Mudburra to English Dictionary
 9781925302578

Table of contents :
Contents
Preface
The dictionary team
Acknowledgements
1.1 The language and its speakers
1.2 Pre-European history
1.3 European arrival and life on the cattle stations
1.4 Post-station life
1.5 The modern linguistic ecology in Mudburra communities
1.6 Mudburra culture, past and present9
1.7 References
3.1 Consonants
3.2 Vowels
4.1 Nouns and adjectives
4.2 Numbers
4.3 Question words
4.4 Direction words
4.5 Demonstratives
4.6 Pronouns
4.7 Verb phrases
4.8 Making sentences

Citation preview

Mudburra to English Dictionary

Mudburra to English Dictionary COMPILED BY: Rebecca Green, Jennifer Green, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, Felicity Meakins, David Osgarby, Rob Pensalfini WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM: Pharlap Dilkbarri Dixon†, Jumbo Kijilikarri Collins†, Sue ‘Lady’ Mangkanjangiwarra Dixon†, Lucy Hughes†, Albert Lalka Crowson†, Shannon Kulngankarri Dixon, Janey Walanyku Lunjabirni Dixon, Ray Dimakarri Dixon, Wendy Hughes, Maureen Bill, Susan Kingston, Raylene Bill, Bernie Dixon, Jeffrey Manawurda Dixon, Todman Dixon WITH ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM: Glenn Wightman, Patrick McConvell, David Nash, Mary Laughren

ABORIGINAL STUDIES PRESS

Published by Aboriginal Studies Press © Mudburra language: Mudburra people 2019 © Dictionary compilation: Rebecca Green, Jennifer Green, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, Felicity Meakins, David Osgarby and Rob Pensalfini 2019 © Illustrations: Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport; Brenda Thornley; Jennifer Green; Diwurruwurru-jaru Aboriginal Corporation; Catholic Education Office Kimberley Region 2012 Aboriginal Studies Press is the publishing arm of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
 GPO Box 553, Canberra, ACT 2601 Phone: (61 2) 6246 1183
 Fax: (61 2) 6261 4288
 Email: [email protected] Web: www.aiatsis.gov.au/asp/about.html This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent amendments, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission. Please forward all correspondence to Aboriginal Studies Press at the address above. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-inPublication data: Mudburra to English Dictionary / compiled by Rebecca Green, Jennifer Green, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, Felicity Meakins, David Osgarby and Rob Pensalfini ISBN: 978-1-9253025-7-8 Mudburra language – Dictionaries – English English language – Dictionaries – Mudburra Other Authors/Contributors: Green, Rebecca, 1963– Green, Jennifer, 1954– Hamilton-Hollaway, Amanda Rose, 1984– Meakins, Felicity Helen, 1977– Osgarby, David John, 1992– Pensalfini, Rob, 1968–

The Mudburra knowledge in this book is the intellectual property of the Mudburra people. This knowledge should be used only with written consent of the intellectual property owners and with proper attribution. The Western scientific knowledge and many of the ethnobiological illustrations in this book are the property of the Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport (NTREAS). These materials should only be used with appropriate approval. Illustrations from the following sources are used with permission: Milton Andrews, Adi Dunlop, Beth Crase, Valerie Alexander and Monika Osterkamp (NTREAS); David le May (Diwurruwurru-jaru Aboriginal Corporation); Jennifer Green (University of Melbourne); Jacqueline Floyd, Annette Lands, Monica Lee, Mystique Dia, Phil Belfrage, Raymond Edney, Susie Rodgers, Carol Tangwei and Robyn Wells in Kimberley Clipart, Aboriginal Designs and Borders, Catholic Education Office Kimberley Region. Photos and map used with permission from Felicity Meakins, Rob Pensalfini, David Nash, Peter Sutton, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, David Osgarby, Elle Frederickson, Yasmin Smith, Jennifer Green, Rod Hagen, Thelma Dixon and Glenn Wightman. Front cover image is Jabiru, Janey Dixon 2018; courtesy of Barkly Arts. Production by Bruderlin MacLean Publishing Services. Printed in Australia by Ligare Pty Ltd.

Australian Indigenous Languages Dictionary Project, an initiative of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Proudly supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii The dictionary team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv 1 Language and history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1 The language and its speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.2 Pre-European history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.3 European arrival and life on the cattle stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.4 Post-station life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.5 The modern linguistic ecology in Mudburra communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.6 Mudburra culture, past and present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2 Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 3 Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.1 Consonants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.2 Vowels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 4 Grammar guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4.1 Nouns and adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4.1.1 Case endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4.1.2 Other endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 4.1.3 Other noun and adjective endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 4.2 Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 4.2.1 Number words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 4.2.2 Number endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 4.3 Question words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 4.4 Direction words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 4.4.1 Up and down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 4.4.2 Compass points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 4.5 Demonstratives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 4.5.1 Different forms of demonstratives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 4.5.2 What demonstratives are used for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 4.6 Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 4.6.1 Bound pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 4.6.2 Free pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 4.6.3 Indefinite pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 4.7 Verb phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 4.7.1 Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 4.7.2 Coverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 4.8 Making sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

v

4.8.1 Word order in sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 4.8.2 Sentences without verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 4.8.3 Sentences with verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 4.8.4 Complex sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 5 Explanation of dictionary entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 6 Mudburra to English dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 7 English to Mudburra word finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 8 English to Mudburra scientific name finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 9 Mudburra verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 10 Mudburra hand signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

vi

Preface This dictionary is the result of a 60-year collaboration between Mudburra people, linguists and an ethnobiologist. Sadly, many of the main Mudburra contributors involved in the project have not lived to see the completed dictionary. Nevertheless, we hope this dictionary can help their extensive knowledge live on for generations to come. The documentation of Mudburra words and grammar began with wordlists by Stanner (1934) and Capell (1940). Then, in 1960, Tommy Ngarrkuliyi made the first recordings of his language, Eastern Mudburra, with Kenneth Hale. These tapes were multilingual; Mudburra was elicited along with Kaytetye, Warlmanpa and Jingulu. Hale also produced field notes to accompany these recordings. These notes include around 144 Mudburra words. Between 1974 and 1975, recordings of Eastern Mudburra were made by Patrick McConvell, Nugget Beetaloo, Pharlap Dixon and Charlie Bill at Kulumindini (Elliott). During this time, Albert Crowson, Sambo Jilkijkarri, Hobbles Daniyarri, Timmy Yilngayari and Anzac Jangari (speakers of Western Mudburra) also worked with McConvell at Daguragu. McConvell was also the principal anthropologist in the Yingawunarri Mudburra Land Claim. In 1976 and 1978, Smiler Major and Tasaku Tsunoda worked together on Mudburra at Nicholson Station. In 1977, dictionary work began in earnest with David Nash. Nash was the first to digitally collate all previous sources on Mudburra into a single dictionary file, as well as to undertake further recordings with a number of speakers of Eastern Mudburra. He continued that work until 1992. Hugh Belfrage also compiled more notes and added to the early version of the Mudburra dictionary. Then, between 1996 and 2000, Rebecca Green visited Elliott and Marlinja (Newcastle Waters) to edit the existing dictionary file and to record more headwords and example sentences with Pharlap and Lady Dixon. Finally, from 2015 to 2019, a team of linguists, Mudburra elders and a biologist worked together in Elliott and Marlinja to check and greatly expand the dictionary. The members of this team were Maureen Bill, Raylene Bill, Bernie Dixon, Janey Dixon, Jeffrey Dixon, Raymond Dixon, Shannon Dixon, Todman Dixon, Jennifer Green, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, Wendy Hughes, Susan Kingston, Felicity Meakins, David Osgarby, Rob Pensalfini and Glenn Wightman. The Mudburra bio-cultural knowledge in this dictionary comes from Jingulu and Mudburra Plants and Animals (Raymond et al, 2018). This work began in the 1970s at Daguragu by Albert Lalka Crowson and Patrick McConvell, who sent plant specimens to the CSIRO in Canberra for identification. David Nash then continued this work with Donald Graham and Norah Graham through the 1980s, with Lady Dixon in the early 1990s, and with Pharlap Dixon in 1999. Nash also drew on the work of Mona Rennie, along with Deborah Bird Rose’s work at Yarralin and Darrell Lewis’ ‘Major vegetation types along the Murranji Track’ (in his Report on the History and Historic Sites of the Murranji Stock Route for the National Trust). Nash also added information from Andy Barr, Joan Chapman, Nick Smith and Maree Beveridge’s Traditional Bush Medicines: An Aboriginal Pharmacopoeia (1988); amendments were made by Rita Albert, Kimby Kingston and Sharon Bill during a Mudburra literacy course with lists extracted by Gavan Breen from Nash’s wordlist. Additionally, Nash incorporated work from Peter Sutton, who collected plant and animal vii

terms as a part of his research during the Murranji Land Claim (1980–1983). Rebecca Green also collected bio-cultural knowledge with Pharlap Dixon, Lady Dixon and Lucy Hughes from 1996 to 2000. Finally, Glenn Wightman, Felicity Meakins and Rob Pensalfini worked from 2015 to 2018 to compile all of this work, check it and complete Jingulu and Mudburra Plants and Animals (Raymond et al, 2018). In May 2017, June 2018 and April 2019, Pompey Raymond, Shannon Dixon, Johnny Devlin, Janey Dixon, Jennifer Green and Felicity Meakins recorded Mudburra hand signs. Some of this research drew on videos made by Jingili and Mudburra elders with Adam Kendon in 1984 at Elliott, as well as work by Albert Lalka Crowson and Sambo Jilkijkarri with McConvell in the 1970s at Daguragu. Jennifer Green and Felicity Meakins collated this information, linked QR codes with data files and prepared the images presented in this dictionary. Additional assistance was provided by Jessica Bell, Wanyima Wighton and Chris Storey. In 2019, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway wrote the historical preface and Felicity Meakins and Janey Dixon wrote the grammatical overview. The dictionary was designed and typeset by Christine Bruderlin, copyedited by Margaret McDonell and Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway and proofed by Felicity Meakins.

viii

The dictionary team

(Back, left to right): Nugget Collins Ngurralalu Jabarda, Pompey Raymond Dakamajbi, Shannon Dixon Kulngankarri Jimija, Queenie Martin Nawurla, Rosemary Raymond Namija, Susan Raymond Nimarra, Lady Dixon Mangkanjangiwarra, Pharlap Dixon Dilkbarri. (Front, left to right): Robert Dixon Jimija, Rodney Dixon Jangari, Raymond Raymond Jimija, Darren Raymond Jangari, Raymond Scoba Jangari, Scotty Dixon Jangari, Damien Dixon Jangari (Photo: Peter Sutton, 1981)

ix

David Nash working on the Warlmanpa-Warlpiri-Mudburra-Warumungu land claim at Elliott (Photo: Rod Hagen, 1980)

Rob Pensalfini, Wendy Hughes and Shannon Dixon checking Mudburra texts (Photo: Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, 2016) x

Felicity Meakins and Janey Dixon compiling words for plants and animals in Elliott (Photo: Glenn Wightman, 2015)

David Osgarby and Janey Dixon writing Mudburra song texts (Photo: Amanda HamiltonHollaway, 2016)

xi

Pharlap Dilkbarri Dixon at Narrwan (Photo: Peter Sutton, 1981)

Jumbo Collins (Photo: Rob Pensalfini, 1995)

Ethan Dixon, Janey Dixon, Elle Fredericksen and Yasmin Smith recording Mudburra songs (Photo: Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, 2016)

xii

Raymond Dixon making ‘kurndalnga’ (clapsticks) from ‘kamanji’ (bulwaddy) (Photo: Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, 2016)

Raymond Dixon and Amanda HamiltonHollaway show off the latest CD by Rayella, a band consisting of Raymond and his daughter Eleanor who sing in Mudburra (Photo: Thelma Dixon, 2016)

xiii

Acknowledgements Funding and support for the compilation of this dictionary has come from a number of sources. Patrick McConvell and David Nash’s early work was supported by AIATSIS (then AIAS). Rebecca Green and Hugh Belfrage received support from the Barkly Region office of the Department of Education (NT), located in Tennant Creek. The final stage of dictionary compilation was funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through a Discovery Project grant (DP150101201, Trilingual Contact in an Aboriginal Community, Chief Investigators Felicity Meakins and Rob Pensalfini) and through the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (Project ID: CE140100041). The University of Queensland administered these ARC funds in both instances. Jennifer Green’s sign language work was supported by an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) (DE160100873, Visible talk: Using Australian Indigenous sign languages), administered through the University of Melbourne. Elliott School provided accommodation and office support for linguists in the community. All of the plant illustrations come from Milton Andrews, Adi Dunlop, Beth Crase, Jennifer Green, Valerie Alexander and Monika Osterkamp. The animal illustrations were undertaken by various artists. All are used with permission from the Northern Territory Government Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) or from individual illustrators. Other illustrations come from David le May. These are used with permission from Diwurruwurru-jaru Aboriginal Corporation. Finally, some illustrations were also provided with permission by the Kimberley Region branch of the Catholic Education Office. These illustrations are from Kimberley Clipart: Aboriginal Designs and Borders (1996), and were created by Jacqueline Floyd, Annette Lands, Monica Lee, Mystique Dia, Phil Belfrage, Raymond Edney, Susie Rodgers, Carol Tangwei and Robyn Wells. The maps of Mudburra dialects and neighbouring languages were created by Brenda Thornley and the CartoGIS Services at ANU. Photos are reproduced with permission from Felicity Meakins, Rob Pensalfini, David Nash, Peter Sutton, Amanda Hamilton-Hollaway, David Osgarby, Elle Frederickson, Yasmin Smith, Rod Hagen, Thelma Dixon and Glenn Wightman. Photos in the sign language section courtesy of Jennifer Green.

xiv

1 Language and history

1.1 The language and its speakers Mudburra is spoken in the western part of the Barkly Region, southern parts of the Sturt Plateau, and eastern parts of the Victoria River District, all within the Northern Territory (Australia). The Murranji Stock Route, a famous 230-kilometre cattle droving track, cuts through Mudburra country and connects two important places where Mudburra people live: Yingawunarri (Top Springs) in the northwest, and Marlinja (Newcastle Waters Station and the adjacent Aboriginal community) in the southeast. Many Mudburra people also now live in the town of Kulumindini (Elliott), located 735 kilometres south of Darwin, and 30 kilometres south of Marlinja, on the Stuart Highway (see Section 1.4). Mudburra is part of the Pama-Nyungan language family, a large group of related languages that covers all of southern and central Australia. Within the Pama-Nyungan family, Mudburra is a member of the Ngumpin-Yapa subgroup, along with closely-related languages such Gurindji, Bilinarra, and Ngarinyman. Mudburra speakers commonly recognise two dialects of their language, known as Eastern Mudburra and Western Mudburra (see Section 1.5). Mudburra is a now severely endangered language. The 2016 census reported 96 Mudburra speakers, although this number likely includes many people who identify as Mudburra as well as those who speak the language. Fieldwork conducted from 2016 to 2018 indicates that fewer than 10 people speak the language fluently, and that children no longer learn Mudburra in its traditional form. Nevertheless, Mudburra identity remains a central and driving force in many people’s lives, and certain Mudburra words, beliefs, and cultural practices are strongly maintained (see Section 1.6).

1.2 Pre-European history Before the arrival of Europeans, Mudburra people were semi-nomadic. They lived ‘in the semi-desert around and south of the Murranji stock route and in the better watered areas around the…eastern tributaries of the Victoria River’ (Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner [Toohey, John], 1980, p. 2). Because much of this country is very dry, Mudburra people were known to travel long distances in search of food and other necessities (Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner [Kearney, W.J.], 1987, p. 4). For shelter, the Mudburra constructed ‘nanji’ (humpies or cubby houses) in the local variety of Aboriginal English. ‘Nanji’ were made of sheets of ‘kurrunyu’ (bark) from

1

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

Map 1. Mudburra dialects and neighbouring languages

‘karnawuna’ (lancewood, Acacia shirleyi). The door opening could be quite short, requiring a person to duck when going through; once inside, however, even a fully grown adult could stand upright. A ‘nanji’ had enough floor space for five or six people to sleep. For comfort and warmth, Mudburra people made beds out of ‘liwiji’ or ‘liyiji’ (silky browntop grass and desert red grass, Eulalia aurea and Bothriochloa ewartiana, respectively).1 Mudburra speakers, like many Aboriginal Australians, were highly multilingual before European arrival. Specifically, many Mudburra speakers also knew Gurindji (closely related to Mudburra and spoken to the west of Mudburra country) or Jingulu (an unrelated language spoken by Mudburra’s neighbours to the east). Mudburra speakers also have had ties to the Warlmanpa, Wambaya and Warumungu people for many generations (Meakins & Pensalfini, 2018; Rhydwen, 1992, p. 65). 1  Shannon Dixon and Wendy Hughes (2018, AHA1-2018_008-02.wav, 31:03min). All tapes of interviews are held in the digital archive PARADISEC in the Mudburra collection.

2

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

Contact with speakers of other languages has affected the way Mudburra is spoken. In particular, it has led to the development of two separate dialects: Eastern Mudburra (also called Kuwaarrangu), which has more influence from Jingulu, and Western Mudburra (also called Kuwirrinji), which shares more with Gurindji (see Section 1.5).

1.3 European arrival and life on the cattle stations Europeans began arriving in the Victoria River and Barkly regions in the mid-1800s. Augustus Charles Gregory led the first major exploration of the Victoria River District and the region to its east in 1855–56, although he did not reach as far east as the Barkly Tablelands (Powell, 2009, p. 52). The Barkly Tablelands were explored a few years later, in 1861–62, when John McDouall Stuart and his party passed through the western Barkly in their attempt to find a route across the country from south to north (Lewis, 2007, pp. 14–15). On 23 May 1861, Stuart arrived at ‘a splendid reach of water, about one hundred and fifty yards wide…certainly the gem of Sturt Plains’, which he ‘named Newcastle Water, after his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary for the Colonies’ (Stuart, 1865, ‘Thursday, 23 May’). This water source was clearly well-known and used by the local Aboriginal people; in the same journal entry, Stuart writes that ‘there are mussels and periwinkles in it, and, judging from the shells on the banks, the natives must consume a large quantity’. For the next two decades, few Europeans aside from telegraph line workers ventured into the western Barkly. The promise of water in a dry country was, however, too tempting to be ignored for long, and in 1883, Newcastle Waters Station was established and stocked with cattle (Lewis, 2007, p. 19). More than 150 kilometres to the west, Wave Hill Station was also stocked in 1883 (Lewis, 2007, p. 21). Suddenly, Mudburra people were being pressured off their land from both sides. The next 80 years brought major changes to Mudburra land and lifestyle. The pastoral industry permanently altered the environment and the resources that Mudburra people had depended upon for their survival for tens of thousands of years. Faced with dwindling food and water supplies and a threat of violence from some of the Europeans, many Mudburra people decided to move onto the stations, where they could work as domestics and station hands in exchange for meagre food rations and some sense of protection. Many Mudburra people, particularly from the Eastern Mudburra group, went to work at Newcastle Waters Station. Lupgna Giari (also called Captain Major), a Newcastle Waters stockman, reported that the conditions there were better than on many other stations, mostly because of the management: ‘What you can do with Roy Edwards [boss at Newcastle Waters] is you can stand right up to him’, he explained in an interview in the late 1960s. ‘And you can talk to him like a man and he listen and talk to you like a man, not like a dog same as those other pastoralists’ (Hardy, 1976 [1968], p. 30). The basic decency offered by the management did not, however, extend as far as equal wages or adequate living conditions. Shannon Dixon is a Mudburra elder and former stockman at Newcastle Waters and several other stations across northern Australia. He remembers that, when he was a boy on Newcastle Waters, the Aboriginal workers lived in modern versions of a ‘cubby house’: lean-tos which they built themselves by cutting open and flattening 44-gallon drums into steel panels. The station distributed rations of tea, sugar, flour, beef 3

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

Map 2. Location of Mudburra and neighbouring languages and places (Brenda Thornley, 2017)

4

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

and tobacco about once per week. The station boss also ordered clothes and blankets for the workers, and they would arrive regularly via the mail bus. Dixon recalls that workers were ‘paid’ only in rations at this time, receiving no money at all.2 Mudburra was the main Aboriginal language of Newcastle Waters Station.3 Mudburra people did not only live and work at Newcastle Waters, though; rather, they travelled widely across Mudburra country and beyond for station work. To the east of Newcastle Waters, Mudburra people lived at places such as Warranganku (Beetaloo)4 and OT Downs; to the south, at Bamayu (Powell Creek); and to the west, at stations including Montejinnie, Camfield, Victoria River Downs, and Wave Hill, with some even working over the Western Australian border at Nicholson and Gordon Downs.5 Because Aboriginal people from other language groups similarly spread out and sought refuge at stations, the stations became ‘centre[s] of gradual but continuous intermingling of languages and cultures’ (Berndt & Berndt, 1987, p. 59). Ronald and Catherine Berndt, two anthropologists who studied the lives of Aboriginal station workers in the 1940s, found that the Indigenous languages spoken on the stations were being mixed together. They also observed that a few of the larger languages were emerging as lingua francas, forcing speakers of smaller languages to learn or shift to these more dominant varieties. On Wave Hill Station, for example, the Berndts wrote that the workers and their families mostly spoke Mudburra, Gurindji, ‘or usually a mixture of both’ (Berndt & Berndt, 1987, p. 59). Additionally, close contact with European pastoralists meant the introduction of a new language as well: most Aboriginal people on the stations also ‘found it necessary to learn a certain amount of English’ (Berndt & Berndt, 1987, p. 59). More accurately, however, this English that the Berndts noted was almost certainly not Standard Australian English, but rather, a new language altogether. As the pastoral industry and its workers spread northwards and then westwards out of New South Wales, they brought several English-based contact varieties (called pidgins) with them (Meakins, 2014, pp. 367; 370–383). Over time and with increased usage, these pidgins grew, changed, and adopted new elements from the Indigenous languages they encountered along the way. The most lasting result of this process is the language called Kriol, which most famously developed at the Roper River Mission (and, potentially, at other locations around the Northern Territory and Western Australia) in the early 1900s (Meakins, 2014, pp. 370–383; Munro, 2000). Over the following decades, Kriol became widely used across northern Australia — including throughout Mudburra country — largely because of the useful role it played in communication within the multilingual station environments. Kriol remains an important language within the Mudburra community today, along with Standard Australian English and the local variety of Aboriginal English (see Section 1.5). Although the cattle industry brought immense hardship and permanent change to Aboriginal people’s lives, languages and even their land itself, they fought to retain their 2  Shannon Dixon and Wendy Hughes (2018, AHA1-2018_008-02.wav, 47:02min and 59:27min). 3  Shannon Dixon (2018, AHA1-2018_008-02.wav, 45:52min). 4  The land areas referred to by the Mudburra and English place names do not necessarily overlap completely. For example, Warranganku refers specifically to Beetaloo Outstation, a small cluster of buildings located within the much-larger Beetaloo Station. Despite these partial mismatches, however, Mudburra names are presented alongside English names here because they were given as equivalents by speakers. 5  Shannon Dixon and Wendy Hughes (2018, AHA1-2018_008-02.wav, 00:37:45-00:45:52).

5

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

classical culture during this time. In 1937, for example, the anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner (1937, p. 303) wrote that even though the Mudburra ‘have come substantially under alien influence, and so have suffered a good deal of upset’, the ‘conventional [kinship] relationships are still observed’. It was this kind of determination — this steadfast respect for their Law, even as the law of the land was being rewritten by unsympathetic colonisers — that led the Mudburra people and their neighbours to demand autonomy and put an end to the station days.

1.4 Post-station life In late April 1966, the Aboriginal workers at Newcastle Waters Station turned their determination into action. Led by stockman Lupgna Giari and an Indigenous organiser named Dexter Daniels from the North Australian Workers’ Union (NAWU) in Darwin, the Newcastle Waters workers and their families walked off the station, striking to demand fair treatment. The strikers — a group of about 80 men, women and children, mostly Mudburra and Jingili6 — stayed first in Elliott, then at Union Paddock (also called Union Camp), near the Newcastle Waters township, refusing to return to work without award wages and approval from NAWU (Hardy, 1976 [1968], pp. 27–34; Snowden, 2012). While the Newcastle Waters strike was not the first example of industrial action by Aboriginal station workers (the Pilbara workers’ strike had begun 20 years earlier), it marked a crucial turning point for the Mudburra people — and for the economy and land distribution policies of Australia as a whole. The determination of the Newcastle Waters strikers paved the way for other, bigger pastoral strikes around the Northern Territory; the Gurindji people’s famous Wave Hill walk-off, for example, began four months later, in August 1966. The Newcastle Waters strike also formed a part of the larger movement towards self-determination that eventually led to the return of Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1976) (Snowden, 2012). The Mudburra community has directly benefited from this act. Since the late 1970s, they have lodged or been involved in several land claims covering both the western and eastern parts of their traditional territory. As a result, Mudburra Native Title has successfully been recognised over some tracts of their country, including parts of Newcastle Waters and Murranji stations, Union Paddock and parts of the Newcastle Waters township, Marlinja community, and portions of land in and around the town of Elliott. Today, most Mudburra people live in Elliott or in the nearby community of Marlinja. Elliott is a small town on the Stuart Highway, located almost exactly halfway between Darwin and Alice Springs. According to the 2016 census, 339 people live in Elliott (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018). Of these, 299 (87.2%) identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Elliott residents are young: the median age is 24 (compared to 38 for Australia as a whole), and children aged 14 or under make up 34.7 per cent of Elliott’s population (compared to 18.7% nationwide). Furthermore, only 6.1 per cent of people in Elliott are aged 65 or older; in Australia as a whole, 15.8 per cent of people are over 65. One-third (33.3%) of Elliott households report speaking a language other than English (compared to 22.2% nationwide). Of the non-English languages spoken, Mudburra was the most 6  Jingili is the name of the people, while Jingulu is the name of their language.

6

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

commonly reported (17.5% of Elliott residents, or about 60 people) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018). Elliott has two petrol stations, both of which also sell a limited selection of basic goods and food items. The nearest supermarket is in Tennant Creek, about 250 kilometres to the south. Many Elliott residents supplement their diet by fishing or by hunting for ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkey, Ardeotis australis) and various types of kangaroos, such as ‘wardabarnmarra’ (red kangaroo, Osphranter rufus; plains kangaroo, Macropus antilopinus). Families also pool their resources to buy a ‘killer’ from one of the nearby cattle stations, providing enough fresh beef to share among many people. Elliott has a post office (located inside one of the petrol stations), but as there is no home mail delivery service, all residents must come to the post office to check for their mail. The town also has a health clinic, a small library, and a primary school. Those children who attend secondary school must either live with friends or relatives in Tennant Creek to attend the high school there, or enrol at one of the boarding schools in Darwin or Alice Springs. The community of Marlinja lies 30 kilometres north of Elliott on land excised from Newcastle Waters Station. Marlinja’s population is small — no more than 60 or so people — and is almost entirely Aboriginal (mostly Mudburra and Jingili). Marlinja has no services, and road access is often cut off for weeks at a time during the rainy season. During these times, Marlinja residents make their way in and out of their community via a short ride in a small boat. Just outside Marlinja, the Newcastle Waters primary school serves children from the community and from the station. In 2017, it had 15 students.

1.5 The modern linguistic ecology in Mudburra communities Speakers of Mudburra commonly recognise two dialects of their language: Eastern Mudburra (also called Kuwaarrangu) and Western Mudburra (also called Kuwirrinji).7 These two separate dialects have developed largely because of contact with different neighbouring language groups. Eastern Mudburra is spoken in the area around Elliott and Marlinja, where the Mudburra have lived in close contact with speakers of Jingulu for many years. Because of this contact, both Mudburra culture and language in this region share many features with Jingulu. Western Mudburra, on the other hand, is spoken in the area around Yingawurnarri (Top Springs), where it has had more contact with Gurindji. As a result, Western Mudburra is more similar to Gurindji — and less similar to Jingulu — than Eastern Mudburra is. These different patterns of shared features represent the main difference between Eastern Mudburra and Western Mudburra.8 7  To hear the terms Kuwaarrangu and Kuwirrinji explained by an Eastern Mudburra person, listen to Shannon Dixon in the recording called AHA1-2018_052-04, from about 00:04:39 to 00:05:41. See also Pensalfini (2003, pp. 6–7) for an explanation of these terms from the perspective of the Jingili people. 8  Shared cultural features include ceremonies and kinship systems. Shared linguistic features include large amounts of vocabulary, plus certain aspects of morphology and syntax (e.g., Eastern Mudburra -yili ‘translative suffix’ and amba ‘complementiser’, both argued by Osgarby (2018, pp. 209–210, 216) to be of Jingulu origin). See also McConvell (2009), Pensalfini & Meakins (2018), and Pensalfini (2001).

