Speaking, Talking, Telling

Spoken Language and Text Corpora

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David Karlbuma: Yayminji

This recording was made during a fieldtrip to Yayminji and surrounding areas in 1995 with Nick Evans, George Chaloupka, Pina Giuliani and Murray Garde, to record rock art, knowledge of traditional plants, and Dalabon and Kune language

David Karlbuma 1995

nûnda yibungkarn Korrnjelûng
This place here, Korrnjelûng
nûnda dun
this cave
Djenewelkwelk
Djenewelkwelk
kuwadda kahyirriyo
the place here
kerninj kurnh walûng
from whatitsplace
Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
nûnda yibungkarn Korrnjelûng
At this place Korrnjelûng
baddunno
in the cave
djarra
here
ngarrah-burlhminj
we came up here
nahda ngarrah-dudjmiyan
we'll come back this way
kono ngurrah-miyan
we'll collect flowers
waddakah ngarrah-yelûng-ye-dudjmiyan
then we'll go back to our camp with them.
yow
Yes.
nûnda yibungkarn
This here
Korrnjelû, baddunno
Korrnjelû, the cave
djarra yalah-yo
It's here.
korrûhkûn
Long ago
bulu-njelng
Our father (Mandarrk)
yabbunh bulu-njelng
Our two fathers
bulu-njelng
Our father
djarra nûnda wadda
This was his camp
Korrnjelû
Korrnjelû
wurdurd
Children,
yeah, wurdurd
Yeah, children
yalah-wurdurdninj
We were children
nûnda
Here,
wadda yala... yala-yu
the place where we slept
yala-yonginj
where they camped
korrûhkûn
In the olden days
Korrnjelûng
Korrnjelûng
yalah-wurdurdwurdurdninj
when we were all children
mak mahkih
And we didn't
kirdikird yalah-yidjnjey
have wives yet
ngey
I
kanunh nahda Madjinbardi
When I got back from Madjinbardi
bo
later
yo
Yes
nûnda bim
this painting
yalah-, yalah-bimbong
we painted it
bim yalah-yunj
we put this painting here
nûnda badkah
on this rock
baddunkah
in the cave
yow
Yes
nûnda yibungkarn wadda
At this cave
baddunno
the cave
nahda mahkih ngarrah-dudjmiyan kenbo
we'll come back again tomorrow
kenbo bulno nol ngah-buyhwoyan
I'll show them to you tomorrow
yow, bonj
yes, OK
nûnda wanjingh
this one (pointing to one painting)
nûnda wanjingh
this one
kunj, kunj kahkunibong
A kangaroo, he's sneaking up to kill a kangaroo
kah-yamûng wanjingyih
one (man) has speared it
wanjingh
one
nûnda dalabon-walûng
This is in Dalabon
derrhmanjhmanjho nidjarrabeda yalah-dokkang
In the morning we got up and set off from here
mimih bimno yilah-yawanj
we looked around for Mimih paintings
yilah-ngalkang wanjing
we found one
djarra Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
here at Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
kanihdja wadda
here at the camp
dunno kanihdja baddunno yilahngalkang
we found it in the cave here
bimno balah-mey
they took photos
kanihbe
from here
yalahlng- yalahlng-bulkang yirrhwalûng
we went down (to the river)
yalah-djowkkang kanihdja Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
we crossed there at Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
bolhnokah
on the foot-track
djowk yilah-kang
we crossed over
rawoyhno
again
yalah-dordminj
we climbed up
kakkarrbadkah
on top of the rock
yalah-bong badno
we went around (on the) rock
kanihdja rawoyhno yalah-dirnikang wah yilah-kolh-ngun
there we say down again to have a drink
rawoyhno yalah-dokkang
we set off again
yalah-bong
we walked along
kanihdja bimno bulno ngah-marnû-bengHbengkan
I know where those paintings are, for them (i.e. to show them)
ngah-ngalkang djeya na
I found them there now
kanunh yalah-bengkan
we know where they are
bulnu ngah-marnu-yininj nûnda, nûnda baddunno
I said to them where the cave is
wadda... wadda Yiwilkwilk
at the place Yiwilkwilk
djarra bulnu ngah-marnu-yininj
I said that to them here
balah-yininj
they said
balah-bim-yurrinj
they did those paintings there
beba-kah
on their paper
kanihbe yalah-dokkang
from there we got up
yalah-... yalah-...
we... we...
yalah-bulHkang yirrhwalûng, yirrhwalûng
we went down
bonoHurd ke yalah-.... yalah-mey
we got a bit of water
yalah-wawinj kanunh, kanunh bolkno nganabbarru djomono
we folllowed there, we followed a buffalo track
yalah-wawinj
we followed it
yalah-bong
we went along
djarrabeda mahkih derrhmanjmahno yalahbong
we'll started in the morning
yalah-deh-djowkkang
we crossed the river in the morning
kanihdja Burrinjdjibburrinjdji
here at Burrinjdjibburrinjdji (his dreaming)
yalah-bong, yalah-dirnikang
we went along, and had a break (sat down)
yawok kaye-dedjdi
where there are cheeky yam tubers
kanihdja yilah-yidjnjang
we waited here for her
djih... yawok kah-bi... kah-... kah-binjinj
she dug up yam
kah-meymey
she collected them
yalah-dokkang yawoyh-no
we started moving on again
yalah-bong nahda wadda-kah yalah-dirnikang
we went along, and we sat down in that place
bonj
OK
djarra Yayminji
there at Yayminji
kenbo yiyirrh
down there
kunj... kunj kaye-djowkka, kunj kadjowkka
at Kangaroo Crossing (country name)
djarra
there
ngah-, yirrah-
I, we,
djarrabeda kunj, kunj djarra wadda
here at that kangaroo place
kunj kadjowk... kunj kaye-djowkka
where that kangaroo crosses
kanihbe ngahyenjHyenjdjung
I am sitting talking about here, (this place)
ngah-yolyol
what I'm talking
bonj
OK

