Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves releases protest song from Yuendumu

Australia Broadcast Center

6 days ago

Protest songs have a powerful way of demanding our attention.
A new song titled Karrinjala Muajarri Mi, by Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves and Red Dirt Blues, does just that.
The title of the song is its haunting refrain, which Mr Hargraves explains means "ceasefire".
"That is so, so extremely important to our young generations today, to understand it and be able to be proud of what's in that song," Mr Hargraves says.
It is the context of the track, described as a song from the remote community of Yuendumu, that makes it so poignant.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names of Indigenous people who have died.
Mr Hargraves's voice has been one of the loudest advocating against the use of police guns in Aboriginal communities after the killing of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu by police officer Zachary Rolfe in 2019.
In 2022, after Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges related to the killing, Mr Hargraves looked into cameras and cried "karrinjala muajarri mi, no guns … we don't want no guns, enough is enough".
This month, when Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage delivered her findings in the long-running inquest into Kumunjayi Walker's death, Mr Hargraves told reporters that "we need to let the world know what has been happening to us".
In May this year, Kumanjayi White, also from Yuendumu, died in police custody.
He was Mr Hargraves's grandson. The family is still calling for an independent investigation into his death.
The opening line of the new track, which is set to be released in August, declares "jails are full of our children" and is inspired by the elder's disappointment in the criminal justice system.
Julien Poulson, from the band Red Dirt Blues, says that when he first heard these lines from Mr Hargraves, he knew they had to be turned into music to spread the message.
They collaborated on the track during a workshop in Alice Springs.
"I was calling together songwriters and only a few people turned up, but the ones that did are giants," he says.
Mr Poulson then reached out to Berlin artist Professor Kinski to produce the song, which uniquely blends desert rock with electronica.
Mr Hargraves says it is significant that the song's powerful message is delivered in Warlpiri.
"The most important thing that happens today is using strong Warlpiri, strong words that have been used in the past, like the old people used it, because they needed to maintain the language," he says.
The track also features a rap from Mr Hargraves's grandson, Tommy Hargraves, whose stage name is Tommy Gunn.
His lyrics are as stark as they are striking, with lines including: "They killing my people, they putting my children in prison, lock 'em up without question, they find us guilty for having black skin."
He says his words for the song came naturally after his grandfather sent him an early version, as though they were just waiting to be written.
"I hope this song achieves the listeners, because this song is a message, and I hope that people listen to the struggles of my people," the young rapper says.
"I hope this song touches people."
The elder Mr Hargraves says he wants his protest song to deliver a strong message.
"It's clear: ceasefire," he says.