Karen indigenous music and dance learning in an Australian non-formal context: A case study in maintenance and transmission

Abstract

This study examines the viability of transmission and maintenance of Karen indigenous music and dance in an Australian non-formal context. Qualitative in design, the research comprised an ethnographic case study of an indigenous music and dance transmission situation (a series of five music and dance workshops) implemented in a non-formal community context in Western Sydney. Participants were a Karen cultural expert in music and dance, four Karen teacher participants and 14 Karen youth student participants. The researcher, as performance participant and participant observer, collected the data through field observation and video recording of the workshops, as well as semi-structured interviews that were conducted with the cultural expert, teacher participants, and the student participants. The first of its kind among the Karen community in Australia, the study explored the viability and means of transmission and maintenance of Karen indigenous music and dance through the involvement of Karen culture bearers and Karen youth. The study explored the views of the cultural expert and the various other culture bearers on Karen music and dance teaching and learning processes, as well as the motivation and learning styles of its student participants. Based on understandings of transmission processes operating in Burma and in the Thai-Burma border refugee camps that emerged during the study, the research revealed the need for evolving modified transmission processes for the diasporic context. The study raised many questions and highlighted culturally sensitive issues, ultimately indicating that the symbolic significance of the project as an initiative outweighed the pedagogical outcomes of the actual workshops.