Mr Aiden Powell

Aiden Powell is a proud First Nations Kamilaroi man, descendant from Yawiriawira Murri Ganuur from the Guyinbaraay People of the Gamilaraay clan in Gunnedah, North-West NSW. Aiden also has cultural ties to Wonnarua Country where he spent his childhood growing up in Muswellbrook. Since completing a Bachelor of Music at the University of Newcastle, he has commenced a PhD in Contemporary Aboriginal Music. Aiden is immersed in research and has hands-on experience in the industry. His research ‘From Songlines to Spotify’ focuses on traditional and contemporary Aboriginal culture within the framework of music, drawing on elements of sound and Aboriginal language, conceptualising them in contemporary compositional works. Aiden positions himself to allow a cultural-insider perspective from personal lived experiences allowing further reflection, growth and discovery in both creative and personal identities. Combining lived personal experiences and pre-existing Indigenous research methodologies is a powerful way to contribute to knowledge.

Aiden works as a researcher at Purai, the university’s Global Indigenous History Research Centre and is currently project managing Truth Telling: A History of Indigenous Education in NSW. He also assists with other research projects across the centre.