Woven Together in Song: Collaborative Knowledge and the Creativity of Raypirri’

ABSTRACT This dialogue between Wägilak ceremonial leader Daniel Wilfred and academic Samuel Curkpatrick explores the Yolŋu concepts of raki’ (string), raypirri’ (respect, discipline) and wetj (gift) as they relate to cross cultural understanding and collaborative performance. The ancestral raki’ twines different generations together in song and is strengthened through raypirri’, by which ancestral identities are extended as wetj to a new generation. Through these themes, we consider the role of manikay (public ceremonial song) in the formation of knowledge and responsibility, and the composition of yuta manikay (new songs) through collaborative engagements with the Australian Art Orchestra. By drawing together numerous exchanges between the authors during research activities, teaching and other personal discussions in 2021–22, we emphasise relational textures within Yolŋu epistemology and show how understanding develops through creativity and growth.