NGAMAKA, a song acknowledging the fish kills and destruction of country by local Barkindji/Malyangaapa musician Leroy Johnson and Barkindji rapper Barkaa, was released this week, alongside a music video shot throughout the Far West.
The collaboration saw nationally recognized musician Barkaa sample Johnson’s song Nhampaa Buka, which translates to “dead bony bream”, and grieves the loss of millions of fish, in particular Bony Bream, in recent mass fish kill events in the Menindee Lakes.
“It’s about the fish kills,” Johnson said. “Most of those 20 million fish were bony bream, and that’s our totem, you know.”
Johnson said the collaboration came about after a chance run-in with Chloe Quayle (Barkaa) at an exhibition opening in Sydney.
“I went to Sydney to play at Uncle Badger and Justine Muller’s exhibition about Baaka, the Forgotten River. It was opening in Sydney at the museum,” he said.
“I didn’t know that Barkaa was playing the opening too. So, we went and Chloe’s mother said ‘you fellas should do something together’.”
Johnson said he sent his song Nhaampa Buka to Quayle and received a song back.
“They sampled it in their song, Ngamaka, and it was just deadly,” he said.
Johnson said that Quayle is part of the same mob and was close friends with his niece when they were younger.
“Chloe and my niece used to knock around when they were younger,” he said.
“It’s no secret that Chloe battled with addiction back in the day and went to jail and all that, and that’s where she met my niece, they were in jail together, and then they found out they were cousins.”
Quayle travelled to the Far West region to film the Ngamaka music video on country last month, filming in Menindee, Wilcannia and Mutawintji with Johnson.
“We only had two days to do it, so we had to get as many sunrises and sunsets as possible,” Johnson said.
“That’s what really highlights the country out here.”
In Wilcannia, local kids were featured in the music video.
“Lots of the kids came down to see what was going on, and we were able to put a heap of them in the music video which was special,” Johnson said.
“My son was with me for the Easter holidays, so he and his cousins were dancing there on the riverbank in Wilcannia.”
Johnson said Ngamaka, which translates to “mother”, is a song about looking after the planet, and the music video highlights the natural landscapes of Barkindji country.
“I think you can see the beauty of our whole country in this video,” he said.
“The song is about the destruction of our land, and the video shows the beauty of it. I think it’s a good contrast because you’re seeing what we need to protect.”
He said working with Quayle was a privilege and the result is a song he’s proud of.
“We’re so different; different music; different generations,” he said.
“But it’s so good to get together and come up with something really, really special.”
