In July 2023, we took a Trip to Taiwan with Suming Rupi and friends at Bustard Town in Darwin’s CBD.

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐮𝐩𝐢 is an Amis singer-songwriter from the Etolan village in Taitung Country, Taiwan, who has captivated crowds at events around the world with his incredible voice, including Darwin Festival, Glastonbury Festival and WOMAD UK.

We will also be screening a trailer for Gapu Ngupan, a powerful multi-dimensional collaboration between Yolngu artists from northeast Arnhem Land, and Suming and other artists of the Paiwan and Amis Peoples of Taiwan.

Gapu Ngupan (known in its initial development phase by the name of The Voyage of Bayini), is a collaboration of two cultures, the Yolngu people of North East Arnhem Land and the Paiwan and Truku tribes of Taiwan.

Captured through songlines and dances that are still practiced today, the two groups work together to share the stories of their ancestors’ journeys through music, song, and dance.

Since millennia voyagers have travelled to Yolngu country in peace and with respect. They tell of connections and exchanges by interweaving different stories, myths, and legends that have been passed down from families and loved ones.

Each artist weaves pieces of their contemporary self into this historical retelling, adding to the fabric of these treasured stories.

Gapu Ngupan shines a light for the world to experience some of the untold and unknown histories of First Nations peoples.