Kinja

Ron Murray and Sarah James celebrate the cultural heritage of their ancestors in a blend of Austrlaian and Celtic music. Ron, a descendant of the Wamba Wamba tribe (Swan Hill) and Sarah, whose roots are Scottish, perform under the name Kinja, a Wamba Wamba word meaning ‘my home’.

With Ron on Didgeridoo and Sarah playing the fiddle and singing, the sounds of Aboriginal Australia uniquely combine with the jigs, reels and ballads of Scotland and Ireland. In many ways, Ron and Sarah feel that playing together is their special contribution to reconciliation between indigenous and non indigenous people in this country.

“When we play our music, I think it is also a symbol of harmony, of the possibility of racial understanding and empathy that seems to touch our audience on a deep emotional level. People often come and talk to us after concerts about this.”

Ron and Sarah first started playing together on their honeymoon in early 1998 while traveling through Western Australia. Up until then, they had not thought of combining their instruments. Inspired by the beauty of Margaret River, they started playing their music in the river bed.

“The spirit of the ancestors of that country felt very real and we really quite spontaneously began playing as if to honor them – we haven’t stopped playing together since.

Music continues to be a central part of their lives. The duo regularly perform as festivals, reconciliation events, artistic, community and corporate functions.

Recently Kinja have performed at Moomba, St. Kilda Festival, and the Castlemaine State Festival among many others.

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Charlie MacMahon | Andrew Langford | Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky | GöG and Doris | Kinja | Bruce Rogers | Didgeman | Lynn McShanag