The amount of times I’ve started this article over the last three months is pitiful, but let me explain. I’ve been sifting through my unconscious biases so that what I’m about to say doesn’t offend anyone, and I know I haven’t finished this process yet. Moreover, I don’t want this entry to be a huge self-justifying rant about why I should be allowed to do what I want to do. I want to give people who want to criticise me the freedom to do so. I want to engage in a discussion, and I feel that self-justifying rants are rarely conducive to compassionate dialogue.

The short of it is that I want to study Australian Indigenous music. This inclination is based on some very profound things from anthropology and the media (i.e. the huge social crisis in WA, continued social, economic and political marginalisation of Indigenous Australians) and some perhaps very naive things from my own limited experience (i.e. if everyone participates in music more the world will be a much more peaceful place).

There were a few experiences throughout Honours that really stood out to me to confirm that this is what I want to do, namely a.) some select conversations in and out of the field, and b.)… the application for ethics approval. Yeh, definitely a highlight. But seriously, hear me out.

While in the field I had many discussions with some pretty delightful humans. Somehow, a few of these led to local and international politics, and how Australia and Indonesia differ with regards to their respective indigenous peoples, and there was one recurring question: what about the remote Aboriginal Australians? How do they fare? I remember being ashamed by not only our government’s systematic neglect of Australian Indigenous people but also how little I knew about the whole situation. I wanted to know more.

Back at home in the music department, at lunch, in the office, speaking with friends and lecturers, I gathered the general notion that research in remote Aboriginal Australia was ‘dangerous,’ and ‘challenging,’ and I was ‘brave’ and perhaps a little too ‘innocent’ to wholly take the plunge into this realm and live to tell the tale. These exchanges are somewhat reflective of my experience growing up in a rural town that demonised and pathologised the local Indigenous population. But not only is there resistance from the academy, I’ve felt a certain weariness and mistrust from Indigenous people regarding academic research, and remember that this is a relationship founded on a profound imbalance of power, not to mention the systematic abuse of that power. So, in fairness, I’m slowly beginning to appreciate that some people are not comfortable with these confronting social realities. But for me, it doesn’t feel like an option to sweep it under the proverbial carpet, as there is much work to be done and it’s work that I feel I can do. Besides, there is evidence to suggest that Music NT is providing some innovative and life-changing music promotion and education initiatives in the Northern Territory, but in WA, there simply isn’t as much infrastructure or political interest (i.e. sweet LACUNA).

My final nudge in this direction was sensed while filling out a pretty standard application for ethics approval for my Indonesian research.I came across a question that still resonates with me today: Explain how this research will benefit the community in question. In Indonesia, there are definitely benefits for the community, for example, documentation of musical traditions assists the community in piecing together their own history and traditions. In Australia, however, these benefits are magnified by the element of social distress – there is a sense of urgency to retain aspects of cultural identity for the sake of the mental well-being of the people involved. Many aspects of indigenous life ares at odds with Western culture and economics, to a far greater extent than Indonesia, whose population is made up mostly of people indigenous to the region. In Australia, however, Indigenous people make up less than 3% of the total population, and their history since colonisation is marked by genocide, cultural oppression, political neglect… It is for this reason that research into any form of indigenous music almost necessitates some form of application within the community. I’ve always said I want to do more applied ethnomusicology, and I’d love to put myself in the position where finding solutions to complex social issues is an integral part of the research process. I should probably be in sociology.

To combat my own ignorance, I’ve been researching Indigenous politics and anthropology for the last few months, and I’ve developed an understanding that could only be considered basic for all Australians, especially those who aren’t Indigenous. There are mountains more to learn.

Also, I’m planning a trip to SA/NT/WA very soon. Stay tuned, invisible follower base.