Konda Kabard

September 9, 2012 By Filed Under: cultural text, grammar lesson, language, plants, vocabulary Tagged With:

Konda Kabard

Here it stands (literally 'here it-knee/node')

(W) = Kunwinjku (Gdj) = Gundjeihmi

For those who have been learning their body part vocabulary and playing the Kunwinjku body part game you will have learnt the word for knee kunbard (W) gunbard (Gdj). The word also refers to nodes on the stem of plants such as bamboo mankole (W) an.gole (Gdj) and sorghum spear grass manbedje (W) anbedje (Gdj). In this sense (plants), the word will take a vegetal noun class prefix man-bard (W) an-bard (Gdj).

You might also come across another kind of construction where the noun stem -bard has a pronoun prefix ka- (W) ga- (Gdj) on it:  kabard (W) gabard (Gdj). This means 'it [the plant] is standing [by virtue of its 'knees/nodes']. An illustration of this 'predicate noun' usage is in a couple of songs of the Wurrurrumi song set of the kunborrk musical genre sung by Kevin Djimarr. In these songs Djimarr sings about wayarra 'spirit beings' from whom he receives his music. Djimarr talks about seeing wayarra holding the stems of manbedje 'Sorghum spear grass' in the wet season and they point out each of the nodes towards the seed head at the top. They say "here is a node, here is a node, here further up it is coming into seed'.

Konda kabard manbedje, kudjewk. Here the spear grass is standing, in the wet season.

You can hear Kevin Djimarr singing about wayarra spirits and their obsession with spear grass nodes here:

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/59213537" params="auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=cc6409" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

The song text is:

Konda kabard konda kabard here it stands here it stands [the spear grass]

konda kabard konda kabard here it stands here it stands [the spear grass]

kumekke kumekke kabard there and there it stands

kumekke kumekke kabard there and there it stands

konda kabard konda kabard here it stands here it stands

 

In the next audio file, you can hear Djimarr chanting the final coda sequence when he performs the last song of the evening at Mamurrng ceremonies. Here he imitates the wayarra spirit beings chanting the spear grass nodes or 'knees'. The text is below the audio.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/59213924" params="auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=cc6409" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

konda kabard konda kabard konda kabard here it stands here it stands [the spear grass]

konda kabard konda kabard konda kaba... here it stands here it stands [the spear grass]

konda yungki kanganjboke here further up it is coming into seed

 

Bonj

That is all.

 

 

Yirlinkirrkkirr

September 8, 2012 By Filed Under: cultural text, environment, language Tagged With: ,

Yirlinkirrkkirr / Djirnidjirnirrinjken

White-throated Grass Wren

(Amytornis woodwardi)

This post is about a bird endemic to the rock country of Bininj Gunwok speaking people— the white-throated grass wren or yirlinkirrkkirr (in most dialects). In Kune dialect it is called djirnidjirnirrinjken.

Nahni ngurriwokbekkan kobohbanj banibokenh kabarriyolyolme bu yirlinkirrkkirrk-ken.

    photo © Warddeken Land Management Ltd and Peter Cooke.

Click on the audio to hear how to pronounce yirlinkirrkkirr or the Kune version djirnidjirnirrinjken.

Yirlin-kirrk-kirr

yirlinkirrkkirr MaryK < yibiddjuyme ba yiwokbekkan yirlinkirrkkirr (click to listen)

Djirni-djirnirrinj-ken

3_IvanN_WTGW_Kune_11_04_2012_djirnidjirnirrinjken < yibiddjuyme ba yiwokbekkan djirnidjirnirrinjken

Nakangila Ivan Namarnyilk: Nane namekke kikkik name kangeyyo, njamed namekke, ngarringeybun nanih, djirnidjirnirrinjken, djirnidjirnirrinjken.

Nakangila Ivan Namarnyilk: This bird has a name and this is how we say its name— (repeated)
djirnidjirnirrinjken, djirnidjirnirrinjken

In the following 4 audio files and transcript, you can hear two senior knowledgeable women Kodjdjan Mary Naborlhborlh and Kodjdjan Mary Kolkkiwarra talking to their grandson and Warddeken land management ranger Nakamarrang Gavin Namarnyilk as he seeks to learn something about this special little bird only found in the rock country of Western Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park.

Yirlinkirrkkirr audio 1of 4 yibiddjuyme ba yiwokbekkan (clear here to listen, file 1 of 4)

[00:00:00.00] Yirlinkirrkkirr

[00:00:01.22] GN: Bale kore karri bale kabolkyime laik yimulewa.

Where does it live, can you say something about it.

[00:00:05.00] MK: Kuwarddewardde karri.

It lives in the rock country.

