Speaking, Talking, Telling
Spoken Language and Text Corpora
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Maggie Tukumba: Buladjbuladj story
Maggie Tukumba telling the Buladjbuladj story. Recorded by Nick Evans.
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| nunh kanunh buladjbuladj ngurrah-kolhngunj |
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| we drank his pus - could also say nurru-no ngurrah-nurru-kolhngunj |
| ngadno ngorr kah-marnû-monwong ngadno |
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| He made a water well for us. |
| nunh kanh ngurralng-kolhngunj budjno, nunh |
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| We drank his weewee, |
| nunh ngarrah-don balah- -- balah-don biy kirdikird wurdurd |
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| and people were dying for ever (like: no life afterwards) |
| wulungmunguyh |
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| mak balalng-yawoyh-dokkan |
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| i.e. we (aren’t) alive for ever, no getup any more from graveyard |
| yibung mah kardu |
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| But him now |
| kardu kanh kurrnga budjno ngurraye-kolhnguy |
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| Like if we had drunk the urine of the moonGeorge - ‘that only new, idea, that one’ - i.e. whereas maybe if we had drunk the piss of moon instead...] |
| nunh kardu ngarra... yawoyh-dorrng...-marrangi, wanjh kanh kayin kurrnga kalirrkyu |
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| we would have come back to life again, like that new moon |
| wanjh kanunh |
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| but then |
| munu mah ngey men-ngan ngah-yin ngah-bengdi |
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| like mela jinggabat |
| kardu kanunh bulu-ngokorrng wanjh nahda karr kani |
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| maybe bla our dedi (who sent jesus down), to give us one more chance |
| nahda heaven |
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| up there in heaven |
| kardu kanunh rul keh-monwoninj |
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| they two made those roles (keh- for buladjbuladj on one hand, and kurrnga on the other hand) |
| bulu ngokorrng kanunh yibung kahlng-bong nahda |
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| our father, who went... |
| dorrngno karr ngorr kah-marnû-ni |
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| he sits down in heaven full alive for us, waiting - whereas buladjbuladj bin leave us |
| nidjarra mah ngorr kahlng-bawong wangirrih ngarrah-ni |
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| he left us behind and we're here alone |
| wehkulano-dorrungh (with sin) ngarrah-ni |
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| we sit down on earth, full of sin |
| ngorr kah-ye-bawong wangirrih |
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| (God) left us behind |
| Mardayin |
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| Kunabibi |
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| Yaburdurrwa |
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| Wurlmarrk |
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| Mirndirrini |
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| Wardimulungku |
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| Lorrkkorn |
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| ngorr kah-ye-bawong wangirri-kah nidjarra ngorr kahlng-yeburrbadminj yibungkarn nahda kahlng-bong, |
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| imin livrim wi - i.e. he forsook us - he bin keep going take all the good pleasant things for himself [ngorr kahlng-yeburrbadminj], imin liverim that one |
| ngorr kah-bawong karr nunh kah-ni kanihdja |
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| He left us and he lives up on high |
| wadda-burrama-dorrûng |
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| in the good place |
| kardû kanunh rul-no ngurrah-marnû-wan kardu keh-monwoninj |
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| we have to follow one of those two paths, that they (contrasting) made, |
| kanunh kurrnga, bulungokorrng |
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| the moon, and God |
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 ...