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'"Treaty” was composed by Yothu Yindi in collaboration with Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil to protest against the failure of the Australian Government to honour the Prime Minister's promise to Indigenous Australians.
'Dr M Yunupingu's comments about this song:
'"This song was written after Bob Hawke, in his famous response to the Barunga Statement (1988), said there would be a Treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Australian Government by 1990. The intention of this song was to raise public awareness about this so that the government would be encouraged hold to his promise. The song became a number-one hit, the first ever to be sung in a Yolu language, and caught the public's imagination. Though it borrows from rock 'n' roll, the whole structure of “Treaty” is driven by the beat of the djatpangarri that I've incorporated in it. It was an old recording of this historic djatpangarri that triggered the song's composition. The man who originally created it was my gurru (maternal great-grandmother's husband) and he passed away a long time ago in 1978. He was a real master of the djatpangarri style."' [source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/06/03/read-lyrics-yothu-yindi-song-treaty ]
Production Details
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- Engineer - David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson, Simon Polinski
- Producer - Mark Moffatt
- Remixers - Robert Goodge, Gavin Campbell, Paul Main (Filthy Lucre version)
- Engineer - David Price, Ted Howard, Greg Henderson, Simon Polinski
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Why I 'still' Hear It on the Radio and I 'still' See It on the Television : Treaty and the Uluru Statement from the Heart
2022
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues , June vol. 25 no. 1-2 2022; (p. 3-21)'Just over thirty years ago, the song Treaty by Yothu Yindi topped the Australian charts. Treaty was the first pop song written by an Aboriginal artist to chart in Australia and the first to include Yolŋu Matha language. The song's political message is clear: it laments the government's failure to deliver a treaty as described in the Barunga Statement and calls for a negotiated treaty to recognise Indigenous sovereignty and improve relationships between Indigenous peoples and government. Thirty years after Yothu Yindi's song, talk about treaty continues, now focused on the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. This paper briefly explores the history of treaty discussions in Australia and considers the implications of the three milestones outlined in the Uluru Statement: Voice, Treaty and Truth. The author joins the growing calls for action and proposes that all Australians need to be involved in pushing for constitutional change, which will enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament. Australians cannot stand by and let political inaction stall the process for another 30 years.'(Publication abstract)
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Treaty Is More Than a White Feelgood Moment
2018
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column
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 20 May vol. 28 no. 10 2018; (p. 35-37)'Early in the night at the 2018 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party, DJ Gemma dropped the Yothu Yindi classic 'Treaty'. All around me the mostly non-Indigenous crowd responded to the driving beats, the unmistakeable sound of the yidaki, and the call of the late M. Yunipingu's distinctive voice.' (Introduction)
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25 Years of Treaty
2017
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— Appears in: Koori Mail , 13 December no. 666 2017; (p. 37)'The Yothu Yindi Treaty project marks the 25th anniversary of the ARIA winning Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix.) There's also seven fresh remixes, including a hip hop version featuring rising Yolngu star Baker Boy and Dhapanbal Yunupingu, the daughter of the late Dr M Yunupingu, and a techno house version, to be released in the new year.'
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25 Years On, Treaty Still Rocks
2017
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— Appears in: Koori Mail , 13 December no. 666 2017; (p. 5)'No doubt about it, more than 25 years on and Yothu Yindi's protest anthem Treaty is every bit as current as the day it was written, and as popular with audiences as when it burst onto the charts in 1991.'
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Celebrating the Songs of Australia’s Civil Rights Movement
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 18 January 2017; 'For two hours at Bennelong Point on Tuesday night, the Sydney Opera House rang out with songs of hope, empowerment, and freedom.'
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Recognition Plea as Yothu Yindi Joins Hall of Fame
2012
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— Appears in: The Australian , 30 November 2012; (p. 3) -
Hall of Fame First, Now Yunupingu Looks Ahead
2012
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— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 30 November 2012; (p. 3) -
Yunupingu Voices Hope for Constitution Change
2012
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— Appears in: The Age , 30 November 2012; (p. 9) -
Frontman : Treaty, Yeah?
2013
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— Appears in: Art Monthly Australia , November no. 265 2013; (p. 41-42) -
Treaty by Yothu Yindi – A Trojan Horse in the Culture Wars
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 3 March 2015;