Kimberly elder brings music to the Hill

FIRST Nations blues singer and activist Kankawa Nagarra will be performing at the Old Church on the Hill this Sunday.

The 77-year-old Wankatjanka elder from the a remote part of the Kimberly battled through recent flooding in the region to make it to Bendigo for this weekend’s performance.

During her concert you can expect to hear songs in First Nations languages like Walmatjarri, Bunaba, Gooniyandi, as well as Kimberly Creole and English.

Nagarra will also share stories from her life as well as poetry that accompanies her music.

The First Nations elder has lived as a traditional nomad in the Kimberly, through what some describe as the injustice of cattle station slavery, and toured overseas as a cast member of a Hugh Jackman fronted Broadway show.

She also helped with the creation of the Walmatjarri dictionary, has supported research into and the understanding of foetal alcohol spectrum syndrome, and seeks to raise awareness surrounding alcohol abuse.

Much of her life has been included in her 2015 autobiography The Bauhinia Tree that was co-released with the album Heroes & Laments: Walmatjarri Stories.

Joining Nagarra will be her head bagman and apprentice singer, Archer, and you can catch them this Sunday, 12 February at 4.30pm.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at humanitix.com.