quarter tonight.
"It's about paying respect to something that's part of history."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Wax cylinder recordings tell story of culture across the centuries

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For the first time in 80 years, a commercial music recording has been made on an Edison phonograph - technology that was invented in the 1890s. Aboriginal singer-songwriting duo Stiff Gins were inspired to reprise the old technology when they heard a 100-year-old wax cylinder recording of a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman.

# data[].attributes.headline
Fanny Cochrane Smith's Tasmanian Aboriginal songs and language preserved forever

# data[].attributes.subject
Fanny Cochrane Smith's Tasmanian Aboriginal songs and language preserved forever

# data[].attributes.body
ABC News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"I'm Fanny Smith. I was born on Flinders Island. I am the daughter of Tangnarootoora, of the East Coast Tribe. I am just 70 years of age."

Nearly 120 years after Tasmanian Aboriginal woman Fanny Cochrane Smith spoke these words into the bell of a gramophone, her recordings have been inducted into the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.

Fanny was born in 1834, in the Aboriginal mission of Wybalenna on Flinders Island.

Fanny Cochrane Smith was the last surviving fluent speaker of any Tasmanian Aboriginal language.(Supplied)

In 1847, her family was moved to Oyster Cove and, following her marriage to William Smith, she settled in Nicholls Rivulet.

Fanny became an esteemed community member and a trailblazer for her people.

According to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), Fanny was celebrated for her "lovely singing voice", and in 1899 a concert was held in her honour where she entertained the crowd with the songs of her people.

Between 1899 and 1903, recordings were made on wax cylinders of Fanny, the last surviving fluent speaker of any Tasmanian Aboriginal language, singing and speaking.

These recordings have been preserved through TMAG and are the only spoken record of any one of the original Tasmanian Aboriginal languages.

Today, the recordings were officially inscribed on UNESCO's Australian Memory of the World Register at a ceremony in Canberra, after a combined effort from TMAG and The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia to have them recognised.

'These are songs of survival'

One of Fanny's descendants, Palawa elder Rodney Dillon, said it was a proud day.

"She was a strong woman, a woman who stood up and spoke the truth about what was going on," he said.

"Bearing in mind she would have known of the atrocities of the things that happened in the past to her families.

"She was singing about what was important to her as an Aboriginal person."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

Descendant and TMAG Indigenous Cultures curator Liz Tew said the recordings were symbols of resilience.

"These recordings are songs of survival and represent the continued struggle for rights and recognition," she said.

"It is special to have this moment in time recognised in such a significant way."

Recordings have not been played for decades

NFSA senior sound curator Rod Butler said the recordings had not been played since the 1980s, because each time wax cylinders are played they are damaged.

"It is literally a cylinder of wax. The stylus that is used to record is effectively a needle and it scratches a signal into the wax cylinder," he said.

"When it's played back that stylus is excited and amplified and then turned into sound.

"It's a non-electronic process from beginning to end, which is why you hear quite a lot of noise in the recording."

The wax cylinder historical recordings of Fanny Cochrane Smith.(Supplied: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tasmanian Aboriginal songs and language preserved forever

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"I'm Fanny Smith. I was born on Flinders Island. I am the daughter of Tangnarootoora, of the East Coast Tribe. I am just 70 years of age." Nearly 120 years after Tasmanian Aboriginal woman Fanny Cochrane Smith spoke these words into the bell of a gramophone, her recordings have been inducted into the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.

# data[].attributes.body
Youtube for Indigenous content

# data[].attributes.body
What is Indigitube?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's Youtube for Indigenous content and it's brimming with insightful, entertaining and educational material.
The new national media platform - IndigiTUBE - helps support the preservation of Indigenous language and culture for future generations.

From music videos to comedy acts, historical documentaries and live radio, IndigiTUBE collates a world of content from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

It also features many Indigenous languages allowing the audience to hear the wide and varied sounds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices.

In Australia, there are only about 120 Indigenous languages still spoken out of an estimated original 250 languages. Of these approximately 90% are endangered.

This year is the United Nations-declared International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019), which is shining a spotlight on the importance of Indigenous languages and the need to promote and protect them.

IndigiTUBE is a great example of how technology can be used to record and share Indigenous languages in new ways help to keep them alive.

Funded through the Government's Indigenous Language and Arts Program, IndigiTUBE can be accessed online or through an app, allowing anyone to watch or upload content from wherever they are.

