On the Tiwi Islands, women part of The Ngarukuruwala Women's Group have been singing and composing songs since childhood.

These songs capture stories of the islands, their culture and their ancestors.

In Tiwi culture, these songs and traditions are how they preserve and uphold their language and cultural identity.

For the first time, these songs have been recorded in the form of a new book, Murli La.

The Ngarukuruwala Women's Group, made up of women in their 60s, 70s and 80s have been friends all their lives and grew up on Bathurst Island in the Tiwi Islands.

Together alongside Genevieve Campbell, they put together this book in both Tiwi and English.

One of the women part of the Ngarukuruwala Women's Group, Jacinta Tipungwuti said singing has always been a momentous part of their lives.

"We always have to sing for ceremony, for funerals, for family," she said.

"I know those old melodies from the past and we keep singing them because they tell us where we come from.

"We all have different versions, different songs, for all our families and countries."

Published by Hardie Grant in collaboration with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a QR code allows readers the opportunity to listen to the songs while they read.

Ms Campbell met the Ngarukuruwala Women's Group in 2007 and founded Ngarukuruwala, a combination of Tiwi and non-Tiwi musicians to compose and record Tiwi songs.

This led to her helping the Ngarukuruwala Women's Group keep a record of these songs.

"For about fifteen years I've been writing down the words because the ladies wanted to keep a record of the old song language that was held in the minds of the oldest singers," she said.

"They were conscious of the need to learn from them so they could pass them on in their own songs.

"About five years ago we first discussed the idea of bringing the songs together and translating them into English to create a resource for their community."

The title of the book Murli La, is one of the most well-known songs, derived from old love songs of the past.

Readers might recognise the song as the ladies of the Ngarukuruwala Women's Group sang it in film Top End Wedding.

At the heart of this book, was the desire to ensure these songs lived on for the years to come.

One of the women, Molly Munkura said one day the future generation will join them.

"It is important that we keep singing as a group of strong women," she said.

"We are getting older now but we always have good times together when we perform and young people might join us and take over one day and the stories will keep on going."

Murli La was released January 4 and is available for purchase through the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.