kunwok dja mankarre kadberre—our language, our culture
In this post we will learn the verb -barung 'to cover in paint or ochre, to smear'.
In this picture Balang Djimarr (a speaker of Kuninjku) has painted his body and face. His body has a plant design painted in black ochre. This plant is called wurrurrumi in Kuninjku which is a vine that botanists call Tinospora smilacina. This is also the name of a song series that Djimarr sings. That's why he has that design painted on his body. On his face he has white ochre or delek splattered in a design known as bedjek-bedjek.
The verb -barung means to cover with paint or ochre or to smear a surface with some liquid or viscous substance (like paint, glue, oil etc). There is another verb -bimbun which means to draw, write or paint an image. This has a different meaning to -barung which means to smear, cover a surface with paint, ochre or some other similar substance.
Here are some examples of the verb with a few different pronoun prefixes:
nga-barung 'I smear it'
yi-barung 'you smear it'
karri-barung 'we are (all) smearing it'
kabirri-barung 'they are smearing it'
You can incorporate a noun into the verb, between the pronoun prefix and the verb. The word kun-keb means 'nose/face' but when it gets incorporated into the verb you drop off the noun class prefix kun- like this:
kabi-kebbarung 'he is painting/smearing his (another person's) face'. In this example, the prefix kabi-means 'he/she acting on another single person' (third person singular subject acting on a third person singular object). If you wanted to say he/she is painting their faces you would use:
kaben-kebbarung
The prefix kaben- means that a single person is acting on a plural (three or more) object i.e. 'he/she acting on them'.
If you are painting your own face, then you need to use the reflexive form of the verb which is -barurren [baru-rr-en]. This is the present or future tense form. In the past tense the reflexive is -barurrinj.
If I want to say 'he painted his face' then in the third person singular past tense, there is no prefix on the verb. It is what linguists call a zero prefix. We need to keep the noun 'face' incorporated however so we end up with this:
kebbarurrinj
ø- keb- baru- rr- inj
3sg.past-face-smear-reflexive-past
Then we can change the "mood" to an event that is not real, i.e. something that didn't happen, or what is known as "irrealis mood". This form of the verb occurs with the negative marker minj 'not'. If you wanted to say 'she didn't smear/cover it with paint' you would say:
minj baruyi
But if Balang didn't paint his face with the ochre in the above picture, you would say this:
Balang minj kebbarurremeninj.
Balang did not paint/smear his/her (own) face.
Bonj
That is all.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/205550788" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Audio recorded and transcript prepared by Andy Peart:
Larry Bangarr talks about the "Thick Lines—Thin Lines" weekly tourist activity that has been going for a few years every Saturday at the Border Store or Merl Campground during the dry season, organised by Injalak Arts & Crafts and funded by Kakadu National Park. Interview by Andy Peart.
[00:00:00.00] AP: Na-ngale ngudda?
What is your name?
[00:00:06.01] LB: Ngaye Bangardi. Bangardi Namarrirn
My subsection name is Bangardi, and my clan group is Marrirn.
[00:00:10.19] AP: Dja ngudda dja nungka nawu Nadjalama, Nakangila, ngune-djarrkdurrkmirri bolkkime kore Border Store.
And you and Amos (Nakangila subsection, Djalama clan group) are working together here at the Border Store?
[00:00:21.20] LB: Yoh.
Yes.
[00:00:22.05] AP: Njale - njale ngune-durrkmirri?
What work do you both do?
[00:00:24.02] LB: Djurra ngane-bimbun, ngane-bimbun bikos kore kabirrimh-re nawu tourist ngan(d)ih-nan.
We paint pictures and finish them so tourists can came and watch.
[00:00:31.20] AP: Yiben-bukkan?
You show them how you paint.
[00:00:33.05] LB: Ngarrben-bukkan.
I show them.
[00:00:35.11] AP: Dja yiddok ngurrben-bengyolyolme bu bim, rarrk yika, yiman?
And do you explain to them about the art, about the cross hatching etc?
[00:00:41.15] LB: Ngarrben-bengyolyolme laik ngarrih-bimbun, ngarrben-bengyolyolme, wanjh ngarrbenh-marneyime, ngarri-benwon, la copy ngandi-yime.
We explain about things, about what we are painting, and we give them paper so they can copy us.
[00:00:55.23] AP: Yikahwi kabirri-bimbun bedman?
Sometimes the visitors paint their own pictures?
[00:01:01.29] LB: Yoh, bu yiman bu kabirri-bimbun yiman kabirrih-lenh learn kabirri-yime yiman bu bedman wanjh kabirri-bimbun. Kabirri-marnbun.
Yes, they paint pictures, following what we do
[00:01:09.25] AP: Man-yilk...
Sedge grass (Cyperas javanicus)?
[00:01:11.09] LB: Man-yilk, manih kun-dalk.
The sedge grass we call man-yilk, here.
[00:01:17.01] AP: Mah, and njale kabirribimbun? Mayh, or djenj?
What do they paint? Animals, fish?
[00:01:23.07] LB: Mayhmayh, o djenj, o kinga, ngalmangiyi. Bu laik ngarri-bimbun namekke kabirrimh-re kabirri-nan namekke turis, ngandidjawan ngadberre: "Njale nakka ngurri-marnbun?" ngarri-ngeybun namekke. En ngarrben-won djurra, "Ngurri-bimbun yiman nanih _____ ngarri-bimbun ngad.” Wanjh copy ngandi-yime, kabirri-marnbun.
Birds, fish, crocodiles, long-necked turtle. We paint them, then we get the tourists to see what we painted. They ask us “what do you call that?” and we tell them the name. We give them paper to paint on, and tell them “you have a go at painting this animal like how we did it”. So they copy us and make their own paintings.
