Desert Sevenz 'Two Wayz'

This song was created as part of a four week Desert Pea Media mentoring program in the remote desert community of Ampilatwatja in Australia's Northern Territory in 2013.
A partnership between DPM and Barkly Shire CDEP, the project focused on two major programs in Alyawarr Country - Wutunugurra and Ampilatwatja NT, spanning two months in total.
The outcomes will be released in October 2013 on an limited release EP/DVD publication titled 'The Alyawarr Sessions', which will be circulated around Alyawarr communities free of charge. The package includes a 16 page booklet that documents the community songwriting process, and some cultural information about the focus areas.
Here is a section of text from the booklet focusing on this particular production -
The people of the Alyawarr Aboriginal language group have lived on the edge of the Simpson Desert in the Northern Territory for thousands of generations. Alyawarr language is spoken north west of Alice Springs, in the Utopia homelands, Ammaroo (Ampilatwatja), Wutunugurra (Epenarra), Murray Downs, Alekarenge, Canteen Creek, Alpurruralum (Lake Nash) and also Tennant Creek.
The Alyawarr belief system comes from a complex network of story, song, dance, place, family and a deep connection to country. Storytelling has always been an intrinsic part of Alyawarr culture.
The Desert Sevenz are a group of 10-15 local Ampilatwatja men, who take their name from a particularly dangerous traditional weapon. A 'seven' is a boomerang carved from the strongest hardwood in the rough shape of the number 7, and is used by men during conflict and ceremony.
When working with the Desert Sevenz, as with all the other community groups we work with, DPM aimed to:
1. Use words, music and images to create a dialogue and look at solutions to local social and cultural issues;
2. Train participants in community engagement, leadership and media production; and
3. Create an inclusive community production to inspire and empower.
Desert Pea Media follows a grassroots cultural process. In the first few days in Ampilatwatja with the Desert Sevenz, we sat with a number of local elders and community leaders, and made time to explain our business.
Several senior community members spoke passionately about education and culture. They were encouraging of the need for regular school attendance for young people, but also identified the equal need for cultural education in a young person's development, (ie. bush skills, song and dance and personal cultural identity). They called it 'Two Ways".
In the DPM-led workshops that followed these meetings with elders and community leaders, the young participants recounted their experiences, and their regrets about not attending school regularly in their past. This inconsistent school attendance has created issues in the community with literacy and English skills and, as a result, a general lack of confidence in communicating with non-Indigenous people.
The song 'Two Wayz' is a message to young Alyawarr people to find balance in your life, and make the right decisions for your future.
Produced and Directed by Toby Finlayson
Written by Toby Finlayson, Joel 'Roc West' Westlake and Josh Nocholas
Music written and produced by Joel 'Roc West' Westlake and Josh Nicholas
Music video shot, directed and edited by Toby Finlayson
2nd camera cperator - Josh Nicholas
Audio Mixing/ Mastering by David Nicholas
Motion Graphics by Roy Weiland