7

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

Gurindji and Jingulu aren’t the only other languages with important links to the Mudburra community. Many Mudburra people also have strong connections with languages such as Warumungu, Warlmanpa, Wambaya, and even Garrwa due to marriage or extended family ties (Meakins & Pensalfini, 2018; Rhydwen, 1992, p. 65). Sometimes this means they can speak or understand these other languages; other times, it means that they just identify with that group of people and are culturally linked to them. The same could also be said, in fact, of Mudburra people’s relationship to their own language. Like many Aboriginal languages, Mudburra is strongly valued as a marker of identity — even by those who do not speak it fluently. This is because Mudburra people see their language as far more than a tool for communication. In traditional times, language served as one of the key features distinguishing one group from another. Along with shared land, ceremonies and ancestors, language indicated identity and belonging: that is, through their language, Mudburra people were both speaking and being Mudburra. Today, language continues to serve these two distinct functions, meaning that people can maintain a strong language identity even where patterns of language use have shifted dramatically. All Mudburra communities are currently undergoing language shift, making Mudburra a severely endangered language. Traditional Mudburra no longer serves as a main language of day-to-day communication; speakers of all ages use Aboriginal English or Kriol (or, in fact, a mix between the two) for this purpose instead with Mudburra words added in. Some older people (fewer than 10, all over the age of 60) still speak Mudburra fluently. Even for them, however, the majority of daily talk is in Aboriginal English or Kriol. Middleaged adults can often understand complex sentences in Mudburra but find it difficult to produce them. Children and young adults regularly use individual Mudburra words, although they are almost always embedded within Aboriginal English or Kriol sentences. Many Mudburra people also speak Standard Australian English. This is the language of education, business and healthcare in Mudburra communities, as most of the service workers and business owners (teachers, nurses, shopkeepers) are non-Indigenous people who have come to these communities from larger population centres. Both the Elliott and Newcastle Waters schools have, however, had local or Indigenous principals and teachers, and both sometimes employ local teaching assistants to conduct special programs and lessons in Mudburra. Life on Mudburra country has changed radically in the past 150 years. Nevertheless, Mudburra language and culture remain at the centre of daily activity. Colonisation may have forever altered the linguistic, social, and physical landscape of Mudburra country, but it has not changed what it means to be Mudburra.

1.6 Mudburra culture, past and present9 For Mudburra people, history begins with the Dreamtime, the creation period when great ancestor beings took the form of humans, animals, plants and natural elements 9  Much of the information in this section was given by Shannon Dixon and Wendy Hughes in three recordings from 29 April 2018: AHA1-2018_008-01, -02, and -03.wav, respectively. Some additional

8

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

and travelled over the surface of the earth. They met each other, created songs and ceremonies, fought and found compromises and, eventually, shaped the earth itself into the rocks, ridges, waterways and catchments that exist today. Through their interactions, the Dreamtime beings divided up the country and created the laws and ceremonies that brought order to the new world they had made. These beings are the direct ancestors of humans today: each Mudburra person sees their lineage as tracing back, in a very literal sense, to one or more of these creators. This means, then, that each person is born into an unbroken line of inheritance that stretches back to the Dreamtime and forward for eternity, through which they receive ownership rights over particular tracts of land and resources. Clearly, such a birth right cannot be taken lightly. Every individual is therefore also born with a profound responsibility to understand and perform the sacred ceremonies that their inheritance requires, to care for their country and the spirits that inhabit it, and to interact within their community only as allowed by the social rules set down during the Dreamtime. In the past, people from different language groups would walk for days or weeks across vast distances to come together for traditional ceremonies, known as ‘juju’ or ‘yumi’ in Mudburra and often called ‘business’ in Aboriginal English. Marlinja was home to an important ceremony ground where different groups would gather; Warumungu, Nyininy, Bilinarra, Gurindji, and Jingili people would sometimes travel there to meet up with the Mudburra and perform ceremonies. Along their way, these travellers would get water from waterholes (or, later, from government bores), by digging the ground at soaks and by boring holes in tree trunks. They also used their spiritual knowledge to ease their journey by singing songs with the power to bring their destination closer and make the nights go by faster. Sacred ceremonies are based on the Dreamtime beings’ actions and interactions, and on the journeys they took. Like the people themselves, the Dreamtime ancestors were great travellers; their paths, which often enter into both the country and the creation stories of multiple language groups, are known as ‘Dreaming tracks’. Mudburra country is home to some important Dreaming tracks, including that of Dakudbari (Cockatoo), whose track includes Marlinja and a sand ridge to the west called Jarrimanu, and Barnangka (Spotted Nightjar, also called Night Owl), whose track includes Kajalangkujku and Jinkiji. Kurrakurraka (Storm-Bird) also plays a prominent role in Mudburra lore; he travelled south from Kuyangkan (Elsey Station) and stopped at Munmulka, a sinkhole on Murranji Station, along the way. There, he met Kilikilika (Galah) and gave him a sacred ceremony that remains an important part of men’s business to this day. Kurrakurraka then continued southwards again, out of Mudburra country and deep into Central Australia. Additionally, the waterhole called Kiyiwulu, south of Murranji Bore, is also an important Dreaming site; it is associated with Ngidingida (Water Python), Kunudjarri (Olive or Rock Python), and Jawulwarra (King Brown Snake). Of course, the sites and ancestors named here represent only a small fraction of those which are important to Mudburra people. For the Mudburra, as for many Aboriginal information was given by Maureen Bill on 30 April 2018, in AHA1-2018_009-03. The information on pregnancy and childbirth was given by Susan Kingston, Wendy Hughes and Cheryl Dixon on 6 and 7 June 2018, in AHA1-2018_032-01 and -02 and AHA1-2018_033-01.

9

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

people, the notion of the ‘sacred’ is not simply confined to certain locations, individuals, or points in time. Rather, every part of the country remains alive with the power of its creators, who inhabit it now in the same way they always have. Furthermore, ownership over Dreaming stories is strictly observed. While most Mudburra people are familiar with a wide range of stories that do not form part of their own spiritual inheritance, they cannot talk about them at length or explain them to others; only the owners of a story have the right to tell it publicly. Therefore, the ones mentioned here are limited to those that could be shared by the consultants who contributed to this introduction. Of course, many sites serve important practical purposes as well as ceremonial ones. For example, Kulaja (North Hole), a waterhole just north of Marlinja, was an important site for camping and collecting water. People also used to gather the stones for their ‘jabirri’ and ‘kiyindan’ (stone knives) near Kulaja. Banganybini, Minku, Bujbu, Mayilakurru and Double Crossing are all old fishing or swimming spots along Newcastle Creek. These days, however, people favour the parts of the creek that pass closest to Elliott and to Marlinja, such as Ijibarda (Longreach waterhole) and the wider stretches just south of the Newcastle Waters homestead. As in many societies, birth and death are also surrounded by ritual for Mudburra people. When a woman is newly ‘yarluba’ (pregnant), her husband or family will often learn the good news by a visit from a ‘minmina’ (a pregnancy omen or sign), often in the form of an animal that acts oddly. For example, if one kangaroo out of a group stops and stares at a person rather than hopping away with the rest of its group, the person might start to suspect that they’ve just seen a ‘minmina’, and that someone close to them is pregnant. If a person is out hunting and kills a ‘minmina’ without realising it (because they didn’t recognise that it was giving them a sign), then the baby will be born sick, or will have sores or marks. This happened, for example, when Susan Kingston’s mother was expecting Susan’s younger brother: Ngayinyali kirdali nyangana winkuwarnu. Dulyurr-wanya, dulyurr barni. Dulyurr barnana damangkangka…Minmina-wanya ngayinya karlaja. Janga-wanya karrinyarra ngabanju. My father saw a dingo. Then he shot it, he shot it. He shot it in the head…But it was a ‘minmina’ [for] my younger brother. [My brother’s] eyes were bad as a result. Susan Kingston (2018)

Women who are ‘yarluba’ must take special precautions. They can’t eat any type of ‘kidba’ (eggs) from any native animal, nor can they eat any animal that has eggs inside it. If they do, they will get sick and the baby will develop skin sores. Pregnant women also should not breathe any kind of ‘jungkarna’ (smoke), whether from food cooking, a bushfire, a campfire, a house being smoked out or any other source. A pregnant woman’s husband can still hunt and fish, but pregnant women themselves can’t fish and can’t go swimming. In fact, they should not get close to the creek, or the rainbow serpent might smell them. Before clinics and hospitals became accessible, Mudburra babies were born outside, in the bush. A labouring woman would go away from the camp, out of sight of all men and children, with her ‘jakardi’ (mother) and perhaps her ‘kurndaja’ (husband’s mother) as birth attendants. 10

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

Mudburra women, particularly grandmothers, are very attentive to ‘karudarra’ (children) and rely on their knowledge of traditional medicine to keep them strong. One procedure that is still widely performed today involves gently applying ‘ngawurra’ (hot sand) to ‘jayilya karudarra’ (newborn babies) and their mothers, generally on the same day the baby is born. This procedure, known as ‘burning’ the baby, is often performed by the baby’s ‘jaju’ (maternal grandmother) to help both mother and child gain strength. Older children may also be ‘burnt’ to promote good health, especially if they become sick. Unlike newborns, older children are treated with a combination of smoke and warm termite mound (or ‘antbed’, in Aboriginal English). To ‘burn’ a baby in this fashion, a person begins by lighting a fire and heating up some large pieces of ‘bilaya’ or ‘kindijku’ (antbed, termite mound). When the fire has burned down to coals, they scoop out some of the ‘ngawurra’ (hot sand and ashes), leaving the ‘linyarda’ (charcoal) behind. They put the ‘ngawurra’ to one side and cover it with leafy twigs such as ‘mulurrmi’ (turpentine wattle, Acacia lysiphloia). When the twigs heat up and begin to smoke, they hold the baby over them so that the ‘jungkarna’ (smoke) goes all over the baby. After this, they put the heated ‘bilaya’ or ‘kindijku’ in a dish with some ‘nguku’ (water) and smash it up to make a thick, black paste. They rub this on the baby from head to toe and let it dry. As it dries, they cuddle the baby, sing to it, and rock it. They may also give a small amount of this paste to the mother to ingest. Mudburra women do this procedure to make children and mothers grow strong and stay healthy. Rituals and traditions also accompany the end of life. These days, Mudburra people are buried in Christian-style cemeteries. Just a few generations ago, however, a deceased person’s body would be placed on a platform up in a tree. These platforms were made of crisscrossed branches, or, in later days, a sheet of iron or iron rails, wedged into a fork in the tree. Someone would climb up into the tree, and people on the ground would pass the deceased’s body up to them. They would lay the body flat on the platform and leave it to begin decaying. In classical Mudburra society, deaths were almost always considered to be murders, regardless of their apparent cause. This meant that after every death, a murderer would need to be found. This was done with a ‘warlamarra’, a divination fire used to reveal the murderer. Once the body on the platform swelled and began to ooze, a ‘warlamarra’ fire would be lit under the tree. As the body heated and burned, its fat would drip into the fire and stoke it, causing smoke to rise. The smoke would drift away and find the ‘devil-killer’, or murderer, even if they were very far away. When the smoke from the ‘warlamarra’ reached the murderer, they would start to go insane and cry out, ‘Wardayi!’ (Oh no, poor me!). They would also start to get sick: their fingers and toes would shrivel, and their whole arm might even fall off. The path of the smoke, combined with the onset of these symptoms, would reveal to everyone else that the sufferer was the murderer. Alternately, sometimes people would find out the murderer’s identity by cracking the skull of the deceased with an axe before putting the body up into the tree. This would also cause the murderer to go insane. The spirits of family and friends who have passed away remain an important presence in modern Mudburra people’s lives. When someone dies, their spirit remains among the living. It might return to the deceased’s former home, or it might go to their family’s houses. These spirits are generally good; they look after the family, and people find their 11

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

presence comforting. Not all spirits are harmless, however. If an unwelcome spirit comes to live in a house, it will need to be ‘smoked out’ (chased away with a smoking ceremony). When a person’s husband or wife dies, they become a ‘wangu’ (widow) or ‘karlinda’ (widower). There are certain things they must not do, at least for a time. They cannot go to the funeral, for example, nor can they go back to the home where they lived with their spouse. They must also observe a mourning period, perhaps two to four years in length, before they can remarry or paint themselves with ‘kalnga’ (red ochre) at ceremony time. The elders will decide when this period is over. To mark its official end, the bereaved’s brother-in-law will come and paint them and all their siblings with ‘kalnga’. These beliefs and practices, as well as the language in which they have traditionally been articulated, remain at the heart of Mudburra society today. Of course, lifestyles have changed dramatically since colonisation, and continue to do so; the digital age, for instance, has not passed over Mudburra country. As Shannon Dixon explains, however, classical culture is understood as a non-negotiable fact of life: Dets det Lo fo usmob, yuno? Yuwayi. Det ting garra hepin olawei du jenareishin an jenareishin, olawei along. That’s the Law for us, you know? Yes. It has to happen continuously, from one generation to the next. Shannon Dixon (2018)

Despite the changes brought by colonists, every Mudburra person still knows how they fit into their society and their natural environment because of the customs and worldview laid out by their ancestors. Now, as always, the Law stretches infinitely into both the past and the future, unchanged and unchangeable, guiding all beings and maintaining through its steadfastness the very balance of the universe.

1.7 References Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018, 13 December). 2016 Census QuickStats: Elliott. Retrieved 8 January 2019, from http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_ services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/UCL722014 Berndt, Ronald & Berndt, Catherine. (1987). End of an era: Aboriginal labour in the Northern Territory. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Barr, Andy, Chapman, Joan, Smith, Nick & Beveridge, Maree. (1988) Traditional bush medicines: An Aboriginal pharmacopoeia. Unpublished manuscript held at AIATSIS. Capell, Arthur. (1940). The classification of languages in north and north-west Australia (continued). Oceania, 10(4), 404–433. Hardy, Frank. (1976). The unlucky Australians. Adelaide: Rigby. (First published 1968). Lewis, Darrell. (2007). The Murranji Track: Ghost road of the drovers. Rockhampton, Qld: Central Queensland University Press. McConvell, Patrick. (1982). Neutralisation and degrees of respect in Gurindji. In J. Heath, F. Merlan, & A. Rumsey (Eds.), Languages of kinship in Aboriginal Australia (pp. 86–106), Oceania linguistic monographs, No. 24. Sydney: University of Sydney. 12

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

McConvell, P. (2009). Loanwords in Gurindji, a Pama-Nyungan language of Australia. In M. Haspelmath & U. Tadmor (Eds.), Loanwords in the world’s languages: A comparative handbook (pp. 790–822). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. Meakins, Felicity (2014). Language contact varieties. In H. Koch & R. Nordlinger (Eds.), The Languages and Linguistics of Australia (pp. 365–416). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Munro, J.M. (2000). Kriol on the move: A case of language spread and shift in northern Australia. In J. Siegel (Ed.), Process of language contact: Studies from Australia and the South Pacific. (pp. 245–270). Quebec: Fides. National Native Title Tribunal. (n.d.). Search Native Title Applications, Registration Decisions and Determinations. Retrieved 7 January 2019, from http://www.nntt. gov.au/searchRegApps/NativeTitleClaims/Pages/default.aspx Northern Territory Government. (n.d.). Education Directory: Newcastle Waters School. Retrieved 8 January 2019, from https://directory.ntschools.net/SchoolProfile. aspx?name=Elliott%20School Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner [Kearney, W.J.]. (1987). Murranji land claim: Report by the Aboriginal Land Commissioner, Mr. Justice Kearney, to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and to the Administrator of the Northern Territory. Canberra: Australian Government Public Service. Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner [Toohey, John]. (1980). Yingawunarri (Old Top Springs) Mudbura land claim: Report by the Aboriginal Land Commissioner, Mr. Justice Toohey, to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and to the Minister for Home Affairs. Canberra: Australian Government Public Service. Osgarby, David. (2018). Verbal morphology and syntax of Mudburra: An Australian Aboriginal language of the Northern Territory. Unpublished Masters thesis. Brisbane: University of Queensland. Pensalfini, Rob. (2001). On the typological and genetic affiliation of Jingulu. In J. Simpson & K. Hale (Eds.), Forty years on: Ken Hale and Australian languages (pp. 385–399). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Pensalfini, Rob. (2003). A grammar of Jingulu: An Aboriginal language of the Northern Territory. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Pensalfini, Rob, & Meakins, Felicity. (2019). Gender lender: Noun borrowings between Jingulu and Mudburra in northern Australia. Journal of Language Contact, 12(2), 444–482. Powell, Alan. (2009). Far country: A short history of the Northern Territory. Darwin, N.T.: Charles Darwin University Press. Raymond, Pompey, Dixon, Pharlap, Dixon, Sue, Dixon, Shannon, Dixon, Ray, Dixon, Jeffrey, Dixon, Janey, Dixon, Elizabeth, Raymond, Mark, Dalywaters, Harold , Collins, Jumbo, Woods, Robin, Peterson-Cooper, Eileen, Meakins, Felicity, Pensalfini, Rob & Wightman, Glenn. (2018). Jingulu and Mudburra plants and animals: Biocultural knowledge of the Jingili and Mudburra people of Murranji, Marlinja, Warranganku (Beetaloo) and Kulumindini (Elliott), Northern Territory, Australia. Batchelor, Australia: Batchelor Press. 13

1. LANGUAGE AND HISTORY

Rhydwen, Maree. (1992). The extent of the use of Kriol, other creole varieties and varieties of Aboriginal English by schoolchildren in the Northern Territory and its implications for access to English literacy. Sydney, University of Sydney. Snowden, Warren. (2012, 16 August). Forgotten Heroes of the Northern Territory [Blog post]. Retrieved 6 January 2019, from https://blogs.crikey.com.au/ northern/2012/08/16/sometime-we-bin-get-extra-salt-on-the-beef-heroes-of-thenorthern-territory/ Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). (n.d.). SBS census explorer. Retrieved 22 December 2018, from http://www.sbs.com.au/news/census-explorer Stanner, W.E.H. (1934). 1934-35 Notebook 1 17/5/34-31/7/34. [1934 entry in] 1957 Notebook 4 22-23/10/57. WEH Stanner Papers Sub-collection E, AIATSIS. Stanner, W.E.H. (1937). Aboriginal modes of address and reference in the north-west of the Northern Territory. Oceania, 7(3), 300–315. Stuart, J.M. (1865). Fifth expedition, from November, 1860, to September, 1861. From the journals of John McDouall Stuart during the years 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, & 1862, when he fixed the centre of the continent and successfully crossed it from sea to sea. Retrieved 23 December 2018, from https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/stuart/ john_mcdouall/journals/complete.html

14

2 Family Family is fundamental to Mudburra culture and daily life. Mudburra society is divided into eight ‘manyku’ or ‘ngurnanga’ (societal groupings, called ‘skin names’ in Aboriginal English and ‘subsections’ by anthropologists). Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which group your mother is in. Your skin group membership plays a defining role in your life; it influences how you have to behave around other people, who you can marry, and what your obligations are to other family members. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. Figure 1 shows the Mudburra skin names and how they relate to each other. The equal sign (=) indicates marriage, while the arrows point from a mother to her children. For example, a Jimija man marries a Nangala woman; their sons are Jalyirri and their daughters are Nalyirri. A Jalyirri man marries a Nimarra woman; their sons are Jimija and their daughters are Namija. And a Namija woman marries a Jangala man; their

Janama = Nawurla Nanaku = Jurla

Jabarda = Nalyirri Nimarra = Jalyirri

Jimija = Nangala Namija = Jangala Jambijina = Nangari Nambijina = Jangari Figure 1. Mudburra skin names

15

2. FAMILY

sons are Jambijina and their daughters are Nambijina (also pronounced Jambijinba and Nambijinba). And so on. Because everyone has a skin name, it means that everyone is related, at least in a classificatory sense, to everyone else. Every Namija, for instance, can be thought of as a sort of ‘jakardi’ (mother) to every Jambijina and Nambijina, even if they are not biological kin. Mudburra people must remain keenly aware of how they are related to everyone else around them at all times, as both classificatory and biological relationships are governed by precise rules of behaviour. Even Europeans who spend a significant amount of time in Mudburra communities are often assigned skin names so that their neighbours treat them in the proper way. Certain relationships, often called ‘avoidance’ relationships by anthropologists, are characterised by an extreme level of respect and caution. The strictest of these is between people who call each other ‘mali’, generally a mother-in-law/son-in-law pair. A person cannot intentionally look at anyone who is ‘mali’ to them. They also cannot say their mali’s name, talk directly to them, or get too close to them. If two ‘mali’ accidentally find themselves in the same place, such as in the shop together, they should turn their faces away and one should go and wait outside until the other has left. Failing to follow these rules would be considered highly disrespectful and ‘mabu’ (shameful) for both parties. Once they pass puberty, brothers and sisters also observe a less-strict type of avoidance relationship. Men who are initiated, or have gone through the Law, can still talk with their ‘full’ (i.e., biological) sisters, but they can no longer say each other’s names out loud. Instead, they might call each other ‘so-and-so’, use each other’s initials, or use a nickname such as ‘bro’. For the first few years after the initiation, the rules are stricter; during this time, the young man’s sisters and female cousins avoid talking directly to him at all, and refer to him as ‘yirrimaka’. Some people also follow these same restrictions with their classificatory siblings — that is, with everyone who is of the right skin group, regardless of any biological relationship. Table 1 gives a list of Mudburra family words, while Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the link between skin names and family words via two family trees. Figure 2 shows a tree for all women with the skin name Nangari, while Figure 3 shows one for all men with the skin name Jangari.

16

2. FAMILY

Table 1. Common family words burlkunga

oldest relative of a particular type (e.g. burlkunga karlu ‘oldest sister’, burlkunga ngamirni ‘oldest uncle’)

ngalinya

man’s child; brother’s child (for a woman or man)

karlu

older sister; older ‘cousin-sister’ (mother’s sister’s daughter or father’s brother’s daughter)

juka

woman’s child; sister’s child (for a woman or man)

ngaba, baba

older brother; older ‘cousinbrother’ (mother’s sister’s son or father’s brother’s son)

mukurla

aunty (father’s sister)

karlaja, bardarda

younger sibling; younger ‘cousin-brother’ or ‘cousinsister’ (mother’s sister’s child or father’s brother’s child)

ngamirni

uncle (mother’s brother)

jakardi

mother (and her sisters)

ngumbarna

husband; man’s brother-inlaw (sister’s husband or wife’s brother)

kirda

father (and his brothers)

mungkaja

wife; brother’s wife (for woman or man)

barnkurdi

cousin (father’s sister’s child or mother’s brother’s child)

kaku

father’s father (paternal grandfather) and his siblings; grandchild from a man’s son

lambarra

father-in-law (and his siblings); man’s son-in-law or daughterin-law (and their siblings)

ngabuju

father’s mother (paternal grandmother) and her siblings; grandchild from a woman’s son

kurndaja

woman’s mother-in-law (and her sisters); woman’s daughterin-law (and her sisters)

jawiji

mother’s father (maternal grandfather) and his siblings; grandchild from a man’s daughter

mali

man’s mother-in-law (and her siblings); woman’s son-in-law (and his siblings)

jaju

mother’s mother (maternal grandmother) and her siblings

ngajala

woman’s sister-in-law

kaminjarra

grandchild from a woman’s daughter

17

kaminjarra

kaminjarra

ngabuju

ngabuju

2. FAMILY

Figure 4. A basic Mudburra family tree for any man called Jangari

Jabarda jawiji

Jurla ngamirni

=

Nalyirri jaju

Nawurla jakardi

Nangari karlu

Jangala juka

Nawurla jakardi

Jangari ngaba

Nangala juka

Jangari kaku

=

Janama kirda

JANGARI NGAYU!

=

=

Nambijina ngabuju

Janama kirda

Nambijina mungkaja

Nanaku mukurla

Jambijina ngumbarna

Jurla = Nanaku lambarra ngalinya

Janama = ngalinya

Nawurla lambarra

Jabarda jawiji

Jangari kaku

Nangari kaku

Nimarra jawiji

Figure 2. A basic Mudburra family tree for any man called Jangari Figure 3. A basic Mudburra family tree for any woman called Nangari

Jabarda jawiji

Jurla ngarmirni

Nalyirri jaju

Nawurla jakardi

Jangari ngaba

Janama ngalinya

=

Nawurla jakardi

Nangari karlu

Nanaku ngalinya

Jangari kaku

=

Janama kirda

NANGARI NGAYU!

=

Jimija = Nangala mali juka

Jalyirri kaminjarra

Nalyirri kaminjarra

=

Nambijina ngabuju

Janama kirda

Jambijina ngumbarna

Jangala juka

=

Jambijina ngabuju

Nanaku mukurla

Nambijina ngajala

Namija kurndaja

Nambijina ngabuju

Figure 3. A basic Mudburra family tree for any woman called Nangari Figure 4. A basic Mudburra family tree for any man called Jangari 18

Jabarda

=

Nalyirri

Jangari

=

Nambijina

3 Alphabet The Mudburra alphabet uses the same letters as English. The sounds in Mudburra are not, however, exactly the same as the sounds in English. These differences can make it hard at first to understand how the Mudburra sounds are written down. But once the alphabet is clear, Mudburra becomes much easier to write than English, because there is a clearer match between sounds and letters in the Mudburra alphabet. There are two parts to the Mudburra alphabet — consonants and vowels.

3.1 Consonants Consonants are sounds which are produced when the tongue or lips obstruct the airflow through the mouth. In some sounds, such as ‘b’, ‘d’ or ‘k’, the airflow is briefly stopped completely. In others, the airflow is only partially stopped and can still flow around the tongue, such as ‘l’, ‘y’ or ‘w’. Some consonants, such as ‘m’, ‘n’ and ‘ng’, allow airflow through the nose instead of the mouth. Table 2 gives all of the Mudburra consonants with example words for each. Table 2. Mudburra consonants Sound

Examples

Sound

Examples

Sound

Examples

b

bardakurru ‘good’ jabaka ‘old woman’ burrb ‘finish’

l

lalija ‘tea’ kabili ‘digging stick’ dil ‘crack’

m

marndaj ‘OK’ dimana ‘horse’ dim ‘fly’

d

darukarra ‘swim’ kuduru ‘club’ dad ‘hang up’

rl

warlaku ‘dog’ darl ‘bang’

n

nangaj ‘sneak’ nyunumi ‘finch’ manyan ‘sleep’

rd

kurdij ‘stand’ jawurd ‘tail’

ly

balyab ‘stuck on’ baly ‘rub’

rn

marndaj ‘OK’ darndarn ‘inside’

j

jaju ‘granny’ majula ‘stomach’ marndaj ‘OK’

r

rung ‘bark (of dog)’ barik ‘leave’ karu ‘child’

ny

nyamba ‘what’ manyan ‘sleep’ juny ‘sun going down’

k

karu ‘child’ bardakurru ‘good’ dak ‘sit’

rr

ngarrka ‘man’ dulyurr ‘shoot’

ng

ngabanju ‘eye’ dingarri ‘knee’ kayang ‘run’

w

walanja ‘goanna’ jawurd ‘tail’

y

yibu ‘storm’ miyaka ‘kurrajong’

19

3. ALPHABET

3.1.1 Notes about spelling consonants b – Mudburra ‘b’ sometimes sounds like an English ‘b’ and sometimes a bit more like a ‘p’. Often it sounds halfway between an English ‘b’ and ‘p’. – It sounds most like English ‘b’ at the beginning of a word, as in bardakurru ‘good’, and between two vowels, as in jabaka ‘old woman’. d – Mudburra ‘d’ sometimes sounds like an English ‘d’ and sometimes a bit more like a ‘t’. Often it sounds halfway between an English ‘d’ and ‘t’. – It sounds most like English ‘d’ at the beginning of a word, as in darukarra ‘swim’, and between two vowels, as in kuduru ‘club’. k – Mudburra ‘k’ sometimes sounds like an English ‘k’ and sometimes a bit more like a ‘g’. Often it sounds halfway between an English ‘k’ and ‘g’. – It sounds most like English ‘k’ at the beginning of a word, as in karu ‘child’, and at the end of a word, as in dak ‘sit’. – It sounds most like English ‘g’ between two vowels, as in bardakurru ‘good’. rd – Even though it is written with two letters, ‘rd’ stands for a single sound in Mudburra. – The Mudburra ‘rd’ sound does not exist in English. It’s like a ‘d’, but with your tongue bent backward so that the tip of it touches the roof of your mouth. – It sounds a little bit like the American English way of saying hard and bird. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like kardiba ‘whitefella’ and jawurd ‘tail’. rn – Even though it is written with two letters, ‘rn’ stands for a single sound in Mudburra. – The Mudburra ‘rn’ sound does not exist in English. It’s like an ‘n’, but with your tongue bent backward so that the tip of it touches the roof of your mouth. – It sounds a little bit like the American English way of saying barn and horn. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like marndaj ‘OK’ and darndarn ‘inside’. rl – Even though it is written with two letters, ‘rl’ stands for a single sound in Mudburra. – The Mudburra ‘rl’ sound does not exist in English. It’s like an ‘l’, but with your tongue bent backward so that the tip of it touches the roof of your mouth. – It sounds a little bit like the American English way of saying early and curl. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like warlaku ‘dog’ and darl ‘bang’. j – The Mudburra ‘j’ sometimes sounds like an English ‘j’ and sometimes a bit more like ‘ch’. – It sounds most like a ‘j’ at the beginning of a word or between two vowels, as in jaju ‘granny (maternal grandmother)’. – It sounds most like ‘ch’ at the end of a word, as in marndaj ‘OK’. When ‘j’ is at the end of a word like this, it may be hard to hear.

