Pemulwuy with Treble

Pemulwuy was first commissioned by the Woden Valley Youth Choir under the direction of Alpha Gregory, and made it’s world premiere just near Parliament House in Canberra in 2006.  The Birralee Blokes won the ABC choir of the year award singing a rousing version of Pemulwuy which has gone on to inspire the National Male Voice Festival of the same name. Now, every three years, hundreds of men and boys gather together with pride to sing this piece. 

Pemulwuy was born approximately 1756 somewhere near where Homebush Bay is now. He belongs to the Bidjigal Clan of the Eora nation. The city of Sydney is built upon his land. The initial creation of Sydney took place during the last fourteen years of Pemulwuy’s life. “The legend of Pemulwuy is part of the belief system and oral history of the Aboriginal people of east coast Australia. It is also part of the history of all modern Australians.” (Eric Willmot)

Pemulwuy means ‘man of the earth’ and he is known as the Rainbow Warrior. His totem was the crow. From 1790 to his death in 1802, Pemulwuy led the Eora people in a major response to the British invasion of Australia. The Aboriginal resistance ‘was said to be broken’ in 1805, when Pemulwuy’s son, Tedbury was captured and became the first Australian prisoner of war. This resistance, and indeed Pemulwuy’s very existence was mostly disregarded in records made at the time. To this day, little is written of Pemulwuy in history books.

Pemulwuy witnessed the destruction of the Eora world. His campaign against the invading British lasted 12 years, but his strongest enemy was in fact disease, which wiped out many Indigenous people. Pemulwuy’s life was taken during a simple ambush. Pemulwuy’s head was place in a jar and sent to England aboard the ship, Speedy. To this day it has not been returned, but in recent years attempts by the Royal Family and Sydney Elders have been made to bring Pemulwuy back home.

This piece is dedicated to Eric Willmot for his novel ‘Pemulwuy’.

Chris Kiver conducting the finale of the Pemulwuy Male Voice Festival 2011

Sample recording from ABC Choir of the Year the Birralee Blokes, conducted by Paul Holley

 

Theme

Duration 4:00
Key B minor
Range Standard for all voices
More info Also available with strings SATB, SSATB, SA, SSA and TTBB
Price AU$3.00 per copy

Lyrics

Lyrics by Paul Jarman
With Bidjigal Words

Woyan Camya, Yanada rising.

Where the night winds howl the crow is flying
When the moon appears hear the raven call
Where smoke is rising the crow is waiting
When fires burn hear the raven cry

Where the Bidjigal roam the crow is guarding
When the spirits wail hear the raven call
Where the clans unite the crow is leading
When Eora charge hear the raven cry

Pemulwuy, Pemulwuy!

Where the rum corps brawl the crow is scathing
When the convicts scream hear the raven call
Where farms are torched the crow is blazing
When the settlers flee hear the raven cry

Woyan Camya!

Where the enemy strikes the crow is immortal
When the muskets roar hear the raven call
Where the military fall the crow is rising
When the war unfolds hear the raven cry

They have come to take this land
Something we will never understand
Fighting for it seems so wrong
We don’t own the land, we just belong

This is what we’ve known since the dreamtime
We have the right to believe
Eora, Darug, Tharawal, don’t ever give up hope

Woyan Camya
Pemulwuy, Pemulwuy
Hear the raven cry!

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