Warlungka: Language Lived Through Song

Featuring Rayella and the children of Elliott School and Newcastle Waters School! This film details how Rayella and the Marlinja community are maintaining their Mudburra language through contemporary music. Rayella come from a long line of musical history. Raymond Dixon was a guitarist with the Kulimindini Band who released three successful albums throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. Ray’s daughter and lead singer, Eleanor Dixon, was raised during this era and as a result of a rich musical upbringing has been singing for most of her life. Their lyrics, sung in Mudburra, deliver a journey into the heartbeat of Australia’s centre and are filled with tales of life and history from the Indigenous Mudburra people’s homeland. The film follows Rayella teaching Mudburra children their song Warlungka which is a meta-lesson on Aboriginal learning styles. It also features interviews with Eleanor and Raymond Dixon on their approaches to language revitalisation and music.