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‘The tapestry of our lives is all woven together’: Anu on her new album, which pays homage to her grandfather’s lineage. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian
But it has taken the best part of another 30 years for Anu to make an album that fully reflects her heritage and status: her mother is from Saibai, just south of Papua New Guinea; her late father is from Mabuiag in central Torres Strait. The resulting record, Waku – Minaral A Minalay, includes many songs originally written by her grandfather, Nadi.
“Waku” refers to the pandanus mats that, for Torres Strait Islanders, signify a life’s journey from cradle to grave, Anu says, and their construction is a metaphor for family and community. “Minaral” means colours, “minalay” patterns. “It’s like the tapestry of our lives is all woven together,” Anu says. “It’s not just ornamental.”
It was her appearance on SBS ancestry show Who Do You Think You Are? that led Anu to discover her own deep musical roots. A German ethnomusicologist, Wolfgang Laade, had recorded her maternal grandfather Nadi Anu, a Saibai songman, singing his own compositions. The story of Nadi, and his songs, form the backbone of Waku – Mineral a Minalay.
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