[00:01:48.08] AP: And , dja wurdwurd?
And kids?
[00:01:49.23] LB: Wurdwurd warridj. Wurdwurd mak ngarrben-bukkan.
Kids too, we show them how to paint.
[00:01:53.00] AP: Kabirri-marnedjare.
They love it.
[00:01:54.20] LB: Kabirri-djare ba kabirri-bimbun bu ngandi-nan, copy ngandi-yime.
They like to paint when they see us and copy us.
[00:01:59.09] AP: Yikahwi na-wern tourists.
Sometimes many tourists are here having a look.
[00:02:01.17] LB: Yoh, na-wern.
Yes, lots.
[00:02:03.07] Yikahwi nabuyika artists kabirri-durrkmirri?
Sometimes different artists come to work here?
[00:02:10.01] LB: Bu birri-wern mak yika kore mak ngarrben-bawon Kunbarlanja. Ngarrben-bawong, ngane-djalbokenh konda ngaye Bulanj nganem-wam kondah ngane-bimbimbun bu laik nani Balanda ngarrbenh-nan, ngandih-nan. Ngandih-nan la ngarrben-nan. La ngarrbenh-bukkan.
There are many other artists, but just two of us come here and we left everyone else back at Gunbalanya – today myself and Bulanj [Amos] – to see the tourists and show them how we paint.
[00:02:26.20] AP: Every Saturday.
[00:02:28.21] LB: Every Saturday.
[00:02:29.27] AP: Mah. Konda kore Border Store.
Here at the Border Store.
[00:02:32.26] LB: Konda Border Store.
Here at the Border Store.
[00:02:35.02] AP: Dja yiddok yikahwi nawu bim nawu tourist kabirri-bimbun na-mak? Yikahwi?
Sometimes the visitors paint good pictures?
[00:02:43.09] LB: Yika bu yiman kabirri-wernhborlbme, wanjh kunukka na-mak kabirri-marnbun.
Some of them learn to paint reasonably well and their pictures turn out ok.
[00:02:49.20] AP: Yikahwi na-warre.
Sometimes terrible.
[00:02:51.29] LB: Yika na-warre, yoh.
Yes, sometimes they're awful.
[00:02:53.25] AP: Mah, and last one bolkkime.
And today is the last Saturday for the year.
[00:02:57.24] LB: Bolkkime nganem-wam, last one mane. Kaluk might be next year kare.
Today we've come, and its the last one. Then maybe next year it will happen again.
[00:03:04.02] AP: Next year, mah.
Next year, ok.
[00:03:04.26] LB: Next year manu bu nganem-wam, Bulanj, wanjh bu ngane-durndeng kaluk, djal next year-wi kare.
That's it now, so next year we'll come back for this work.
[00:03:11.24] AP: Mah. Kamak, bonj.
Ok, good, we can finish it here.
[00:03:13.24] LB: Mah. Kunekke, bobo.
Ok, that's the story then. Bye.
Bim: Bangardi Larry dja Bulanj Amos kabene-bimbukkan tourist bedberre kore Border Store.
Photos: Larry Bangarr and Amos Nganjmirra from Injalak Arts and Crafts teaching Bininj painting to tourists at the Border Store.
(photos by Andy Peart)
Bonj
That is all.
by Dianne and Andrew Blake.
The Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC),working in partnership with Community Prophets and Children’s Ground are facilitating printing workshop initiatives for young people and senior artists of their Kakadu NT region. The artwork has been inspired by trips to rock art sites on the Mirarr clan estate.
Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Community Prophets dja Children’s Ground gabarri-djarrkdurrkmirri ba wurdurd, yawurrinj dja yawkyawk gabarri-borlbme bu gabarri-bimbun gure printing program. Dabbarrabbolk warridj gabarri-bimbun gure andehne printing program. Barri-wam barri-nang gun-wardde bim gure Mirarr gun-red bedberre.
The aim is to implement and teach printing skills that remain within the community and to create a workspace for all artists to use.
Initial lino cut, collograph and drypoint etching workshops were part of the GAC school holiday program in 2011.
Boyen, 2011 barri-garrmi an-biyiga program barri-borlbmeng anbu Balanda gabarringeibun lino cut, collograph dja drypoint etching.
These prints went on sale at Jabiru's annual festival known as ‘Mahbilil’ to great public-response. Proceeds went directly to the youth.
Barri-weigang bim gure Mahbilil festival dja barri-wern bininj barri-marnedjare. Yawurrinj dja yawkyawk barri-gukmei gun-wardde wanjh.
Last year there were two follow up workshops. These prints were again successfully exhibited at the 2012 Mahbilil Festival. The Jabiru printmakers will be exhibiting once again at this years Mahbilil Festival in September. The Jabiru Area School has provided a space for the printing to take place within its art department. The community centre has been establish to create an arts space that is inclusive of all community members of the Kakadu region.
Bonj
That is all.
Injalak Arts Worker Danny Kennedy interviews Don Namundja about a recent painting:
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/93816124" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Danny Kennedy: Yo Nawakadj, yi-yolyolme bu njale yi-bimbom.
Yes Nawakadj, can you explain what you have painted.
Nawakadj: Aa, mane, ngarduk kore ngadberre nga-bimbom, yo kore kun-red. Mankorlod, kun-red. Man-me mani man-kodjbang, nani djerrh, mane karrbarda, mane man-kulurrudj, djankele, yo manu ku-wardde ka-rri yi-bengkan? Djal bonj.
Oh, this here, it's mine, I painted things that belong to us, yes at [my] country. Mankorlod is the place. There are food plants— water peanuts (Aponogeton elongatus), this is a dilly bag, this is a long yam (Dioscorea transversa), this is a Livistonia sand palm and this is a Livistonia palm that grows in the rock country, you know that one? That's all.