Djangirrawuy Garawirrtja documents sacred sites sung in Yolŋu traditions recorded at Luŋgutja in NE Arnhem Land. Photo: A. Corn, 2005.

The vision for the ‘National Recording Project for Indigenous Performance in Australia’ (NRP) is to systematically record and document the unique and endangered performance traditions of Indigenous Australia.

Through this process, it will assist in the development of Indigenous Knowledge Centres and similar digital archives as primary repositories for locally recorded and documented materials, and a secure national repository in which copies of all data generated can be archived.

The simplicity and accessibility of digital technologies today are changing relationships between performers, scholars and archivists in ways that empower Indigenous communities to determine how their unique performance traditions are recorded, documented and accessed in light of international best practice.

Rather than being driven by academic agendas, all recording and documentation under this project will be directed by local elders and driven by local priorities.

Primary responsibility for the management of archived data will reside with Indigenous Knowledge Centres and similar digital archives with assistance from partner organisations.

Charles Darwin University and the Northern Territory Library will work with Indigenous communities to develop training programs that will enable local recording, documentation and archiving initiatives.

Field testing of project protocols has been undertaken through two pilot studies, and affiliated projects in Arnhem Land, the Daly River District, the Tanami Desert and the Victoria River District.

The vital need for the NRP is discussed by Dr Aaron Corn in Music Forum, February 2007; PDF (269 KB).