Kwobidak Balladong Boodja | Noongar Lullabies from Northam
Kwobidak Balladong Boodja is a compilation of original lullabies that capture the koort, moort and kalyakool (heart, family and legacy) of Noongar families in Northam, in the Avon Valley of Western Australia.
Under the gentle guidance of award-winning artists Phil Bartlett and Cyndy Moody, Noongar community members came together to share Noongar language and learn songwriting techniques.
Once everyone had crafted their songs, participants recorded their lullabies in a pop-up studio at Northam Primary School, with additional musical production by the Lullabies team - Cyndy, Phil and Sean Lillico.
Lullabies is produced by Community Arts Network in collaboration with Noongar families and is supported through the Australian Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts program.
Read the Songbook!
The Kwobidak Balladong Boodja Songbook accompanies the beautiful album of lullabies. Each song is translated from Noongar to English and includes chords for you to play along at home.
CAN prints a very limited edition run of songbooks to share with the wider community. If you would like your very own copy of the songbook, please send an email to admin@can.org.au
Otherwise the songbook is available digitally for you to download and share. Follow the below link to get your copy.
Meet the Lullabies Team
Meet the incredible team behind CAN's Noongar Lullabies Program, Elly Jones, Cyndy Moody and Phil Bartlett.
Elly Jones
Program Manager
Cyndy Moody
Lullabies Facilitator
Phil Bartlett
Composer and Musician
Credits
Thank you to everyone who made this project possible - the dedicated participants, the incredibly talented artists and our local supporters.
Language Facilitator
Cyndy Moody
Composer and Musician
Phil Bartlett
CAN Program Coordinator
Elly Jones
Recording and Mixing Engineer
Sean Lillico
Mastering Engineer
James Newhouse
Written Noongar Language References
Whitehurst, R (1997) Noongar Dictionary, Noongar Language and Cultural Centre, East Perth.
Bindon, P and Chadwick, R (eds) (2012) A Nyoongar wordlist: from the south-west of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, Perth.
Gregory S (ed) (2020) Noongar Language Dictionary, Koort Kadak Consultancy, Fremantle.
Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management (2018) Ballardong Noongar Waangkany: Ballardong Noongar Dictionary, Wheatbelt NRM, Northam.
Local Supporters
Avonvale Primary School and KindiLink Bilya Koort Boodja
Northam PCYC
Northam Primary School
Northam Senior High School
Shire of Northam
Wanslea - Keedac
West Northam Primary School Wheatbelt Aboriginal Health Service Wheatbelt Mental Health Service
