Building the First Archive of Wamin Music and Language

Abstract

Between 2022 and 2023, collaborative research with Ewamian Aboriginal Elders and musicians in Far North Queensland, Australia, resulted in the first-ever recorded documentation of the ancestral Wamin language and its musical traditions. With no prior recordings or documentation available, it was nearly impossible for Ewamian community members to access information about their linguistic and musical heritage. Over this period, more than 21 hours of audio and 4 hours of video were archived, along with 74 images and approximately 50 pages of fieldnotes. These materials include newly composed songs in the Wamin language, recorded brainstorming sessions, songwriting and studio sessions, as well as community workshops, interviews and reactions. The archive continues to grow, with files being uploaded and preserved at the time of writing through the Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC). These newly created records, developed in collaboration with Ewamian community members, form a foundational resource of Ewamian cultural content. This article outlines the project’s process of returning Ewamian language and music to Ewamian people, enabling them to engage with their cultural heritage on their own terms, now and into the future.