NTWF | Murli la – Ngarukuruwala Women’s Group with Genevieve Campbell

In the remote Tiwi Islands, a 20-strong group of female Elders have been coming together to sing for decades, composing and performing songs that hold cultural, genealogical, geographical and spiritual knowledge passed down through thousands of years.

A joint project by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) and Hardie Grant, Murli la is a beautifully designed book that shares these many lifetimes of sung knowledge. Presenting over 40 songs in language, with translations, introductions and photographs to help deepen readers’ understanding, the book provides a one-of-a-kind map and a snapshot of the richness of Tiwi culture.

In this unforgettable book talk, members of the Ngarukuruwala Women’s Group are joined by their musical collaborator and co-author, Genevieve Campbell, as well as Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s Tictac Moore, to discuss Tiwi culture, their work together, and the process of creating this richly layered book.

Image credit: Tiffany Parker.