The University of the Sunshine Coast is reshaping its graduation ceremonies with a new composition that honours Indigenous traditions.
The university's previous music, a classical Danish piece, will be replaced by 'Oro Yarta Milyarra', meaning 'Northwind Country Ceremony,' composed by Narungga/Adnyamamathanha and Saibai man, Uncle Kevin Starkey.
The piece incorporates ancient and modern replicas of traditional instruments, such as the yidaki (didgeridoo), and was created following extensive consultations with First Nations communities.
Uncle Kevin, a University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) Senior Fellow and renowned figure in the music industry, expressed the deep significance of the music in the context of ceremony and the passing on of knowledge.
"Since the dawn of time, music has been used to mark the handing down of knowledge," he said.
"Our oral practice is, really, no different to the way we do it at universities – you become a recipient of knowledge, are awarded, and accredited to hand that knowledge on."
The piece, designed to connect graduates to the knowledge-gatherers of the past, was inspired by sounds from multiple Indigenous communities.
Uncle Kevin described how the creation process involved listening to songs and sounds from the Torres Strait, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia.
"I want them to feel connected, emotional, excited, engaged," he said.
"I want it to be a piece of music they will go away and remember it was for them. Delivered for them."
UniSC Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Bartlett welcomed the change, noting the significance of this shift for the university's diverse community.
"As a modern University representing a diverse community, and with campuses based across the traditional lands of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it's most fitting to commission this music honouring the deep history of the lands on which we live, work and study," Professor Bartlett said.
The new song will play during the academic procession, when university leaders and teachers enter the ceremony in traditional academic dress.
For Uncle Kevin, the music not only marks academic achievement but also reinforces a cultural connection.
"Music has been an integral part of our cultural practices since time began," he said.
"It's our way of learning, of communication. Our form of mapping and movement.
"It's an entity deeply entwined with our culture at every aspect."