Find out more:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's Youtube for Indigenous content and it's brimming with insightful, entertaining and educational material. The new national media platform - IndigiTUBE - helps support the preservation of Indigenous language and culture for future generations. From music videos to comedy acts, historical documentaries and live radio, IndigiTUBE collates a world of content from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

# data[].attributes.body
by Dewayne

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dewayne singing Tasmanian Aboriginal song

# data[].attributes.body
By Priscilla Strasek, Sophia Brown and Kelsey Strasek-Barker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gamilaraay Song: Yalaguwaay Ngaya (Like me)

# data[].attributes.body
Gailwin'ku Yolgnu

# data[].attributes.body
Shellie Morris & Djakapurra Munyarryun

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Shellie Morris & Djakapurra Munyarryun - My Island Home (live)

# data[].attributes.body
by The Mob

# data[].attributes.body
by The Collie Crew

# data[].attributes.body
by Bogga Mish & Boggabilla HS Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Toby Finlayson
CEO/Creative Director/Co-Founder

Co-founder of Desert Pea Media, Toby has been working in remote Indigenous communities around Australia and the world since 2003.

Toby trained in Thailand with acclaimed CCD organization The Makhampom Foundation in 2003 and completed a BA Communications in Theatre & Media in 2004. Toby co-ordinated art programs in Sri Lankan tsunami refugee camps in 2005.

Toby's commitment to the cause has seen him dedicate his adult working life to Desert Pea Media, delivering a host of Indigenous media programs, effecting real lasting change for young Original Nations' peoples, touching the lives of a generation of disenfranchised Indigenous youth and giving them a voice... a bridge to a positive future.

He continues to direct and facilitate programs today.

Matthew Priestley
Cultural Consultant/Co-Founder

Co-founder of Desert Pea Media, Matt is a proud Mehi Murri man from Moree, NSW, a member of the Terry Hie Hie clan of the Gomilaroi Nation.

Matt has a long history of working with contemporary and traditional Indigenous media.

Matt was principal artist of CCD organisation BigHart (1989-99) and AFI Laureat for his short film Hurt in 1991.

Acclaimed in both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous arts industry as a traditional and visual artist, Matt works across media platforms to communicate a powerful message of Indigenous cultural sustainability and development. He sees education as an important tool for empowerment and self-determination.

Matt is a visual artist, film maker, traditional dancer, song writer and theatre-maker.

Josh Nicholas
Mentor/Music Producer

Josh is one of Sydney's most innovative urban music producers. At age 23 he has already released an album, two EP's and numerous singles under his artist name Hazy.

Of Maori blood himself, Josh has a keen interest in Indigenous rights. His beats and production have formed the basis of an impressive catalogue of music video filmed and recorded on country. His work with DPM is a testament to his empathy with young Indigenous kids and reflects his deep desire to empower and inspire them through music, reinforcing pride in themselves and their culture.

Josh has establishing himself as an artist in his own right collaborating with artists from a diverse range of genres from electronic, to Hip Hop/Rap, EDM and urban fusion.

Belle Arnold
Projects Manager

Belle is a proud Wakka Wakka woman living and working in Byron Bay on Bundjalung Country.

Belle has diverse and extensive experience working with Aboriginal community organisations in project management, governance, cultural heritage protection and protocol.

Her work has encompassed the strategic planning, delivery and evaluation of projects working with young people, women and Aboriginal communities.

Belle is a practising multi-disciplinary artist and arts administrator working with cultural arts forms including visual arts, cultural arts and dance.

She's also a deadly dance facilitator with the Bunyarra Culture Collective and the Deadly Dancers.

Coedie McCarthy
Co-Writer/Facilitator

Coedie's name means 'The boy of many colours who came in the falling rain'. Coedie's people are the Yidinji and Bar Barrum people of North QLD.

With 10 years of traditional dancing, a Cert III in Music and a Bachelor of Music Production, his quest is to bring the old ways of his ancestors into the new age. Coedie is a multi-talented visionary who is pushing boundaries. His tribe Indigenoise have wowed audiences as diverse as Investing For Good Conference, Sydney to Burning Man Festival, USA.

Coedie is an artist, musician, filmmaker, editor, presenter, songwriter, producer, traditional/ modern dancer, mentor and cultural ambassador.

Grace Newell
Production Coordinator/Photographer

Grace is a creative, up and coming photographer from Central West NSW. Spending time working with production companies and photographers in New York in 2014, she developed a strong work ethic and a passion for working in the creative industries.

In 2015 Grace returned to Australia to study Art History and Photography at UNSW Art and Design and began exploring an interest in documentary photography, fine art portraits and music events.

Grace really enjoys working with young people and communities, helping to create platforms for them to tell their stories and sharing with them her love for both music and photography.

Renae Saxby Marketing and Communications Coordinator / Photographer / Production Coordinator

Renae is a documentary style photographer specialising in portraiture, culture and music. Renae's photography has taken her around the world, working with many different cultures on various documentaries, humanitarian projects and music tours.