20

3. ALPHABET

m – Like the ‘m’ sound in the English word mouse. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like marndaj ‘OK’. n – Like the ‘n’ sound in the English word nice. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like nangaj ‘sneak’. ng – Like the ‘ng’ sound in the English word sing. – In English, this sound only comes in the middle or at the end of words. In Mudburra, this sound is often found at the beginning of words too. Examples are nguku ‘water’, dingarri ‘knee’, and kayang ‘run’. ny – Like the sound in the English words canyon, junior and onion. It is not like the ‘ny’ sound in the English word pony. – Some examples are nyamba ‘what’, manyan ‘sleep’, and juny ‘sun going down’. – At the end of a word, the ‘ny’ sound may be difficult to hear. It may sound like a regular ‘n’ instead. ly – Like the sound in the English words million, billion and William. It is not like the ‘ly’ sound in the English word lolly. – Some examples are jalyu ‘bed’ and baly ‘rub’. – At the end of a word, the ‘ly’ sound may be difficult to hear. It may sound like a regular ‘l’ instead. y – Like the ‘y’ sound in the English word yellow. – Some examples are yibu ‘storm’ and miyaka ‘kurrajong’. – When a word begins with ‘yi’, the ‘y’ sound is often dropped. For example, yibu ‘storm’ can be pronounced ibu. w – Like the ‘w’ sound in the English word well. – Some examples are walanja ‘goanna’ and jawurd ‘tail’. – When a word begins with ‘wu’, the ‘w’ sound is often dropped. For example, wunyubaka ‘small’ can be pronounced unyubaka. rr – Even though it is written with two letters, ‘rr’ stands for a single sound in Mudburra. – The Mudburra ‘rr’ sound does not exist in Australian English. Sometimes it sounds like a very quick ‘d’. Other times, it sounds like the rolled or trilled ‘r’ in Scottish English and Spanish. – Some examples are ngurra ‘country’ and bardakurru ‘good’.

21

3. ALPHABET

r – Like the ‘r’ sound in the English word run. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like barik ‘leave behind’. l – Like the ‘l’ sound in the English word like. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like lalija ‘tea’.

3.2 Vowels Vowels are sounds which are produced when air can flow freely through the mouth. Mudburra has three vowels: Table 3. Mudburra vowels Sound

Examples

a

baba ‘older brother’

i

jilij ‘ask’

u

bujbu ‘ground oven’

Notes about spelling vowels a is like the sound in the English words but and father i is like the sound in the English words bit and he u is like the sound in the English words put and pool These vowels also combine with ‘y’ and ‘w’ to produce more complex sounds. aw – Like the sound in the English words ouch and cow. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like jawardila ‘tomorrow’, jawiji ‘maternal grandfather’ and Nawurla (one of the eight skin names for women and girls). ay – Sometimes like the ‘ay’ in the English words hay and day. In Mudburra, this sound most often occurs when ‘ay’ is followed by ‘i’, as in bayi ‘me, to me, for me’, kayini ‘be, sit’ and mayingka ‘axe’. – Sometimes like the ‘i’ in the English words hi and I. This sound is in words like warlayarra ‘tobacco’, ngayu ‘I, me’, ngayinya ‘my, mine, to me, for me’ and yuwayi ‘yes’. iyi – Often sounds like an ‘i’ that is held a little longer than usual. In English, we could make this sound by drawing out the ‘ee’ in bee or keep. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like mujkiyi ‘forget’ and diyija ‘big’.

22

3. ALPHABET

uwu – Often sounds like an ‘u’ that is held a little longer than usual. In English, we could make this sound by drawing out the ‘u’ in put. In Mudburra, this sound is in words like yuwulu ‘ground, dirt’ and kuwuja ‘limestone’. uwa, uwi – When certain sounds (particularly ‘k’ and ‘ng’) come before ‘uwa’ and ‘uwi’, the ‘u’ is not heard. For example, kuwala ‘like that’ often sounds more like kwala, nguwajkarra ‘jealous’ sounds more like ngwajkarra and kakuwi ‘fish’ sounds more like kakwi.

23

4 Grammar guide

4.1 Nouns and adjectives Nouns are words that name people, places and things. Adjectives describe people, places and things. In the grammar of Mudburra, there is no difference between nouns and adjectives. They both receive the same types of endings (see Section 4.1.1). When combined, nouns and adjectives can appear in any order (sometimes with some slight meaning differences). Examples (1) and (2) show that warlaku ‘dog’ can go either before or after marrimarri ‘aggressive’: (1)

Yali-ma warlaku marrimarri. that-TOPIC dog

aggressive

‘That dog is aggressive.’ (2)

Yali-ma marrimarri warlaku. that-TOPIC aggressive

dog

‘That aggressive (one) is a dog.’ Noun phrases in Mudburra do not need words such as ‘the’ or ‘a’. Demonstratives such as nginya ‘this’ and yali ‘that’ are often used, though. Demonstratives are discussed in Section 4.5. In Mudburra, nouns and adjectives can take many different endings. These endings are divided into two broad types: case endings (Section 4.1.1) and other endings (Section 4.1.2).

4.1.1 Case endings Case endings show who is doing what in the sentence. They also show where something is located in relation to something else. Nouns and adjectives do not take a case ending (that is, they are left unmarked) if they are the subject of an intransitive sentence, as in (3), or the object of a transitive sentence, as in (4). (See Section 4.8.3 for an explanation of intransitive and transitive.) (3)

Yali warlaku manyan kayini. that dog sleep is

‘That dog is sleeping.’ (4)

Wamala-li julnguny barnana yali

marrimarri warlaku.

girl-DOER touch hit that dangerous dog

‘The girl patted that cheeky dog.’ 24

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

When more than one noun or adjective appears in a single noun phrase, they often all take the same case ending. In (5), for example, the first noun phrase is marrimarri warlaku ‘dangerous dog’, and both marrimarri and warlaku have the ergative (‘doer’) ending (discussed in Section 4.1.1.1). (5)

Marrimarri-li

warlaku-lu

birnana yali

karu.

dangerous-DOER dog-DOER bit that child

‘The cheeky dog bit the kid.’ Sometimes, however, only the last word in the noun phrase takes the case ending. This is particularly common among younger speakers. In (6), for example, the first noun phrase is still marrimarri warlaku, but here, only the last word, warlaku, has the ergative ending: (6)

Marrimarri warlaku-lu

birnana yali

karu.

dangerous dog-DOER bit that child

‘The cheeky dog bit the kid.’

4.1.1.1 Ergative ending ‘doer’ The ergative case ending marks the agent, or ‘doer’, in the sentence. This ending is important because Mudburra word order is free. This is different from English. In English, word order is not free — the agent has to come before the verb. For example, in the sentence The dog bit the girl, you know the dog is the one that did the biting — that is, the agent — because it comes before the verb. In Mudburra, however, the agent can come anywhere in the sentence. You can still tell that it’s the agent because it has an ergative ending. (See Section 4.8.1 for more discussion about word order.) In (7) and (8), warlaku ‘dog’ is marked with the ergative to show that the dog is the agent — the one that did the biting. Even if warlaku comes last in the sentence, as it does in (8), you still know it’s the agent because of the ergative ending. (Notice that the object, wamala ‘girl’, does not have a case ending.) (7)

Warlaku-lu birnana wamala. dog-DOER bit girl

‘The dog bit the girl.’ (8)

Wamala birnana warlaku-lu. girl

bit

dog-DOER

‘The dog bit the girl.’ The ergative ending has a number of forms depending on the word it is attached to: Table 4. Different forms of the ergative ending Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-li

When the word ends in ‘i’ or ‘a’ and sometimes ‘u’

ngarrka-li jakardi-li

‘man-DOER’ ‘mother-DOER’

-lu

When the word ends in ‘u’

warlaku-lu karu-lu

‘dog-DOER’ ‘child-DOER’

25

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 4 continued Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-ji (or sometimes -di)

When the word ends in a consonant

kirdanyan-ji nanikud-ji

‘his/her father-DOER’ ‘nanny goat-DOER’

4.1.1.2 Dative ending ‘to, for’ The dative ending is generally translated into English as ‘to, for’. It has a number of uses. First, it marks someone who receives something. In (9), wamala ‘girl’ takes the dative ending -wu to show that the girl is the one who receives the money. Note that human nouns with dative endings are also cross-referenced by bound pronouns, as Section 4.6.1 will explain. In (9), wamala-wu is cross-referenced with barla ‘to him/her, for him/her’. This is a bit like English where -s on a verb cross-references some subjects, for example ‘She pours tea’. (9)

Nangari-li

barla nyungku wumara wamala-wu.

Nangari-DOER to.her will.give

money

girl-TO

‘Nangari will give money to the girl.’ The dative ending is also used for someone being spoken to. In (10), Nangari takes the dative ending -wu because Nangari is being spoken to by the girl: (10)

Wamala

barla marnini Nangari-wu.

girl

to.her talks

Nangari-TO

‘The girl talks to Nangari.’ The dative ending can also mark someone or something that is being looked for. In (11), both nyanunya ‘her’ and baba ‘older brother’ have the dative ending -wu, while wamala ‘girl’ has the ergative (agent, or ‘doer’) suffix -li. This means that the girl is the one doing the looking, and her older brother is the one she’s looking for: (11)

Wamala-li barla nyangku nyanunya-wu baba-wu. girl-DOER for.him will.look

her-FOR older.brother-FOR

‘The girl will look for her older brother.’ The dative can also mark someone you are going towards. In (12), the girl (wamala) is marked with dative -wu because someone is going towards her: (12)

Yandarra-li wamala-wu. go-they girl-TO

‘You mob go to the girl.’ The dative ending is also used to mark a purpose. (Read more about purpose clauses in Section 4.8.4.2.) In (13), ngarina ‘meat’ has the dative ending -wu because that’s what the girl was going to get. Similarly, jawurd ‘tail’ is marked with the dative -ku in (14) to show that the tail is why you’re getting firewood. (The verb for ‘cook’ is not actually in that sentence, but we can guess that the speaker is planning on cooking the tail with the firewood):

26

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(13)

Wamala yandurru

ngarina-wu.

girl will.go meat-FOR

‘The girl will go for some meat.’ (14)

Warnda warlu get

jawurd-ku!

firewood tail-FOR

‘Get some firewood (to cook) the kangaroo tail!’ The dative ending has two forms depending on the word it is attached to: Table 5. Different forms of the dative ending Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-ku

When the word ends in a consonant

jawurd-ku

‘to/for the tail’

-wu

When the word ends in a vowel

wamala-wu

‘to/for the girl’

4.1.1.3 Locative ending ‘in, on, at, by, under, over, next to’ The locative ending shows the location of something or someone. It generally translates in English as ‘in, on, at, by, under, over, next to’ and in Kriol as ‘nanga’ or ‘na’. Direction words such as kanju ‘under’ and kurlarra ‘south’ are often used to give a bit more detail about the location. In (15), the locative ending -ngka and the directional word kanju ‘under’ work together to show that the dog is underneath the karndi ‘tree’. (15)

Warlaku manyan kayini karndi-ngka kanju. dog sleep is tree-AT underneath

‘The dog sleeps underneath the tree.’ Some younger speakers also now use the locative to mark the place or thing that someone is going toward. In (16), ngurra ‘home’ takes the locative -ngka to show that the girl is going towards the house: (16)

Wamala-ma

lurrbu yandurru ngurra-ngka.

girl-TOPIC return will.go home-TO

‘The girl will go back home.’ Sometimes the locative is also used to mark a person with someone else. In (17), both nyanunya ‘her’ and jaju ‘granny’ have the locative ending -ngka to show that ‘her granny’ is the person that the girl is with: (17)

Wamala-ma

dak

wandiyini nyanunya-ngka jaju-ngka.

girl-TOPIC sit fall her-WITH granny-WITH

‘The girl sits down with her granny.’ The locative ending is also used in short clauses. See Section 4.8.4.2 for more discussion of this use. The locative ending has a number of forms depending on the word it is attached to. Note that ‘(E)’ means Eastern Mudburra and ‘(W)’ means Western Mudburra:

27

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 6. Different forms of the locative ending Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-ngka

Used in Eastern Mudburra for words ending in a vowel.

jaju-ngka yuwulu-ngka karndi-ngka kamanji-ngka

‘with granny’ ‘on the ground’ ‘in the tree’ ‘in the bulwaddy’

-ka

Used in Eastern Mudburra for most words ending in a consonant. Used in Western Mudburra only for words containing a pair of sounds such as ‘mb’, ‘ngka’, ‘nd’ or ‘nj’.

school-ka karndi-ka

‘at the school’ (E) ‘in the tree’ (W)

-la

Used in Western Mudburra for words with three or more syllables that end in a vowel.

wurrumu-la majula-la

‘on the road’ ‘in the stomach’

4.1.1.4 Allative ending ‘to’ The allative ending marks the place or thing that someone is going toward. It generally translates into English as ‘to’ and into Kriol as ‘nanga’ or ‘na’. Direction words such as kanju ‘under’ and kurlarra ‘south’ are often used to give a bit more detail about the location. As explained in Section 4.1.1.3, some younger people use the locative instead of the allative for this purpose. In (18), marru ‘house’ takes the allative ending to show that the girl is going inside it. In (19), Elliott is marked with the allative because the girl is going towards it. (18)

Wamala yandurru marru-ngkurra kanju. girl will.go house-TO inside

‘The girl will go into the house.’ (19)

Wamala yandurru Elliott-kurra kurlarra. take will.go Elliott-TO south

‘The girl will go south to Elliott.’ The allative ending is also used in short clauses. See Section 4.8.4.2 for more discussion on this use. The allative ending has a number of forms depending on the word it is attached to: Table 7. Different forms of the allative ending Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-ngkurra

Used in Eastern Mudburra for all words ending in a vowel. Used in Western Mudburra for two-syllable words ending in a vowel.

wumara-ngkurra karndi-ngkurra

‘to the rock’ (E) ‘to the tree’ (E)

-kurra

Used in Eastern Mudburra for words ending in a consonant. Used in Western Mudburra only for two-syllable words that end in a vowel and contain a pair of sounds such as ‘mb’, ‘ngka’, ‘nd’ or ‘nj’.

Elliott-kurra karndi-kurra

‘to Elliott’ (E) ‘to the tree’ (W)

28

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 7 continued Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-jirri

Used in Western Mudburra (and by some Eastern Elliott-jirri speakers, too) for words ending in a consonant.

‘to Elliott’ (W)

-yirri

Used in Western Mudburra for words with three ngurrakari-yirri or more syllables that end in a vowel.

‘to another home’ (W)

4.1.1.5 Ablative ending ‘from’ The ablative ending is -ngurlu. It marks the place where someone or something travelled from. It generally translates into English as ‘from’. Direction words such as kanju ‘down’ or kurlarra ‘south’ are often used to give a bit more detail. In (20), the ablative ending is on marru ‘house’ to show that the girl came out of the house. In (21), Marlinja takes the ablative because that’s the place Jangala travelled from. (20)

Wamala yanarni marru-ngurlu. girl

came

house-FROM

‘The girl came out of the house.’ (21)

Jangala yanarni Marlinja-ngurlu. Jangala

came

Marlinja-FROM

‘Jangala came from Marlinja.’

4.1.2 Other endings 4.1.2.1 Comitative ending ‘with’ The comitative ending marks the person or thing that goes along with someone. It generally translates into English as ‘with’ or ‘accompany’. The comitative ending has two forms, -yaru and -jaru. In (22) and (23), karndi ‘stick’ and karudarra ‘children’ both have the comitative ending because the old woman has them with her. (22)

Jabaka

yanarni karndi-yaru.

old.woman came stick-WITH

‘The old woman came with a stick.’ (23)

Jabaka yanarni karu-darra-yaru. old.woman came child-MANY-WITH

‘The old woman came with the children.’ Younger speakers also use the proprietive ending -wurru, which means ‘have’, instead of the comitative, as in (24) and (25). See Section 4.1.2.2 for more on the proprietive. (24)

Jabaka

yanarni karndi-wurru.

old.woman came stick-HAVE

‘The old woman came with a stick.’ (25)

Jabaka

yanarni karu-darra-wurru.

old.woman came child-MANY-HAVE

‘The old woman came with the children.’ 29

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

The comitative can also mark a tool. In (26), the comitative ending is on jawaranya ‘billycan’ because the billycan is being used to get water. (26)

Marluka warndurru

nguku jawaranya-yaru.

old.man will.go.get

water billycan-WITH

‘The old man will go get water with the billycan.’ The comitative ending has two different forms depending on the word it attaches to. Table 8. Different forms of the comitative ending Form

Where it is found

Mudburra

English

-yaru

When the word ends in a vowel

karndi-yaru karu-yaru

‘with a stick’ ‘with a child’

-jaru

When the word ends in a consonant

boat-jaru mirlarrang-jaru

‘with a boat’ ‘with a spear’

4.1.2.2 Proprietive ending ‘have’ The proprietive ending is -wurru. It generally translates into English as ‘with’ or ‘having’ and marks something that is owned or being kept by someone. In (27) and (28), kakuwi ‘fish’ is marked with the proprietive ending to show that Jangala has the fish. (27)

Jangala dak kayini binka-ngka kakuwi-wurru. Jangala sit is river-AT fish-HAVE

‘Jangala is sitting by the river with fish.’ (28)

Jangala lurrbu yanarni kakuwi-wurru. Jangala return came.here fish-HAVE

‘Jangala came back with fish.’

4.1.2.3 Privative ending ‘without’ The privative ending is -wangka. It marks the lack of something. It generally translates into English as ‘without, lacking, has no’. In (29) and (30), wumara ‘money’ has the privative ending to show that Jangala has no money. (29)

Jangala wumara-wangka. Jangala money-WITHOUT

‘Jangala has no money.’ (30)

Wumara-wangka Jangala yanarni. money-WITHOUT

skin.name came

‘Jangala came without money.’

4.1.2.4 Adversive ending ‘for fear of’ The adversive ending is -wirri. It marks something you are scared of. You also use it to warn someone about something, such as cars, snakes and dogs. It translates into English as ‘for

30

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

fear of, because of, beware of, in case’. The adversive endings in (31) and (32) are being used to warn people about a wari ‘snake’ and a mudika ‘car’. (31)

Wari-wirri! snake-FEAR

‘Look out for snakes!’ (32)

Mudika-wirri! car-FEAR

‘Look out for the car!’ In (33), kunanga ‘fly’ has the adversive ending to show why Jangala covered the meat — in case flies might land on it. (33)

Jangala-li wukuk kurnana yali ngarina, kunanga-wirri. skin.name-DOER wrap threw that meat fly-FEAR

‘Jangala wrapped up the meat in case of flies.’

4.1.2.5 Source ending ‘from’ The source ending is -nginyi. It generally translates into English as ‘from’ or ‘of’. This ending often marks someone who owns something. In (34), Nangala is marked with -nginyi to show that Nangala owns the marru ‘house’. (34)

Yali-ma Nangala-nginyi marru. that-TOPIC skin.name-OF

house

‘That is Nangala’s house.’ This ending can also mark something that is closely associated with something else. In (35), yunba ‘foot’ has the ending -nginyi, making a new word that means ‘shoe’. Many new Mudburra words for European items are created using -nginyi. (35)

Yunba-nginyi foot-OF

‘shoe’ The source ending can also mark the cause of something. In (36), -nginyi is on the word warlu ‘fire’ to show that the fire is what caused the ground to be black. (36)

Yali-ma

yuwulu-ma mungarra kayini warlu-nginyi.

that-TOPIC ground-TOPIC black is fire-FROM

‘That ground is black from the fire.’

4.1.3 Other noun and adjective endings Other noun and adjective endings also exist in Mudburra. They are listed in Table 9 below. Some of them only attach to nouns and adjectives, while others attach to coverbs to turn them into nouns and adjectives. See Section 4.7.2 for more about coverbs.

31

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 9. Other noun and adjective endings in Mudburra Form

Meaning

Examples

-kari

another, other

ngurra-kari home-OTHER ‘another home’

wajurra-kari yesterday-OTHER ‘the other day’

-nganju

mob

Namija-nganju Namija-MOB ‘Namija’s mob’

kardiba-nganju whitefella-MOB ‘whitefellas’

-ngarna

something related

walanja-ngarna goanna-RELATED ‘goanna dog’

winymi-ngarna walk-RELATED ‘someone who walks a lot’

-biji

make something happen

kungulu-biji blood-MAKE ‘make it bleed’

wunyubaka-biji small-MAKE ‘make it small’

-bili

make something happen

dad-bili up.high-MAKE ‘hang it up high’

jud-bili get.down-MAKE ‘get it down’

-nybunga -jbunga

something that lives here, is from here, or is here now

kambarra-jbunga before-LIVE ‘ancestor’

kirrawarra-nybunga north-LIVE ‘northerner’

-nyana -nyan

his or her family member

kaku-nyana grandfather-his/her ‘his/her grandfather’

kirda-nyana father-his/her ‘his/her father’

-marnany -marnanya

your family member

kaku-marnany grandfather-your ‘your grandfather’

kirda-marnany father-your ‘your father’

-jban

many people of the same skin group

Nawurla-jban skin-MANY ‘many Nawurlas’

Jangala-jban skin-MANY ‘many Jangalas’

4.2 Numbers Mudburra has words for the numbers 1, 2 and 3. It also has several other ways to count things.

4.2.1 Number words nyangarlu kujarra murrkuna jindaba jindabadarra dardudardu

32

‘one’ yukardu ‘three’ (W) ‘two’ dardu ‘many’ ‘three’ (E) kulayangujba ‘many, a lot’ ‘another’ nyangarlu-nyangarlu ‘one by one’ ‘that other mob’ kujarra-kujarra ‘two by two’ ‘more, many, a whole lot’ murrkuna-murrkuna ‘three by three’

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.2.2 Number endings In Mudburra, you do not need to specify number on nouns. A noun on its own can refer to one or more of something. This is different from English where you need to use the plural ending ‘-s’ and where bare nouns mean only one of something. (37)

Wamala-li wandiyini karndi. girl-DOER gets stick/s

‘The girl gets the stick/s.’ Sometimes you might want to be accurate about number. You can use a number word (see above) or a number ending. In (38), the ending -kujarra shows that there are two sticks. (38)

Wamala-li warndanini karndi-kujarra. girl-DOER get stick-two

‘The girl gets two sticks.’ Some number endings are given in Table 10. Table 10. Mudburra number endings Form

Meaning

Mudburra

English

-kujarra

two

karu-kujarra

‘two children’

-darra

many

karu-darra

‘children’

-walija

many

ngayu-walija

‘we, us’

Even where number words or endings are not used, you still get clues from the bound pronouns (see Section 4.6.1) or from doubled-up nouns. For example, you know that there are several girls in (39) because of the bound pronoun bali ‘they’ and the doubled-up noun wamamala (instead of just wamala). (39)

Wamamala-li bali wandiyini karndi. girls-DOER they get stick/s

‘The girls get the stick/s.’ Some nouns can double up to show that they mean more than one of something. Some of these nouns, like wunyu ‘small thing’, repeat themselves completely (wunyuwunyu). Others, like bardakurru ‘good thing’, only partially repeat themselves (bardardakurru). Here are some examples of doubled-up words: wunyu ‘small thing’ wunyuwunyu ‘small things’ dija ‘big thing’ dijadija ‘big things’ bardakurru ‘good thing’ bardardakurru ‘good things’ jabaka ‘old woman’ jababakadarra ‘old women’ marluka ‘old man’ marlarlukadarra ‘old men’

33

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.3 Question words Mudburra has 16 question words: nyamba ‘what?’ nyambawu ‘why, what for?’ nyambangurlu ‘why, as a result of what, what’s wrong?’ nyambanginyi ‘why, as a result of what, what’s wrong?’ ngana ‘who?’ nganawurru ‘with whom?’ nganali ‘who did it?’ nganawu ‘whose?’ wanji ‘which?’ wanjuwarra ‘where?’ wanjuwarrangurlu ‘where from?’ (E) wanjingurlu ‘where from?’ (W) wanjikurra ‘where to?’ (W) ngadjanga ‘how much, how many?’ nyangurla ‘when, what time?’ ngadarra ‘how?’ Question words come at the beginning of the sentence in Mudburra. Here are some common questions you might ask someone: (40)

Nyamba

yali-ma?

what

that-TOPIC

‘What’s that?’ (41)

Nyamba

ban birrka marnini?

what you make do

‘What are you making?’ (42)

Ngana ban nyanganini? who

you

look

‘Who are you looking at?’ (43)

Nganali wankurna? who threw

‘Who threw it?’ (44)

Wanjuwarra

ban?

where you

‘Where are you?’ (45)

Wanjuwarra ban yananjanarra? where you going.away

‘Where are you going?’

34

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(46)

Wanjingurlu ban yanarni? where you came

‘Where did you come from?’ (47)

Nyangurla ban yanarni? when you came

‘What time did you arrive?’ (48)

Nyangurla ban yandurru? when you will.go

‘When are you going away?’ There is also a general word wayi which can be used to ask questions: (49)

Wayi ban kayini? QUESTION you

are

‘How are you?’ (50)

Marndaj

barna.

OK I

‘I’m good.’

4.4 Direction words Mudburra has two types of direction words: up and down: kankulu kanju compass points: kirrawarra kurlarra karlarra karrawarra

‘up, above, on top of’ ‘down, below, on the bottom, beneath, inside’ ‘north’ ‘south’ ‘west’ ‘east’10

4.4.1 Up and down Mudburra has different words for ‘up’ and ‘down’: kankulu kankulungka kankuluka kankulujbunga kankulunginyi kankulungurlu kankularni kankuluwurru

‘up, above, on top of’ ‘on top of something’ ‘upwards, owner’ ‘the one from high up, the one up top’ ‘top one, of the top’ ‘from high up, from the top, from on top of’ ‘up this way’ ‘passing something to someone on top of a ladder, etc.’

10  Some speakers use the compass point words with different meanings. These speakers say karlarra ‘north’, karrawarra ‘south’, kurlarra ‘west’ and kirrawarra ‘east’.

35

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

kanju ‘down, below, on the bottom, beneath, inside’ kanjungka ‘underneath’ kanjuwarrak ‘downwards’ kanjiyin ‘from below’ kanjujbunga ‘the one from down low, the bottom one’ kanjunginyi ‘bottom one, someone who sits inside a lot, of the bottom’ kanjungurlu ‘from below’ kanjurni ‘down this way’ kanjukanju ‘right inside’ kanjuwurru ‘two people or animals, etc. inside’ Examples (50) and (51) show how kankulu ‘up’ and kanju ‘down’ can be used in sentences: (51)

Nyangka

kankulu!

look up

‘Look up!’ (52)

Yuwulu-ngka kanju

yuwarra!

ground-ON down put

‘Put it down on the ground!’

