iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

How many of us on here have an interest in Aboriginal languages? Count of hands? How many have a little bit of understanding of Yolngu Matha?

Here are 2 video clips of Andrew Galitju speaking about message sticks to help you along:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TldZDADikvI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E163dzkNr6k[/youtube]

Does anyone understand what is being said? Even a little bit?

I'll put up a transcription when I get some free time, but if anyone else wants to attempt that in the meantime, please feel free to do so

Guan

I have an interest, but no formal training or study! Does that count?

Hey Jason,

Yup, that counts for sure!

I'm just trying to get an idea how many people can understand some basic Yolngu Matha, maybe a few words here and there. For example, when listening to the 2 mini-documentaries on message sticks by Andrew Galitju, does any1 recognise any words? Sentences? Phrases? The whole thing?

Bita (PL) I know definitely understands.

Because quite a number of people have expressed interest in language in emails to me, and some have consulted language texts and resources, I was just trying to get an idea how advanced people are.

Does anyone here have aspirations to be fluent/conversant in Yolngu Matha?

Guan

Hi Guan,
I personally would love to learn, but apart from what i picked up in Arnhem Land - which
was little - I have not gone forwards. I would like to get hold of the cd's and books
that are available, but I first need the time. As I am now in Slovenia working, I am learning
Slovenian. After that I want to get more serious about Yolngu Matha.

I will have a listen.. to the videos.
Cheers, Martin

Aspirations indeed! Now I just need to work out a schedule to actually begin the process of learning and begin getting the necessary resources together.

OK, I had a listen. Here is the embarassing result.

Words that I distinguished (although I am not sure about spelling)
yaka,
lipa lipa
mulkurru(n)??
Yolngu
dal, (dhal)..?
Knowledge
minitji?
malparrn?
Dhuwala
Yolngu liya
Yirrkala nggarl..? here I am guessing really.
balanda (and I got the joke about the Yolngu message stick, Balanda telephone )
manymak
yaku
gathu

of these, the meanings.?
yaka, no
gathu, son?
Manymak, good
balanda

not terribly good.
But actually it was very interesting listening to the talk.

My interest in language did actually get a boost recently as I just finished reading
"Why Warriors Lie Down and Die"
A truly thought provoking and important book. Especiallyin these times. . But I do not want to hijack this topic.

cheers, Martin

Not bad Martin, you got a few words there buddy

We'll deal with "Why Warriors Lie Down and Die" another time in another post, but will prempt that by saying a letter I wrote for Johnny Wanimilil was reproduced in full in the book without acknowledgement or credit. Uummppfff...

The whole question of where ARDS is headed and how they're going about their work, and whether they're having any success, is something we can come back to.

Anyway, to get the ball rolling on Dhawu'mirr Dharpa, and this is only a general gloss without all the technical notations:

Galitju starts off with..

Met, nhalthan ngarra dhu wanganydja? Dhuwala'yun?

Brother-in-law (can be galay or dhuway), how shall I speak? In Dhuwala dialect?

Yirrininba (sitting beside us) interjects with...

Bawalami

Dhangu dialect for anyway as in up to you, speak whatever language you wish.

Galitju:

Dhuwala dharpa met... ngarra yurru dja:ma... dhawu'mirri... dhawu'mirri dharpa... baman'... baman' be walala Yolngu ga dja:ma... dhuwala...

This stick brother-in-law... that I am making... has a story... is a message stick... a long time ago... a long time ago when Aboriginal people made... this...

I'm all forumed out, will continue another Bat time, same Bat channel! Anyone want to continue?

Guan

For sure I'm interested in yolngu matha. I'd like to speak an non-latin language one day. Like on NEAL style, I've got the basis of the basis skills. So I will try when I'll have more internet access time. Maybe friday... Soory Guan, I can't play your game before friday .

Guan

the plan is still there to learn formally. I am saving as I write to do the CDU course...

Dan

Way Guan,

if you continue writing it in long form like that it will take pages !!! This is fun. My ear is out of practise but I"m surprised how much I can pick up - he's a good clear speaker and the recording is good.

I have just one question - do you know what timber he is using (sorry ethnobotanist at work...)

Bita.

Hey Bita,

Galitju said Djomula, Casuarina sp. Mirarra' was talking to Galitju about that actually and Galitju said Djomula was the best wood for it.

It isn't a dense and fine-grained timber, quite light and softish.

Guan

Heh Guan,

thanks mate. It looks very pale so I thought it something else - like bamarrang, but I also noted that it sounded resonant (you can hear them 'clink' together), and i know that softwoods wouldn'tnormally do that. While it is obviously easy to work and , as you say, soft, if it's djomala then it's really a hardwood - you may have seen the darker, harder summer wood present ....

ta,

I'm not too scared to do the next bit : ) - it's been 4 years though...some gaps Guan, bay-lakaram Balang,

"yurru walala bala gana dhuwala yaka mathangayu, lipalipa, lipalipaya...-??????panmirri djutjinydja? walala ngunhi marrtjin nhina ???? ???? gana dharpamirrinytja dhuwala dharpa. Ga marrma' "

freely translating as " and they took it away with them - not on a boat, in a canoe ! ???together? they took this to where they lived - carried this message alone, this stick. And two...."

Not bad Bita!

Here's what I heard I think:

yurru walala nguli ganhan dhuwala yaka marthangayu, lipalipay... lipalipay yan... ngaraliw'... ngalapalmirri djothinydja... walalang nguli marrtjinydja yana...

But when they took/carried this it wasn't by boat (with outboard motor), it was in a dugout canoe... only by dugout canoe... for tobacco... when the old people were short of tobacco... they'd just go and get the tobacco

ngaraliw'nha gondhanha... dhuwala walala nguli dharpa ganha ngalapalmirriydja... dhuwala dharpa...

they'd go for tobacco... this message stick is what the old people carried with them... this stick here...

nha? ma:rrma'... yaka, three... ngarra ga dja:ma, ngalapalmirriy eh? nhuma nguli Balanday lakaram knowledge ngani? knowledge? mulkurr ngarrany ga dja:ma rrakuny matha liya eh?

how many are there, two?... no, three... I'm working, old people eh? white people say "knowledge" right? knowledge? in my language we say "liya" eh?

Note that when stories are told of long ago, verbs take tertiary form. Also, there's some code mixing here, Galitju speaking in Dhuwal' and Dhuwala'. Last thing, the verb "djotjin" is a corruption of the English word "short" as in lacking in or running low on.

Who wants to do the rest?

Guan

Way !

I knew there was ngarali' in there and I thought, nah, my ears are getting bad - all this tinitus, well that pleases me that I wasn't hearing things. I noticed he was dropping letters off the end - like in lipalipa, and then correcting himself and adding emphasis, lipalipay. I'll let someone have a go at the next few lines and then I'll do a bit more. It''s a good story BTW - I hope others are as keen to know why these maak are off to Canberra, Darwin and Sydney ! ; )

ta mate.

PS: should that be ngalapalmirrinydja ??