Giving women a voice: Christian songs and female expression at Kopiago, Papua New Guinea

Gillespie, Kirsty (2010) Giving women a voice: Christian songs and female expression at Kopiago, Papua New Guinea. Perfect Beat, 11 (1). pp. 7-24.

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Abstract

At Lake Kopiago, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, women’s public music-making is often restricted and men are the most visible performers. However, the introduction of Christianity has seen women become more visible in the musical landscape through their participation in church musical activities. Christian songs learnt by women in church are now spilling over into the secular realm, forming the basis for much community composition. Women are able to directly express their desires, and their anxieties, in music, using these newly introduced musical tools. This paper investigates the processes of women’s composition in these terms, focusing on songs composed and performed by the Duna women of Lake Kopiago, Southern Highlands Province.

Item ID: 47884
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1836-0343
Keywords: Christian music; composition; empowerment; gender; laments; Papua New Guinea; women
Funders: Australian Postgraduate Award, Australian National University (ANU), Australian Research Council (ARC)
Date Deposited: 24 Apr 2017 05:54
FoR Codes: 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1601 Anthropology > 160104 Social and Cultural Anthropology @ 60%
19 STUDIES IN CREATIVE ARTS AND WRITING > 1904 Performing Arts and Creative Writing > 190409 Musicology and Ethnomusicology @ 40%
SEO Codes: 95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9503 Heritage > 950304 Conserving Intangible Cultural Heritage @ 50%
95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9503 Heritage > 950306 Conserving Pacific Peoples Heritage @ 50%
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