Alawa Language Project: Recent Episodes
Alawa Language Project
This page was made for the Minyerri community, to celebrate our traditional language, Alawa. It's a collection of audio featuring songs, stories and language lessons.
As sung by Margaret Sharpe . Wargwarg wanggurlayi, guyn-nyanda! Ngenyi-yiri nggumbi ngalanga! Tap-jiyunu gul-yiri, jululu-yurrgan! Yi-barrmarr yamirni wanggurlayi! . Warg warg wanggurlayi, guyn-ganyanda Warlburl morn-gog jangarl-yurrginya Bunany-yurrgerli Wanyga-yurrgerli Yibarrmarr yamirni wanggurlayi. . . . Caw, caw crow, I saw you! You stole our meat You drank from the tap, and made it leak! You’re a clever big crow! . Caw caw crow, we saw you Cane toad you can kill You turn it over You lay it belly up You’re a clever big crow! . This song appears in The Alawa Learners Guide by Margaret Sharpe.
'Marraman bajaja Sydney (A little flood in Sydney) as spoken by Margaret Sharpe. . Nguli Sydney, ngina, narnanga, an.gujaga ngaba, narlibalnga. Awuj ngalanga wulamburr walbirr bajajirr. Ruwu yamirni jir-nari wulamburr walbirr. Ngidmirr mijal naja-gunu, mijal yamirni. Marraman nari. Marraman gej-nawujala. Ngawurr-anna mambulud wulamburr awujji ngalanga. Gaya-ngurrnana arlibilnga. E-e! Warraburr-narla nuligi ruwu! Yamirni nuligi ruwu! Warraburr-nayiman balgirru. Warraburr-nayiman mambuludji. Ngidmirr. Yilngalangabarra yilwuyga jurd-jilujala pikjirryunu mudugirr yilunga. Guny-ngurranna nda majul yilmudugayi. Durr-yilanda. Yulmij yilmuduga yilunga. Ngarawany-jiliman gayi mambulud. Wirr-yiliman burdirru yilunga. Mirrindinyi bugi jurd-jilaja-gunu nda yillilmi. Ruwu nda jadba-yilujala ------ bing. Yilyaganna yej. Birriny-jilngadanyana nda mambulud. Jurd-jilaja-gunu mburdirru yilunga, awuj-jirru yilunga. . . . We were (living) in Sydney, I, my father, my mother, my younger brother. Our house was near a creek (walba ‘river, creek’ bajaja ‘little’). (I call it a little river because it almost always has water in it, not like some gullies in Alawa country.) A big tree was standing near the creek. One night rain came, big rain, (and) there was a flood. A flood was running. It covered (drowned) the road near our house. We two, my younger brother and I, heard it. Hey, that tree is falling down! (You don’t have to say ‘I’, because the verb says ‘we two (not you)’, so it must include ‘I’.) That’s a big tree! It fell to the ground (balga ‘ground, land’). It fell on the road. The road was blocked. (It was) in the night (ngidma ‘night’). Lots of our people (neighbours) were returning from the pictures (pikja ‘picture, cinema’) in their cars. We saw the car lights. They stopped. (They) left their cars. They went round by another path. They walked home. In the morning early the men came back. They were chopping the tree down, and finished The got it and threw it away. They cleaned the road. After that they got into their cars. They went back to their homes (burda ‘camp, home’), to their houses.
. Book available to download at Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages: http://laal.cdu.edu.au/record/cdu:45417/info/
A list of bush foods and medicines, as spoken by Agnes Wilfred and Phelicia Daylight, recorded over the Wet Season of 2017.
Guyiya - dog's balls/emu-berry Jingurlili - conkerberry/bush plum Morrobon - black plum Ngurradin - bush banana Yarragaga - blackcurrant (kriol = jupi)
'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', as sung by Naomi Wilfred. This recording is courtesy of the Ngukurr Language Centre. . Mirnin mirnin girn-giji ninda benda nggundurrirr. Bid-neji ardangarri gerengmayin Mbalbalbi gada mirnin girn-giji Mirnin mirnin girn-giji ninda benda nggundurrirr.
. Mirnin mirnin mbalbalbi ninda benda nggundurrirr. Mbarda warnan ardangarri, yirringga wunya girn-giji. Mirnin mirnin girn-giji ninda benda nggundurrirr. . . . Twinkle, twinkle, star, here above in the sky. The moon rises bright Weakly twinkle star Twinkle twinkle star here above in the sky . Twinkle twinkle weakly here above in the sky. Later the moon (will) set, Strong star now. Twinkle twinkle, star, here above in the sky. . Translation by Margaret Sharpe.