4.4.2 Compass points Mudburra has many words to refer to ‘north’, ‘south’, ‘east’ and ‘west’.

4.4.2.1 North Common words: kirrawarra kirrawarrangurlu kirrawarranginyi

‘north’ (some people use this word to mean ‘east’) ‘from the north’ ‘people from the north, of the north, northern one’

Less well-known words: kirrayirra ‘north’ kirrawarraka ‘northwards, going north’ kirrayin ‘from the north’ kirrakinyi ‘of the north, northern one, people from the north, northerner’ kirrawarrangarnarra ‘one from the north, northerner’ kirrawarranybunga ‘one from the north, one in the north’

4.4.2.2 South Common words: kurlarra kurlarrangurlu kurlarranginyi

36

‘south’ (some people use this word to mean ‘west’) ‘from the south’ ‘of the south, southern one’

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Less well-known words: kurlarraka ‘southwards, going south’ kurlayin ‘from the south’ kurlakinyi ‘of the south, southern one’ kurlarrangarnarra ‘one from the south, southerner’ kurlarranybunga ‘one from the south, one in the south’

4.4.2.3 West Common words: karlarra ‘west’ (some people use this word to mean ‘north’) karlarrangurlu ‘from the west’ karlarranginyi ‘of the west, western one, people from the west’ Less well-known words: karlarraka ‘westwards, going west’ karlayin ‘from the west’ karlakinyi ‘of the west, western one’ karlarrangarnarra ‘one from the west, westerner’ karlarranybunga ‘one from the west, one in the west’

4.4.2.4 East Common words: karrawarra ‘east’ (some people use this word to mean ‘south’) karrawarrangurlu ‘from the east’ karrawarranginyi ‘of the east, eastern one’ Less well-known words: karrawarraka karrayin karrakinyi karrawarrangarnarra karrawarranybunga

‘eastwards, going east’ ‘from the east’ ‘of the east, eastern one’ ’one from the east, easterner’ ‘one from the east, one in the east’

Here are some examples of the way direction words are used: (53)

Wamala-li kanganini nyanunya warlaku kurlarra Alice Springs-kurra. girl-DOER take her dog south Alice Springs-TO

‘The girl takes her dog south to Alice Springs.’ (54)

Jangala yandurru kirrawarra Katherine-ka. Jangala will.go north Katherine-TO

‘Jangala will go north to Katherine.’

37

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.5 Demonstratives Demonstratives are words which are used when you are pointing things out or referring to something you’ve said before. There are four sets of demonstratives in Mudburra: nginya or minya ‘this’, yali ‘that one long way’ and kadi ‘that one close up’. Another demonstrative is kuwala, which means ‘like this’. Demonstratives can be used in any order with a noun or adjective in Mudburra. In (55), the demonstrative nginya ‘this’ comes before the noun karu ‘child’. In (56), the order is reversed: nginya comes after karu. (55)

Nginya-ma karu-ma

kurdij kayini.

this-TOPIC child-TOPIC stand is

‘This child is standing.’ (56)

Karu-ma

nginya-ma kurdij kayini.

child-TOPIC this-TOPIC

stand is

‘This child is standing.’

4.5.1 Different forms of demonstratives Demonstratives have a lot of forms in Mudburra. Most of the endings they take are the same as the case endings. For more information about case endings read Section 4.1.1. Table 11. Demonstrative words ‘this (one)’

‘that (one) close up’

‘that (one) long way away’

Nominative

nginya, minya ‘this (one)’

kadi ‘that (one) close up’

yali ‘that (one) long way away’

Ergative ‘doer’

nginyali, minyali ‘this (one) did it’

kadili ‘that (one) did it’

yalili ‘that (one) did it’

Dative ‘to, for’

nginyawu, minyawu ‘for this (one)’

kadiwu ‘for that (one)’

yaliwu ‘for that (one)’

Locative ‘at, in, on’

nginyangka, minyangka ‘here’

kadingka ‘there’

yalingka ‘there’

Allative ‘towards’

nginyangkurra, minyangkurra kadingkurra ‘to here’ ‘to there’

yalingkurra ‘to there’

Ablative ‘from’

nginyangurlu, minyangurlu ‘from here’

yalingurlu ‘from there’

kadingurlu ‘from there’

Here are some examples of different forms of nginya ‘this’: (57)

Nginya-ma dak kayini nginyangka kanju karndi-ngka. this-TOPIC sit is here under tree-AT

‘This one is sitting here under the tree.’

38

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(58) (58a)

Nginyali

ngarrka-li

warndanini kakuwi.

this man-DOER get fish

‘This man is getting fish.’ (58b)

Nginya-ma nginyangkurra yanarni ngurra-ngkurra kakuwi-wurru. this-TOPIC to.here came house-TO fish-WITH

‘This one will come here to the house with fish.’ Demonstratives can also take number endings. These endings are not always the same as the number endings for regular nouns (listed in Table 10). Table 12. Mudburra demonstrative endings Form

Mudburra

English

-rra ‘many’

nginyarra minyarra kadiya, kadirra yaliya, yalirra

‘this lot, these’ ‘this lot, these’ ‘that lot, those’ ‘that lot, those’

-kujarra ‘two’

nginyakujarra minyakujarra kadikujarra yalikujarra

‘these two’ ‘these two’ ‘those two’ ‘those two’

4.5.2 What demonstratives are used for Nginya ‘this’, minya ‘this’, kadi ‘that one close up’ and yali ‘that one long way’ These demonstratives can be used on their own to mean ‘this one’ or ‘that one’. You can see examples of this in (59) and (60). Demonstratives can also be used with nouns, as in nginya karu ‘this child’ and yali karu ‘that child’. You can also use these demonstratives to identify something or point something out. The demonstrative often takes the -ma topic ending. (59)

Bardangkarra nginya-ma. moon this-TOPIC

‘This is the moon.’ (60)

Yali-ma

barla ngumbarna.

that-TOPIC

her

husband

‘That is her husband.’ kuwala ‘like that’ The demonstrative kuwala ‘like that’ is used when you are showing someone how to do something. (61)

Kuwala birrka ma

kawarla.

like.that make do.it coolamon

‘Make the coolamon like this.’

39

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.6 Pronouns Pronouns are words used to replace nouns. For example, in English, instead of saying ‘the boy’, you might use the pronoun ‘he’. Mudburra has many more pronouns than English. They can be divided into three sets: bound pronouns (4.6.1), free pronouns (4.6.2) and indefinite pronouns (4.6.3). Each of these sets of pronouns will be explained in the following sections.

4.6.1 Bound pronouns Most of the time, the pronouns you find in Mudburra are word endings. These are called bound pronouns. Bound pronouns have to go in the sentence; you can’t leave them out. These pronouns are either found on their own or with a corresponding noun or free pronoun. Most often, bound pronouns attach to the end of the word ba. Sentence (62) has two bound pronouns, -rna and -ngku. Sentence (63) has one bound pronoun, -li. In both sentences, the bound pronouns are on the end of ba. (62)

Jawardila ba-rna-ngku nyangku. tomorrow BA-I-you will.see

‘I will see you tomorrow.’ (63)

Ngarrka-darra ba-li yanarni Elliott-jirri. man-MANY

BA-they come

Elliott-TO

‘The men are coming to Elliott.’ Pronouns are grouped into three categories: first person, second person and third person. First person pronouns include the person talking. In English, these pronouns are ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘we’ and ‘us’. Second person pronouns refer to the person listening. In English, the second person pronoun is ‘you’. Third person pronouns refer to other people. In English, the third person pronouns include ‘she’, ‘he’, ‘it’, ‘they’ and ‘them’. In Mudburra, different first person pronouns are also used depending on whether the speaker includes the hearer or not. First person inclusive pronouns include the hearer, while first person exclusive pronouns exclude the hearer. English pronouns do not make this distinction. Mudburra speakers also use different pronouns according to the number of people involved: singular (one person), dual (two people) and plural (three or more people). Finally, Mudburra bound pronouns are also different depending on whether they refer to the person doing the action (subject) or the person undergoing the action (object). Note that there is no bound pronoun for ‘he, she’, ‘him, her’ or ‘it’. The symbol Ø (zero) is used in the tables below to show that there is no form. Table 13 shows the subject and object bound pronouns. For comparison, it also includes the corresponding free pronouns (in the right hand column). For more about the free pronouns, see Section 4.6.2.

40

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 13. Bound pronouns (Bound pronouns are shown here on the end of the little word ba) Subject

Object

Free pronoun

1st person singular

barna ‘I’

bayi ‘me’

ngayu (E) ngayi (W)

2nd person singular

ban ‘you’

bangku ‘you’

nyundu

3rd person singular

-Ø ‘he, she, it’

-Ø ‘him, her, it’

nyana

1st person dual exclusive

balya ‘we two (not you)’

bangaliya(ny) ‘us two (not you)’

ngayukujarra (E) ngayikujarra (W)

1st person dual inclusive

barli ‘we two (you and I)’

bangali(nju) ‘us two (you and me)’

ngayukujarra (E) ngayikujarra (W)

2nd person dual

banbula ‘you two’

bangkuwurna (E) bangkuwula (W) ‘you two’

nyundukujarra

3rd person dual

bawula ‘those two’

bayili (E), bawuli (W) ‘those two’

nyanakujarra

1st person plural exclusive

barnali ‘we mob (not you)’

banganda ‘us mob (not you)’

ngayuwalija

1st person plural inclusive

barlawa ‘we mob (you and us)’

bangalawa(rna) ‘us mob (you and us)’

ngayuwalija

2nd person plural

banda ‘you mob’

banjurra ‘you mob’

nyunduya

3rd person plural

bali ‘they’

bayina ‘them’

nyanadarra

Subject pronouns refer to anyone doing something. The subject can be doing something on their own, as in (64). In this sentence, the subject is jabakadarra ‘old women’, which is also represented by the bound pronoun -li ‘they’. Other times the subject of a sentence will be doing something to someone or something. In (65), the subject is still the old women and the bound pronoun is still -li. (64)

Bali yandurru jabaka-darra they will.go

ngurra-ngkurra.

old.woman-MANY home-TO

‘The old women will go home.’ (65)

Bali kambarnini walanja jabaka-darra-li. they cook

goanna

old.women-MANY-DOER

‘The old women cook the goanna.’ Object pronouns are used to refer to someone who is having something done to them. Sentences (66) and (67) use the bound pronoun -yina ‘them’ to refer to the karudarra ‘children’.

41

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(66)

Bayina jabaka-li

kanganini karu-darra ngurra-ngkurra.

them

take

old.woman-DOER

child-MANY

home-TO

‘The old woman takes the children home.’ (67)

Bayina nyunganini lalija karu-darra-wu. them give tea child-MANY-TO

‘She gave tea to the children.’ Although there are no third person singular bound pronouns referring to ‘he, she, it’ or ‘him, her, it’, there is one pronoun which is used to mean ‘for him, for her, for it, to him, to her, to it’. This pronoun is -rla. In (68) and (69), the bound pronoun -rla refers to karuwu ‘to the child’, ‘for the child’. (68)

Barla

nyunganini

lalija karu-wu.

to.him give tea child-TO

‘He gives tea to the child.’ (69)

Barla

birrka marnini kawarla manjala karu-wu.

to.him make do

coolamon newborn baby-FOR

‘He makes a coolamon for the newborn baby.’ If someone is doing something to themself, the bound pronoun -nyanu is used in addition to the subject pronoun. (70)

Marndamarnda-ma ba-rna-nyanu birnana. hand-TOPIC BA-I-self bit

‘I bit myself on the hand.’ (71)

Ba-nyanu

wukuk kurna.

BA-self wrap threw

‘He wrapped himself up.’ When the subject is in the second person (‘you’), the subject bound pronoun (-n) appears twice, both before and after -nyanu, as in (72). (72)

Biyangana ba-n-nyanu-n? cut BA-you-self-you

‘Did you cut yourself?’ When a number of people do something to each other or to themselves, the bound pronoun -rna is used in addition to the subject bound pronoun. (73)

Yurrwa ba-rli-rna marru. language BA-we.two-each.other will.talk

‘You and I will talk language to each other.’ When -rna is used with a third person dual subject (‘those two’), the subject bound pronoun appears as -wu rather than -wula:

42

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(74)

Ba-wu-rna minmini kayina. BA-those.two-each.other fold.arm were

‘Those two shook hands with each other.’ In many sentences, both a subject and object bound pronoun are needed. Most of the time the subject pronoun is first and the object pronoun is second, as shown in (62). The bound pronoun combinations are listed in Table 14, Table 15 and Table 16. Table 14. Complex pronouns with a singular object (Bound pronouns are shown here on the end of the little word ba) me

you

him, her

to her, to him

I

barnanyanu ‘I do it to myself’

barnangku ‘I do it to you’

barna ‘I do it to her’

barnarla ‘I give it to her’

you

bayin ‘you do it to me’

bannyanun ‘you do it to yourself’

ban ‘you do it to her’

bankurla ‘you give it to her’

he, she

bayi ‘he does it to me’

bangku ‘he does it to you’

banyanu ‘she does it to herself’

barla ‘he gives it to her’

balyangku ‘we two do it to you’

balya ‘we two do it to him’

balyarla ‘we two give it to him’

barli ‘you and I do it to her’

barlirla ‘you and I give it to her’

banbula ‘you two do it to him’

banbularla ‘you two give it to him’

bangkuwula ‘those two do it to you’

bawula ‘those two do it to her’

bawularla ‘those two give it to her’

barnangkulu ‘we mob do it to you’

barnali ‘we mob do it to him’

barnalirla ‘we mob give it to him’

barlawa ‘we do it to her’

barlawarla ‘we give it to her’

banda ‘you mob do it to him’

bandarla ‘you mob give it to him’

bali ‘they do it to him’

balirla ‘they give it to him’

we two (not you) we two (you and I) you two

bayinbula, bayinbulayin ‘you two do it to me’

those two

bayiwula, bayiwulayi ‘those two do it to me’

we mob (not you) we mob (you and us) you mob

bayinda ‘you mob do it to me’

they

bayili ‘they do it to me’

bangkulu ‘they do it to you’

43

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 15. Complex pronouns with a dual object (Bound pronouns are shown here on the end of the little word ba) us two (you and me)

us two (not you)

you two

those two

I

barnangali(nju) ‘I do it for us two (myself and you)’

barnangaliya ‘I do it for us two (not you)’

barnangkuwurna (E) barnangkuwula (W) ‘I do it to you two’

barnayili (E) barnawuli (W) ‘I do it to those two’

you

bangalin ‘you do it for us two (yourself and me)’

bangaliyan ‘you do it to us two (not you)’

he, she

bangali(nju) ‘she does it to us two (you and me)’

bangaliya(ny) ‘she does it to us two (not you)’

bayilin (E) banbulin (W) ‘you do it to those two’ bangkuwurna (E) bangkuwula (W) ‘she does it to you two’

bayili (E) bawuli (W) ‘she does it to those two’

Table 16. Complex pronouns involving many people (Bound pronouns are shown here on the end of the little word ba) us mob (not you)

us mob (you and us) you mob

I

barnanganda ‘I do it for us mob (not you)’

barnangalawa ‘I do it for us mob (you and us)’

you

bangandan bangalawan ‘you do it to us mob ‘you do it for us mob (not you)’ (yourself and us)’

he, she

banganda ‘she does it to us mob (not you)’

we mob (not you)

barnalirna ‘we mob (not you) do it to ourselves/ each other’

we mob (you and us)

bangalawa(rna) ‘she does it to us mob (you and us)’

barnanjurra barnayina ‘I do it to you mob’ ‘I do it to them’ bayinan (E) banjinan (W) ‘you do it to them’ banjurra ‘she does it to you mob’

bayina ‘she does it to them’

barnanjurrangulu ‘we mob (not you) do it to you mob’

barnayinangulu ‘we mob (not you) do it to them’

barlawarna ‘we mob (you and us) do it to ourselves/each other’

you mob

bangandanngulu ‘you mob do it to us mob (not you)’

they

bangandangulu ‘they do it to us mob (not you)’

barlawangulu ‘we mob (you and us) do it to them’

bandarnan ‘you mob do it to yourselves/each other’

bayinanngulu (E) banjinanngulu (W) ‘you mob do it to them’

bangalawangulu banjurrangulu ‘they do it to us mob ‘they do it to you (you and us)’ mob’

bayinangulu ‘they do it to them’ balirna ‘they do it to themselves/each other’

Some examples of these pronouns in use are below.

44

them

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(75)

Kujarra-li

bangandangulu

wujunganini.

two-DOER they>11us show

‘The two of them showed us (not you).’ (76)

Ngurra-ngkurra

barnayinangulu kanganini.

home-TO we>them take

‘We (not you) are taking them home.’

4.6.2 Free pronouns Free pronouns in Mudburra are only used when you want to emphasise someone. They are not required. (Remember, though, that bound pronouns are required. If you use a free pronoun, you still have to use the bound pronoun as well.) In the following example, the free pronoun is ngayu ‘me’ and the bound pronoun is -yi ‘me’. There is also a possessive pronoun ngayinya ‘my’: (77)

Ngayu-ma bayi warndana ngayinya-li kirda-li. me-TOPIC me got my-DOER father-DOER

‘My father got me.’ The free pronouns are much simpler than the bound pronouns. Unlike bound pronouns, free pronouns do not have different forms for subjects and objects. They only have three main forms: ngayu/ngayi ‘I/me’, nyundu ‘you’ and nyana ‘he/him/she/her’. Free pronouns also have special forms, called ‘possessives’, to show when someone owns something. These are ngayinya ‘my, mine’, nyununya ‘your, yours’ and nyanunya ‘his, her, hers’. Table 17. Free pronouns Free pronoun

Possessive pronoun

1st person singular

ngayu (E) ngayi (W) ‘I, me’

ngayinya ‘my, mine’

2nd person singular

nyundu ‘you’

nyununya ‘your, yours’

3rd person singular

nyana ‘he/him, she/her’

nyanunya ‘his, her, hers’

If you want to talk about two or more people, you need to add the usual number endings: ngayukujarra (E) ‘we two, us two’ ngayikujarra (W) ‘we two, us two’ ngayuwalija (E) ‘us mob’ ngayidardu (W) ‘us mob’

nyundukujarra nyunduya (E) nyundudardu (W) nyanakujarra nyanadarra

‘you two’ ‘you mob’ ‘you mob’ ‘those two’ ‘that mob’

The possessive pronouns are used to express ownership, as shown in (78). 11  ‘>’ refers to ‘do it to’ so ‘they>us’ means ‘they do it to us’.

45

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(78)

Yali-ma warlaku-ma ngayinya bayi. that-TOPIC

dog-TOPIC

mine

me

‘That dog is mine.’ Possessive pronouns are also used when you go towards someone (79), speak to someone (80) or give someone something (81). In many cases, you also need to use an object bound pronoun. (79)

Ngayinya-ngkurra yanarni karu. to.me-TO came child

‘The child came to me.’ (80)

Karu-ma

bayi marnini ngayinya-wu.

child-TOPIC me talk to.me-TO

‘The child talks to me.’ (81)

Yali karu marnini yurrwa ngayinya-ngka ngurra-ngka. that child talk language my-AT home-AT

‘The child speaks language at my house.’

4.6.3 Indefinite pronouns Indefinite pronouns in Mudburra have the same form as question words. Read about questions words in Section 4.3. nyamba ‘something’ ngana ‘someone’ nganali ‘someone did it’ nyangurla ‘sometime’ ngadjanga ‘some amount’ wanjuwarra ‘somewhere’ Indefinite pronouns often have the ending -barra, which is used to show that the speaker doesn’t really know something. In (82), nyamba ‘what’ has the ending -barra to emphasise that the speaker doesn’t know what the child is holding. (82)

Karu-lu nyamba-barra karlunini. child-DOER what-DOUBT hold

‘The child is holding something.’ There are also some words which are used when you can’t think of the proper word: nyambala nyambayala nganayala

46

‘whatsitcalled’ (E) ‘whatsitcalled’ (W) ‘whatsitsname’ (W)

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.7 Verb phrases Verbs can be described as ‘doing words’, such as ‘sleep’, ‘talk’ or ‘kiss’. There are two types of verbs in Mudburra: verbs and coverbs.

4.7.1 Verbs A verb is required in most sentences. These verbs are sometimes called ‘inflecting verbs’ because they have endings called ‘inflections’ which describe when the action takes place (tense) and whether the action has been completed or not (aspect): Imperative verbs Past tense verbs12 Present tense verbs Potential verbs

are used to give commands refer to something which has already happened refer to something which is happening now refer to something that might happen in the future

Mudburra has up to 40 inflecting verbs, all with very basic meanings. These verbs fall into 5 main groups, called ‘conjugations’. Verbs within the same conjugation rhyme. The most common verb forms are listed below, and you can find all of the verb forms in the Appendix. Table 18. Class 1a verb conjugations Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

hit

barra ‘hit it!’

barnana ‘has hit it’

barnini ‘hits it’

barru ‘will hit it’ ‘wants to hit it’

grind

jama(rra) ‘grind it!’

jamarna ‘ground it’

jamarnini ‘grinds it’

jama(rru) ‘will grind it’ ‘wants to grind it’

wet

kunjarra ‘wet it!’

kunjana ‘has wet it’

kunjanini ‘wets it’

kunjarru ‘will wet it’ ‘wants to wet it’

squash

lama(rra) ‘squash it!’

lamarna ‘squashed it’

lamarnini ‘squashes it’

lama(rru) ‘will squash it’ ‘wants to squash it’

do talk

ma(rra) ‘do it!’ ‘say it!’

marna(na) ‘did it’ ‘talked’

marnini ‘does it’ ‘talks’

marru ‘will do it’ ‘wants to do it’ ‘will talk’ ‘wants to talk’

cold

minjarra ‘make it cold!’

minjana ‘made it cold’

minjanini ‘makes it cold’

minjarru ‘will make it cold’ ‘wants to make it cold’

leave

wanjarra ‘leave it!’

wanjana ‘left it’

wanjanini ‘leaves it’

wanjarru ‘will leave it’ ‘wants to leave it’

12  This tense is called ‘actual’ in the longer reference grammar of Mudburra.

47

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 18 continued Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

put

yuwarra ‘put it!’

yuwarna ‘has put it somewhere’

yuwarnini ‘puts it’

yuwarru ‘will put it’ ‘wants to put it’

approach

karlama(rra) ‘approach it!’

karlamarna karlamarnini ‘has approached it’ ‘approaches’

karlama(rru) ‘will approach it’ ‘wants to approach it’

Table 19. Class 1b verb conjugations Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

cook

kamba ‘cook it!’

kambarna ‘cooked it’

kambarnini ‘cooks it’

kambu ‘will cook it’ ‘wants to cook it’

get

warnda ‘get it!’

warndana ‘got it’

warndanini ‘gets it’

warndu ‘will get it’ ‘wants to get it’

Table 20. Class 2a verb conjugations Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

throw

kuya ‘throw it!’

kurna(na) ‘threw it’

kurnini ‘throws it’

kuya ‘will throw it’ ‘wants to throw it’

bite

biya ‘bite it!’

birnana ‘bit it’

birnini ‘bites it’

biya ‘will bite it’ ‘wants to bite it’

blow

buma ‘blow it!’

bumarna ‘blew it’

bumarnini ‘blows it’

buma ‘will blow it’ ‘wants to blow it’

rise

duma ‘get up!’

dumarna ‘got up’

dumarnini ‘gets up’

duma ‘will get up’ ‘wants to get up’

hold, have

karluya ‘hold it!’

karluna ‘held it’ ‘had it’

karlunini ‘holds it’ ‘has it’

karluya ‘will hold it’ ‘wants to hold it’

shoot

luwa ‘shoot it!’

luwarna ‘shot it’

luwarnini ‘shoots it’

luwa ‘will shoot it’ ‘wants to shoot it’

tired

yama ‘get tired!’

yamarna ‘was tired’

yamarnini ‘is tired’

yama ‘will be tired’ ‘wants to be tired’

sing

yinba ‘sing it!’

yinbarna ‘sang it’

yinbarnini ‘sings it’

yinba ‘will sing it’ ‘wants to sing it’

48

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 21. Class 2b verb conjugations Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

burn

janki ‘burn it!’

jankiyina ‘burnt it’

jankiyini ‘burns it’

janki ‘will burn it’ ‘wants to burn it’

be

karri ‘stay!’

kayina ‘was’ ‘stayed’

kayini ‘is’ ‘stays’

karri ‘will be’ ‘wants to be’

fall

wandi ‘fall!’

wandiyina ‘fell’

wandiyini ‘falls’

wandi ‘will fall’ ‘wants to fall’

become

yarri ‘become something!’

yayina ‘became something’

yayini ‘becomes something’

yarri ‘will becomes something’ ‘wants to become something’

do what

ngadayarri ‘do something!’

ngadayina ‘did what’

ngadayini ‘does what’

ngadayarri ‘will do what’ ‘wants to do what’

Table 22. Class 3 verb conjugations Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

dance

bungka ‘dance!’

bungana ‘danced’

bunganini ‘dances’

bungku ‘will dance’ ‘wants to dance’

cut

biyangka ‘cut it!’

biyangana ‘cut it’

biyanganini ‘cuts it’

biyangku ‘will cut it’ ‘wants to cut it’

trim

jabungka ‘trim it!’

jabungana ‘trimmed it’

jabunganini ‘trims it’

jabungku ‘will trim it’ ‘wants to trim it’

take carry

kangka ‘take it!’ ‘carry it!’

kangana ‘took it’ ‘carried it’

kanganini ‘takes it’ ‘carries it’

kangku ‘will take it’ ‘wants to take it’ ‘will carry it’ ‘wants to carry it’

dig

langka ‘dig it!’

langana ‘dug it’

langanini ‘digs it’

langku ‘will dig it’ ‘wants to dig it’

avoid

munyangka ‘avoid it!’

munyangana ‘avoided it’

munyanganini ‘avoids it’

munyangku ‘will avoid it’ ‘wants to avoid it’

abandon

ngardangka ‘abandon it!’

ngardangana ‘abandoned it’

ngardanganini ‘abandons it’

ngardangku ‘will abandon it’ ‘wants to abandon it’

49

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Table 22 continued Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

see look

nyangka ‘look at it!’

nyangana ‘saw it’ ‘looked at it’

nyanganini ‘sees it’ ‘looks at it’

nyangku ‘will see it’ ‘wants to see it’ ‘will look at it’ ‘wants to look at it’

give

nyungka ‘give it!’

nyungana ‘gave it’

nyunganini ‘gives it’

nyungku ‘will give it’ ‘wants to give it’

show

wujungka ‘show it!’

wujungana ‘showed it’

wujunganini ‘shows it’

wujungku ‘will show it’ ‘wants to show it’

Table 23. Class 4 verb conjugations

eat

Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

nganja ‘eat it!’

ngarnana ‘ate it’

ngarnini ‘eats it’

ngalu ‘will eat it’ ‘wants to eat it’

Table 24. Class 5 verb conjugations Imperative

Past

Present

Potential

swear

junda ‘swear!’

junana ‘swore’

junini ‘swears’

jundu ‘will swear’ ‘wants to swear’

go

yanda ‘go!’

yanana ‘went’

yanini ‘goes’

yandu ‘will go’ ‘wants to go’

Other verb endings show whether something is moving towards you or away from you:

50

kangkarra ‘take it!’

take

approach karlamarrara ‘approach that way!’

yandarra ‘go away!’

go

Imperative away

kanganarra ‘took it’

yanarra ‘went away’

Past away

kanganarni ‘brought it’

yanarni ‘came here’

Past towards

kanganjinganarra ‘taking it’

yananjanarra ‘going away’

Present away

kanganjinganarni ‘bringing it’

yananjanarni ‘coming here’

Present towards

kangkurru ‘will take it’ ‘wants to take it’

yandurru ‘will go away’ ‘wants to go away’

Potential away

kangannginyi ‘will bring it’ ‘wants to bring it’

yanarnnginyi ‘will come here’ ‘wants to come here’

Potential towards

karlamarrarn karlamarnarra karlamarnani karlamanjimarnarra karlamanjimarnani karlamarruru karlamarrarnnginyi ‘approach ‘approached ‘approached ‘approaching that ‘approaching this ‘will ‘will approach this this way! that way’ this way’ way’ way’ approach way’ that way’ ‘wants to approach ‘wants to this way’ approach that way’

kangan ‘bring it!’

yanarn ‘come here!

Imperative towards

Table 25. Verb endings that show movement towards or away from

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

51

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.7.2 Coverbs The other type of verb in Mudburra is the coverb. Coverbs combine with inflecting verbs to form a two-part verb. Unlike inflecting verbs, coverbs have very rich meanings. For example, the inflecting verb yandurru by itself just means ‘will go’ or ‘wants to go’. If you combine it with a coverb, though, you can say whether you are walking, running or swimming: (83)

Barna winymi

yandurru Elliott-kurra.