[00:00:08.01] MK: Yiman kayime Kamarrkawarn karri kore kanjdjikanjdji, ankebkakebkali.

You can find them at Kamarrkawarn down on the river by the edge of the rocks where they meet the savanna.

[00:00:13.10] MK: Yiman kayime anywhere yiman kayime mani any side kore malayi wanjh start moving ngurrimang ngurrire.

Anywhere there, such as any side (near the rocks) so tomorrow when you start moving around there, that's where you go.

[00:00:20.21] MN: Yo

[00:00:21.12] MK: Kare kumeke kuwarddewardde ngurribekkan kayime "yirlinkirrk-kirrk-kirrk-kirrk" kawokdi.

In that rock country there, listen out for the call "yirlinkirrk-kirrk-kirrk-kirrk".

[00:00:24.00] MN: "yirlinkirrk-kirrk-kirrk-kirrk" kayime kawokdi...nungka.

It goes like that, "yirlinkirrk-kirrk-kirrk-kirrk", that's him.

[00:00:26.18] MK: Kamulewarren nakka woybuk namekke ngaleng ngurrimang name yirlinkirrkkir.

He is saying who he is; for sure you'll be able to find one, the white-throated grass wren.

[00:00:30.11] MN: Yo


Yirlinkirrkkirr audio 2 of 4 yibiddjuyme ba yiwokbekkan (clear here to listen, file 2 of 4)

[00:00:31.00] GN: mm

[00:00:32.00] MN: kamulewarren.

He's saying who he is (talking about himself).

[00:00:32.19] MK: Nanih (?) namekke kabimdihbimdi yirlinkirrkkirr nakka.

These pictures here (computer) are the white-throated grass wren.

[00:00:35.05] MN: Dja kune nawu dedjmudkuyengkuyeng.

And it has very long tail feathers.

[00:00:38.19] MK: Nahni.

This one.

[00:00:40.16] MN: Nane (something) njalenjale

and various other features

[00:00:42.01] MK: Namekkengong wanjh name yirlinkirrkkirr.

These birds (in the photos) are all the white-throated grass wren.

[00:00:42.22] MN: namekke nahni, ngoyo?? nani nawu

that one there, that's him

[00:00:45.15] GN: So Kamarrkawarn karri konda karri?

So it lives here at Kamarrkawarn?

[00:00:48.08] MK: Konda karri.

It lives around here.

[00:00:49.11] MN: Nganmoyi karri...konda karri.

It's also at Manmoyi... it lives here.

[00:00:50.24] MK: Wardi konda bu kare karri bad...

It must also be living around here...

[00:00:55.07] MK: wardi ngurridjalyawayawan dja ngaye mak ngadjalyime bu marrek kareh karri wardi o maitbi, karri, because kuwardde karri nakka.

Just try and have a look around. I'm only assuming you'll find there because it's the right kind of habitat in the rock country there.

[00:01:01.24] MN: mm karri ngurribekkan kawokdiwokdi.

It's there, just listen out for its call.

[00:01:03.07] MK: Mani Ankung Djang area kanjdji karri ankebkali yirlinkirrkkirr

It's also in the Ankung Djang (Honey Dreaming) area on the lowland areas by the edge of rocky escarpment lines, the white-throated grass wren.

[00:01:06.16] MN: Karri

It's there.


Yirlinkirrkkirr 3 of 4 < yibiddjuyme ba yiwokbekkan (clear here to listen, file 3 of 4)
[00:01:07.23] MK: Ngurrire ngurringalke.

Go there and you will find it.

[00:01:10.04] GN: Try namekke malayi ngarrire ngarriyawan ane ngaleh ngandibidyikarrme.

We'll try to go there tomorrow and look for it but we need your help (two elders).

[00:01:17.01] MN: Yo wanjh ngurriyawan ngurribekkan kawokdiwokdi.

Yes, go then and listen to its call when you are looking for it.

[00:01:20.21] MN: Bu karriwokbekkan. Kawokdi nungkakih.
(song)

Let's listen to it talking (on audio recording). It will speak, that's it now.

[00:01:29.01] MK: Yirlinkirrkkirr!

White-throated grass wren!

[00:01:29.19] MN: Nungkakih

That's it now.

[00:01:30.21] (kawokdi yirlinkirrkkirr)

(the white-throated grass wren calls)

[00:01:35.19] GN: (to ecologist Alys Stevens) Where did you record it?

[00:01:37.00] Alys: Kakadu

[00:01:40.01] MN: Nungkakih

That's it now.

Yirlinkirrkkirr 4 of 4 < yibiddjuyme ba yiwokbekkan (clear here to listen, file 4 of 4)

[00:01:43.02] GN: Yiwokbekkang?

Can you hear it speaking?

