About SILC
The Singing Indigenous Languages Collective is a network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous practice-based scholars who share a vision for co-created social action and the importance of song as a vehicle for learning, healing and change.
Artwork by Arabella Walker
Click on the artwork to learn more
Acknowledgement of Country
SILC acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and create. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Aims of SILC
Inform, inspire and influence people to sing and create songs with Indigenous languages.
Promote research and practice that supports effective pedagogies for Indigenous languages through song-creation.
Advocate for singing and song-creation as the means for language revitalisation and healing Country.
Meet the Collective
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Clare Hall
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Candace Kruger
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Rachael Dwyer
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Thomas Fienberg
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Gillian Howell
Illustrations of Practice
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Sound FX
Tura’s program Sound FX explores music, story, cultural knowledge, and language through long term collaborations with education and community partners in the Fitzroy Valley.
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Singing Kabi Kabi
Singing Kabi Kabi is a project that seeks to bring Kabi Kabi language into school classrooms through song. The resources provide protocols to assist teachers in ensuring that students understand the stories behind the language and songs.
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Yugambeh Youth Choir
The Yugambeh Youth Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2019 as a resource for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in South-East Queensland. We are focused on promoting community development by recovering and sharing Aboriginal knowledge, language, and music, and supporting the education and development of community youth.
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Gippsland Language and Song Project
GLASP promotes Gunaikurnai language and culture through song and creative arts via collaborations between Traditional Custodians, Koorie Education Workforce and primary and secondary schools across south eastern Victoria.
“It is a particular honour to be entrusted with the responsibility to appropriately give and receive the knowledges and responsibilities that come with these songspirals.”
(Songspirals, Gay’wu Group of Women, 2019, p. 12.)
Resources
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Creative Australia - First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
First published in 2002 and updated in 2007, this protocol guide supports the rights of First Nations people to their cultural heritage and promotes self-determination in Indigenous creative practice
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True Tracks
True Tracks is a professional development workshop created by Terri Janke and Company designed to enhance participants’ Indigenous engagement and understanding of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
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Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages
Established in 1994, VALC is the peak body for Aboriginal Languages revitalisation in Victoria and are leaders in research, resource development, archiving, and digital access to Aboriginal languages
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Bayala Aboriginal Corporation
Committed to the reclamation and revitalisation of the Dharug Dhalang language, Bayala fosters a vibrant community of Dharug Dhalang learners and speakers
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UNESCO Indigenous Languages Decade
The International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 aims to promote and protect Indigenous languages and improve the lives of those who speak and sign them
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Voices of Country
Voices of Country is Australia's Action Plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032, providing a framework to guide Australia's participation in the International Decade
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First Languages Australia
First Languages Australia is the national body dedicated to preserving and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages by supporting language centres, community programs, and industry partners across the country
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Mother Tongue
The Mother Tongue Project is a collaboration between First Languages Australia and ABC Open, which invited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to share a story about their mother tongue
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Yugambeh Youth Aboriginal Corporation
The Yugambeh Youth Aboriginal Corporation, founded in 2019, supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in South-East Queensland by promoting cultural knowledge, language, music, and youth development
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Short Black Opera Company
Short Black Opera Company, led by Yorta Yorta/Yuin Artistic Director Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, is a Melbourne-based national not-for-profit that provides training and performance opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians
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Songs in Language Playlist
This Spotify playlist features songs in Australian Indigenous Languages created by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
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Little Yarns
Hosted by Rudi Bremer, Little Yarns is an ABC Kids listen podcast series that explores the diverse languages, stories and Countries of Indigenous Australia
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Word Up
Brought to you by ABC National Radio, each short episode of Word Up shares one word from the diverse languages of Indigenous Australia
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50 Words Project
Led by the Research Unit for Indigenous Language at the University of Melbourne, 50 Words Project is an interactive map designed as a tool for learning fifty words in Indigenous languages of Australia
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AIATSIS Centre for Australian Languages
The AIATSIS Centre for Australian Languages (ACAL) conducts community-focused research and projects to support the revitalisation, practice, and strengthening of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages across Australia, while also advising the public sector on related cultural and heritage matters
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Blak Out!
Blak Out is a Triple J program featuring music and interviews with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, including traditional songs sung in language
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Yarrabil Bula: First Nations Songs
This is an interactive program by ABC Education that invites users to sing along with First Nations people as they share songs using language from their Country
Contact us
singingindigenouslanguages@gmail.com