Darwin’s David Garnham discusses the initiative led by Indigenous singer-songwriter Stuart Joel Nuggett cultivating the survival of the endangered Jingulu language.
Country musicians David and Stuart became friends by chance. “In 2020, we were going on a tour around the NT, and we got a call from CAAMA [Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association], a radio station in Alice Springs,” David says.
“At the time, they were operating as a record label,” he continues. “CAAMA gave me a call saying, ‘We see you’re going on tour soon. We’ve got a fella who’s about to release an album. Why don’t you tour with him?’”
The Jingili Song Project
- With Stuart Joel Nuggett and David Garnham & the Reasons to Live
- Saturday, 9 April
- Punters Club, Fitzroy
- Info here
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That fella, Stuart, was born in Kulumindini (Elliot) and is one of the last speakers of Jingulu. It’s the Indigenous language of his hometown, which is spoken by less than 10 people today.
The two struck up a friendship and did a couple of tours, catalysing the formation of the Jingili Song Project. An important mission placing Stuart’s culture and language at the forefront, the project aims to preserve the Jingulu language by writing songs in Jingulu and running language workshops, while touring the nation.
“Language is everything for Aboriginal people,” says Stuart. “It’s our identity, it’s who we are and if the younger generation lose this language… it’s all gone. I’m making it my life mission to preserve my language, to keep it alive for my family and my tribe.”
Stuart is set to embark on a national tour alongside David and his heartfelt country band The Reasons to Live starting on 2 April in Darwin. The nine-date run will see them celebrating the language across regional Victoria and NSW, before finishing up in Canberra. For their Naarm stop, they’re set to play at Fitzroy’s Punters Club on 9 April.
When it came to songwriting duties, the process was very harmonious. “Everyone operates differently with the way they write songs,” David says, “but it’s always been a very healthy path of giving space and allowing people to bring their way of writing songs.”
Stuart’s mother, Janet Sandy-Gregory, is one of the last living fluent Jingulu speakers and writers. She was paramount in ensuring Stuart and David used the Jingulu language correctly in their lyrics, further cementing this program as a special family effort.
“Jingulu has been spoken (in Kulumindini) for thousands and thousands of years, it not only needs to be preserved, but to be carried on by the younger generation for years to come,” she says. “This language is so beautiful and it must never ever be forgotten, because the spirit of our old people and our families are within that language.”
David recalls: “We’d run past to Stu’s mum to be like, ‘Have we made any mistakes here? Are we saying things wrong? How have we gone with our spelling?’”
David also brought community from his band of musos to the table. Some members have producer and music industry skills, like drummer Mark Smith who runs Music NT. This worked out for Stuart, giving him the freedom to take the project wherever he wanted.
“We’d go onto Country at Kulumindini and do writing there, and on the spot, we’d produce and engineer the recordings,” David says. “Our focus there is mainly about creation in language.”
The two have already released a collaborative song – Ilbingini Agiyabarda (When the Water Goes Down), accompanied by a beautiful music video recorded on Jingili Country. It’s a passionate, profound protest song against the fracking of the Beetalo Basin, with strong messages on “how water is life,” as Stuart describes it.
A couple of years ago, Stuart performed the song with Mudburra singer-songwriter Ray Dimakarri Dixon for MPs and staff at Parliament House, truly showing how significant land and water are in their rich culture and the NT.
More music combining the two’s knack for sincere country rock is on the cards. “Stu’s deciding whether he wants to make an album or EPs, in half-Jingulu or half-English,” David reveals. “The next stuff will probably just be under Stu’s name, but we might have some fingerprints on there – I’ll do less singing, definitely less of me going on,” he continues with a laugh.
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Jingulu facing near extinction is tragic, a consequence of the historical denial of Indigenous cultural practices and not prioritising their preservation. David recalls Stuart’s explanation of why Jingulu has fallen into this state, citing its complexity.
“Mudburra is another language group near Kulumindini, in the Newcastle Waters area. That was actually an easier language to speak, so English was preferred to a large extent,” David tells me. “But the Jingulu language was lost out just because Mudburra was nearby, which was easier to pick up.”
Thus, branding the mission as The Jingili Song Project was a deliberate choice on Stuart’s part. “People know the Larrakia of Darwin, it’s quite synonymous with that,” David says, “so it’s more [so] Stuart can know that people out there can understand the Jingili name, where it’s from and know his people’s story a little bit better.”
The response from Stuart’s mob back at home has been tremendously positive and made David’s involvement feel like an honour. “We feel really lucky because like I say, in terms of identity and connection to culture, language is huge,” David says.
“To see tears in the eyes, especially of the older mob, that’s really special,” he continues. “They’ve probably almost resigned to the fact that the language wasn’t going to live on – so they now see hope is there.”
David makes it incredibly clear how important it is to connect through language, so the impact he’s helped have on Stuart and the Jingili people is remarkable. “That acceptance from the family, we’re all family now – it’s a beautiful thing,” he says.
David eagerly continues: “To be taken in by the community, that’s probably the most exciting part, and to see the kids be a part of the process. That’s where you can really feel you make a difference because it feels like it’s against you and there are so few speakers of the language. It seems insurmountable to try to actually make an impact, but when we’re on Country and working with kids, it feels like there is a future there.”
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After this upcoming tour, they plan to expand the project with more learning resources, including videos of Stuart and Janet telling stories and words from their Country. Also in the works is a tour in the NT later this year, with performances of newly written songs in Jingulu and connecting with people on Jingili Countries.
For now, what can people do to keep Jingulu alive? “Learn some words,” David says, “it’s as simple as that.”
“Stu and his family have spent so many years not having heard our words and language, so even if it’s just a handful of things – even if it might seem quite small – to them, it means so much to have their language engaged with.”
The communal connection through words testifies to the beautiful power of language, and how this Indigenous language and others need to be nurtured more than ever.
David sums this up gracefully: “Just take a couple on board to help keep Stu in your hearts.”
The Jingili Song Project’s latest national tour, presented by Artback NT, begins on 2 April. For more information, head here.
