Speaking, Talking, Telling

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Lily Bennett tells a 'funny story'

Recorded by Maïa Ponsonnet on 18th May 2011, near Dordluk creek, just before Beswick on the highway, with Lily Bennett and Nikibini Daluk, working on Dalabon. Lily Bennett tells a 'funny story' that took place close to Manyallaluk, probably around 1980. Final transcript and translation by Maïa Ponsonnet, December 2016. Some slight retranscriptions added to this file by Nick Evans, March 2017

Lily Bennett

yalah-bong
we went
yilah-bo-waninj
we were following the river
kanh bo-no yalah-waninj
we were following this river
nah-ngan
my mother
wurdurd-ngong
my children
wurdurd-ngan-ngong yalah-?wo?ninj
all my children, we were ?going along?
duway-ngan
my husband
nah-ngan djongok-ngan
my mother, my aunt
yalah-yawoh-boboni
we were following this river ?once again?
yilah-woykwoyk-minj dat
we were fishing (with a line)
kakkarda
for ?type of fish?
kenbo wurdurd-ngong balah--- kenh
then the children they-- well
kanh duway-ngan kah-yobbuninj
my husband was ahead
kah-yobbuninj kah-boboninj ngey wanggirrih-beh ngah-boboninj
he was walking ahead and I was walking last
wurdurd-ngong balah---
the children were...
balah-boboninj wangirrih-beh
they were walking behind
bulnu
?as for them?
nah-ngan djongok-ngan barrah-boboninj
my mother and my aunt were walking
wangirrih
behind
burrah--
they...
barrah-boboninj
they were walking
yongkih yongkih yongkih yalah-dja-bobon?g? yongkih yongkih
further, further, further, we were just going further and further
kenbokenbo
and then later
kenbo kah-worhdanginj
then he stood up
kanh duway-ngan kah-worhdanginj
my husband, he stood up
kah-worhdanginj
he stood up
kenbo njelng kah-marne-yin ?luk?
and he said to us 'look'
ngarrinj-no-yih
with his hand
wal ya-- ya--yalah-lng-narrinj-?? ?ngey?
??? we ??? me
nah-ngan
my mother
djongok-ngan
my aunt
kardu ke nganabbarru kah-ngalkanj
hey maybe he found a buffalo indeed
kardu kah-- ro-- kah-durdukiyan
maybe he-- he's going to climb
ngal-?kul?-ajawan? aunti-?ngong? imin sei ngal-koh-banj
??? my aunt mob, she said the old woman
djongok-ngan weh-no
my aunty, poor one [who has since passed away?]
ngale djah-dulh-durduka
come on, climb on a tree
djeh-dulh-durduka
let's climb on a tree [dis?]
djongok-ngan nah-ngan barrah-dulh-durdukang
my aunt and my mother climbed on a tree
dulh-wanjingh barrah-karlhminj
they climbed on one single tree
nunda wanjkih-?kah
like this
barrah-worrowkworrowk-minj
they were jumping
yelek ngeyh malung
wait me first
fren bukah-marnu-yininj nahdah
?they made friends there?
ngeyh malung ngeyh malung kenbo
me first me first then--
kenbo barrah-lng-waddinj kanh
finally they were high up these
tu ol leidi na
too old ladies indeed
kenbo ngah--
then I--
ngah-boledminj bulu ngah-nang kanh
I turned around and I saw the
wurdurd-ngong balah-lng-karra-rorrok-minj
all the children were ʝumping?
kenhbi-no-kah
to... this whatyoucallit
kenhbi-no ke
whatyoucallit come on
djulu-no ke kenhbi warnwarn kenh
this tree hey, whatyoucallit the fig tree
djuhbi
the black plum tree
balah-lng-burdikang kanihdja yirrh-walung
they entered inside
balah-warlkkarrinj ole wurdurd-ngong mahkih
and they all hid there as well, the children
wurdurd-ngong ke balah-warlkkarrinj
the children indeed, they were hiding
kenbo ngah-boledminj ngah-nang barrah-waddi
then I turned around and I saw that the two [old women] were up high [in the tree]
manj keninj-kun mah narrah-waddi kah-lng---
why are you up there, he...
nganabbarru ke kuhyin nulah-nang kurdu ai bin lat
you saw a buffalo hey true, jesus I said
kenh ? ai bin lat
am, I said! [Kriol]
balah-yininj
they said
kahke
not at all
kahke keh-ban kenhbi
no, them two can forget about this whatyoucallit
karlwan ngah-yininj boyenjboyenj-duninj
it was a goanna, I said, a really big one
dow kah-dulubong
bing he speared it
barna njel barrah-lng-karlkarl-keyhwong
and what it made us climb up
ngah-dja-redji ngah-redji ngah-redji
I was laughing and laughing and laughing
babolo-kun darran barrah-waddinj
they had climbed up [in a tree] for a buffalo
nganabbarru-kun ke barrah-lng-dorrung-waddinj
for a buffalo indeed these two had thrown themselves up the tree
djehneng babalo yilah-naninj kah-ke-no
we thought we'd seen a buffalo but not at all
ngarrah-lng-redjiredji ?dje?
we had a good laugh
bulnu ngah-marnu-redjiredjiginj munguyuh
? I was laughing about them ?for a good while
kenbo yilah--- yalah-dudjminj wadda-kah
and they we-- we went back home
kah-ke-no
not at all!
mah nganabbarru-dih
indeed there was no buffalo
kanh ke kalwan ke ?bulah-?kah-naninj kenh
it was really a goanna hey that they saw that whatshisname
weh-no kenbi duway-ngan weh-no
poor one whatshisname my poor husband [who since passed away?]
kanh ngalkohbanj-ko
these two old ladies
barrah-djong-?munj? barrah-dulh-kalhkalhrrinj kanh nukah
they got scared and they climbed all the way up the tree there
ngah-boledminj ngah-nang barrah-dorrungh-waddi dulh-kah
I turned around and I saw them all the way up in the tree
barrah-lng-dabburle-dinj
they stood ?
kenhbi wanjkih
kenhbi wanjkih
nalangak-wanjkih
like frilled-neck lizards
nalangak-wanjkih yuno laik
like frilled-neck lizards you know like...

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