Lag PI is a farewell song performed by the Geia family and was composed in the 1970s during a performance trip to Mt Isa with the Palm Island-based Torres Strait Islander dance troupe called Waiben. The song reflects the moment when the singing and dancing have come to an end, and it’s time to return home - in this case, back to Palm Island. The “PI” in the title stands for Palm Island. This is a farewell song.
Lyrics excerpt (translated):
Lag PI kuniya wana
Home, Palm Island - leave behind
Yagar farewell to the Isa
Sorry, farewell to Mt Isa
Minasin ngalmun sagul
Finished, our dance
Kuniya ngalmun lag PI e
Leave behind our home, Palm Island
The song is sung in Kala Lagaw Ya, the Western Island language of the Torres Strait. This language belongs to the Pama-Nyungan family and is primarily Aboriginal in grammar (around 60%), with about 30% influence from Papua New Guinea languages, and unique phonetic features of its own, including the distinctive ‘z’ sound. There are three main dialects of Kala Lagaw Ya: Kaurareg, Mabuyag, and Kala Kawaw Ya.