All Dalabon Stories

Alice Boehm: My Life

Alice Boehm tells the story of her life. Recorded by Nick Evans in Maningrida, July 1993.

David Karlbuma: Yayminji

This recording was made during a fieldtrip to Yayminji and surrounding areas in 1995 with Nick Evans, George Chaloupka, Pina Giuliani and Murray Garde, to record rock art, knowledge of traditional plants, and Dalabon and Kune language

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

Maggie Tukumba: Buladjbuladj story

Maggie Tukumba telling the Buladjbuladj story. Recorded by Nick Evans.

Maggie Tukumba: Korlomomo and Berrerdberrerd

Maggie Tukumba is telling the story of Korlomomo and Berrerdberrerd, the crocodile and the rainbow bee eater.

Manuel Pamkal: Kidjdjan (ceremonial taboos)

Manuel Pamkal telling the story of Kidjdjan

Naworneng and Mimih

This story was recorded from the late Jack Chadum at Weemol Springs in the Northern Territory in June 1992 by Nick Evans and Murray Garde. Several other Dalabon speakers were also present, including Don Buninjawa, Maggie Tukumba (Chikappa) and Flora (surname unknown). A masterpiece of dramatic, humorous story-telling, it recounts the meeting between a character called Naworneng, who is on his way back from a successful hunting trip, and a “Mimih” spirit – Mimihs are slender spirits that d...

Queenie Brennan: Whistleduck, Ghostbat and Rainbow

Queenie Bangarn Brennan is telling the traditionnal story of the Whistleduck, Ghostbat and Rainbow. This story was recorded by Maïa Ponsonnet on 5th of May 2011 at Barunga. A Kriol version told by Queenie on the same day can be accessed via the ELAR archive.

The Emu Story

This story was told to Nick Evans and Murray Garde at Weemol Spring in 1992 by Jackie Chadum and Don Buninjawa, with some prompting and further commentary by Maggie Tukumba. It has been transcribed by myself, Murray Garde, and Sarah Cutfield, with assistance at various points from Maggie Tukumba, Alice Ngalkandjara, Peter Mandeberru and Dudley Lawrence at transcription sessions in 1992 (Maningrida), 1995 (Bulman) and 2017 (Weemol). It is a complex performance, partly in medley style and partly ...