iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

[Yirrkala Arts]

I think the thing about it being polite to speak in the other person's language comes from the CDU materials. I've asked a couple of people here about that, and it doesn't seem to be the case in daily life. I don't think I've asked any senior leaders, though. It could be something mainly done at serious occasions when it's most important to be respectful? But I've also assumed the same thing Guan suggests - maybe it is a bit of old-fashioned etiquette that is disappearing. I've mainly observed everybody going with the majority present or everybody speaking their own language. and everybody understanding each other.

ididjaustralia wrote:

I'm curious to know if there are plans at CDU to expand to other languages/dialects other than Gupapuyngu. Do you know Randy?

There's lots of texts in other dialects that are introduced early on and as you go further than the original unit, you can do projects on other languages. But I think we'd agree that you can't learn all the languages at once and have to start somewhere. I have a copy of an old draft of the course booklet, when it was "Introduction to Dhuwal and Dhuwala" and discussed the differences of several dialects as it went. But it was deemed too complicated, and I agree. As odd as it is for everyone to be learning Gupapuyngu, it definitely is the way to go. I'm not particularly gifted with languages, but I've found it fairly simple to cross over from one Yolngu language to another since the grammar is pretty much the same and you just make vocabulary substitutions.

I translated the CDU charts of suffixes, pronouns and some verbs into Galpu for one of my projects. Hopefully there's more of that out there and a wider language base available for advanced study. But for now I think they've just got to have a realistic plan with the tiny staff and tiny interest they've got. They couldn't possibly fill and staff whole classes just for Gupapuyngu, Rirratjingu, Ganalbingu, etc. although they are certainly keen to have more materials available.

Quote:

With the 'Dreamtime' thing, I don't know if it is a valid term or not

I'm no postitive, but I recall reading somwhere that it's a loose translation of Tjukurrpa, a word from the central desert, that anthropologists then spread around the country. Dramatization:

-(snooty academic voice) so, this animal is your dreaming?
-(confused Yolngu voice) my what?
-your totem... the ancestral animal you're connected with.
-Oh. Yep.

Do that enough times and the word becomes known. Yolngu use "dreamtime" or "dreaming" sometimes, but it's not a translation of any word in their languages - although "dreaming" could be "madayin" or other terms in different contexts. They've just been taught that those words apply to the creation past and use it as an easy way to speak to us in English, just the same as they might say "water" to us rather than "gapu."

Quote:

I've seen the term Wangarr to describe the creative distant past, but I've never heard Yolngu use this in the field to explain the idea.

My experience is the same. That usage is in lots of the art centre's old artwork documentation, and I'm constantly changing it when copying and pasting old stories into new works.

Quote:

Instead they use the word Wangarr for Creative Beings, Creative Ancestors etc.

Since I was just looking at Richard Trudgen's 'Why Warriors Lay Down and Die' again, I feel like mentioning.... He writes as if all Yolngu believed in one God called Wangarr before the missionaries came, and so the missionaries were accepted as fellow believers in the one God Wangarr. Really, ALL the creator ancestors were the various Wangarr, and later in mission times, the term "God Wangarr" was introduced to associate the Christian God with Yolngu ideas of creation. To take that linguistic innovation and do some revisionist history with it is just a crock! It's probably not all Trudgen's fault, but something he's told by Yolngu preachers.

[Peter Lister]

Yirrkala Arts wrote:

I think the thing about it being polite to speak in the other person's language comes from the CDU materials.

Actually no, it came from Yambal (senior Liyagalawumirr man) as Guan suggested and also Gambung (senior Gupapuyngu man). One of Yambal's sons has mentioned it too, so it's probably as Guan suggested, a thing of the past that those more inclined to be "traditional" stick with. I wouldn't expect younger yolngu to do this as half the time they only have a generic vocab and seem more interested in developing black american vocab and expressions.

I don't recall any mention of such a thing in the CDU stuff.

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Bita

[Peter Lister]

I've just created a new topic in the Education section titled 'Linguistics Q & A' - maybe we can continue this discussion there - I mean it is nice sitting here in the Roper Bar but my beer goes cold trying to find this thread !!

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Bita

[danielsaan]

Peter Lister wrote:

I've just created a new topic in the Education section titled 'Linguistics Q & A' - maybe we can continue this discussion there - I mean it is nice sitting here in the Roper Bar but my beer goes cold trying to find this thread !!

Nothing like a cold beer on a warm Darwin evening! I would give my right ear to be back there now!

Oh well...

[blogg weed]

Hi I'm new here how are you all?

[ididjaustralia]

We're ok here, make yourself comfortable and feel free to introduce yourself. Do you play didgeridoo?

Guan

blogg weed wrote:

Hi I'm new here how are you all?

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iDIDJ Australia - Didgeridoo Cultural Hub
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[blogg weed]

I do have a didgeridoo I think it is made from teak and not australian but I don't know a great deal about them this is why im here.

[ididjaustralia]

No worries mate, the teak ones are certainly not Australian though you might find a lot of them in Australian shops.

Guan

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