Treaty (song)


"Treaty" is a song by Australian musical group Yothu Yindi, which is made up of Aboriginal and balanda members. Released in June 1991, "Treaty" was the first song by a predominantly Aboriginal band to chart in Australia and was the first song in any Aboriginal Australian language to gain extensive international recognition, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play singles charts. The song is in Gumatj, one of the Yolngu Matha dialects and a language of the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in northern Australia.
The song was released three years after the presentation of the Barunga Statement to then-Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Brothers Mandawauy and Galarrwuy Yunupingu wanted to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Australian government.
"Treaty" peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart in September 1991. In May 2001 "Treaty" was selected by the Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. In 2009 "Treaty" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the "most Australian songs of all time", the Filthy Lucre version of "Treaty" was ranked number 10.

Background

In 1988, as part of Bicentennial celebrations, the Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, visited the Northern Territory for the Barunga Festival, where he was presented with a statement of Aboriginal political objectives by Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Wenten Rubuntja, known as the Barunga Statement. Hawke responded to the Barunga Statement with a promise that a treaty would be concluded with Indigenous Australians by 1990.
In 1991, Yothu Yindi were Hughie Benjamin on drums, Sophie Garrkali and Julie Gungunbuy as dancers, Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar, Witiyana Marika on manikay, bilma and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki, Gurrumul Yunupingu on keyboards, guitar and percussion, Makuma Yunupingu on yidaki, vocals, bilma, Mandawuy Yunupingu on vocals and guitar, Mangatjay Yunupingu as a dancer. Mandawuy Yunupingu, with his older brother Galarrwuy, wanted a song to highlight the lack of progress on the treaty between Aboriginal peoples and the federal government. Mandawuy Yunupingu recalls:

Production and release

"Treaty" was written by Australian musician Paul Kelly and Yothu Yindi members Mandawuy Yunupingu, Kellaway, Williams, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mununggurr and Marika and Peter Garrett. The initial in June 1991 release received limited radio and television exposure.

Reception

After the initial release of the song failed to chart, Melbourne-based DJ Gavin Campbell, approached Mushroom Records to create a dance-orientated remix. The Filthy Lucre ] remix was produced without the band's involvement but with the understanding that the Yolngu side of the music would be preserved. The remix not only modified the musical backing but dispensed with the majority of the English language lyrics, with the song sung almost entirely in the Aboriginal language, Gumatj. The Filthy Lucre remix was released in June, entering the charts in July and peaking at No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association singles charts by September, spending a total of 22 weeks in the national charts.
"Treaty" was the first song by a predominantly Aboriginal band to chart in Australia.
Success for the single was transferred to the related album Tribal Voice which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album produced by Mark Moffatt for Mushroom Records was released in September 1991. Mandawuy Yunupingu took leave of absence from his duties as principal to tour and promote the single and album. Other singles from the album were a re-released "Djäpana " which peaked at #13 in 1992 and "Tribal Voice" which didn't reach the Top 50. Both "Treaty" in 1992 and "Djäpana " in 1993 charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play singles charts, with "Treaty" peaking at #6.
"Treaty" peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart in September 1991.
In May 2001 "Treaty" was selected by the Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.
In 2009 "Treaty" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the "most Australian songs of all time", the Filthy Lucre version of "Treaty" was ranked number 10.

Awards

At the APRA Music Awards of 1991, "Treaty" won song of the Year.
At the 1992 ARIA Awards Yothu Yindi won awards for 'Engineer of the Year' for "Maralitja", "Dharpa", "Treaty", "Treaty " and "Tribal Voice" by David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson and Simon Polinski; 'Song of the Year' for "Treaty"; and "Single of the Year" for "Treaty".
In May 2001 "Treaty" was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

Musical style

Musically the song is a mixture of Yolgnu and balanda styles. The timbres of the song include the balanda rock ensemble of electric guitars, keyboard and drumkit, and on occasion balanda voices. The Yolgnu sounds include the lead singer's vocal quality, and the traditional instruments, bilma and yidaki. The song's text is partly in English and partly in Gamatj, and the form of the song, while conforming to the balanda rock structure of verses and choruses with an instrumental break, and the process of intensity through repetition of short motifs, is nevertherless that of a djatpangarri, a form of Yolgnu popular music.
Mandawuy Yunupingu recalled hearing the djantpangarri / djedbangari song "Storm" which originates from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory. He incorporated the beat into the musical composition..

Videos

There were two video clips for "Treaty". The first features footage of the 1988 Barunga Festival where the Barunga Statement is shown in its final stages of preparation, and Prime Minister Hawke is shown participating didjeridu-playing and spear-throwing competitions. As the Barunga Statement is presented to the Prime Minister, he is accompanied by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Gerry Hand. Also included in this first clip are images of the band in concert, and footage from the Gove Peninsula of industrial bauxite mining, ceremonial dancing led by Witiyana in the bush and children dancing on the beach. According to the director, Stephen Johnson, it was never his intention to make a consciously "political" video.
A second clip for "Treaty" was made to accompany the Filthy Lucre remix. It was also directed by Stephen Johnson and dispenses with the overtly political shots of the previous video. The video features images of the band in concert as well as footage from the Gove Peninsula of ceremonial dancing led by Witiyana in the bush, Witiyana and Milkayngu dancing with their instruments on the beach, Mandawuy Yunupingu singing over a blazing fire and children dancing on the beach with portable stereo given to them by Mandawuy Yunupingu.

Track listing

Yothu Yindi original version

  1. "Treaty" – 3:35
  2. "Yolngu Boy" – 4:14

    Filthy Lucre remix version

Australian 12"/CD/Cassette
  1. "Treaty" – 6:52
  2. "Treaty" – 4:08
  3. "Treaty" – 7:30
US CD single
  1. "Treaty" - 4:05
  2. "Treaty" - 6:53
  3. "Treaty" - 5:50
  4. "Treaty" - 3:36
US 12"
  1. "Treaty" - 5:46
  2. "Treaty" - 5:25
  3. "Treaty" - 0:25
  4. "Treaty" - 6:55
  5. "Treaty" - 7:27

    Personnel

Production details