Nyurpaya Kaika Burton
When I Touched the Ground
Told in Pitjantjatjara, this story begins with the generous invitation, 'Ai, do you want to see my homeland?' And I feel so privileged to experience this via Radio Atlas, a website screening English subtitles of audio stories from around the world. This is the story of Nyurpaya’s birth, and the binaural soundscape is like another 'character' in the story. This would be very different listening if English translations were dubbed into the mix, which is the norm in Australia, to centre English. I recommend multiple listens, once with your eyes open to read the words on screen, but also with eyes closed. Every subsequent listen, I discover a new richness. Like all great audio stories, this transports us to a different dimension. When I Touched the Ground is transcendent.
(Translation by Linda Rive. Producing organisation: Tjala Arts)