2. Tjitji Lullaby: Singing Baby Animal to Sleep by MADIHA RAZA

Critical Evaluation:
ABC Kids has developed a lullaby that is intended to assist families and educators in transitioning from quiet time to bedtime. A ‘Tjitji lullaby’ is a song about singling baby animals to sleep, highlighting the rich and diverse animals and land. Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross from Electric Fields created and produced this wonderful track. Zaachariaha Fielding was born in Port Augusta in 1991 and moved back to Mimili in 1998, which is his grandfather's Ancestral Country within the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. This song is a duet between Zaachariaha and his 5-year-old niece, who is his daughter in Anangu way. ABC Kids Australia published this YouTube video on 6 July, 2021, making it quite recent. As the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land, ABC Kids Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is noted that the Nouns are used correctly for this song description on the ABC Kids website. This is because it provides information about who created this song and how one can pronounce the words by providing the link to Zaachariaha Fielding's original voice. No Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples are pictured in this song (Abc Kids).

AITSL Standard:
This resource links to Standard 2, focus area: 2.4 where teacher demonstrate board knowledge of understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages (Australian Standard Professional for Teachers, 2010, p.3).

Curriculum elaboration:
Educators can use this song for children age 0-5 years old, either for babies before sleep or in the quite time for older children. This resource can help children to have a strong sense of Identity and it will be evident when children use effective routines to help make predicted transitions smoothly (The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, Learning Outcome, 2009, p.21).

Theme- Country:
This song is good way to integrate Aborignal Language and culture into the curriculum. It can also help children build a connection with the Country as Doris Paton Gunnai, Monaro Ngarigo states that ‘…the langage is very much tied up to the culture as it is to the Country and so language revivial must equal those things, that’s what our old People taught us…’ (cited in Nyernila: Listen Continuously by Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, 2014, p.14). This song showcases beautiful Indigenous art, animals and Dreamings which comes in the Country. As Country is multi-dimensional-it consist of people, animals, plants, Dreamings, underground, earth, soil, minerals and waters, surface water and air (Nourshing Terrains, Deborah Bird Rose; Australian Heritage Commission, 1996, p.14)

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