[00:01:44.19] (kawokdi Yirlinkirrkkirr yerre)

(the white-throated grass wren still singing)

[00:01:44.19] MN: Med yibekkan.

Hang on, listen.

[00:01:48.08] (bird)

[00:01:53.06] MN: Nungkakih ... yibekkan.

Listen... that's it now!

[00:01:56.12] MK: Kore kuwardde bawokmangi o bale kungarre?

Where did she (Alys) record it— in the rock country or where, in a thicket?

[00:01:59.03] GN: Kakadu.

[00:01:59.15] MK: Kungarre?

In thick bush?

[00:02:00.10] Alys: Gunlom

[00:02:01.17] All: Gunlom

[00:02:03.10] MN: Gunlom bawokmey.

She recorded it at Gunlom.

[00:02:04.16] GN: Gunlom bawokmey.

She recorded it at Gunlom.

[00:02:05.19] MK: Nungkakih

That's it now.

[00:02:06.10] Ngalbuyika: Nungkakih

That's it now.

[00:02:08.24] MN: mm nungkakih

mm, that's it now.

If you only want to hear the song of yirlinkirrkkirr, click below:

wtgrasswren < Konda yibiddjuyme bu yidjare yiwokbekkan namekke mayhmayh kawokdi.

Thanks to Alys Stevens from the Biodiversity Conservation Unit, Northern Territory Government for making these recordings and to the two Kodjdjan, Mary Kolkkiwarra (left) and Mary Naborlhborlh (right) for their knowledge about the birds. Thanks also to Peter Cooke for the excellent yirlinkirrkkirr photo and to Maningrida Djelk Ranger Ivan Namarnyilk for the Kune pronunciation.

Bonj

That is all.

Anbinik dja Kukodjdubbe Ankabo

September 6, 2012 By Filed Under: community information, cultural text, environment, plants, publication Tagged With: , , ,

Anbinik dja Kukodjdubbe Ankabo

(Allosyncarpia ternata trees and headwater wetlands)

The Bininj Gunwok Language Project has been working together with Warddeken Land Management Ltd, ecologist Jeremy Freeman from Charles Darwin University, and the Nature Conservancy to produce two new resources. One is a poster about anbinik trees and the other is about kukodjdubbe mankabo 'headwater wetlands' on the Arnhem Land Plateau. The anbinik poster is featured here in this post. Kunwinjku extracts from the poster are followed by the English translations. At the end of the images, there is a link to several files where you can download copies for your classrooms and offices. If you would like full size copies of these posters, use the contact tab on the main menu strip to get in touch with us.

Ngad nawu ngarridurrkmirri Bininj Kunwokken, ngarrbenbidyikarrmeng bedda nawu Warddeken kabirridurrkmirri kabirribolknahnan manbinik manngarre. Wanjh ngarridjarrkmarnbom bokenh djurra nawu manbinik dja kukodjdubbe mankabo.

Anbinik

The 'old people' (dabbarrabbolk) on the Arnhem Land plateau in the rock country used to speak Kundedjnjenghmi, one of the dialects of Bininj Gunwok. It has some similarities with Gundjeihmi spoken to the west. One of these similarities is that it uses an- as the vegetal noun class prefix, as does Gundjeihmi. In Kunwinjku this prefix is man-, so in Gundjeihmi and Kundedjnjenghmi the name for the Allosyncarpia ternata tree is anbinik and in Kunwinjku it is manbinik. The poster includes words from both Kundedjnjenghmi and Kunwinjku.

Files of the posters (pdf) are available here:

anbinik poster Kunwinjku

wetland poster Kunwinjku

anbinik poster English

wetland poster English

Thanks to our translation team:

Alfred Nayinggul, Andrew Manakgu, Donna Nadjamerrek and to 'the old people' who taught us about the importance of these trees.

Nabangardi Ka-yolyolme

July 2, 2012 By Filed Under: cultural text, environment, language Tagged With: ,

Nabangardi Nabordoh ka-yolyolme

kun-wardderurrkken Enamaraway.

Djarrang kore Enamaraway, Wamud Namok ba-bimbom c1950s wanjh kum-durndi 1996 wanjh ba-yawoyhbimkerrngehwong djarrang.

Horse (and rider) at Enamaraway by Wamud Namok, painted c1950s and then again in 1996 he returned to renew the horse image again.

Story by Nabangardi Nabordoh about life in rock shelters.