Visual story telling is a huge passion, as is work with purpose and strength in community. It is an honour for Renae to be able to support this through her work with DPM, both on the ground in communities and also through her management of the DPM social media channels and marketing.

Rob Sherwood
Filmmaker

Rob is an award winning cinematographer, born in the Northern Rivers of NSW, Australia.

Rob enjoys the perspective that comes from being an observer, and for him, observation without judgement is true feeling. This is what Rob aims to convey through his visuals - a feeling of truth.

Rob's bond with nature and the sea are a huge catalyst for his style of cinematography.

Mitchell O'Hearn
Filmmaker/Editor

Mitchell O'Hearn is an Australian filmmaker whose shorts have played in festivals around the world.

Mitchell studied film at the VCA in Melbourne and the RTF school in Austin, Texas. After his undergraduate degree, Mitchell travelled to Mongolia for a year as a Youth Ambassador for Development where he co-directed, shot and edited, a weekly half-hour children's show for the Mongolian National Broadcaster.

Mitchell is attracted to human stories that reveal more than what the eye can see.

Warren Roberts
Facilitator

Warren Roberts is a proud Thunghutti and Bundjalung man.

Warren has extensive experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities having worked for NGO's and universities, as well as local, state and federal government.

Warren founded YARN Australia in 2007. YARN Australia believes that through the power of a story, along with a respectful space, meaningful relationships can be built at both personal and the collective level. YARN Australia is focused on uniting Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. By promoting a message of cultural unity, Warren hopes to replace the habits and fears of the past with the opportunities of a united future.

Jannali Doncaster
Co-Writer/Trainee Facilitator

Jannali Doncaster is a proud warrior who stands with his Bundjalung nation. He is of the Yaegl clan which spreads along the Clarence river to the the sea at Yamba.

Jannali has been dancing traditionally around Australia since he was 15. He has a Cert III in Music and has facilitated cultural workshops in schools, universities and festivals. He has a passion for culture for Indigenous youth and has representing his people at Burning Man Festival, USA with up-and-coming Indigenous-orientated hip-hop crew Indigenoise.

He has dedicated a significant space in his life to the oldest culture in the world and created a platform where he can share this gift with the masses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Co-founder of Desert Pea Media, Toby has been working in remote Indigenous communities around Australia and the world since 2003. Toby trained in Thailand with acclaimed CCD organization The Makhampom Foundation in 2003 and completed a BA Communications in Theatre & Media in 2004. Toby co-ordinated art programs in Sri Lankan tsunami refugee camps in 2005.

# data[].attributes.body
B2M (Bathurst to Melville)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
B2M (Bathurst to Melville) - 'Parlingarri'

# data[].attributes.body
Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Indigenous duo Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs combine as the Stiff Gins to bring us beautiful music sung both in English and language.

The singers reclaimed a term originally used as an offensive label for Indigenous women as their band name.

In their 15th year Nardi and Kaleena are still going strong, and will play the Merry Makers Gala Concert at the Sydney Opera House on 4 May 2014.

Vanity Fair described the Merry Makers experience as exuberant for participants and spectators alike.

The diverse group brings together dancers aged from 6 to 56.

Most of the performers come to the stage with a mental or physical disability and a passion to perform.

The dance classes provide social structure, a physical release which raises the confidence of the participants.

Merry Makers provides an environment to allow the dancers to develop essential social skills.

The Stiff Gins will be joined on stage by John Paul Young, Brian Cadd, Felicity Urquhart, 702 ABC Sydney's James Valentine and will be hosted by Julia Morris.
More details of the concert can be found here.
Merry Makers Australia is run entirely by volunteers, and is a registered charity endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a deductible gift recipient.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Stiff Gins perform live in the 702 Sessions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Indigenous duo Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs combine as the Stiff Gins to bring us beautiful music sung both in English and language. The singers reclaimed a term originally used as an offensive label for Indigenous women as their band name.

# data[].attributes.body
My Morning Star - Maliya, gaalay Ngay (sung in Gamilaraa/Yuwaalaraay)

# data[].attributes.body
Singer/Songwriter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This song features words in Darug, one of the indigenous language groups of the Sydney Region, written with Darug Songwoman Jacinta Tobin.

A new children's television program that Jacinta has worked on, that features Indigenous kids and a cast of puppets, that is aimed at all Australian children.

Dharug is one of the Aboriginal languages of Sydney.For one week, Jacinta chatted with Simon Marnie on Breakfast and shared other phrases we can learn to say.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Jacinta Tobin | Indigenous Singer Songwriter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This song features words in Darug, one of the indigenous language groups of the Sydney Region, written with Darug Songwoman Jacinta Tobin. A new children's television program that Jacinta has worked on, that features Indigenous kids and a cast of puppets, that is aimed at all Australian children.

# data[].attributes.body
Manuel Dhurrkay