Bougainville - Pasin Tumbuna

Pasin Tumbuna (Traditional Ways) is a moving, joyful celebration of the rich culture of the people of Bougainville, featuring a unique blend of traditional and contemporary instruments, including bamboo pipes and didjeribone.

Pasin Tumbuna is a collaboration between Adrian Tjupurrula (Tjupurru) Fabila, his son Jake Fabila, and a group of emerging musicians from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville: Wenceslaus Getsi Jnr, Samuel Taipiri, Emma Getsi, Esther Kommai, Jenitha Hemison and Solomon Satoriri.

In October 2023, Adrian and Jake travelled to Bougainville to work with the winners of the Bougainville Voice X-Plosion competition, a youth music contest.

Tjupurru and Jake are Djabera Djabera people of the West Australian Kimberley.

Tjupurru was born in Port Moresby and has family connections to Central Province and Bougainville. They worked closely with the emerging Bougainvillean musicians to write and record the song, alongside other contributors including Richard Mogu (vocals, bass & drums), David Bridie (keyboards), Melchior Wagum (bamboo flutes & guitars) and Tsarlayse Iamu (vocals).

Inspired by the 2023 NAIDOC Week theme ‘For Our Elders’, the song blends rap and contemporary instruments, sounds from ancestral Bougainville and Aboriginal cultures, and the voices of local elders, Chief Mark Waraka and the late Chief Philip Buritoa.

The 2023 NAIDOC theme struck a chord with the young Bougainvilleans, resulting in a song that celebrates culture and urges young people to continue their traditions proudly into the future.

“We want the next generation to tap into what we’ve learned from our elders and carry on their legacy,” said emerging musician Samuel Taipiri.

Lyrics were co-written by the Autonomous Bougainville Government Minister for Community Development, Honorable Morris Opeti, Richard Mogu, Tsarlayse Iamu, Jake Fabila and the young musicians.

This is the second collaboration between the acclaimed First Nations artists and Bougainvillean youth following the highly successful track Wan Solwara (One Ocean), recorded in 2022 and launched through Wantok Musik last year.

The initiative was organised through Australia’s Development Assistance office in Buka, supported through public diplomacy funds and the Australian funded Bougainville Partnership Youth Initiative, in partnership with the Autonomous Bougainville Government and Wantok Musik.

The track is dedicated to the late Chief Philip Buritoa, whose voice features on the track and who has since passed away.
credits
released July 4, 2024
Recorded by:
Melchior Wagum (Backstage Studios) and Dave Walker (Wantok Musik)

'Pasin Tumbana' Collaboration Producers:
Bougainville - Backstage Studios, Melchior Wagum with guest Producer Richard Magu
Bougainville - Wantok Musik, David Bridie and Dave Walker
Australia - Wantok Musik, mixed and mastered by Simon Polanski