This item consists of 15 wax cylinders recorded by Norman B Tindale and Edward H Davies during sessions with Clarence Long (Milerum) in 1932. Clarence Long, a Tanganekald man, was Tindale's main informant on the cultures of the South-East of South Australia. Of the 19 songs performed by Clarence Long during these sessions, 16 were recorded by Tindale and Davies on wax cylinders (see Tindale's 1937 paper: 'Native Songs of the South-East of South Australia', Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, Vol.61, pp. 107-120). The full set of recorded wax cylinders has apparently survived and is described below.

Tindale's wax cylinder recording method involved making two recordings of each song, 'the first was played back to the aboriginal, who then again sang it. Such repeats have never been replayed, they are virgin, awaiting some sophisticated system of reproduction' (letter from Tindale to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 6 Feb 1975).

Most of the recorded songs were transcribed and translated into English by Tindale. Along with details relating to performance, these writings are found in Tindale's field journals (as noted below).

According to information on paper slips stored in the cylinder canisters, the wax cylinders listed below contain the following song recordings:

AA 338/11/5/

• Preliminary information relating to the identifiers
  [Track 1]
  
  
• Cylinder 1: 'Song 1 of Clarence Long Series, Tangane Tribe, Coorong, S.A. Trial only'
  [Track 2. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R1; Cyl. 1; AS341]
  
  
• Cylinder 2: contains song 1 repeat; song 2 trial
  [Track 3. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R2; Cyl. 2; AS341-342]
  
  
• Cylinder 3: contains song 2 repeat, song 3
  [Track 4. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R3; Cyl. 3; AS342-343 (AS343 missing)]
  
  
• Cylinder 4: contains song 4, trial and finished record
  [Track 5. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R4; Cyl. 4; AS344]
  
  
• Cylinder 5: contains trial song 5, song 5, trial song 6
  [Track 6. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R5; Cyl. 5; AS345-346]
  
  
• Cylinder 6: contains song 6, song 7 trial
  [Track 7. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R6; Cyl. 6; AS346-347]
  
  
• Cylinder 7: contains song 7, song 8 trial & finished
  [Track 8. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R7; Cyl. 7; AS347-348]
  
  
• Cylinder 8: contains song 9 trial & finished
  [Track 9. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R8; Cyl. 8; AS349]
  
  
• Cylinder 9: contains song 10 trial, song 10 finished
  [Track 10. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R9; Cyl. 9; AS350]
  
  
• Cylinder 10: contains song 11 trial, song 11 finished, song 12 trial
  [Track 11. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R10; Cyl. 10; AS351-352]
  
  
• Cylinder 11: contains song 12 finished, song 13 trial
  [Track 12. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R11; Cyl. 11; AS352-353]
  
  
• Cylinder 12: contains song 13 finished, song 14 trial
  [Track 13. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R12; Cyl. 12; AS353-354]
  
  
• Cylinder 13: contains song 14 finished, song 15 trial
  [Track 14. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R13; Cyl. 13; AS354-355]
  
  
• Cylinder 14: contains song 15 finished, song 16 trial
  [Track 15. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R14; Cyl. 14; AS355-356]
  
  
• Cylinder 15: contains song 16 finished
  [Track 16. Tape No. 9573; TT11; R15; Cyl. 15; AS356]
  
  

These numbered songs correspond to the titles given in the following list (drawn from Tindale's 'Journal of Researches in the South East of S. Australia by Norman B. Tindale. Volume 1. 1931-1934 with some earlier notes copied in', AA 338/1/33/1, pp. 235-260):

• Hunting song of Taŋane
  [Song 1; AS341]
  
  
• Song from the Murray River (Jaralde language)
  [Song 2; AS342]
  
  
• Song of the swallow (watiari) and ring tailed mouse (lapidawi, Jaralde)
  [Song 3; AS343 (sheet missing)]
  
  
• Tuŋgari (mantumaŋgari) song of the Taŋane
  [Song 4; AS344]
  
  
• A Pelekawi song sung in modified Potaruwutj-Taŋane language of the Meintaŋk (of Cold & Wet)
  [Song 5; AS345]
  
  
• A Pelekawi sung in the Tatiara language
  [Song 6; AS346]
  
  
• Taŋane song of accusation sung against the Tatiara
  [Song 7; AS347]
  
  
• A Tungari sung when a widow appears too anxious to remarry (in Raminjeri language)
  [Song 8; AS348]
  
  
• Mimikur (bullroarer) song of the Meintangk
  [Song 9; AS349]
  
  
• 'A Storm' song (sung in Taŋane language)
  [Song 10; AS350]
  
  
• Pekere Tungar or Dream song of the Taŋane
  [Song 11; AS351]
  
  
• Pekere Tungar or Dream song of the Taŋane
  [Song 12; AS352]
  
  
• Death fear song of the Taŋane
  [Song 13; AS353]
  
  
• Kondoli Tungar or whale song of the Raminjeri
  [Song 14; AS354]
  
  
• Song of Watti's fight (epic of the Potaruwutj)
  [Song 15; AS355]
  
  
• Song of Watti's victory (Potaruwutj)
  [Song 16; AS356]
  
  
• Growling song of the Taŋane
  [Song 17; AS357. No audio nor transcription]
  
  
• A song about Maramandaŋunuru's fight at Port Elliot (Taŋane)
  [Song 18; AS358. No audio nor transcription]
  
  
• A song about Ngurunderi (Taŋane)
  [Song 19; AS359. No audio nor transcription]
  
  

For further documentation see Tindale's 'Journal of Researches in the South East of S. Australia by Norman B. Tindale. Volume 1. 1931-1934 with some earlier notes copied in' (AA 338/1/33/1, pp. 235-260), the S. A. Museum Speech and Sound Collections register entries AS 341-359, and the Clarence Long Series song notebook (AA 338/12/1/3). Note that some of the songs were rerecorded using acetate discs in 1937 (see AA 338/11/12).

Tindale Tribes: Tanganekald; Meintangk; Ramindjeri; Potaruwutj.