A season for busking: children's book inspires song
As the Yawuru language teacher at Western Australia's Cable Beach Primary School in Broome, it's also her passion and responsibility to pass this knowledge down to the next generation
While students love these lessons, she and the other teachers she works with often struggle to find books and other resources to use.
"So they thought, 'let's make it ourselves'," Ms Pigrim Ross told AAP.
"They did beautiful block painting to reflect the six Yawuru seasons and the deep knowledge Yawuru people have for following the signs and telling us what season we're in."
With Ms Pigram Ross guiding the cultural and language components, the book Country Tells Us When was published by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation in 2023.
While the text was first intended to be a resource for the Cable Beach school community, she says it's had a "ripple effect".
Now, children from across the country will be learning a song inspired by the award-winning book as part of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation's Busking for Change Initiative.
The song, co-written by musician Josh Pyke, rapper and drummer DOBBY and children's entertainer Justine Clarke, embodies the story of Country, and features Yawuru language.
"Country is our oldest family member," Ms Pigram Ross said.
"The song reflects that Country is our book and our teacher to be able to help guide us through the changing seasons."
While turning a book into a song was not an easy task, it was a rewarding process Rhyan Clapham, also known as DOBBY, said.
The song has been recorded by Tehya Makani - a Yawuru actor and singer and Ms Pigram Ross' niece.
Working with Ms Makani and Ms Pigram Ross was a vital part of the process, DOBBY said.
"It contains beautiful, enriching information about their Country, so it has to be told by someone from that Country who belongs to and relates back to there," the Ngemba and Murrawarri man said.
The goal in 2025 is for 100 schools to get involved in Busking for Change and raise $80,000 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Indigenous Literacy Foundation ambassador and educator Shelley Ware said the money raised helps children access books, and see themselves in the stories they read.
"We're looking at the rich knowledge held on Country and put it into a book to help children in schools connect to that, and children in these communities see themselves reflected," she said.
"It spreads a lot of knowledge around not only Australia but these books are going worldwide, and it's helping people see the value of our beautiful people and our cultures."
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The Advertiser
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