I walk will.go Elliott-TO

‘I will walk to Elliott.’ (84)

Barna karrakarra yandurru Elliott-kurra. I run will.go Elliott-TO

‘I will run to Elliott.’ (85)

Barna darukarra yandurru Elliott-kurra. I swim will.go Elliott-TO

‘I will swim to Elliott.’ Some coverbs always come just before their inflecting verb. They can never be separated from this verb, and they can’t occur with any other inflecting verbs, either. For example, birrka ‘make’ always comes just before ma- ‘do’, as in (86). Birrka can’t occur with any other inflecting verb. (86)

Barna birrka marnini kandirri. I make do bread

‘I’m making bread.’ Similarly, the coverb wan ‘throw’ can only occur with a form of the inflecting verb ku- ‘throw’. Wan cannot be separated from ku- and cannot occur with any other inflecting verbs. (87)

Wan kuya

yali

kandirri! Wangi yali-ma!

throw throw that bread bad

that-TOPIC

‘Throw out the bread! It’s mouldy!’ Other coverbs can combine with different verbs to change the meaning of the sentence, for example darukarra ‘swim’, lurrbu ‘return’ and bunba ‘angry’. Table 26. Example of coverbs combining with different verbs darukarra kayini swim be ‘there swimming’

darukarra yanini swim go ‘swimming along’

darukarra kanganini swim take ‘take swimming’

lurrbu kayini return be ‘return’

lurrbu yanini return go ‘returning’

lurrbu kanganjinganarni return bring ‘bringing back’

bunba kayini angry be ‘angry’

bunba barnini angry hit ‘fight’

bunba marnini angry talk ‘argue’

52

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

These coverbs can come either before or after the inflecting verb. Coverbs can also be separated from the inflecting by other words in the sentence. Sentences (88) to (90) show that the coverb lurrbu ‘return’ can come both before and after the verb kanganarni ‘brought’, and other words in the sentence can come between them. (88)

Yali-li

karu-lu

lurrbu kanganarni mangarri.

that-DOER child-DOER return brought food

‘The child brought back food.’ (89)

Yali-li karu-lu kanganarni mangarri lurrbu. that-DOER

child-DOER

brought

food

return

‘The child brought back food.’ (90)

Yali-li karu-lu mangarri kanganarni lurrbu. that-DOER

child-DOER

food

brought

return

‘The child brought back food.’ Coverbs can take different endings. These endings add to their meaning, and some even make them into nouns. Here is a list of endings that coverbs can take. You might recognise some of them from Table 9 because some of these coverb endings are also found on nouns. Table 27. Coverb endings Ending

English

Examples

-ngarna

person or thing that does the action

jawurra-ngarna steal-NOUN ‘thief’

durlkkarra-ngarna shoot-NMLZ ‘gun’

-wari -bari

a property of something

dilburr-wari break-PROPERTY ‘broken’

bibib-bari heat-PROPERTY ‘hot’

-bili

make something happen

dad-bili up.high-MAKE ‘hang it up high’

jud-bili get.down-MAKE ‘get it down’

-yili

make something happen

dardalya-yili tight-MAKE ‘tighten’

dungkuja-yili short-MAKE ‘shorten’

-biji

make something happen

mabu-biji shame-MAKE ‘make shy’

yirr-biji sharp-MAKE ‘sharpen’

-karra

-ing

kird-karra break-ING ‘breaking’

larlub-karra scoop-ING ‘scooping’

53

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.8 Making sentences The previous sections have shown the different types of words you find in Mudburra, such as nouns, verbs and pronouns. It also showed the different types of endings found on these words and how you use these words. This section will show you how to put words together in Mudburra to make sentences.

4.8.1 Word order in sentences Word order in Mudburra sentences is quite free compared with languages like English. In English, word order helps you tell the subject (the one who does the action) from the object (the one who has the action done to them). English subjects come before the verb and objects come after the verb. For example, in the sentence ‘The girl chased the boy’, the subject (the one doing the chasing) is the girl and the object (the one being chased) is the boy. We know this because ‘the girl’ comes before the verb ‘chased’ and ‘the boy’ comes after the verb. If we switch the order and say ‘The boy chased the girl’, however, we know that the boy is now doing the chasing, and the girl is being chased. By changing the word order, we have switched the subject and object and reversed the whole meaning of the sentence. Mudburra is very different. In Mudburra, the subject can come anywhere in the sentence. In (91), for example, Nangari comes before the verb kambarnini ‘cooks’, but in (92) it comes after the verb. Nangari is still the subject in both sentences, though. We know this because it has the ergative ending -li. Read Section 4.1.1.1 if you want to know more about the ergative ending. The object doesn’t have any ending. (91)

Nangari-li

kambarnini kandirri.

Nangari-DOER cooks bread

‘Nangari cooks bread.’ (92)

Kandirri

kambarnini Nangari-li.

bread cooks Nangari-DOER

‘Nangari cooks bread.’ In Mudburra, you can also split up the nouns, adjectives and possessive pronouns in a noun phrase. This is different from English, where the words in a noun phrase must stay together. For example ‘my little child’ cannot be said ‘little child my’ in English. You can split up Mudburra noun phrases because all the words in each phrase have the same ending, so you can tell that they go together. For example, in (93) the words in the noun phrase are together, whereas in (94) they have been split up, but you can still tell that they go together because they all have ergative -li. Both sentences are perfectly grammatical in Mudburra. (93)

Ngayinya-li

juka-li

wunyubaka-li kanganarni kandirri.

my-DOER child-DOER small-DOER brought bread

‘My little child brought bread.’

54

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(94)

Ngayinya-li

juka-li

mother-DOER

my-DOER brought

kanganarni kandirri wunyubaka-li. bread

small-DOER

‘My little child brought bread.’

4.8.2 Sentences without verbs In Section 4.7.1, you learned that Mudburra sentences usually need a verb. Some sentences, however, are OK without a verb. In these sentences, the verb ‘are, is, was, were’ is often implied. Some examples are given here: (95)

Yali-ma

ngayinya bayi warlaku.

that-TOPIC my my dog

‘That’s my dog.’ (96)

Nginya-ma wangi ngarina-ma. this-TOPIC bad meat-TOPIC

‘This meat is rotten.’ (97)

Nginya-ma baka karndi-ma. this-TOPIC

conkerberry tree-TOPIC

‘This tree is a conkerberry.’ (98)

Elliott-ngurlu bali. Elliott-FROM

they

‘They’re from Elliott.’ (99)

Jurla-ma wumara-wurru. skin.name-TOPIC

money-WITH

‘Jurla has money.’ (100)

Ngayu-ma barna nanbari. I-TOPIC I full

‘I’m full.’ (101)

Kirda-nginyi-ma

ngurra-ma.

father-FROM-TOPIC country-TOPIC

‘It’s dad’s country.’

4.8.3 Sentences with verbs All other sentences in Mudburra have verbs. Some sentences just have an inflecting verb (see Section 4.7.1). Others have a two-part verb: an inflecting verb plus a coverb (see Section 4.7.2). There are many different types of sentences with verbs.

55

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

4.8.3.1 Intransitive sentence The first type of sentence is an intransitive sentence. These sentences have a subject and a verb such as ‘The boy is sleeping’ or ‘The girl is walking’. These sentences don’t have objects. (102)

Madju manyan kayini. boy

sleep

is

‘The boy is sleeping.’ (103)

Wamala winymi yananjanarni. girl walk coming.here

‘The girl is walking this way.’ You can also add extra information to the sentence about location or time. (104)

Wamala winymi yananjanarni Marlinja-ngkurra. girl walk coming.here Marlinja-TO

‘The girl is walking this way, toward Marlinja.’

4.8.3.2 Transitive sentence The second type of sentence is a transitive sentence. These sentences have a subject and an object. In these sentences something or someone is doing something to someone else. The subject has the ergative (‘doer’) ending. More information about the ergative ending is in Section 4.1.1.1. The object has no ending. (105)

Kinyuwurru langanini kurrarndala-li. onion dig brolga-DOER

‘The brolga digs up the bush onion.’ The subject and object are also expressed through bound pronouns. (Remember that there is no bound pronoun for third person singular subjects and objects.) (106)

Karu-darra-li bayinangulu lankaj nyanganini jabaka-darra. child-MANY-DOER they>them listen intake women-MANY

‘The children listen to the old women.’ You can also add extra information to the sentence about location or time. (107)

Jabaka-li barnana walanja damangka-ngka. old.woman-DOER hit goanna head-ON

‘The old woman hit the goanna on the head.’

4.8.3.3 Semi-transitive sentence Another type of sentence is a semi-transitive sentence. These sentences have a subject and an indirect object. The indirect object has a dative ending which usually translates as ‘for, to’. You can find out more about dative endings in Section 4.1.1.2. The indirect object is also expressed with a bound pronoun. These sentences are usually about ‘going up to’, ‘talking to’, ‘waiting for’, ‘going to, or ‘looking for’. 56

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(108)

Wamala-li barla marnini nyanunya-wu kirda-wu. girl-DOER to.him talks her-TO father-TO

‘The girl talks to her father.’ (109)

Madju barla liward kayini nyanunya-wu jakardi-wu. boy

for.her wait

is

his-FOR

mother-FOR

‘The boy waits for his mother.’ (110)

Barnangku yandurru nyununya-wu. I>you will.go to.you-TO

‘I’ll go to you.’ (111)

Barnarla darumi kayini walanja-wu. I>for.it search am

goanna-FOR

‘I am looking around for a goanna.’

4.8.3.4 Ditransitive sentence A final type of sentence is a ditransitive sentence. These sentences are usually about ‘giving’ and ‘putting’. These sentences have three participants: Subject the person giving or putting Object the thing being given or put Indirect Object the receiver, or the place where the object is being put The subject has the ergative ending. More information about the ergative ending is in Section 4.1.1.1. The object is unmarked and the indirect object can (but does not always) have a dative ending which translates as ‘for, to’ or a locative ending which translates as ‘in, on, under’. You can find out more about dative endings in Section 4.1.1.2 and locative endings in Section 4.1.1.3. (112)

Juka-li

nyungana wumara jakardi.

child-DOER gave

money mother

‘The child gave her mother money.’ (113)

Juka-li

barla nyungana wumara jakardi-wu.

child-DOER to.her gave money mother

‘The child gave money to her mother.’ (114)

Ngarrka-li yuwarnini damangka-ngka murrkardi-ma. man-DOER

puts

head-ON

hat-TOPIC

‘The man puts the hat on his head.’

4.8.3.5 Possessive sentences There are different ways of saying you own something. If it is a part of your body, you use a bound pronoun and sometimes just a normal free pronoun, as shown in (115) and (116). The free pronoun is in brackets to show it is optional.

57

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(115)

Kumungku (ngayu) barna lilin-karra kayini. back I I hurt-ING is

‘My back is hurting.’ (116)

Karndi-li

(ngayu) bayi barnana damangka-ngka.

stick-DOER me me hit head-ON

‘A stick struck me on the head.’ When talking about things you own, you can use a possessive pronoun, as in (117) to (119). A bound pronoun can be used to reference the possessor. The bound pronoun is in brackets to show it is optional. (117)

Ngayinya (bayi) warlaku dikirrij kayina. my (my) dog die was

‘My dog died.’ (118)

Ngayinya-li

(bayi) warlaku-lu birnana.

my-DOER

(my)

dog-DOER

bit

‘My dog bit him.’ (119)

Madju-lu (bayi) nyunganini ngarina ngayinya warlaku. boy-DOER (my) gives meat my dog

‘The boy gives my dog meat.’

4.8.3.6 Negative sentences Negative sentences can be intransitive, transitive, semi-transitive or ditransitive. To say that something is not, was not or will not be the case, the form kula ‘not’ is used together with the verb form for present, past or future. Kula is usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, but sometimes it follows the first word. (120)

Kula

barna ngarnana mangarri.

NOT I ate food

‘I didn’t eat the food.’ (121)

Kula barnangku lankaj nyangana. NOT I>you hear intake

‘I didn’t hear you.’ (122)

Kula barna karlunini. NOT I

hold

‘I don’t have it.’ A negative statement can also be made using the ending -mulu ‘don’t’, the word wakurni ‘no, nothing’ or the ending -wangka ‘without’. (123)

Karu-kujarra, karri-wula, wajkarra-mulu! child-TWO be-those.two play-DON’T

‘You two kids, stay put, stop playing around!’

58

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

(124)

Wakurni, barlawa ngarina-wangka

ngurra-ngka.

nothing we meat-WITHOUT home-AT

‘Nothing, we’ve got no meat at home.’

4.8.3.7 Commands To express a command, the imperative verb form is used. All the verb forms are given in Section 4.7.1. (125)

Jud

wandi!

get.down fall

‘Get down!’ (126)

Dak wandi! sit fall

‘Sit down!’ (127)

Nyungka-yi lalija! give-me tea

‘Give me some tea!’ If you are commanding more than one person to do something, use the third person form of the bound pronoun. Sentence (128) uses the bound pronoun bali, which usually means ‘they’ and sentence (123) uses the bound pronoun -wula, which otherwise means ‘they two’. Similarly the complex pronouns (Tables 14, 15, and 16) can be used with the imperative verb form. (128)

Yanarn

bali!

come.here they

‘You mob come here!’ Some speakers also use sentences like (129), with second person bound pronouns like banda ‘you mob’, as commands. (129)

Yamaka banda quiet

karri!

you.mob be

‘Be quiet you mob!’ To get someone to stop doing something, you can put the ending -mulu ‘don’t’ on a coverb. (130)

Karrakarra-mulu! run-DONT

‘Don’t run!’

4.8.4 Complex sentences Complex sentences are sentences which contain more than one clause. Sometimes they are made up of two clauses which are joined together with a linking word or ending:

59

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

-baa, -maa abala amba

‘when, if, which, who’ ‘when, that, while, which, then’ ‘so that, that, which, while’

Other times, the second part of the complex sentence is a short clause, usually just a coverb or the infinitive form of the inflecting verb with an ending. These endings are the same as the case endings. Read Section 4.1.1 to understand more about case endings. -ku, -wu purpose clauses -ngka same subject clauses -ngkurra different subject clauses -nginyi, -ngurlu earlier event clauses Mudburra does not have a word meaning ‘and’. The two sentences are just said one after the other. (131)

Bayinangulu nyungana ngarina, kandirri-ma bayinangulu nyungana. they>them gave meat bread they>them gave

‘They gave them meat (and) they gave them bread.’ (132)

Barna

yandurru, barna yuwulu

langku.

I will.go I ground will.dig

‘I will go (and) dig the ground.’

4.8.4.1 Sentences with a linking word -baa, -maa sentences The endings -baa and -maa translate as ‘when, if’. They link two sentences together where one sentence talks about an event that needs to occur in order for the other sentence’s event to happen. -Baa and -maa are found in the sentence talking about the event that needs to occur first. (133)

Nyana-baa yanarnnginyi-ma, he-WHEN will.come.here-TOPIC

nyungka-rla nanbari! give-to.him tucker

‘When he comes, give some food to him.’ (134)

Bangku-maa jilij kangku, you-IF ask will.take

nyungka-rla nanbari. give-to.him tucker

‘If he asks you, give some food to him.’

60

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Abala sentences The word abala occurs at the beginning of one of the two sentences. The sentence beginning with abala is used to give more information about a noun or an event in the other sentence. Abala translates as ‘when, that, while, which, then’. (135)

Barnali ngarnini nyikirriri, abala kayini jardburru-la. we eat bush.coconut which is bloodwood-ON

‘We eat the bush coconut which is on the bloodwood tree.’ (136)

Kardiba-ma

yanarra,

abala-wanya nguku

whitefella-TOPIC went.away when-THEN water

windarr marnana. stop did

‘The whitefellas left when the flooding stopped.’ (137)

Abala barna

wunyu

kayina,

when I little was

barna langana wawirri. I dug kangaroo

‘When I was a little boy, I speared a kangaroo.’ Amba sentences The word amba also occurs at the beginning of one of the two sentences. It usually introduces the sentence that explains the purpose for the action in the other sentence. It translates as ‘so that’. (138)

Kangka-rla babirda-ma kadi-wu jabaka-wu, take-to.her

yam-TOPIC

that-TO

old.woman-TO

amba dudji karri! so

mix.up

will

‘Take the yam to the old woman so she can mash it up.’

4.8.4.2 Short clauses Short clauses usually consist of a coverb or an infinitive form of an inflecting verb with a case ending. Sometimes the case ending also appears on nouns in the short clause. The case ending usually relates the participants of the short clause to the participants in the main clause. [Barnayina nyangana jabakadarra] main clause

[kurdij-jirri] short clause

I>them saw old.women standing-TO

‘I saw the old women when they were standing.’

[Barnayina nyangana jabakadarra] main clause

[kurdij-ka] short clause

I>them saw old.women standing-AT

‘I saw the old women when I was standing.’ 61

4. GRAMMAR GUIDE

Purpose clauses Purpose clauses use the dative ending -ku or -wu to indicate the purpose of an action. Read Section 4.1.1.2 for more information about dative endings including their different forms. (139)

Yali-ma

jabakadarra-ma bali kanju yanarra manyan-ku.

that-TOPIC old.women-TOPIC they inside went

sleep-TO

‘Those old women went inside to sleep.’ Same subject clauses Same subject clauses use the locative ending -ngka, -ka or -la to indicate that the subject of the short clause is the same as the subject of the main part of the sentence. Read Section 4.1.1.3 for more information about locative endings including their different forms. (140)

Nginya-ma barnali dak kayini wambarlwambarl-ka. this-TOPIC

we

sit

are

do.nothing-AT

‘We’re sitting here doing nothing.’ (141)

Barnayina nyangana jabakadarra winymi-ngka. I>them

saw

old.women walk-AT

‘I saw the old women when I was walking along.’ Different subject clauses Different subject clauses use the allative endings -ngkurra, -kurra, -jirri or -yirri to indicate that the subject of the short clause is the same as the object of the main part of the sentence. Read Section 4.1.1.4 for more information about allative endings including their different forms. (142)

Barnayina nyangana wajarra-yirri. I>them

saw perform-TO

‘I saw them when they were performing corroboree.’ (143)

Bayili

durlmak warndana

marnu-ngkurra.

they>me pick.up got talk-TO

‘They picked me up while I was talking.’ Earlier event clauses These short clauses use the ending -ngurlu or -nginyi to mark an event that happened before the time of the main sentence. Read Sections 4.1.1.5 and 4.1.2.5 for more information about these endings. (144)

Bali dumarna manyan-ngurlu. they got.up

sleep-FROM

‘They got up after sleeping.’ (145)

Barnali mujkiyi kayina binymala ngarina-nginyi barnu-nginyi. we

forget

was

knife

meat-FROM

hit-FROM

‘We forgot the knife (we left it behind) after killing a bullock.’ 62

5 Explanation of dictionary entries This section explains how to read a dictionary entry. In the dictionary, a word entry looks like this: Headword: The dictionary entry begins with the Mudburra word, in this case ‘wajarra’.

word class

English meaning

waakwaak

bala.  Wabala bayin marnina wajarra cv. sing or dance corroboree. headword ? ‘What did you say when you talked ALSO: walyarra. = wajkarra, bula.  Wajarra variant example esterday?’ bali yunbajibarnini ngarrkali yali karlarra. cv. scrape skin, take skin off in an ‘The men are singing a corroboree there usage nt, graze. = ngakalyarra, buyurr. to the west.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. arri barna wabalyu wandiyina. ‘I fell nned my knee.’ wajarrakarra singing and dancing corroboree. . tell a lie. Wabarl bangku dikarl subentry a. ‘Someone told you a lie.’ wajarra bunganini dance a corroboree. v. tell a lie. = ngulyi.  Ngayi barna bungana wajarra. ‘I danced example a corroboree.’ l marnana lie.  Wabarl bangku na. ‘Someone told you a lie.’ wajarra yinbarnini sing a corroboree. gu n. white gum tree. Eucalyptus  Nganayili kadi walyarra-ma yinbarni, example The leafy branches of this tree are marlukali nyangarlulu. ‘Whatsisname can d in goanna fat, lightly heated in still sing the corroboree songs, one old man then applied to itchy or sore skin. The can.’ an be eaten. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) waji n. 1 • colours in the air, shimmer. nd in the roots. The timber can be  Kambambarra bali nyanganirra Wordand class: The second marlarlukali-ma part is an abbreviation indicating the‘In type of word the or ‘warlu’ (firewood) the bark wangku-ma wajiwurru. headword is. o make ‘buna’ (ashes). the old days people saw the air shimmering with light.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji da adv. by mistake, accidentally. adv adverb word which means ‘rainbow’. yu-ma-rna burriyi kayinykayini, biya aux auxiliary 2 • wrong skin for marriage, wrongbarnarra ngayu-wanya waburndali. case case ending, see Section 4.1.1 way (inappropriate) marriage partner. vous that they might hit me then by conj conjuction e.’ = karndikari.  Yalikujarra bawula waji. cv coverb, see Section 4.7.2 two are wrong skin for marriage.’ v. interrupt, distract. ALSO: waburrmi. ‘Those dem demonstrative, see Section 4.5society is divided into eight This is also a Gurindji word. — Mudburra interj interjection, e.g. ‘hey’ subsections, also called skin groups. Every r kayini distract, interrupt.  Barna n mujiyi nouns, adjectives,person see Section is born4.1 into one (or sometimes arrila barna-wanya kayina part e.g. ‘when’, ‘in of case’, see Section 4.8.4 two) these groups, with membership bayi waburrmi kayina.particle, ‘I was telling determined by which groups their parents t now I’ve forgotten, he stuffed me are in. A person’s skin group membership nterrupting me.’ influences many aspects of their life, r barnana interrupt.  Kurdi kurru including who they can marry. Appropriate i, bayin aburr barna. ‘Stop and listen (‘straight’) marriage partnerships are as you keep interrupting me by talking.’

63

5. EXPLANATION OF DICTIONARY ENTRIES

pro quest suf v

pronoun, see Section 4.6 question words, e.g. ‘what’, see Section 4.3 suffix or word ending, see various sections inflecting verb, see Section 4.7.1

Meaning: The meaning of the Mudburra word is given in English. Often, there is no English word that exactly matches the Mudburra word, so a number of English meanings are given. Variant: This is a different way the word may be pronounced. Example: Many dictionary entries have example sentences of how the word is used, with an English translation for each. Usage: This is information about whether words are from Eastern Mudburra or Western Mudburra and whether they are also used in Gurindji or Jingulu or other languages. Subentry: Subentries show different meanings of the headword when it combines with different endings or verbs. For example, coverbs always combine with verbs. The subentries above show that the coverb wajarra combines with bunganini to mean ‘to dance a corroboree’ and yinbarnini to mean ‘to sing a corroboree’. The subentries also show that wajarra can take the ending -karra to show the action is still happening, much like ‘-ing’ in English. Sense number: Some words might have different meanings. Thesekaja have different sense numbers (1, 2, 3 . . . ). For example, kidba has two different meanings — ‘egg’ (sense These ducks are often seen grazing on number 1) and ‘brain’ (sense number 2).

, kayang ngana ayang nirra, am barnirra na kirdangkurra, nyangkurra stock-campkulala. ‘Yeah, ould nick off from school all the time, off and head to my father, where he s at the stock camp.’ USAGE: This word ans ‘car’ in Western Mudburra. In Eastern dburra, it refers to someone who is a ner. v. many words beginning with ‘kayi’ are ms of the verb ‘be’. SEE: kayini. sense number suf. actually, unexpectedly, surprisingly. Minya-ma-kayi light one-rni. Jindaba na mirrka ma dardalya. ‘Actually, this e is not strong enough. I’m going to make other one which is stronger.’  Nginya-kayi marluka-ma nyana-rni? ‘Is this ually the same man?’ ariny n. variety of Mudburra with rdaman loan words. = Karranga, rdamunkiyid, Karrangburru. USAGE: This Western Mudburra word. i v. be, sit.  Yali kardibadarra bali ini. ‘There are64 a lot of whitefellas.’ Nginya bardakurru-ma kayini, nginya-

grass in large flocks near the water’s edge. They nest in hill country and walk around at night. When they fly they often make a whistling noise. They are good to eat, and people hunt them with rifles. These ducks sense number have the skin name Jangala or Nangala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kida n. father. SEE: kirda. kidba n. 1 • egg. = kambij.  Yalili darlk kurnana yali-ma kidba-ma. ‘He threw that egg and its insides spurted out.’ —See p. 404 for the hand sign. 2 • brain. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kidi cv. chase, follow, argue. ALSO: kirdi. See p. XX for the hand sign. kidi warndanini chase, follow. kidi marnini chase, argue.  Ngana kadili-ma kidi marnini? ‘Who is that person chasing?’  Yali karu kidi ma, murdikawirri! ‘Chase after that child, for fear of the car!’  Kadikujarra bawurna kidi marnini nyambangurlu-barra. ‘Those two are arguing with each other over

k

5. EXPLANATION OF DICTIONARY ENTRIES

Scientific name: The plant and animal entries have Western scientific names. In the entry below, the scientific name for the bush onion, Cyperus bulbosus, is given in italics. Synonym: This is a word that means the same thing as the headword or subentry. We use ‘=’ in the entry to show a synonym. Encyclopaedic information: Many entries also have more information about the

season. are alsoand eaten by Mudburra word. All entriesfruit for plants animals have information about how to find ‘kurrkabadi’ ough-tailed goanna. them and use them for bush medicine(bush or other purposes. turkeys) and a, jarany. Related information: Some entries will include SEE: followed by another headword. This ‘karnanganja’ s storri. other headword will contain information (emus). The relevant to the word you’re looking at now. Look lbingkirra. this other word to learnleaves more.can In the be example entry here, readers are being directed to goannas have aup very boiled inbecause water and ail, like a woodthe rasp. They entry for ‘kurrarndala’ (brolga) brolgas love to eat ‘kinyuwurru’. the liquid used as d to eat as they taste nice. a medicinal wash . base of tree, bottom (of tree). to treat skin sores kangka barna karri. ‘I’ll sit against and ‘kudkulya’ nk of the tree (in the shade).’ synonym (congestion, bad n. redcold). USAGE: This is a d ng. Western Mudburra word. nji. kinyuwurru n. bush onion. = jundayunda. ka. scientific name chiton Cyperus bulbosus. hyllus. SEE: kurrarndala. The related small bulbs of the ant is information bush onion can to the be eaten and are edvery tasty. In the d past they were an ng important food miyaka’; resource. They er, it is a grow underground tree that but close to the n northern areas. surface, and so are easy to This is a Western Mudburra word. dig out and can often be collected in large nu n. didgeridoo, numbers. They are lightly cooked in hot o. = bambu, sand and then rubbed between the palms bud. USAGE: This to loosen the dark brown, papery skin. The a Gurindji and skin is then blown away from the little yams. word. ‘Kurrarndala’ (brolgas) like to eat them too. cv. tickle, encyclopaedic These bulbs grow well in northern areas, = kijikijik. information such as Nutwood Downs and Daly Waters, rri but also grows in other parts of Mudburra nini tickle. country. There are some growing in the aru kinkilarri yuwarru. ‘Someone’s sandy soils near North Camp in Elliott. See that kid.’ p. 414 for the hand sign. rri nyanganini smile.  Nyambawu inkilarrili nyanganini? ‘Why are you kird cv. break. = lakarr, dilburr. at me?’ kird kayini broken, broke.  Kird kayina bayi CDwu-ma. ‘My CD player broke.’ mi n. bush plum. = manamburran. retusifolia. This herb has a brown, kird warndanini break.  Murdika bayi dible fruit that are very tasty but kird warndana. ‘My car broke down.’ 65 uite hard to chew. People used to kird barnini break.  Yali warlu kirdkarra em like travel sweets in the old days. barra-yi. ‘Break up that wood for me.’

6 Mudburra to English DICTIONARY

67

abaaba

A

Aa

Bb

abaaba n. clothes. ALSO: ababa.  Kurdi, barnanyana wuluk ma abaaba ngayinya. ‘Wait, I’ve got to wash my clothes.’ — See p. 421 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. abala part. when, that, while, which (relative complementiser).  Abala barna wunyu karrinyarra, barna lanyarra wardabarnmarri. ‘When I was a little boy, I used to spear kangaroos.’  Barnali ngarnini nyikirriri, abala kayini jardburrula. ‘We are eating that bush coconut, which is on the bloodwood tree.’ alabardbi n. duck, green pygmy-goose. SEE: warlabardbi. Alurriji SEE: Luriji. amba part. so that, that, which (purposive complementiser).  Yurrwa bangalawa marrunymarru, amba minyangurlu bali marninymarnini, jalya. ‘Today he will speak our language, so that from now they will speak it.’  Ngayu-ma-rna bina jurlakadarrawu-ma, amba barlawa marrarnku wajurra-ma. ‘I know about lots of birds, like the ones we were talking about yesterday.’ arda interj. goodness! hey! SEE: warda. arla interj. goodness! hey! SEE: warla. arlibala n. early. = kurrurlarni.  Nguku wandiyina arlibala-ma barra ngamu. ‘It rained early this morning.’ USAGE: This is a Kriol word, which comes from the English word ‘early’. Arrarnda n. Arrernte (Aranda) people and language.  Binjanjarra, Arrarnda, Luriji karrinyarra-ma kurlarraka-ma. ‘The Pitjantjatjara, Arrernte, and Luritja lived to the south.’

