Pilbara languages map from Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre
I’m sitting here in the “Balgo Hilton” waiting for someone to come back from where I’ve just been.
We most likely passed each other on the road sometime yesterday as I struggled up the 530 kilometres of the torture that is known as the Tanami Track from Yuendumu up here to Wirrimanu – formerly known as Balgo.
When I got here and asked after him they told me he’d gone to Yuendumu earlier that day and was expected back here tonight.
So I’ll try to catch up with him early tomorrow.
Meanwhile I’m going through my notes on Aboriginal bird knowledge from around here and the other regions of the north west of western Australia that I’ll be travelling through over the next few weeks.
As I was sorting I came across some excerpts that I’d found in Taruru: Aboriginal Song Poetry From the Pilbara by C.G. Brandenstein and A.P. Thomas and published by Rigby of Adelaide in 1974.
At 92 pages Taruru is a modest work but it is packed with song poems in a number of languages of the Pilbara – which appears, and have a look at the map above, to be one of the most linguistically diverse parts of the country.
To find out more about the language and cultures in this fascinating and far-flung corner of the country the website of the Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre is a great place to start.
Here are some of the bird song poems from Taruru:
BIRD’S CALL
Tjalurra in Jindiparndi, by Robert Churnside
Ku?urru murlawarnjgaa juurumarna karnalilila
ku?urru murlawarnjgaa juurumarna tarritogula
The Kurrugu bird-call finds his melody in the morning
Kurrugu bird-call finds his melody in the treehole.
THE CROWS
Tabi in Karierra, by Tjarndai
njalataianna pannina kudii nagunjuru
pilanmannaba takanna.
palakuru pala kardi?iriba pannigu
tinatingala juurra-manjulaba mirrunjgu
palakuru pala waarnarraba warnjga “kaa”
warnda murrumurru tanbatirriiba wurdanjga
They lurk and sit till they see a bone
What they can get, they grab
They hang around, eyeing something off.
Hopping about in the sun,
Conversing: “Kaa, kaa, kaa.”
Then its up to the back of a branch
One after another – what a crowd.
EMU SHOT
Tabi in Ngarluma, by Tjinapirrgarri
maguranagu tundunjarranpiru
maguranagu njali kangaragu
warnjgatinara karruluu padanna
warnjgatinara poolkarrinagu
ilinpinnuru karruluu padanna
ilinpinnuru poolkarrinagu
wibururuba marnjgula jirrgagu
karlinjkarlinjbala
At the bobbing head he aims,
At the bobbing head, at the upper neck.
The shots whistle, hitting the river stones.
The shots whistle, as it lies there riddled.
Feathers leap, hitting the river stones.
Feathers leap, as it lies there riddled.
The emu chicks run to and fro
Coming back again and again.
THE BULBUL BIRD
Tabi in Ngarluma, by Waljbira
Bulbul pannii nurdu,
Bulbul pannii nurdu
murii tinamanma, jabulkurruu karadilipanjuru
Bulbul pannii nurdu,
Bulbul pannii nurdu
murii tinamanma, jabalkurruu karadilipaia
jinda nuru pannii Pabamudunjgana
njaiin wirlimanma, kururdkakanma njuu
jinda nuru pannii Pabamudunjgana
njaiin wirlimanma, kururdaga.
Bulbul is here
Follow the stony creek, your track to northern shores!
Bulbul is here
This pool is “water throughout the year”
Stir my heart and also give it a rest
(rest is missing)
PELICAN AND HERON
Pundut in Jindiparndi
(traditional)
kandanjarrima pilarra!
tamanjgajini padarmarrijanju-peerl! peerl! peerl!
hou!
Leave your old leg-spear alone!
Let’s hurl fire-sticks at each other!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
THE PEEWIT AND THE WHITE COCKATOO CHICK
Pundut in Jindjiparndi
(traditional)
njaiimbaa karparna mungamunganina
wiluurumarna kardanpadimarna
pirdiranalu tida wadinjani
hou!
I then took it away and improved on it:
White and the neck striped,
Better than the white cockatoo’s chick
Which turned out rather badly.
I don’t have the right keyboard settings to enter some of the linguistic notations (there are several couplings of “n” & “j” (I’ve forgotten the technical term!) above that are usually represented by an “n” with the downstroke of the “j” incorporated into it. There are also several graves, acutes and umlauts that I’ve not been able to enter.
I’ve come across a fair bit of poetry and song-texts in the course of my research and I’ll post a few more of them as I work my way though my notes and research.
The poems from Taruru provide me with some interesting perspectives on how people imagine and record their knowledge of birds.
I struggle to understand the meaning of Pundut’s The Peewit and the White Cockatoo Chick, but a little research may provide some clarity.
Both The Crows and Emu Shot are beautiful and fine-grained descriptions of two common birds – one often seen as an intelligent and engaging pest, the other an important element in local economic and religious life.
And I’m looking for more in other material that von Brandenstein recorded in the north-west. If you know of any other Aboriginal poetry about birds please don’t hesitate to pass it on.
One Comment
Hi Bob, you should try to talk to Bai Bai Napangarti while you are there in Balgo, she is a fantastic story teller and having spent a large part of her youth living out in the area south of Yagga Yagga knows an enourmous amount about birds (and all the other animals, plants etc too). Of course doing bird research you will be going to Mulan too?
One Trackback