Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
As an Elder and senior songwoman Josephine Mick has a responsibility to pass songs, ceremony and cultural knowledge on to the next generations.
Ms Mick is a Pitjantjatjara/ Yankunytjatjara woman from Pipalyatjara in South Australia’s APY Lands.
Alongside her daughter Sally Scales and Bangarra Dance Theatre choreographer Jasmin Sheppard, she is bringing her cultural knowledge, and the story of the tjakura (great desert skink), to the stage.
“We need to share with the next generations; they carry our story forward,” Ms Mick told AAP.
“Our tjukurpa is told through, song, dances, paintings and now on a big stage with Bangarra.”
The show, ‘Spearhead – Kunpu Kanyini’, celebrates the strength and leadership of Central Desert women.
At the show’s heart is the need for everyone to look after Country, and each other, Ms Mick said.
“This country is all of our responsibility,” she said.
“We need to teach and care for the next generations. They carry the future.”
Spearhead – Kunpu Kanyini will tour as a double bill alongside ‘Sever – Rom Bukthunami’, created by Yolngu songman and artist Douglas Djakapurra Munyarryun, and Bangarra’s Rikki Mason.
‘Sever – Rom Bukthunami’ explores the questions of belonging, culture in urban landscapes and how to reconcile ancestral knowledge with emerging technologies.
It has long been a dream to bring together cultural leaders with Bangarra artists, and this double bill, called ‘Generations’, is that dream taking form, the company’s artistic director and co-chief executive Frances Rings said.
“This program honours the preservation of knowledge while looking boldly toward those who will carry it forward,” the Mirning woman said.
“It speaks to the way memory can travel through bodies, creativity can bridge generations, and the impact of collaboration unifying many voices into one enduring message of survival.”
Ms Mick said Ms Sheppard is a “wonderful, strong” woman and although the project is still in development the result of their collaboration is sure to be amazing.
“This is my first time doing this sort of thing and Jasmin has helped me and my daughter,” Ms Mick said.
“She [is] a boss lady.”
‘Generations’ will tour across the country in 2027, beginning in Canberra from May 27.