-baa suf. if, when. ALSO: -maa.  Barna-baa karliyala mirlarrang, yali-ma-rna langkala. ‘If I’d had a spear, I would have speared him.’  Nyana-baa yanarnnginyi-ma, nyungkarla nanbari! ‘When he comes, give him food!’ baba n. older brother, older ‘cousin-brother’ (mother’s sister’s son or father’s brother’s son; older male parallel cousin). = ngaba.  Marndaj bayina kanganjinganarra babanyanji karlajadarra-ma banyanu. ‘It’s okay, the older brother is taking his younger siblings.’ —After a young man is initiated, he and his ‘full’ (i.e., biological) sisters can no longer say each other’s names out loud. Instead, they might say ‘so-and-so’, use each other’s initials, or use a nickname like ‘bro’ or ‘sis’. Additionally, for the first few years after the initiation, the young man’s sisters and female cousins can refer to him as ‘yirrimaka’. Some people also follow these same restrictions with their classificatory siblings — that is, with everyone who is of the right skin group, regardless of any biological relationship. See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. babalu n. buffalo. = manburrwari, nganabarru. Bubalus bubalis. This is a Kriol word. Wild buffalo are still occasionally seen, but most were killed during the brucellosis and tuberculosis (BTEC) eradication scheme in the 1980s and 1990s. Buffalo meat is good to eat, especially from young ones. It has a strong taste. Buffalo are cranky and dangerous in the bush. babard cv. kill everything, massacre, mass murder (in reference to people and animals).  Babard barnana. ‘I killed all of them (e.g. a big mob of goannas, or whistling ducks).’ SEE: dardu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. babingi n. wild pawpaw, wild passionfruit or wild orange. Capparis lasiantha. The fruit

68

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

baka ripen at the start of the rainy season. They turn yellow-orange, split open and bend back when fully ripe. They are sweet and very tasty, and have a pleasant fruity smell that you can detect from a long way off. The leaves can be used to make bush tobacco, which was chewed in the past, mixed with ‘buna’ (ashes) to enhance the taste. This plant has small sharp thorns and usually grows up the trunks of trees, especially bauhinias and bulwaddy. babirda n. wild potato. = jikarrambini. Ipomoea costata. This plant has pretty pink flowers and grows in red plains country. The yams are dug up and eaten; they have an excellent taste and can often be collected in large numbers. The yams can be eaten lightly roasted or boiled. The root system is expansive and the yams are usually found quite far from the plant. People locate them by looking for cracks in the ground: the roots and bulbs often crack the ground above them. These cracks can be followed to find large yams below. The yams can also be found by tapping the ground around the plant with a digging stick. If a hollow noise is heard, it indicates a large yam is below and it is a good place to dig. The young or small yellow yams are called ‘ngabilyi’. The large round yams under the main stem are called ‘damangka’, which

also means ‘head’ because this yam can get very big, like a person’s head. See p. 414 for the hand sign. badak cv. climb up. = bardaj, duwaj, karlirl. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. badak kayini there climbing up, perched on top of something. badak marnini put up. badak wandiyini climb up. Badba n. Daly Waters. ALSO: Bardba.  Jingili Mudburra-ma bali yaninjanirra kambambarra-ma Badbangkurra. ‘The Jingili and Mudburra came to Daly Waters a long time ago.’ bajara n. nail-bush, goat-head burr. = diyadiya. Sclerolaena bicornis. This small plant has sharp prickles and you must not walk near it, as it can give you a deep, painful scratch. It has white fluffy hairs among its leaves and prickles. The word ‘diyadiya’ also means feathers or down. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bak cv. hit back of neck, hit nape. = dang, wurru. bak barnini hit back of neck.  Yali bak barra walanja, wanka-rni, bingku kirdi marnarra! Hit the goanna on the back of the neck! It’s still alive. It might come after you. baka n. 1 • conkerberry. = ngamanburru. Carissa spinarum. This shrub produces fruit in the wet season. They are sweet and very tasty, and are eaten when they are black. When the fireflies are active at night, with their lights blinking on and off, the fruit are ripe and ready to eat. Many different birds also eat the fruit, including ‘karnanganja’ (emus) and ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys). The roots are used to cure toothaches. They are dug up and the inner, bright orange wood is scraped off in fine shavings. This can be pushed into the hole of a rotten tooth to stop the pain. The roots Mudburra to English dictionary 69

b

bakara

B

of large plants can be used to make small come-back boomerangs. See p. 415 for the hand sign. 2 • thorn, prickle. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. bakara n. outside, clear place, clearing, gap. = barrambarra.  Kari bawula dibij kayina bakarangkurra. ‘Those two have gone off outside.’  Yalingkurra barli bakarangkurra, ngurra-ma karri. ‘You and I can go to a little clearing and make a camp there.’ — This word rarely appears as just ‘bakara’. bakarangka located outside. bakarala located outside. bakarangkurra going outside. bakarangurlu coming in from outside. bakarli n. paperbark, tea-tree. = ngarlingarli. Melaleuca lasiandra, Melaleuca nervosa, Melaleuca viridiflora. The papery bark from these trees has multiple uses, such as making coolamons by tying the ends together with bush string and wrapping food before cooking in ashes or in a ground oven. Large sheets can be used to make wet-season shelters to keep the rain off, or dry-season shelters to keep the sun off. The bark is good to put inside ‘kawarla’ (wooden coolamons) to create a soft padding for a baby to lie on. It can be used to make a pouch to carry stone knives and stone spearheads so they remain sharp and do not get damaged. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. baku cv. vomit. = wujkurrarra, kakarra, kak. See p. 425 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. baku kayini vomit. baku kurnini vomit. bakuri n. headband.  Kurdi barna wijuk warndu bakuri-ma, barna jilngida kayini. ‘Wait, I’m going to take off my headband as I’m all sweaty.’ — This word refers 70

to both traditional ceremonial and commercially-available headbands. bakuru n. golden bandicoot, big rat. Isoodon auratus. Bandicoot meat is very tasty and tender after roasting on a fire or in a ground oven. The bandicoot is like a large rat and has a long, pointy nose. It is a ground dweller and digs little holes looking for food. During the day it hides in grassy areas where it makes a small camp in thick grass. Sometimes it also hides in hollow logs on the ground. At night, it moves around and hunts for food. Bandicoots sometimes hop around like little wallabies and can also run like big rats. Bandicoots have not been seen in recent times. In the past, they would be common at times and then would not be seen at other times. Following good wet seasons and lots of rain, they would be seen in large numbers, especially near rivers and waterholes. There used to be quite a few at Beetaloo. bala n. little tree lizard. Cryptoblepharus carnabyi. SEE: dangulinji. This lizard is very small. It runs up and down tree trunks looking for food. These lizards can be used to make small boys become straight talkers when they get older. They are caught and held so that they bite the tongue of a young boy. ‘Dangulinji’ is a bit bigger and runs on the ground. balarr cv. dry. = warrard, munbalak.  Balarr janki! ‘Get dry!’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. balarr jankiyini dry out in the sun. balarr kayini drying out. balarr kurnini dry out. balarr yuwarnini put out to dry. balb cv. lie on belly.  Balb kayini nyamba nyanganini yalili-ma? ‘What’s he lying down looking at?’ SEE: makina. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bali aux. they.  Karu bali durd marnana. ‘They grabbed the child.’ balika n. hungry. = jamandarra, nunyku.  Nyunganda-yi mangarri, balika barna. ‘Give me food, I’m hungry.’ SEE: kurranyku.

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

bambaya See p. 429 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. balirla aux. they do it for her/him/it, they do it to hers/his/its.  Kadiya balirla wayarra kayini. ‘They are calling out for him.’ balirna aux. they do it to themselves/each other, they do it for themselves/each other, they do it to their own/each other’s.  Balirna kirridarra dumdum barnini jarrumulu Bandimingka. ‘The women are clapping their thighs together at the women’s dance.’ balkij cv. side by side, level, equal, together, right next to, touching, very close. USAGE: This word is also found in Jingulu and Gurindji. balkij kayini level.  Warlaku kujarra bawula balkij kayini. ‘Those two dogs are sitting down side by side.’ balnganbari n. bumpy, lumpy, crumpled, sway-backed (of people) , bump or dip in the ground. ALSO: balnganbalngan.  Balnganbari yali jawaranya. ‘That tin can is crushed.’  Yali nyangka ngarrka, balnganbari yaninjanini, balnganbalngan. ‘Look at that man, he’s going around swaybacked, really bent back.’  Barlakuji yali-ma balnganbari-wanya. That waterhole is a dip in the ground now. balunbarra n. billabong. = barlakuji, kilkayi, langkana. baly cv. rub (medicine or fat, etc.) on someone, paint with red ochre, spread (jam, paint, etc.) on something, write, rub strongly. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. balybaly marnini rub.  Yanarn kuya ban baly ma dikali. ‘Come here and rub it with fat.’  Ngadjangku balybaly ma! ‘Quick, rub it!’ balya aux. he/she and I, we two, two of us. SEE: ngayukujarra.  Jirdi balya warndana. ‘He and I got the guts out.’ balyab cv. attached, stuck to something, leaning on, leaning against, merged. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. balyab kayini attached, stuck to something, leaning.  Barna nginya jawaranya balyab kayina karndingkurra. Balyab kayini karndika. ‘I’m going to put this billycan up against the tree. It’s leaning

against the tree.’  Balyab barna karri, kumungku barna lilinkarra kayini. ‘I will lean (on the wall because) my back is hurting.’  Yali nyangka kaburi balyab kayini karndingka. ‘Look at that lizard stuck on the tree.’ balyab kurnini put two things together (like putting two pieces of bread together to make a sandwich), merge. balyangku aux. she/he and I do it to you, she/ he and I do it for you, she/he and I do it to yours.  Ngayu-ma balyangku yardi karri. ‘She and I will stay here for you.’ balyarla aux. she/he and I do it for her/ him/it, she/he and I do it to hers/his/its.  Balyarla nyanganjinganarra bijiwunawu, mulurrmiwu. ‘She and I were going along looking for salty tree and turpentine tree.’ balyarna aux. she/he and I do it to ourselves/ each other, she/he and I do it for ourselves/ each other, she/he and I do it to our own/ each other’s.  Jubu balyarna dikal kurninykurnini. ‘We’re only talking about it now.’ balyarr cv. break up, drop and smash, fall and smash. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. balyarr jankiyini break up. balyarr kurnini drop something and smash it. balyarr warndanini fall down and smash. balyawalya n. low. = kanju.  Nginya jurlaka balyawalya yaninjanini. ‘This bird is flying low.’ bama n. adze. = karnbalaja. SEE: kurrwa; mayingka. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bamarr n. rock, stone, hill. = wumara, bili. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. Bamayu n. spring at Powell Creek.  Bamayungka-ma karra nguku-ma yali-rni kardarda. ‘There is always water at Powell Creek spring.’ bambaya cv. loud public speech from one camp to another, broadcast someone’s failings, announce news, tell someone off or accuse someone of something. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. In Gurindji, this Mudburra to English dictionary 71

b

bambilyi

B

word means ‘argument’. bambilyi n. bush orange. = kurlinyaka, bunayingmi. Capparis umbonata. SEE: mawukala. The fruit are eaten when they are ripe — green with a slightly orange-yellow colour. They are sweet and very tasty. The unripe fruit can be buried in the sand to help them ripen. Sometimes this might take as long as two weeks. When the fruit are fully ripe they are called ‘mawukala’. They have a very strong, pleasant smell, which can be noticed a long way from the plant. The wood is used as firewood as it lights quickly and easily. ‘Lirralirraka’ (red-tailed blackcockatoos) also like to eat the seed of the fruit. The inner bark or cleaned roots can be used as medicine. It is chipped into small pieces and boiled in water until the water becomes red. This liquid is used as a wash applied frequently to treat ‘wukurliji’ (boils), skin sores, chicken pox and ‘jangawurru’ (scabies). If the liquid is boiled longer, it turns into a liniment that can be used for pains in the chest, muscles and joints. You must not get this medicine near your eyes. When the large flooding rains of the full wet season are coming, this plant can be used to chase the rains away. The leaves are placed on a fire to make smoke, and this is waved towards the rain clouds to make them go away. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bambu n. didgeridoo. = kinjuwurnu.  Barna bungku bambungka. ‘I’ll dance to the didgeridoo.’ USAGE: This is originally a Kriol word (from English ‘bamboo’), found throughout the region. ban aux. you.  Nyundu ban barnana. ‘You hit him.’ SEE: nyundu. banara SEE: barnara. 72

banbanya n. green-hair water weed. Chara spp. This water plant looks like green hair growing in the water. It grows anywhere there is running water. It is eaten by catfish. banbij cv. fumble, miss something you were trying to hit, miss a catch, fail to attend something like a funeral or school. banbij barnini miss (when trying to hit).  Yali barna banbij barnana ngarrka kurrubardiyaru. ‘I missed that man when I tried to hit him with a boomerang.’ banbij warndanini miss (when trying to catch or attend), fail to be with a loved one (because they passed away).  Dibard-bun wandiyina, banbij warndana football-ma. ‘Though he jumped, he missed the football.’  Banbij warndana barna yuwulu-ma, ngayulu-ma. ‘I missed the funeral.’  Banbij barna warndana ngayinya-ma kirda-ma. ‘I lost my father (he passed away).’ banbili cv. find. ALSO: banybili. = kirnang, barn. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. banbili kayini find.  Marndaj, barnanyanu banbili kayina warrirdila-ma. ‘It’s okay, I found my number 7 boomerang.’ banbiya n. older family member, ancestor, forebear (both living or passed away).  Ngayuma-rnanjurra banbiya-ma, nyangarlu-wanya. ‘I am an older relative for all of you, the only one left.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. banbanbiya older family members.  Ngayinyadarra banbanbiya bayili wandinyarra — dardu-rni, burrb. ‘All my older relatives passed away on me a long time ago — the whole lot, finished.’ banbula aux. you two, two of you. = nyundukujarra.  Marndaj banbula kayini ngayinyangka-wanya. ‘Now you two are here with me.’ banbularla aux. you two do it for her/him/it, you two do it to hers/his/its.  Banbularla nyana jawaranya-ma kardi Nawurlawuma? ‘Did you two take that billycan to Nawurla?’

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

banjibanji banburnan aux. you two do it to yourselves/ each other, you two do it for yourselves/ each other, you two to do it to your own/each other’s. ALSO: banburna.  Nyambawu banburnan junini-ma? ‘Why are you two annoyed at each other?’ banda aux. you lot, you mob. SEE: nyunduya.  Banda nyanganini? ‘Can you mob see it?’ bandarla aux. you mob do it for her/him/it, you mob do it to hers/his/its.  Bandarla nganarna wumara yali dija-ma kayiniwuma dak kayiniwu-ma? ‘Did you mob take that big rock for her to sit on, to sit down on?’ bandarnan aux. you mob do it to yourselves, you mob do it for yourselves, you mob do it to your own.  Bandarnan warndana wumara-ma dak karrinyuwu-ma? ‘Did you mob bring rocks for yourselves to sit on?’ USAGE: Western Mudburra uses this word while Eastern Mudburra uses either this word or ‘bandarna’. bandarra n. hole in ground. = darlukurru.  Yamaka yandarra, yali bangku bandarra kambarra kayini, darlukurru diyija. ‘Careful going along here, there’s a hole in front of you, a big hole.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bandandarra ground full of holes, holey country.  Bandandarra dardu minya-ma yuwulu-ma. ‘This ground is full of lots of holes.’ bandij n. wet. = wujbala, wirdbala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. Bandimi n. type of women’s ceremony performed as part of the boys’ initiation. ALSO: Bandumi.  Yali-ma law-ma barla Bandimi-rni kirriwu-ma. ‘The Law states that Bandimi is for women.’  Marlukali yinbala Bandimi-ma. ‘The old man always sings Bandimi.’  Kirridarra bali jujirrki kayini Bandimingka. ‘The women do the thigh-clapping dance at the Bandimi ceremony.’ SEE: jujirrki; jarra; Kujika. Women dance ‘jujirrki’ or ‘jarra’ (a thighclapping dance) at the Bandimi while the men sing. Men do not dance at Bandimi. Bandimi takes place at the ‘ngarranyana’ (ring place), while the ‘jurlkuwarri’ (boys being initiated) are out bush. USAGE: This is

also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. bandimi n. hip, lower back, where you carry a baby or a coolamon. = mirimi, nyinji.  Bandimi barna wangi yayinjayini. ‘My lower back is getting bad.’ SEE: nyinji. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. baningkula n. water python. = jimuruka, jabardajabarda. Liasis fuscus.  Baningkula yali wari yananjanarni, wanganga. ‘That quiet snake is coming up.’ — These pythons live in waterholes and can be caught by hand or speared with light spears. They have a distinctive shiny skin that reflects light like a rainbow. They are cooked in the same way as ‘mulyukuna’ (black-headed python), and can have a lot of meat on them, as they can get very large. Their meat tastes similar to goanna flesh. This snake has important Dreamings around Juna (Beetaloo Waterhole). Along with Kiwarlija, he created the central Dreaming track for Jingili people. All the other Dreaming tracks connect with or cross this one. There are songs associated with this snake. banji n. brother-in-law. USAGE: This word comes from Kriol (and ultimately the English word ‘fancyman’). SEE: ngumbarna. banjibanji n. bauhinia. = wanyarri, jingi. Bauhinia cunninghamii. SEE: ngabilibili. This large tree is common on Mudburra country. It is an excellent shade tree. Many birds sit in it and eat the red flowers. The inner red bark of the trunk or the roots can be used to make a strong medicine. They are boiled in water and the liquid is used as a wash, and a little is drunk, to treat headaches, ‘jangawurru’ (scabies, skin ulcers and skin sores) and ‘kudkulya’ Mudburra to English dictionary 73

b

banjurra

B

(congestion, bad cold). This medicine is used a few times a day for a few days and will cure most skin problems. The leaves can also be chewed to treat congestion or when you are thirsty and in need of water. This helps to produce saliva and stops the feeling of intense thirst. The gum is called ‘kuramarna’, which refers to the edible gum from any tree. The fruit or pods are called ‘ngabilibili’. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in the trunk of this tree, and also in the roots sometimes. The red flowers can be sucked to get the sweet nectar or collected in a tin and mixed with water to make a sweet drink. The outer bark is burnt to ‘buna’ (fine white ash), which is then added to ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). The twigs can be made into ‘junji’ (paint brushes and spoons) used for painting or for extracting honey. banjurra aux. you mob, to you mob, for you mob. SEE: nyunduya.  Nganali banjurra mirrarda marni? ‘Who taught you mob?’ banjurrangulu aux. they do it to you mob, they do it for you mob, they do it to you mob’s.  Marndaj banjurrangulu warndana wumara-ma dijadija wandiyinarnku — dakku-ma. ‘It’s good, they’ve got you mob these big rocks to sit on.’ bankaja cv. dream. SEE: kurni. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bankaja karlunini have a dream.  Bankaja barna karluna ngayinya ngaba kurrulalama. Janga-barra kayini. ‘I had a dream about my older brother last night. He might be sick.’ bankaja kayini dream.  Bankaja kayini yali karu. ‘That is a Child Dreaming.’  Wangiwangi barna bankaja kayina. ‘I had a bad dream (lit. I dreamed badly).’ bankili n. spear. = jimbilang, mirlarrang. SEE: jalk. USAGE: This word means ‘spear wood’ in Gurindji (Sesbania spp).

bankurdi SEE: barnkurdi. bankurla aux. you do it for her/him/it, you do it to hers/his/its.  Bankurla wij bungana yaluwu-ma balybaly marninawu-ma Karranga-ma. ‘You are looking for Karranga language to write down.’ bannyanun aux. you do it to yourself, you 74

do it for yourself, you do it to your own.  Nyununya-ma karndi-ma bannyanun kunjanjarra? Yuwu, barnanyanu kunjanjarra ngayinya karndi-ma. ‘Do you always water your tree? Yes, I always water my tree.’ banga n. spit. = jalkirra.  Wan kuya banga. ‘Spit out, chuck out the spit.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bangalawa aux. us (including you), for us (including you), to us (including you), ours (including yours). = ngayuwalija. ALSO: bangalawarna.  Malngarl bangalawa yuwarna. ‘He startled us.’ bangalawan aux. you do it for us (including you), you do it to ours (including yours).  Bangalawan warndurru kadi jabaka, amba bangalawa mangarri kambujambu bardakurru mangarri-ma. ‘You have to go and get that old woman for us, so she can cook some good food for us.’ bangalawangulu aux. they do it to us (including you), they do it for us (including you), they do it to ours (including yours).  Ngarina bangalawangulu kanganarni, ngayikujarrawu-ma. ‘They brought the meat for the two of us.’ bangali aux. you and me, us two, to us, for us, ours (yours and mine). = ngayukujarra. ALSO: bangalinju.  Marndaj bangalinjuwanya ngardanganjinganini. ‘He’s leaving you and me now.’ bangalin aux. you do it for you and me, you do it to ours (yours and mine).  Bangalin mirrka ma lalija-ma? ‘Can you make some tea for you and me?’ bangaliya aux. her/him and me, us two, two of us, to us two (her/him and me), for us two (her/him and me), ours (hers/his and mine). = ngayukujarra. ALSO: bangaliyany.  Marndaj bangaliya nguku-ma warndajwarndanarra kadili. ‘That one already went and got water for her/him and me.’ bangaliyan aux. you do it to the two of us, you do it for the two of us, you do it to ours (hers/his and mine).  Yuwu marndaj bangaliyan marnana wajurrakari. ‘Yes, you already told me and her the other day.’ banganda aux. us (not you), to us (not you), for us (not you), ours (not yours).

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

banyang = ngayuwalija.  Yali jabaka banganda kambajibarnirra mangarri-ma. Bardakurru kukulinji-ma. ‘That old woman used to cook food for us. She was a good cook.’ bangandan aux. you do it to us, you do it for us (not for yourself), you do it to ours (not yours).  Kambarra-ma bangandan karrinyarra bardakurru kukulinji-ma, nyundu-ma. Jalya-ma-n jabaka-wanya. ‘A long time ago you were a good cook for all of us, but now you’re an old woman.’ bangandanngulu aux. you mob do it to us, you mob do it for us, you mob do it to ours.  Bangandanngulu nyanganjinganini. ‘You mob are looking at us.’ bangandangulu aux. they do it to us (not you), they do it for us (not you), they do it to ours (not yours).  Kujarrali bangandangulu mirrarda marni. ‘The two of them taught us.’ Banganybini n. place between North Hole and Marlinja.  Bali yaninjanirra Kulajangurlu, Karnarnamana, Banganybini, Windurruwurru, Marlinjangkurra-rni. ‘They would go from North Hole, Karnarnamana, Banganybini and Windurruwurru, right to Marlinja.’ — This was the travel route taken by the old people. It was a camping place on part of the creek that only had water in the wet season. Banganyi n. place on Murranji.  Banganyima karrinyarra karndi nyangarlu diyija. ‘Banganyi is where one big tree used to stand.’ — This place is similar to Kundalngalarni and is a part of the same Dreaming as Kundalngalarni and Kiyiwulu. A big ‘mandalngarra’ (ironwood tree) stands there. banganyku n. deep (water, hole). = darlukurru, jirrkana. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bangarra n. sulphur-crested cockatoo. = ngadaru. Cacatua galerita. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. bangku aux. you, to you, for you, your, yours. = nyundu.  Nyangurla bangku ngardanganirra

nyundu-ma? ‘When did he leave you?’ bangkula n. mosquito. = kanamurrmurra. Diptera, Culicidae. Mosquitoes are often active at dawn and dusk; they bite and suck your blood. They are most common after heavy rains and during the wet season. Mosquitoes can be chased away by lighting a smoky fire or by placing dry manure from horses or cattle on the coals. The smoke from burning gutta-percha leaves and wood, or from ‘kirnima’, the wax from spinifex, is especially good for repelling mosquitos. bangkulu aux. they do it to you, they do it for you, they do it to yours.  Bangkulu barru. ‘They are going to hit you.’ bangkuwula aux. those two do it to you, those two do it for you, those two do it to yours. ALSO: bangkuwuna.  Marndaj bangkuwula ngarina-ma kanganjinganarni kardi kujarrali. ‘Great, those two are bringing you meat.’ bangkuwurna aux. you two, to you two, for you two, yours (two of you’s). = nyundukujarra. ALSO: bangkuwula.  Bangkuwurna nyungani wumara-ma, Nangarili-ma? ‘Did Nangari give you two the money.’ banyanu aux. herself, himself, itself, her own, his own, its own.  Yali karu kurrumunmulu kayini. Marndaj banyanu wukuk kurna. ‘That child is cold. It’s fine now, he has wrapped himself up.’  Wanwan kurnini nyambadarra yali-ma danku banyanu. ‘He’s chucking out a whole bunch of his stuff.’ banyang cv. spit out (phlegm, spit or snot), throw something soft (mud, spit, fruit), spit rain, splatter, stick on. banyang kayini splattered somewhere (e.g. a tree, wall).  Banyang kayini, kurnana ngayinyangkurra-wanya. ‘Someone got spit on me now.’ banyang kurnini spit out, throw soft thing, stick onto.  Larlub warnda, banyang kuya. ‘Scoop that up and chuck it away.’  Yali warnda paper kujarra stickytapeyaru banyang kuya-yili kujarra-rni. ‘Get those two pieces of paper and stick them together with tape.’ banyang karlunini have stuff splattered on. Mudburra to English dictionary 75

b

baraj

B

 Minya barna banyang karlunini pawpaw,

 Yalili ngarrkali bard kurnana yali jindaba-

yalili bayi wan kuya. ‘I’ve got pawpaw splattered on me, he threw one at me.’ banyang wandiyini spit down (as of rain, or a person).  Banyangkarra wandiyini. ‘It’s spitting (rain).’ banyangkarra spitting out. baraj cv. 1. find. = kirnang, barn, banbili baraj bunganini. find  Nyamba ban baraj bungana? What did you find? 2. born. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. baraj bunganini give birth, breed  Barajbaraj bangandangulu bunganirra. They gave birth to us. baraj kayini born.  Barnali barajbaraj karrinyarra. We were born. barak cv. winnow, clean seed up. = barang. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barak marnini winnow. barang cv. winnow, clean seed. = barak. barang marnini winnow.  Mangarri barang ma kawarlali. ‘Clean up that seed with the coolamon.’ barangaj cv. come out from hiding. barangaj wandiyini come out from hiding.  Barangaj wandiyana yali ngarrka. ‘That man came out from where he was hiding.’ baranganajku n. clearing, open place. = barnkajbari.  Baranganajku kardi nyangkarra ngukuwu. ‘Go and see if there’s any water in that clearing.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. barangkaj cv. poke head out. barangkajbari n. clear open place, gap. = barnkajbari, baranganajku. ALSO: barangajbari. SEE: barangkaj. barany cv. slip. barany wandiyini slip and fall.  Yali barany wandiyina. ‘That man slipped and fell.’ baranybaranya n. flat (e.g. floor, paper, country, spear-thrower), smooth, slippery. = barlwany.  Yali-ma kayini karndi-ma baranybaranya. ‘That tree is smooth.’  Yali-ma kayini minganya-ma baranybaranya. ‘That mud is slippery.’ bard cv. fall and break. = danykalk, linymurr. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word but it means ‘fall hard’. bard kurnini smash against and break.

