It’s an ancient song – now all Gold Coast parents can sing it

For the first time, an ancient lullaby has been passed down from indigenous Elders to all Gold Coast mothers – to “sing alive” a sacred songline together. Listen to the song

An ancient lullaby, softly sung by mothers to their babies over untold millennia, has been revived for a new generation of parents on the Gold Coast.

As the sun sets over Gold Coast University Hospital, the children of the Yugambeh Youth Choir “sing alive” a once-forgotten sacred songline.

“Yinala, yina-yinala,” they sing to soft piano. “Ning, ning.”

The rapt crowd replies: “Shhh.”

The words are a gift for every newborn baby – Indigenous or not – born within the hospital’s wards.

The Yugambeh Youth Choir singing an ancient lullaby. Picture: Amaani Siddeek

For 26 years, Kombumerri elder and songwoman Dr Candace Kruger has been unearthing and reviving Kombumerri songlines and language alongside Kombumerri musician and producer Lann Lavinge.

As a spoken language, she explained, songlines are the “holders of knowledge”.

“We sing ‘budjai, budjai’ to our babies. It means the happy flock of birds that fly over, carrying your dreams as they go,” she said.

“This lullaby gives us that knowledge. That ‘Yinala’ means to rest well, to sleep well and that we ‘cuddle, cuddle’ and ‘kiss, kiss’ our children to go to sleep.”

GCUH is the first hospital in Queensland to be “gifted” the Yugambeh Lullaby in honour of National Reconciliation Week 2023. Hospitals in Logan and Beaudesert will also be given the lullaby.

GCUH clinical nurse consultant for Waijungbah Jarjums Nicole Tukana said the lullaby was about connecting to culture.

“It doesn’t matter if our families aren’t from the traditional owners from this country, but they are born on this country,” she said.

Kombumerri Elder and Songwoman Dr Candace Kruger at the official launch of the Yugambeh Lullaby. Picture: Remco Jansen (Supplied)

Waijungbah Jarjums is an indigenous midwifery program that ensures “mob looks after mob” Ms Tukana said.

But she said the song was about ensuring all Gold Coast mothers and babies were “included” in culture.

“It’s beautiful to have that connection. To pass that on to the next generations for them to keep,” she said.

It is the hope of Kombumerri Elder Dr Kruger that, years into the future, babies born in the hospital grow to sing this song to their own children.

“To sing in ‘yarabinda’ – to hold your baby and sing over them in your arms.”

National Reconciliation Week runs until June 3.