‘I am we’: Gamilaraay philosophy and First Nations connections to spiritual health and well-being through music

This article explores the spiritual and relational dimensions of community engagements with First Nations music through the Gamilaraay framework of Maal (‘One/Self’), Bulaarr (‘Two/Relationship’) and Gulibaa (‘Three/Community’). Drawing on five yarning interviews across South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, Australia, the study centres Indigenous methodologies, relational philosophy and embodied storytelling to investigate music’s role in healing, identity and intergenerational well-being. Framing music not as entertainment but rather as a lived practice, the article affirms music’s role as a relational, cultural and spiritual force. Using a Gamilaraay Indigenist approach led by Glenn Barry, the article proposes re-Indigenizing community music research by centring ancestral wisdom and collective well-being. The findings contribute to Indigenous-led music scholarship by offering a culturally secure model for engaging with First Peoples’ knowledge systems and health.