ma ngarrka-ma. ‘That man smashed that other man onto the ground.’  Yalili bard kurnana yali glass. ‘That one put the glass down and broke it.’ bard wandiyini fall and break.  Bard wandiyina. ‘He fell down and broke something.’ -barda suf. away, that way, thither. This ending is used with the word ‘kuya’ to mean away from the person talking (thither). ALSO: bardaka.  Wajurra-ma bangalawa wandiyinarni, jalya-ma kuwabarda-rni yananjanarra. ‘Yesterday we had some rain come this way, but today it’s going that way.’  Yali-ma kuyabardaka jankijankiyanarra buba-ma karlarraka. ‘That fire is burning along that way, westward.’ bardaj cv. climb, perch. = duwaj, badak. See p. 424 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bardaj kayini perch, on top, up.  Yali karu bardaj kayini. ‘That kid’s climbed up.’ bardaj yuwarnini put up.  Wakurni, kurdi, nginya nguku barna yuwarru jalybari bardaj. ‘No, wait, I’m going to put this water up top (in the freezer) to (make it) cold.’ bardaj wandiyini climb up.  Karri, karu, bardaj warndinimulu, biya ban wandiyinarra! ‘Hold on, kid, don’t climb up there, you might fall!’ bardardaj lots of people climbing. bardakurrinykarra adv. well, nicely, in a good way, properly. ALSO: bardawurrunykarra. bardakurrinykarra yuwarnini put carefully or gently.  Yali karu bardakurrinykarra yuwarra. ‘Put that baby down gently.’ bardakurrinykarra nyanganini see well.  Kula barna nyanganini bardawunykarra. ‘I can’t see well.’ bardakurrinykarra marnini talk properly.  Bardakurrinykarra marra-yi. ‘You tell me properly.’ bardakurru n. good, smart, well. ALSO: bardawurru.  Yali-ma barik karrila ngarrka-ma. Kula bardakurru, wangi — marrimarri. ‘You gotta leave him, that man. He’s no good — he’s violent.’  Bardardakurru bali yali-ma ngarrka-ma dardu. ‘They’re a good mob.’ — See p. 427

76

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

barik for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bardardakurru ALSO: bardardawurru. lots of good things.  Bardardakurru yali wandali bardardakurru kilibi-ma wunyuwunyu jayilyijayilya. ‘You mob get those good ones, those good bush bananas, small and young.’ Bardamunkiyid n. name of the Karranga group. = Karranga, Karrangburru, Kayilariny. bardangkarra n. moon. ALSO: bardangarra.  Wakurni-wanya barla bardangkarrawuma. ‘The moon isn’t shining now.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bardarda n. younger brother or sister, younger ‘cousinbrother’ or ‘cousinsister’ (mother’s sister’s child or father’s brother’s child; parallel cousin). = karlaja.  Wunyu Nangala bardarda bayi. ‘Little Nangala is my younger sister.’  Marndaj banyanu bardardadarra-ma karlunini burlkungali. ‘The oldest one is taking care of his/her younger siblings.’ — After a young man is initiated, he and his ‘full’ (biological) sisters can no longer say each other’s names out loud. Instead, they might say ‘so-and-so’, use each other’s initials, or use a nickname like ‘bro’ or ‘sis’. Additionally, for the first few years after the initiation, the young man’s sisters and female cousins can refer to him as ‘yirrimaka’. Some people also follow these same restrictions with their classificatory siblings — that is, with everyone who is of the right skin group, regardless of any biological relationship. See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bardbaka n. fat. = dikawurru, mayiwurru.  Ngaba bayi bardbaka. ‘My brother is fat.’ — This is a Kriol word from ‘fat bugger’. See p. 427 for the hand sign. bardbala n. ankle. = dangka.  Bardbala barnanyanu kird wandiyina darlukurrungka. ‘I twisted my ankle in a hole.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bardiki n. nutwood and its

nuts. = dardaji. Terminalia arostrata. When the hard, dark fruits of the nutwood are ripe, they can be broken open to reveal the edible seed inside. Camels like to eat the entire fruit. The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) and it is common to find ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag) in the trunk. The outer bark produces fine black soot when it is burnt. This can be used as colour during ceremonies. In the past, it was rubbed onto the skin of light-skinned babies to stop sunburn. This tree casts good shade, and kangaroos often sit under them. barduru n. scar, cicatrice, tribal scar on chest.  Karlunini kurnbarra dija. Yalima wabajak kayina janga-ma nyana-ma kurnbarra-ma. Yali-ma karlunini barduru. ‘He’s got a big cut. That cut has healed up. Now he’s got a scar.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. -bari suf. This ending is used to describe a property of something (adjectivaliser). = -wari.  Wird kanganimulu! Wulu ban kirdbari. ‘Don’t ride! Your shin is broken.’ baribari n. falling star, shooting star.  Barungula barnali nyangkala baribari. ‘In the hot season we see a lot of falling stars.’ barik cv. leave behind, dump. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. barik kayini leave behind.  Yali-ma barik karrila ngarrka-ma! Kula bardakurru, wangi, marrimarri. ‘Leave that man behind! He’s no good, he’s bad, he’s violent.’ barik ngardanganini dump, leave behind.  Nginya-ma-rna barik ngardangku. ‘I will dump this one.’ Mudburra to English dictionary 77

b

barla

B

barik wanjanini leave behind.  Bayinangulu wanjanarra karuwalija barik Kurdurdularnila-ma ngurrangka-ma. ‘They left the children at the Children’s Dreaming near Pigeon Hole Crossing.’ bariyida SEE: birirda. barla aux. to her, to him, to it, for her, for him, for it, her, hers, his, its. SEE: nyanawu.  Kadili barla nyunganjinganini wumarama mangarriwu-ma. Marndaj. ‘That one is giving her money for food. She’s okay now.’ barlakaka n. babbler, happy family bird. = kulanginyirni. Pomatostomus temporalis. These birds are seen in large noisy groups jumping around on tree trunks and on the ground. These birds have the skin name Jambijina or Nambijina. barlakuji n. swamp, billabong, soak. = kilkayi.  Yali-ma barlakuji-ma ngukuwangkawanya. ‘That swamp is dry.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. barlanji n. termite mound, antbed. = kindijku, kirininyma, wanbuni, bilaya. Amitermes. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘burning’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. To ‘burn’ a baby, light a fire and heat up some pieces of antbed. When the fire has burned down to coals, the antbed pieces will be glowing red. Scoop some out to one side, then put some water on the fire and cover it with leafy twigs such as ‘mulurrmi’ (turpentine wattle) or ‘bikirra’ (grass type), and then put the reserved chunks of antbed on top. When the plants heat up and begin to smoke, hold the baby over them so that 78

the smoke goes all over the baby and its mother. The pieces of antbed are crushed during the smoking to reveal still-red parts. Cooled charred pieces of antbed are used to treat sick people (especially infants). They are crushed in water to make a thick black slurry. The slurry is rubbed on a child from head to toe. The black water may also be sipped. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in the wet season. barlanganjanganja n. valley.  Nginyama karnawuna-ma barlanganjanganja. ‘There’s a valley of lancewoods.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. barlawa aux. we (including you). = ngayuwalija.  Ngirliki barlawa karri kurrulala-ma. ‘We will all dance tonight.’ barlawangulu aux. we (including you) do it to them, we (including you) do it for them, we (including you) do it to theirs.  Barlawangulu nyangkurru lungkadawu clinickurra. ‘We will go and see them at the clinic for medicine.’ barlawarla aux. we (including you) do it for her/him/it, we (including you) do it to hers/ his/its.  Kurdi-rni, yaliwu barlawarla karrila. ‘Wait a second, we have to wait for that one.’ barlawarna aux. we (including you) do it to ourselves/each other, we (including you) do it for ourselves/each other, we (including you) do it to our own/each other’s.  Ngayuwalija-ma barlawarna warrkuji kayinykayini karnamurrangurlu. ‘We’re all scratching ourselves because of mosquitoes.’ barli aux. you and I, we two, two of us. SEE: ngayukujarra.  Yali-ma barli dibij kuya. ‘You and I will get him out.’ barlirla aux. you and I do it for her/him/it, you and I do it to hers/his/its.  Barlirla mangarri-ma kambu yaliwu-ma ngayikujarrali. ‘You and I will cook her some food.’

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

barnara barlirna aux. you and I do it to ourselves/each other, you and I do it for ourselves/each other, you and I do it to our own/each other.  Barlirna-birri kuyu ma, ngana dardalyawu, amba wijik warndawu abaaba-ma yalili-ma nganali-ja-barra. ‘You and I should try to test each other, (to see) who is the stronger, by making that other person remove his garment.’ barlkina n. blanket. SEE: jalyu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word ‘palkiny’.  Jalyu kuya! Barlkina warndarla! Make the bed! Get the blanket for her! barlungbarlung n. native willow, weeping wattle. Acacia stenophylla. The hard wood can be used to make boomerangs (kurrubardu) and shields (kuwarri). The gum can be eaten. If it is hard, it is soaked in warm water to soften it. Witchetty grubs (laju) can be found in the roots. They are also good to eat. barlwany n. flat (of spear-thrower). = baranybaranya. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. barn cv. find, decide. = banbili, kirnang. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barn bunganini find, decide.  Marndaj banyanu barn bungana ngabanyanama. ‘It’s okay, he found his older brother.’  Barna barn bungana, marndaj barna ngalu kakuwi kurrulala-ma. ‘I have decided that I will eat fish tonight.’ barna aux. I. SEE: ngayu.  Barna wan kurna. ‘I threw it away.’ barnali aux. we (but not you). = ngayuwalija.  Murdikangurlu barnali jud wandiyina. ‘We got out of the car.’ barnalirla aux. we (not you) do it for her/ him/it, we (not you) do it to hers/his/its.  Barnalirla wij bunyarra-ma. ‘We searched for him.’ barnalirna aux. we (not you) do it to ourselves/each other, we (not you) do it for ourselves/each other, we (not you) do it to our own/each other’s.  Kadiwu marra-rla, yanarnnginyi! Barnalirna dikal kuya. ‘Tell that one to come over here. (Then) we will talk.’ barnan- v. many words beginning with

‘barnan’ are forms of the verb ‘hit’. SEE: barnini. barnanjurra aux. I do it to you mob, I do it for you mob, I do it to you mob’s.  Barnanjurra yananjanarra ngayu-ma. ‘I am going up to you mob.’ barnanjurrangulu aux. we do it to you mob, we do it for you mob, we do it to you mob’s.  Nanbari barnanjurrangulu nyungku. ‘We will give you mob a feed.’ barnangalawa aux. I do it for us (including you), I do it to ours (including yours).  Barnangalawa lalija barna mirrka ma. ‘I’ll make tea for us.’ barnangali aux. I do it for you and me, I do it to ours (yours and mine). ALSO: barnangalinju.  Barlkina barnangali yuwarnini. ‘I am putting out our blanket.’ barnangaliya aux. I do it for the two of us, I do it to the two of ours. SEE: -rnangaliya. barnanganda aux. I do it for us (not you), I do it to ours (not yours). = barnalina. barnangka n. spotted nightjar. Eurostopodus argus. ‘Barnangka’ flies at night, often in front of car headlights. It has a white spot on each wing. During the day it sits still on the ground and is hard to see. barnangku aux. I do it to you, I do it for you, I do it to yours.  Barnangku jirning birnana ngayili-ma. ‘I painted you up myself.’ barnangkulu aux. we do it to you, we do it for you, we do it to yours.  Barnangkulu nyangana wajurra. ‘We saw you yesterday.’ barnangkuwurna aux. I do it to you two, I do it for you two, I do it to yours (you two’s). SEE: -rnangkuwurna. ALSO: -rnangkuwula.  Marndaj barnangkuwurna mujkiyi karrinya nyanunjaru-ma mandiyalakujarrawu? ‘Remember the time when I forgot to give you two poor things the money?’ barnanyanu aux. I do it to myself, I do it for myself, I do it to mine. ALSO: barnayi.  Kurdi barnanyanu kambu ngarina linyardangka. ‘I will cook the meat for myself on the coals.’ barnara n. 1 • your father or father’s sibling, who is my sibling (because I am your Mudburra to English dictionary 79

b

barnarla

B

father or father’s sibling).  Mukurla bayi marnana, bayi nyangana ngayinya barnara. ‘My aunty said that she saw my father.’ —The speaker is the hearer’s ‘kirda’ (father or father’s brother) or ‘mukurla’ (father’s sister). The hearer is the speaker’s ‘ngalinya’ (man’s child, woman’s brother’s child). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s ‘baba’ (older brother), ‘karlu’ (older sister), or ‘karlaja’ or ‘bardarda’ (younger sibling). SEE: kirda; mukurla; ngalinya; ngaba; baba; karlu; karlaja; bardarda. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. 2 • your child (only if talking to a man) or your brother’s child, who is also my child (if I’m a man) or my brother’s child (because you and I are siblings). The speaker and hearer are ‘baba’, ‘karlu’, or ‘karlaja/bardarda’ for each other (brothers and/or sisters. The person they are talking about is ‘ngalinya’ (man’s child, or woman’s brother’s child) for them both. SEE: ngalinya; ngaba; baba; karlu; karlaja; bardarda. 3 • your father or father’s sibling, who is my paternal grandfather or his sibling (because I am your child/brother’s child). The speaker is the hearer’s ‘ngalinya’ (man’s child, or woman’s brother’s child). The hearer is the speaker’s ‘kirda’ (father or father’s brother) or ‘mukurla’ (father’s sister). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s ‘kaku’ (father’s father, or father’s father’s sibling). SEE: ngalinya; kirda; mukurla; kaku. 4 • your child (only if talking to a man) or your brother’s child, who is my grandchild from my son (if I am a man) or grandchild from my brother’s son (because I am your father or father’s sibling). The speaker is the hearer’s ‘kirda’ (father or father’s brother) or ‘mukurla’ (father’s sister). The hearer is the speaker’s ‘ngalinya’ (man’s child, woman’s brother’s child). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s ‘kaku’ (man’s son’s child, or woman’s brother’s son’s child). USAGE: This meaning is hypothesised based on Gurindji (McConvell 1982: 101). SEE: ngalinya; kirda; mukurla; kaku. 5 • your father or father’s sibling, who is my child (if I am a man) or my brother’s child (because I am your paternal grandfather or his sibling). The speaker is the hearer’s 80

‘kaku’ (father’s father, or father’s father’s sibling). The hearer is the speaker’s ‘kaku’ (man’s son’s child, or woman’s brother’s son’s child). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s child (if the speaker is a man) or speaker’s brother’s child. USAGE: This meaning is hypothesised based on Gurindji (McConvell 1982: 101). SEE: ngalinya; kirda; mukurla; kaku. 6 • your child (only if talking to a man) or your brother’s child, who is my father or father’s sibling (because I am your grandchild from your son [only if talking to a man] or your grandchild from your brother’s son). The speaker is the hearer’s ‘kaku’ (man’s son’s child, or woman’s brother’s son’s child). The hearer is the speaker’s ‘kaku’ (father’s father, or father’s father’s sibling). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s ‘kirda’ (father) or ‘mukurla’ (father’s sister). SEE: ngalinya; kirda; mukurla; kaku. barnarla aux. I do it for her/him/it, I do it to hers/his/its.  Wuj bungkurru barnarla ngayinyawu karlajawu. ‘I will go and look for my younger brother.’ barnayili aux. I do it to those two, I do it for those two, I do it to theirs (those two’s). ALSO: barnawuli.  Kurdi barnayili marru yalikujarrawu. ‘I will talk to those two for a while.’ barnayina aux. I do it to them, I do it for them, I do it to theirs.  Kadiyawu-wanya barnayina kamburru ngarina kurrkabadima. ‘Now I’m going to go and cook them some turkey meat.’ barnayinangulu aux. we do it to them, we do it for them, we do it to theirs.  Kuya barnayinangulu kurru karrinyarra marlarluka-ma. ‘We used to listen to the old men talking about this.’ barnbungku cv. think. ALSO: barnbungu. = ngangaj.  Kurdi barna barnbungku. ‘Wait, I have to think about it.’ barndabi n. bark of tree. = barnngirri.  Barna kurdi barndabi warndu buna barnanyanu mirrka ma. ‘Wait up, I’ll

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

-barra get some bark to make ashes for myself.’ barnin- v. many words beginning with ‘barnin’ are forms of the verb ‘hit’. SEE: barnini. barnina n. someone who hits, murderer, violent person.  Yali-ma barik karila ngarrka-ma. Kula bardakurru wangi — marrimarri. Nyambangarna? Barnina. ‘Leave that fella behind. He’s no good — he’s aggressive. What kind of man is he? He’s a killer.’ SEE: barnini; barnkarranga. barnini v. hit, kill, chop.  Karndi-karda barnini yalili-ma ngarrkali-ma. ‘That man is chopping down that very tree.’  Kadili barninybarnini kadi ngarrkakari. ‘That one keeps hitting that other man.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. barnini is hitting, hits. barnana has hit. barru will hit, wants to hit. barra hit it! barninja n. someone who has been hit, victim of assault.  Nginya barna kangkurru barninja. ‘I’ll take this person who’s been hit.’ SEE: barnini. Barnjak n. rockhole near Buchanan Highway on Murranji.  Barnjak-ma yali-ma ngurra nyangarlu balyab, wunyubaka, wunyubaka binka. ‘That Barnjak place is attached to a little creek.’ barnkajbari n. clear open place, gap. ALSO: barnkajwari; barangkajbari. = baranganajku. SEE: barangkaj.  Barlawa winymi karri barnkajbaringkurra. ‘We’ll walk through that open gap.’ barnkarnkula SEE: barnkurdi. barnkarranga n. murderer who kills someone and then runs away. ALSO: barnngarranga. = barnina.  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma barnkarranga. Kayang barnini kuwanjalama. Balirla darumi kayini. ‘That man is a run-away murderer. He is running this way. They are looking for him.’  Barnkarrangama kayang barnirra kula jalya, jandakuwanya-rni. ‘The run-away murderer ran off a long time ago, never to return.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. barnkiji n. black flying fox, flying fox. = walijidbarri. Pteropus alecto. In the past the flesh of the black flying fox was eaten

after roasting. It has a strong, distinctive smell and taste. Flying foxes are no longer eaten, though, due to fear of lyssa virus, a disease carried by flying foxes that can be transferred to people. Black flying foxes live in river country areas in northern areas. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. barnkurdi n. cross-cousin; child of your ‘mukurla’ (father’s sister) or your ‘ngamirni’ (mother’s brother). ALSO: barnku.  Jambijina barla barnkurdi-ma Jalyirriwuma. ‘Jambijina is Jalyirri’s cousin.’ — See p. 400 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. barnkurla two cousins.  Yali bawula yananjanarra barnkurla-ma. ‘Those are two cousins going along.’  Jangala, Jana bawula barnkurla-ma. ‘Jangala and Jana are cousins.’ barnkarnkula three or more cousins, group of cousins.  Barnkarnkurla bali yaninjani yali-ma. ‘That group of cousins was going around.’ barnngirri n. bark of tree. = barndabi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. barr- v. many words beginning with ‘barr’ are forms of the verb ‘hit’. SEE: barnini. barra part. maybe, might.  Wanjuwarra barra. ‘I don’t know where he’s gone.’  Barra yanarra barra. ‘Must be he’s gone.’ -barra suf. lots, many, big mob (plural). This ending is used with words ending in ‘-nyanany’, ‘-marnany’ and ‘-ngaliny’ to mean ‘many of them’. = -darra, -walija, -rra, -ya, -jban.  Lambunu nyanany-barra-ma kula balirla. ‘They are not his mothers.’ SEE: -darra. -barra suf. maybe, might (dubitative).  Yalima-barra pipe-ma luwakuwurru. ‘That pipe might have a hole in it.’  Jawardilama ngana-wanya-barra barrarnnginyi. ‘Tomorrow someone else might come and hit you.’ Mudburra to English dictionary 81

b

barraj

B

barraj cv. alert, look around everywhere. USAGE: There is a similar word in Gurindji ‘paraj’. barraj kayini alert, look around everywhere. barrajkarra looking around everywhere.  Lurrija luwa, barrajkarra kayinykayini. ‘Shoot it quickly, it’s looking around alertly.’ barrakarl n. spear bush. = kalwakalwa. Sesbania cannabina. The stems of this shrub are used to make light spear shafts for hunting small game, such as fish, prawns, crabs, and small goannas. The straight stems are also used by young boys as toy spears. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barrakud n. container: tin, cup, billycan. ALSO: barukudba. = kardak, jawaranya. SEE: buludin. USAGE: This is very similar to the Warlmanpa and Warumungu words. barrambarra n. clearing, clear place. = bakara.  Kurdi barna dak karri nginya barrambarrangka. ‘I’ll sit down in this clearing.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. barrarrk n. mouth. = lirra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barrawurda n. 1 • hailstone, hail. = murruba.  Barrawurda nyambala karlunirra, munjunangka, damangkangka kamuwayi barrang marlarlukali-ma. ‘Hail injured some people on the elbow or on the head in the olden days.’  Barrawurda-wurru minya-ma nguku-ma yananjanarni. ‘The rain is coming with hailstones.’ — Hail is not common around Elliott or Marlinja, but it is from Daly Waters to Murranji. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. 2 • lumps you get on your body when hail falls.  Nyangarlulu marlukali karlunirra barrawurda-karda munjunangka. ‘In the olden days, the old men had hail lumps on their elbows.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. barrbarda n. over there, further, far, distant. = kari.  Barrbarda-rni yandarra. ‘Go further away.’ SEE: diyaj; jarrban. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. 82

barrbardanginyi further one, of further (away). barrbardangurlu from further (away). barrbardanybunga further one, one from further (away). ALSO: barrbardajbunga. barrjirda n. northern quoll, native cat. = juburda. Dasyurus hallucatus. Quolls used to be seen around, generally in the northern areas, but have not been seen on Jingili or Mudburra country since Pompey Raymond was quite young, probably in the 1940s and 1950s. In the past they were eaten, but they did not have much meat. The males had a bad smell. They always lived by themselves and the mother would look after the babies. The quoll has white spots on its back and lives in grassy areas and in hollow logs, particularly in lancewood and bulwaddy country. Eaglehawks used to hunt them sometimes. Quolls were good at hunting small birds and grasshoppers. They could have three or four, or even up to 10, babies at a time. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. barungka n. hot part of year, hot weather. = barungula, bilyak.  Barungka-wanya minya-ma. ‘Summer is coming.’ USAGE: This is also a similar Gurindji word ‘parunga’. barungula n. hot weather, no wind. ALSO: barungulanyja. = bilyak, barungka, lird.  Nginya-ma barlawa kayini barungula karri. ‘The hot weather is upon us.’ bawu cv. learn, pick up information, acquire knowledge. bawu warndanini learn, pick up knowledge, acquire knowledge.  Wanjuwarra bawu warndana minya karulu-ma yali-ma yurrwa-ma? ‘Where did this kid learn that language?’  Ngayuma-rnarla bawu warndanirra Kujika-ma ngayinyawu-ma kirdawu-ma. ‘I picked up the public ceremony songs from my father.’  Nginya-ma Mudburra-ma barna-wanya bawu warndu. ‘I’m now going to pick up some Mudburra.’ bawula aux. those two, two of them.

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

bidbida = nyanakujarra.  Yalikujarra bawula winymi yananjanarra. ‘Those two are walking along.’ bawularla aux. those two do it for her/him/it, those two do it to hers/his/its.  Bawularla yibuk warndani. ‘The two of them pulled it (the poison tooth) out for him.’ bawulji n. swamp box. = jibibin, jinjaraku. Lophostemon grandiflorus. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bawurna aux. those two do it to themselves/each other, those two do it for themselves/each other, those two do it to their own/each other’s.  Yalikujarrali-ma marlukakujarralima bawurna yawayawarra-ma dikal kurninykurnini. ‘Those two old men are talking to each other in hushed voices.’ bayi aux. me, to me, for me, my, mine. SEE: ngayu.  Ngarrkali bayi nyangana. ‘The man saw me.’ bayili aux. 1 • those two, two of them, to those two, for those two, two of theirs. SEE: nyanakujarra. ALSO: bawuli.  Yuwu, marndaj bayili nyungana Nangarili wumara-ma yalikujarra-ma. ‘Yeah, it’s fine. Nangari already gave those two the money.’ 2 • they do it to me, they do it for me, they do it to mine.  Kadiyali bayili kirdi marna. Kula barna kayang barna ngayuma. Wankijwankij bayili kayina dardu-rni. ‘Those ones were chasing me, so that I couldn’t escape. They were all standing around me.’ bayilin aux. you do it to those two, you do it for those two, you do it to those two’s. ALSO: banbulin.  Barnayili bud bungku minyakujarra-ma Katherinekurra. Nyambawu bayilin bud bunganjinganini? Kirdanyankurra-nya? ‘I will send these two to Katherine. Why are you sending them away? To see their father, right?’ bayin aux. you do it to me, you do it for me, you do it to mine.  Wilngib wandi bicyclekurra. Warnu bayin warndurru. ‘Get on your bicycle. You can go and get me some tobacco.’ bayina aux. them, to them, for them,

theirs. SEE: nyanadarra.  Kadili bayina ngardangana kirdanyanji-ma karudarrama dakkurra-rni. ‘That father of theirs left the children sitting down.’ bayinan aux. you do it to them, you do it for them, you do it to theirs. ALSO: banjinan.  Bayinan nyangana? ‘Did you see them?’ bayinanngulu aux. you mob do it to them, you mob do it for them, you mob do it to theirs. ALSO: banjinanngulu.  Bayinanngulu nyangkurru kadiya, amba bali lungkarra kayinykayini, nyambangkurra-barra. ‘You will all go to see them because they keep crying for something or other.’ bayinangulu aux. they do it to them, they do it for them, they do it to theirs.  Nyanganjinganini bayinangulu kuyabardaka. ‘They are looking at them that way.’ bayinbula aux. you two do it to me, you two do it for me, you two do it to mine. ALSO: bayinbulayin.  Bayinbula kambu mangarri-ma? Wangi-wanya barna warangalingali. ‘Can you two make me some food? I’m tired now from working so much.’ bayinda n. yesterday. = wajurra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Bilinarra word. bayindan aux. you mob do it to me, you mob do it for me, you mob do it to mine. ALSO: bayinda.  Karudarra yamaka karrili! Bayindan malngarlkarra yuwarnini manyankurra. ‘Kids, be quiet! You keep startling me while I’m sleeping.’ Bayiwi n. Number 11 Bore.  Bayiwi na, karlarra-side ngayinya ngurrangurlu. ‘That’s Bayiwi, to the west from my home.’ bayiwulayi aux. those two do it to me, those two do it for me, those two do it to mine. ALSO: bayiwula.  Bayiwulayi marnana. ‘The two of them told me.’ bidara n. cattle tick. = midilyi. Siphonaptera. These small insects are often found on dogs and cattle. They can cause infection and sickness, even death. USAGE: This is the Gurindji word for scorpion. bidbida n. smooth, hairless, bald.  Nginya warlaku kari-ma nganyawurru — yali jindaba-ma wakurni bidbida. ‘That dog over there is furry — this other one is bald.’ Mudburra to English dictionary 83

b

bidbidarra

B

bidbidabiji clean shaven, made smooth.  Ngarnka barnanyanu biyangana bidbidabiji. ‘I cut my beard, so I’m cleanshaven.’ bidbidarra n. coolibah. ALSO: bidbidara. Eucalyptus coolabah. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag — native bee-hives) can be found in this tree. The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) for cooking. ‘Kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from hollowed branches of a suitable size. The bark can also be burnt to ‘buna’ (fine white ash) to mix with ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). The leafy branches and bark can be used to make a bough shelter. The leaves can be boiled in water and the cooled liquid used as a wash to treat internal pain, aching joints, itchy skin, skin sores and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). You can also sip a little bit if you are congested or have a headache. The leaves can also be chewed to keep your mouth moist while walking. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bidbulu n. rockhole, cave, well, deep hole dug for water, soak. = luwan, jarriny, nankuna.  Yali nyangka Barnjak bidbula ngukuwurru-barra. ‘Go see if there’s any water at that Barnjak cave.’  Kurdi barli nyangku yali bidbulu, nyinawurdawu. ‘Let’s go look in that cave for porcupines (echidnas).’ bij cv. jump out. = ngayab. bij wandiyini jump out.  Minya ngarina bayi dibij bij wandiyina. ‘That animal jumped out at me.’ bijalaba n. holly-leaf grevillea. = marrabarla. Grevillea wickhamii. This small shrub has greyish, prickly leaves. It is common around Elliott and in sandy country. Native bees visit the red flowers to get pollen and nectar. You can suck the flowers to get the sweet nectar, which tastes like honey. ‘Kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys) also like to eat the gum. Bijanjarra SEE: Binjanjarra. bijardku n. sugarleaf, lerps found on a variety of trees including ‘bidbidarra’ (coolabah), ‘darralyaka’ 84

