Song Spirals

Songspirals is a book worth getting to know. An offering from Yolngu First Nations Elders, from Arnhem land in Northern Australia, it is a poetic, practical and reflective account of the practice of keening milkarri, or songspirals. Through the written telling of the song stories, or spirals, these women describe how they are awake to Country – to self-as-Country and to how the singing of songs are embedded in Country, allowing for a deep and regenerating relationality. The practice of singing the songspirals creates, heals, and re-creates Country, and therefore the singers. It’s not exactly a toolkit to teach the uninitiated how to “sing up” Country; rather, the authors are inviting readers to come into a deep listening relationship with Country, to let Country and listener reveal themselves together.