Inspired by a visit to sites in Djordi clan country at Enamaraway and Dumebe

Recorded by Alys Stevens, photo by Peter Cooke

Nabangardi_Terrah_20120402_1

[00:00:00]

[00:00:08] mm manekke kunwardde

Yes, that rock [shelter]

[00:00:11] yiman kayime Enamaraway, Dumebe manwarddekuken dabbarrabbolk korroko barriyoy yiman

such as at Enamaraway and Dumebe which are important traditional camping places for our ancestors who lived there long ago

[00:00:20] dabbarrabbolk yiman kayime nawu kakkak, doydoyh

the ancestors such as my grandparents and great grandparents

[00:00:27] djongok and then nawu bewuh mak nawu birriyungki duninj nawu birriyoy

and my in-laws and then before them, there were other early ancestors who lived here

[00:00:35] bindiwaddabukkahbukkang nawu anwaddakuken korroko birriyoy

They passed on knowledge about these traditional camping places to the next generation

[00:00:38] like yiman ngad nawu bininj karrkakarrkad

like us, the people who live up on the higher country

[00:00:43] nawu kuwarddehwardde birriyoy

there where they lived in the rock country

[00:00:46] kunwardde wanjh manekke kurrambalk bedberreni yiman bolkkime ngarrkarrme kurrambalk

Our ancestors lived in these rock shelters which were their houses, but we live in other houses

[00:00:50] kunkukbelebeh bedda makkanj mane kurrambalk bedberreni

the houses introduced to us by white people, but these [rock shelters] were their houses [the ancestors]

[00:00:55] birribolkbodmerawoni yiman kayime njamed dolobbo birrikurrmi

They enclosed all along the side of the shelter with stringybark

[00:00:58] birriyoy

and camped there

[00:01:00] kume wurdurd bindibukkabukkani daluk bu birrikarungi bedman njamed

The women would teach their children how to dig whatsit

[00:01:03] kayawal birribuni njalenjale

long yams and other foods

Nabangardi_Terrah_20120402_2

[00:01:06] anburre mak ...[pause] manyong yiman kayime

such as bush radish (Decaschistia byrnesii) called anburre or manyong

[00:01:13] bedman bininj start birrimey kume borndok birrimangi

that was in the time when men walked around taking their spear throwers

[00:01:16] bedman daluk birrimey kume bedman kundjadj birrimangi, korroko

and the women would take with them their digging sticks, long ago

[00:01:19] wanjh manborndok birriwanawam bedman kundjadj birringolkani daluk

so that men went with spear throwers and women with their digging sticks

[00:01:25] kubebeh, start birriyimi birriyoy

from the time they started living there [in these rock shelters]

[00:01:30] (someone) kunlenj (inaudible)

[and they gave] gifts of meat to their in-laws

[00:01:30] lenjno

gifts to in-laws [affinal prestations]

[00:01:31] kunmurrng bindimarnemurrngkurrmi

and they laid out the bones of their dead for each other

[00:01:35] bindimarnemurrngbarungi kume yerre kuwardde

and they painted those bones with ochre there in the rock shelters

[00:01:45] mak bu ...

and also

[00:01:49] bu kundarrkid kumeke birriyoy manek... birriyoy manu bu birriyakwong wanjh bonj bindikurrmi wanjh bindidudjengi kunbuyika birridudjengi o bindiyawoyhkarungi

when they were alive, they lived there... they camped there and when they died, they would place them [in the rock shelter] and bury them at another place and later they might dig them up again [in a disinterment ceremony]

[00:01:57] yimarnek manek mandjewk ankudji bindihkarungi bindimurrngbebkeni

they might wait for a year and then disinter the bones, taking them out

[00:01:59] o yika bindikukkurrmi kore njamed kalawu

or sometimes they were placed up on a mortuary platform

[00:02:02] bindihmurrng... njamed wanjh bindiwelengmurrngbarungi bindikurrmi kore lorrkkon

they would then paint the bones with ochre and prepare them for a lorrkkon hollow log ossuary ceremony

[00:02:06] lorrkkon biwelengkarrmeng wanjh

they would finally rest in a hollow log coffin

[00:02:07] birriyikolungi birriwelengkani namud all the families

they would bring all the family together into the camp [to complete the lorrkkon ceremony]

[00:02:12] bindikokbokayinj wanjh

they would lead the people out as they called out 'kokbo kokbo'

[00:02:14] djabdi yimane birridjabnami djaldi wanjh manek kumek wanjh bidurndiweninj

then the hollow log was stood upright into its final resting place

[00:02:18] mane kumekke birrurrkmangi durndi wanjh kuwardde

and then they would return to the stone country

[00:02:21] wanjh yawoyhdurndi kuwardde bikodj ngad karriwarddewaken bininj wanjh kume'e kumeke ankarre kayime, that's our life and people of this warddeken birriyoy kunkare

they would go back to the stone country because we are people who belong to the stone country and that is our way of life, the people of the stone country who have have lived here since ancient times

Bonj

That is all.

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