Pasin Tumbuna 

Australian First Nations artists have joined forces with emerging Bougainvillean musicians, aged between 12 and 38 years old, to create a track that celebrates the wisdom of elders.
Pasin Tumbuna (Traditional Ways), released through Wantok Musik, features Adrian Tjupurrula (Tjupurru) Fabila and his son Jake, with 2023 Bougainville Voice X-Plosion contestants, Wenceslaus Getsi Jnr, Samuel Taipiri, Emma Getsi, Esther Kommai, Jenitha Hemison and Solomon Satoriri. Other contributors include Richard Mogu (vocals, bass & drums), David Bridie (keyboards), Melchior Wagum (bamboo flutes & guitars) and Tsarlayse Iamu (vocals).
Recorded in Bougainville in October 2023, and inspired by the NAIDOC Week theme ‘For Our Elders’, the song blends rap and contemporary instruments, sounds from ancestral Bougainville and Aboriginal cultures, and the voices of local elders, Chief Mark Waraka and Chief Philip Buritua. Lyrics were co-written by the Autonomous Bougainville Government Minister for Community Development, Hon. Morris Opeti, Richard Mogu, Tsarlayse Iamu, Jake Fabila and the young musicians.
The 2023 NAIDOC theme struck a chord with the young Bougainvilleans, resulting in a song that celebrates culture and urges young people to continue their traditions proudly into the future.
“We want the next generation to tap into what we’ve learned from our elders and carry on their legacy,” said emerging musician Samuel Taipiri.
Lyrics were co-written by the Autonomous Bougainville Government Minister for Community Development, Honorable Morris Opeti, Richard Mogu, Tsarlayse Iamu, Jake Fabila and the young musicians.
This is the second collaboration between the acclaimed First Nations artists and Bougainvillean youth following the highly successful track Wan Solwara (One Ocean), recorded in 2022 and launched through Wantok Musik last year.
The initiative was organised through Australia’s Development Assistance office in Buka, supported through public diplomacy funds and the Australian funded Bougainville Partnership Youth Initiative, in partnership with the Autonomous Bougainville Government and Wantok Musik.
The track is dedicated to the late Chief Philip Buritoa, whose voice features on the track and who has since passed away.