This release is a way for us to share 'Our Island' beyond the song, its 60-page booklet gives full lyric translations along with artists' insights into their songs, and illustrations of the artists created from cultural elements and nature grant us a pathway to explore their cultural perspectives. With a hands-on meditation of creating your own globe, ‘Our Island’ is in your hands.
‘Our Island’ was recorded remotely from our island homes. Many of us have never met in person, we are yet to discover if we have legs. Online we shared our stories, songs, concerns and loves, usually interrupted by Sammy’s spontaneous Kabosy solos, Putad, Vaiteani & Luc’s children or our internet freezing again (even in the tropics!).
We could support each other in our concerns for our planet, we know at times these feelings are overwhelming, that’s a healthy response, but know you are not alone, there are many sharing these feelings. We are a part of a movement, a momentum for cultural change which puts our relationship to our planet at its core.
Available at our concerts, bandcamp & our website.
#1 Trans Global Music Chart 2022 Feb
Nominated - 2022 Golden Melody Awards TAIWAN - Best Indigenous Album & Album of the Year
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about
From Emlyn -
Our ancestry is the seed of our life, it's something
we carry in our blood whether we want it or not. Today
we can only imagine how it was like to live through
the hardship of slavery, so we should always keep in
memory the struggle they went through for us to be
free today.
Some of the slaves rebelled, escaped and died.
Others endured the pain and tried their best to survive
through colonisation. In this song I give them gratitude
and remember the sacrificed heroes. This theme also
resonates with other cultures and tribes across the
world that went through colonisation. That is why
Listwar Zanset united Putad and me, along with Selina
and all the other musicians that played on the song.
from Putad
When I heard the story of why Emlyn wrote
Listwar Zanset, it reminded me how my ancestors
were treated. Although we don’t have the history
of slavery but we were banned from speaking our
Amis language, many of our traditional songs were
lost, and our custodial land was stolen from us. I
am not only talking about the past. The eagerness
for freedom that Emlyn expressed in the song really
spoke to me.
I responded to Emlyn by adding choruses about
our people and it became a song for me that, although
we speak about different topics and experiences,
we're sharing our past that cannot be ignored, and
when we learn from the past, we see the path forward.
Once I took part in a court case fighting to save our
Amis coastline — the place that I grew up, where I surf
and swim, and we won. Our ocean is beautiful. I hope
my son, my daughter, my grandson and granddaughter
from Selina
I am acknowledging the land, the people and
their ancestors. I came to this statement reflecting
on the Marshallese Proverb taught to me by my
grandparents. The statement translates to ‘the turning
of the tides’. My grandparents taught me that the tides
are blessings for our people, because they bring the
gifts and treasures that we need to sustain ourselves.
They taught that it is important to give back, that is
what we must do, because we would not be here today
if it wasn't for those gifts and treasures — how will our
actions and our decisions affect those around us? As
indigenous people we acknowledge our ancestors our
land, because it is from them that we get our identity,
and it was very important that this be acknowledged
in this song.
lyrics
Originally sung by Emlyn in Creole of Mauritius
Sometimes I think about
How bad things were in these days
Chained up from morning till night
Treated as animals by the colonizers..
No, we should not forget
All those who fought for their freedom
They just wanted to be free
They fought for their freedom
And for us to be free today
... They just wanted to be free...
to be free... to be free..
Originally sung by Putad in Amis of Taiwan
Such a beautiful place.
They took it away.
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t understand”
Learn our language
Even at the end we have nothing left
I believe the land and ocean will protect us
We are going to be part of Kawas (the
ancestral spirit)
Originally spoken by Selina in Marshallese of Marshall Islands & English
The ancestors
Our islands/lands
Land
Their people displaced,
Their lands taken,
My lands, drowning
credits
from Our Island,
track released January 28, 2022
English title — History of our ancestors
Composition — Emlyn & Putad
Arrangement — Tim Cole
MAURITIUS: Emlyn — Lead Vocals, Ravann, Triangle, Sanza, Pistas/ Kokol — Ravann, Backing vocals/ Kan Chan Kin — Ravann
TAIWAN: Putad — Lead Vocals/ Sauljaljui — Moon Lute
MADAGASCAR: Sammy — Vocals, Valiha
TAHITI & FRANCE: Luc Totterwitz — Electric Guitar
PAPUA NEW GUINEA & AUSTRALIA: Airileke — Kundu & Warup drums
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Selina Leem — Spoken word
AUSTRALIA: Tim Cole — Korg MS20 & ANA 2 Soft Synthesisers
NATURE SOUND: Wind recorded at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai’i/ Distant ocean, Mauritius
Produced, Arranged & Mixed by Tim Cole.
Managed by BaoBao Chen
I love these women. the voices mesh together perfectly; also the world music is exceptional. I have all of their albums and they're all excellent. Give them a listen. Steve Lake
