This year, NAIDOC Week is dedicated to the significant role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia.
In the desert of Central Australia, women are the main keepers of language, cultural continuity and sacred traditions.
Their songs reflect the relationship of the people to the land and the experiences of past generations.
When the German missionaries arrived in the late 19th century near Alice Springs they introduced new songs to the local communities.
The most famous of all Christmas songs in the German language is Silent Night.
A century later the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir continues to sing it in perfect German.
Morris Stuart, the Artistic Director and Conductor of the choir, says singing was the bridge between the European missionaries and the First Australians.