(ghost gum) and ‘kunduwa’ (bloodwood). = nanjarrnga, wandala.  Jalya-karda bijardku-ma kayini bidbidarrangka kurrurdangka. ‘Right now there is sugarleaf on coolabahs and hill bloodwoods.’ bijarrk cv. squeeze, squash, massage, wring, apply pressure. = jamburlk. See p. 425 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bijarrk lamarnini squash.  Nyundu ban bijarrk lamarna yali walanja. ‘You squashed that goanna.’ bijarrk warndanini squeeze, massage.  Bijarrk warnda abaaba yali. ‘Wring out those clothes.’ bijarrkkarra squeezing.  Bijarrkkarra warnda-yi kumungku. ‘Massage my back please.’ bijbija n. 1 • dotterel, bobbing bird. Erythrogonys cinctus. This small birds runs around the edge of the water in billabongs and swamps. As it goes along, it stops and bobs its head, then runs again. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. 2 • yellow-throated miner. Manorina flavigula. 3 • weebill. Smicrornis brevirostris. This is a very small yellow bird that hunts around in the tree branches looking for food. It has the skin names Jimija and Namija. -biji suf. make something happen. This ending is used when an action results in a changed state. Usually the action is hitting, cutting or another type of physical impact (factive). = -yili, -bili.  Wunyuwunyubiji biyangka! ‘Cut it into small bits.’  Kungulubiji dil barnana. ‘He has split it open and made it bleed.’ bijinka n. wing of a bird. = liyimbu, binkirr, marramarra. -bijirni suf. just, without anything else.  Nawurla, birrka ma-yi lalijabijirni. ‘Nawurla, make me a tea without milk or sugar.’  Kandirriwangka-wanya barna ngalu ngarinabijirni. ‘I will now eat just the meat without any bread this time.’ bijiwiriwiriya n. bottle-bird, fairy martin. = wurrujulajula, jurnalinja. Petrochelidon ariel. This little bird makes a bottle-shaped nest from mud and lays its eggs inside it. The nests are often seen in sheds,

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

bilaya under eaves, in culverts, under rock overhangs and under tree branches. The mud nest is called a ‘juru’, the same word that is used for other types of nests. bijiwuna n. tamarix, Athel pine, salty tree. ALSO: bijuuna. Tamarix aphylla. This tree is a bad weed that has been introduced to Mudburra country. It grows along creeks and drainage lines. It is also a very big problem in Central Australia. bijurrunku n. type of grass. This grass has sharp leaves that can cut your feet. Galahs eat the seeds. It is similar to ‘kurrubuja’ (kangaroo grass). bikibiki n. pig. = ngurrngurrngarna. Sus scrofa. This is a Kriol word. The flesh from pigs can be eaten after roasting. It is very good meat and tastes nice. Pigs do a lot of damage near rivers and creeks where they dig up yams. There were feral pigs on Jingili and Mudburra country, but they all got hunted. They make a ‘ngurr . . . ngurr’ noise and this is what the Mudburra name refers to. bikirra n. any kind of grass. = yuka.  Yali jayilyakulala bikirra kardibali yuwarniwu. ‘That green grass is grown by white people.’ — See p. 413 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bikirri n. spear-thrower for a shovel spear. = warlmayi, jalkaji. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bila v. bites. SEE: birnini. bilangbilang n. soap tree. = kalkardi. Acacia difficilis, Acacia stipuligera. The stems of young straight trees are used as spear shafts for hunting ‘kakuwi’ (fish) and wallabies. The timber can also be used to make the hook of a spear-thrower. The leaves and the green pods can be rubbed with a little water to make a soapy lather used for washing. The seeds can be eaten

when ripe or ground into flour on grinding stones. This flour can then be wrapped in paperbark or waterlily leaves and cooked in hot coals to make small dampers or johnny cakes. Branches can be thrown into small waterholes, which will kill the fish in a day or two. The fish can then be caught, cooked and eaten. USAGE: This word is also found in Gurindji. In Jingulu there is a similar word ‘bilangbilangmi’. bilangkurridi n. crested pigeon. Ocyphaps lophotes. This grey pigeon has a crest of feathers on top of its head. When it lands it tips forward and its tail sticks up. The meat is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. bilaya n. ant, antbed. = kirininyma, wanbuni, kindijku, barlanji.  Kambambarrama bali warndanirra marlarlukali-ma danbinawu-ma bilaya. ‘In the old days people would get a piece of termite mound to use as a head rest.’ SEE: barlanji. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘burning’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. To ‘burn’ a baby, light a fire and heat up some pieces of antbed. When the fire has burned down to coals, the antbed pieces will be glowing red. Scoop some out to one side, then put some water on the fire and cover it with leafy twigs such as ‘mulurrmi’ (turpentine wattle) or ‘bikirra’ (grass), and then put the reserved chunks of antbed on top. When the plants heat up and begin to smoke, hold the baby over them so that the smoke goes all over the baby and its mother. The pieces of antbed are crushed during the smoking to reveal still-red parts. Cooled charred pieces of antbed are used to treat sick people Mudburra to English dictionary 85

b

bili

B

(especially infants). They are crushed in water to make a thick black slurry. The slurry is rubbed on a child from head to toe. The black water may also be sipped. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are also sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in the wet season. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. bili aux. in case they. SEE: bali; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bali’ instead of ‘bila’. bili n. stone, rock, money. = wumara.  Bili nyunganda-yi! ‘Give me money!’ USAGE: This is also a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. -bili suf. make something happen. This ending is used when an action results in a changed state (factive). = -yili, -biji.  Ban warrard ngardanganini nyununya bangku abaaba. Ban dadbili kayina wirengka. ‘You are leaving your clothes to dry. You have hung them up on the clothes line.’  Judbili yali-ma karu! ‘Get that child down!’ bilikud n. billy goat. = jirrmiriny. Capra hircus. SEE: nanikud. This is a Kriol word. In the past, goats were kept on stations and at missions for their meat and milk. Both of these are very tasty. Bilinarra n. Bilinarra people and language.  Bawulanyunu yurrwa-ma kanyarra. Kuwirrinjili barla kanyarra Bilinarrawu. Bilinarrali barla kurnirra wujuk Mudburrawu. ‘Two groups used to take messages to each other. The Gurindji used to take them to the Bilinarra. The Bilinarra used to send word to the Mudburra.’  Bilinarrali, Ngaliwurrulu, Karrangali bayili karlamarnirra ngayi-ma. ‘The Bilinarra, Ngaliwurru, and Karranga people came up to me (for the ceremony).’ bilirdbi n. white ochre, white body paint. = yadu, liwakbari, ngunjungunju.  Kalnga kambarra-ma, yali-ma-ngkulu bilirdbiwanya. ‘Red ochre (on) first, then they (will 86

put) that white ochre (on) you.’  Kurdi warnda yali, bilirdbi barlirna baly ma. ‘Now get that white stone, so we can rub it on ourselves.’ SEE: kalnga. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bilirla aux. in case they do it for her/him/it, in case they do it to hers/his/its. SEE: balirla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘balirla’ instead of ‘bilirla’. bilirna aux. in case they do it to themselves/ each other, in case they do it for themselves/each other, in case they do it to their own/each other’s. SEE: balirna; biya.  Kadiya-ma bilirna barnarra. ‘That mob might hit each other.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘balirna’ instead of ‘bilirna’. bilirna n. river red gum. = kunjimarra, dimarlarn. Eucalyptus camaldulensis. This large gum tree grows by ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks). There are a lot of large old trees at Lake Woods. The outer bark can be chopped off and used as a ‘kawarla’ (coolamon). The timber can also be carved into a canoe-shaped coolamon. It also makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) and ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from hollow branches. This tree provides very good medicine. The new leaves are crushed and then boiled in water, and this liquid is used as a wash to treat ‘kudkulya’ (coughs and congestion) and skin problems. A small amount may also be drunk to treat coughing. The liquid has a good smell, like Vicks, a commercial ointment with a strong eucalyptus smell. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in this tree and ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs) can also be found in the lower part of its trunk. Birds and possums make nests in the hollows of large, old trees. The leaves can be added to meat when cooking it in the ground to keep it moist and give it a nice ‘salty’ flavour. bilirringkarra cv. shining, reflecting light. = biringkarra. bilirringkarra kayini shining.

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

bilyingbilyinga bilkina n. 1 • any kind of flying fox. = warrba. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. 2 • small red flying fox. Pteropus scapulatus. In the past the flesh of the small red flying fox was eaten after roasting. It has a strong, distinctive smell and taste. Flying foxes are no longer eaten, though, due to fear of lyssa virus, a disease carried by flying foxes that can be transferred to people. These flying foxes generally occur in drier country to the south, but there was also a colony in Elliott in 2016 and 2017. They like to eat the fruit of the introduced neem tree. bilkurr n. 1 • pied butcher bird. = kurrbulawuji. Cracticus nigrogularis. These birds are very good singers, with a varied and pretty song. When they sing too much, however, people get worried, because these birds know when someone has died or is close to death. They will sit near family, face towards where the person has died or is dying, for example towards the hospital, and sing. They have the skin name Jangari or Nangari. 2 • magpie. Gymnorhina tibicen. The magpie has a distinctive red eye, but is otherwise quite similar to the butcherbird. The magpie is also an excellent singer. It has an important Dreamtime story and has special powers. bilya aux. in case he/she and I, in case we two, in case two of us. SEE: balya; biya. bilyak cv. hot weather. = barungka, barungula. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bilyak marnini hot.  Nginya wangku-ma bilyak marnini. ‘The sun is hot today.’ bilyakbilyak marnini very hot, scorching (weather).  Bilyakbilyak marnini. ‘It’s really hot.’ bilyak yanini get hot. bilyangku aux. in case she/he and I do it to you, in case she/he and I do it for

you, in case she/he and I do it to yours. SEE: balyangku; biya. USAGE: This word is generally only used in Western Mudburra. bilyarla aux. in case she/he and I do it for her/ him/it, in case she/he and I do it to hers/his/ its. SEE: balyarla; biya. USAGE: This word is generally only used in Western Mudburra. bilyarna aux. in case she/he and I do it to ourselves/each other, in case she/he and I do it for ourselves/each other, in case she/ he and I do it to our own/each other. SEE: balyarna; biya. USAGE: This word is generally only used in Western Mudburra. bilyilyungku n. dogwood hakea, flat-leaf hakea, boomerang tree. Hakea macrocarpa, Hakea arborescens. The hard wood of this tree is especially good for making ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). The wood is dark like ‘manyingila’ (gutta-percha), but harder. The fruit and bark are scraped and the scrapings are mixed with water to make a medicine that is applied to small children. It makes them strong and helps them start walking. The fruit are also boiled in water, and babies are made to sit in the liquid once it has cooled down. This practice also strengthens their legs and hips to help them start walking. The leaves and wood may be burnt to ash and mixed with water and this is used to treat broken bones, sore joints and bruising in adults. The corky bark is used as medicine for sores on the lips and in the mouth. It is burnt down to ash and then ground into a fine powder. This powder is then rubbed onto ‘cold sores’ and any other sores on the lips or in the mouth. You can also dip your finger in fat and then in the powder and then rub this mixture on the sores. This medicine works well for children and infants. bilyingbilyinga n. pale brown colour, person of mixed Aboriginal and European descent.  Dardu bali bilyingbilyingadarra warangali kayinarra kambarra-mawanya Newcastle Stationka-ma. ‘Lots of mixed-race people used to work on Mudburra to English dictionary 87

b

bilyingkarra

B

Newcastle Waters Station a long time ago.’  Kambambarra-ma bayinangulu kardardibali-ma warndanirra karudarrama bilyingbilyingadarra-ma, bayinangulu kanganirra ngurra karingkurra, bilyingbilyingadarra-ma. ‘A long time ago people came to take the mixed-race kids away and take them to another country, those children.’ USAGE: This word is similar to ‘bilyingbiyaka’ in Jingulu and ‘pilyingpilying’ in Gurindji. bilyingkarra cv. glow red, shine red. = dinyil.  Bilyingkarra jankiyini linyarda. ‘The charcoal is glowing red.’ bilyingkarra yanini become red moving glow of light.  Nginya yananjanarni bilyingkarra ludba-wanya. ‘This light’s coming up close now, glowing.’ bilyingkarra kayini glowing red, shining red.  Yali kuramarna banyang kayini, bilyingkarra kayini. ‘That gum is stuck all over it, it’s shining red in the light.’ bin aux. in case you. SEE: ban; biya.  Doornyanu jard kuya, bin wandiyinarra. ‘Shut your door, in case you fall out!’ bina cv. know.  Ngayu-ma-rna bina jurlakadarrawu-ma, amba barlawa marrarnku wajurra-ma. ‘I know about lots of birds, like the ones we were talking about yesterday.’  Kadi kardiba ngaruk wandiyina ngukungka. Kula bina swimku-ma. ‘That whitefella drowned in the water. He didn’t know how to swim.’  Ngayu-ma-rna kula bina dimanawuma. Wirlankarrangarna barna. ‘I don’t know how to ride horses. I’m too scared.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. It also means ‘ear’ in many other Australian languages. bina kayini know.  Bina-barra kayini. ‘He must know.’ binarrik cv. instruct, teach. = mirrarda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. binarrik warndanini instruct, teach.  Binarrikbinarrik warndanirra bangaliya. ‘They instructed him and me.’ binbina n. light (in weight). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. binbula aux. in case you two, in case the two of you. SEE: banbula; biya.  Binbula 88

ngaruk wandiyinarra. ‘You two might drown.’ binbularla aux. in case you two do it to her/him/it/each other. SEE: banbularla; biya. ALSO: binburla. USAGE: This word is generally only used in Western Mudburra. binburnan aux. in case you two do it to yourselves. SEE: banburnan; biya. ALSO: binburna.  Binburnan barnarra wumarayaru-ma. ‘You two might hit each other with stones.’ USAGE: Western Mudburra uses this word while Eastern Mudburra generally uses ‘binburna’. binda aux. in case you mob do it. SEE: banda; biya. USAGE: This word is generally only used in Western Mudburra. bindarla aux. in case you mob do it to her/ him/it/each other. SEE: bandarla; biya. USAGE: This word is generally only used in Western Mudburra. bindarnan aux. in case you mob do it to yourselves. ALSO: bindarna. SEE: bandarnan; biya.  Karri-li kurnanybili, karudarra, bindarna barnarra wumarayaru-ma. ‘Stop doing that, kids, or you’ll hit each other with stones.’ USAGE: Western Mudburra uses this word while Eastern Mudburra generally uses ‘bindarna’. binim SEE: birnim. Binjanjarra n. Pitjantjatjara people and language. ALSO: Bijanjarra.  Binjanjarra, Arrarnda, Luriji karrinyarra-ma kurlarrakma. ‘The Pitjantjatjara, Arrernte, and Luritja lived to the south.’ binjayinja n. plate tied around neck, made of turtle shell or mussel shells. Decorative, but not strictly ceremonial. Worn by men and women.  Barna buk biya barna binjayinjama. ‘I will tie on the shell plate to wear.’ SEE: jaramarra. binjurra aux. in case it happens to you mob. SEE: banjurra; biya.  Karudarra karri-li nyangarlungka, binjurra nyunduya-wanya durlk barnarra! ‘You kids stay in one place, otherwise he might shoot you mob next!’ binjurrangulu aux. in case they do it to you mob. SEE: banjurrangulu; biya. binka n. river, creek, gutter. = jurrkulu.  Barli yandurru kakuyiwu binkangkurra. ‘You and I will go down to the river for fish.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

bingkulu binkangarnarra ALSO: binkangarna. people from the river (country), people who have river country as their Dreaming. Binkangarna n. people and their language, which was likely a dialect of Mudburra or Gurindji, and probably associated with the semi-desert to the south of Mudburra country. The language is no longer spoken. ALSO: Binkangarnarra.  Binkangarnarra bali kadiya-ma. ‘Those are river country people.’ binki n. vista, view, open sky, horizon.  Nginya kayini binki-ma, wakurni madayiwu-ma. ‘This is an open view, without clouds or anything.’  Yali jungkarna dumarnini karrawarra-ma binkingka-ma; barna nyanganini. Smoke is rising up to the horizon in the east on that open country; I can see it. binkirr n. wing of a bird. = liyimbu, bijinka, marramarra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. binkurla aux. in case you do it to her/him/it. SEE: bankurla; biya. binnyanun aux. in case you do it to yourself. SEE: bannyanun; biya.  Nyangka yali mangarri, binnyanun kambarnarra! ‘Look at that food (while you’re cooking), or else you might burn yourself!’ bingalawa aux. in case it happens to us (including you). SEE: bangalawa; biya. ALSO: bingalawarna.  Yali burrmurumurali bingalawarna kambarnarra. ‘That hornet might sting us.’ bingalawan aux. in case you do it to us (including you). SEE: bangalawan; biya. bingalawangulu aux. in case they do it to us (including you). SEE: bangalawangulu; biya.  Barlawa yanarn marri kanju ngayuli, bingalawangulu barnarra. ‘Let’s go inside, that big mob might attack us.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra uses either ‘bingalawangulu’ or ‘bangalawangulu’. bingali aux. in case it happens to you and me. SEE: bangali; biya. ALSO: bingalinju.  Barli karna murlungka wayi-n kujarra-ma, bingali darumi kayinarrarni, karluwu-jama ngayinyawu-ma. ‘We should stay here in case she comes looking for you and me, and for my older sister, too.’ bingalin aux. in case you do it for you and

me. SEE: bangalin; biya. ALSO: bangalinju.  Bangalinju ngarina-ma karlunini and mangarri-ma? ‘Can you bring meat and tucker for you and me?’ USAGE: Western Mudburra uses this word while Eastern Mudburra generally uses ‘bangalin’ or ‘bangalinju’. bingaliya aux. in case it happens to us two. SEE: bangaliya; biya. ALSO: bingaliyany.  Bingaliya marnana ngarrkakari-ma. ‘Another Aboriginal person might ask us that.’ bingaliyan aux. in case you do it to us two. SEE: bangaliyan; biya.  Karri, karu, kuwanyamulu, bingaliyan barnarra ngayu kujarra-wanya. ‘Stay still, kid, don’t do it like that, you might hit the two of us.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bangaliyan’ instead of this word. binganda aux. in case it happens to us (not you). SEE: banganda; biya. bingandan aux. in case you do it to us (not you). SEE: bangandan; biya.  Karrila — karu, karri yali nguku-ma, bingandan yikayi kayinarra, nyundu too bannyanun. ‘Stop it kid, leave that water alone, you might wet all of us, yourself as well, you might.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bangandan’ instead of ‘bingandan’. bingandanngulu aux. in case you mob do it to us. SEE: bangandanngulu; biya.  Bingandanngulu barnarra nguku. ‘You might wreck our water.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra usually uses ‘bangandanngulu’ instead of ‘bingandanngulu’. bingandangulu aux. in case they do it to us (not you). SEE: bangandangulu; biya. binganya n. mud, wet clay. = minganya. USAGE: This is the Western Mudburra word, while ‘minganya’ is the Eastern Mudburra word. bingku aux. in case it happens to you. SEE: bangku; biya.  Karrila yali warlakuma bunbangarna, bingku birnarra. ‘Leave that aggressive dog alone, in case it bites you.’ bingkulu aux. in case they do it to you. SEE: bangkulu; biya.  Bingkulu barnarra nguku. ‘They might ruin your water.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bangkulu’ instead of ‘bingkulu’. Mudburra to English dictionary 89

b

bingkuwula

B

bingkuwula aux. in case those two do it to you. SEE: bangkuwula; biya. bingkuwurna aux. in case it happens to you. SEE: bangkuwurna; biya. ALSO: bingkuwula. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bangkuwurna’ instead of ‘bingkuwurna’. binyanu aux. in case it happens to herself, himself, itself. SEE: banyanu; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra generally uses ‘banyanu’ instead of ‘bingkuwurna’. binyinyib cv. roll sticks between hands to light a fire; use a fire-drill to light a fire. SEE: kungkarla; kuwurru; wulmana; juwurlana. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. binyinyib barnini roll a fire-drill.  Binyinyib barnirra kungkala dilubiji. ‘(They) rolled the fire-drill until it sparked.’  Kungkala kanyarra, wulmana, nyamba yala-karda, barnirra binyinyib. ‘(They) used to carry around fire-drills, and then whatsit, light fires by rolling them between their palms.’ binymala n. knife, metal spearhead, chisel blade. = biyanganina.  Binymalali banyanu biyanganarra marndamarnda. ‘You might cut your hand on the blade.’ — See p. 417 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is found in languages throughout the region. birdbili cv. clap (sticks or boomerang). birdbili kayini clapping.  Barli burrb karra Kujika-wanya barnali yinbala kurrubardu barnali birdbili karra ngayuwalija-ma. ‘When we have finished we sing the Kujika and we clap boomerangs.’ birdibirdi n. 1 • sisters and cousins of the boy being initiated.  Birdibirdidarra-ma bali jujirrki kayini wankijwankij. ‘The sisters and cousins of the boy being initiated dance round and round.’  Birdibirdili-ma barnini ngajarrangka, mirimingka, murlkungka jurlkuwarri-ma jardukurrulu. ‘The sisters and cousins flog the boy being initiated on the calf, rump, and shoulder with 90

hairbelts.’ — The ‘birdibirdi’ dance Bandimi in a circle around the ‘jurlkuwarri’ (boy being initiated) at the initiation ceremony, before the old men take him out. The ‘birdibirdi’ flog the ‘jurlkuwarri’ with ‘jardukurru’ (hairbelts) on his legs, rump, and shoulders. 2 • single women’s quarters, single women’s camp. = jilimi.  Yaliya-ma kirridarrama bali manyan kayini birdibirdingka. ‘Those women are sleeping in the women’s quarters.’ USAGE: This word is similar to ‘birdirdirni’ (younger sister) in Jingulu. birdibirdingarnarra single woman. ALSO: birdibirdingarna. = jilimingarna. SEE: birdibirdi. A woman who lives in the single women’s camp. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. birdiyinjirrimi n. spiny gooseberry, bush tomato. = warnburrkbi. Solanum echinatum. This small bush has purple flowers. The fruit provide excellent food and are much sought-after when ripe; they are eaten when they turn yellow. Some of these bushes can be seen growing near the Newcastle Waters turnoff. birijbirija n. river gum tree, bendee. ALSO: birijbirijja. Terminalia bursarina. This tree grows in river and creek beds. It is often bent over by the flow of the water. The gum is good to eat and is sometimes found in large lumps on the trunks and branches. This tree only grows in Western Mudburra country; it is common in the Victoria River catchment. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. birimilyi n. shoulder blade. = ngabikilyi, kurdujukurduju. SEE: murlku. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. biringkarra cv. shining, reflecting light. = bilirringkarra. biringkarra kayini shining.  Kadi ngukuma biringkarra kayini. ‘That water is shining.’  Kadikadi biringkarra kayini

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

birnangkuwurna nguku-ma. ‘Over there the water is shining.’ birirda n. leg. = kala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. birirdangarna n. trousers. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. birla aux. in case it happens to her, him or it. SEE: barla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barla’ instead of ‘birla’. birlawa aux. in case we (including you). SEE: barlawa; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barlawa’ instead of ‘birlawa’. birlawangulu aux. in case we (including you) do it to them. SEE: barlawangulu; biya.  Kurdi barlawa karri, birlawangulu kard bunganarra. ‘We should stay here, in case we frighten them away.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ’barlawangulu’ instead of ‘birlawangulu’. birlawarla aux. in case we (including you) do it to hers/his/its. SEE: barlawarla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barlawarla’ instead of ‘birlawarla’. birlawarna aux. in case we (including you) do it to ourselves. SEE: barlawarna; biya. birlbu n. heavy, hard, strong, dense, tight. = dardalya.  Warnda yali birlbu, barra yali wari! ‘Get that heavy thing and hit the snake!’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. birli aux. in case the two of us. SEE: barli; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barli’ instead of this word. birlina aux. in case you and I do it to ourselves/each other. SEE: barlirna; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barlirna’ instead of ‘birlirna’. Birlinarra SEE: Bilinarra. birlirla aux. in case you and I do it for her/ him/it. SEE: barlirla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barlirla’ instead of ‘birlirla’. birlkurung n. wooden spear shaft. = yurlanga, jalkaji.  Kurdi barlawa birrka ma birlkurung. ‘Wait up, we’ll make a spear shaft.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. birn- v. many words beginning with ‘birn’ are forms of the verb ‘bite’. SEE: birnini. birna aux. in case I. SEE: barna; biya.  Ngayu-ma-rna kurdij karri warlungurluma kari, birna jankiyinarra. ‘I’m going to stand far from that fire, I might get burnt.’

USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barna’

instead of ‘birna’. birnali aux. in case we (but not you) do it. SEE: barnali; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnali’ instead of ‘birnali’. birnalirla aux. in case we (not you) do it to her/him/it. SEE: barnalirla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnalirla’ instead of ‘birnalirla’. birnalirna aux. in case we (not you) do it to ourselves/each other. SEE: barnalirna; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnalirna’ instead of ‘birnalirna’. birnanjurra aux. in case I do it to you mob. SEE: barnanjurra; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnanjurra’ instead of ‘birnanjurra’. birnanjurrangulu aux. in case we do it to you mob. SEE: barnanjurrangulu; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnanjurrangulu’ instead of ‘birnanjurrangulu’. birnangalawa aux. in case I do it for us (including you). SEE: barnangalawa; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnangalawa’ instead of ‘birnangalawa’. birnangali aux. in case I do it for you and me. SEE: barnangali; biya. ALSO: birnangalinju. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnangali’ instead of ‘birnangali’. birnangaliya aux. in case I do it for him/ her and me. SEE: barnangaliya; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnangaliya’ instead of ‘birnangaliya’. birnanganda aux. in case I do it to us (not you). SEE: barnanganda; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnanganda’ instead of ‘birnanganda’. birnangku aux. in case I do it to you. SEE: barnangku; biya.  Karu karri yamaka, birnangku wirrb barnarra karndiyaru. ‘Quieten down, kid, otherwise I will flog you with a stick.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnangku’ instead of ‘birnangku’. birnangkulu aux. in case we do it to you. SEE: barnangkulu; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnangkulu’ instead of ‘birnangkulu’. birnangkuwurna aux. in case I do it to you two. SEE: barnangkuwurna; biya. Mudburra to English dictionary 91

b

birnanyanu ALSO: birnangkuwula. USAGE: Eastern

B

Mudburra often uses ‘barnangkuwurna’ instead of ‘birnangkuwurna’. birnanyanu aux. in case I do it to myself. SEE: barnanyanu; biya. ALSO: birnayi. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnanyanu’ instead of ‘birnanyanu’. birnarla aux. in case I do it to her/him/ it. SEE: barnarla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnarla’ instead of ‘birnarla’. birnayili aux. in case I do it to those two. SEE: barnayili; biya. ALSO: birnawuli. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnayili’ instead of ‘birnayili’. birnayina aux. in case I do it to them. SEE: barnayina; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnayina’ instead of ‘birnayina’. birnayinangulu aux. in case we do it to them. SEE: barnayinangulu; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘barnayinangulu’ instead of ‘birnayinangulu’. birndika n. on the side, beside, next to, near. ALSO: birndiku. SEE: kari; balkij. Closer than ‘karikari’ but not as close as ‘balkij’. birndikanginyi something that is beside something else. birndikangurlu from beside, from next to. birndikanybunga something that is beside something else. birnim cv. paint up. = jirning. This word only refers to painting up a man. It does not refer to women. birnim kurnini paint up.  Barnanyanu ngayu-ma birnim kuya. ‘I will paint myself up.’ birnina n. biter, one who bites.  Yuwayi yali warlaku-ma birnina. ‘Yeah, that dog’s a biter.’ SEE: birnini. birnini v. bite, drink.  Yaliyali warlakudarrali balirna birnini dardulu. ‘Those dogs are biting each other.’  Barna birninybirnini nguku. ‘I am drinking the water.’ SEE: ngarnini. See 92

p. 422 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word only means ‘drink’ in Western Mudburra. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. birnini is biting it. birnana has bitten it. biya will bite, wants to bite. biya bite it! birninja n. someone who has been bitten.  Warlakulu bayi birnana yali karu, birninja. ‘My dog bit the child, the bitten one.’ SEE: birnini. -birra suf. two things (dual). This ending is used with words ending in ‘-nyanany’, ‘-marnany’ and ‘-ngaliny’ to mean ‘two of them’.  Barnangkuwula nyangana barnaramarnanybirra. ‘I saw your two fathers.’ SEE: -kujarra. birrard cv. shock, frighten, scared. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. birrard kayini scared.  Yali birrard barla kayini yali dimanawu, wan kurna-wanju. ‘He is afraid of horses, because one threw him off.’ birrard yuwarnini give a fright, shock.  Kuyalamulu! Bayin birrard yuwarna. ‘Don’t do that! You gave me a fright.’ birrard warndanini scare. birrard marnini talk in a frightened way, take off in shock.  Birrardbirrard marnini. Nyamba-barra nyangana. ‘He is talking in a frightened way. He saw something.’  Birrard marnana. ‘He took off in shock.’ birrard nyunganini give a fright.  Yali bali birrard nyungana. ‘They frightened him.’ birrbirrara cv. shiver, shake. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. birrbirrara kayini shake, shiver.  Yali birrbirrara kayini. