This song was written in response to seeing the documentary Putuparri and the Rainmakers, and was written during NAIDOC Week 2019 (theme: Voice. Treaty. Truth.). It tells of the importance of passing down knowledge from generation to generation.
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Long ago I learned at my grandmother’s knee
The storylines of our family:
The tales of mischief, the sparkles of fun,
The lore of living passed from one to one,
And in amongst it all the stories of pain,
The children lost and the weeping in vain,
The times of conflict and the battle-worn stain —
All those traditions passed from elders to youth, so that
Each generation holds its piece of the truth.
Long ago I learned at my grandfather’s knee
The storylines of our family:
The ships they came on, the crimes that they’d done,
Enlightened settlers and the black hearts they won,
And in amongst it all, the stories of rue,
The wisdom lost from the fellas who knew,
The social stigma when you’re one of the few —
All those traditions passed from elders to youth, so that
Each generation holds its piece of the truth.
Long ago I learned at my grandparents’ knee
All that would save us was a treaty:
Treaty that honours the peoples of old,
Treaty that values the knowledge they hold,
And in amongst it all the stories of pain,
Of all the massacres again and again,
Of us who set out to extinguish their flame —
All those traditions passed from elders to youth, so that
Each generation holds its piece of the truth.
(Coda)
Treaty that honours the peoples of old,
Treaty that values the knowledge they hold,
And in amongst it all the Dreaming revived,
The stolen children no longer deprived,
The storylines of a people survived —
All those traditions given prominent place, so that
Each generation knows we honour their race.
Dadirri Life Melodies 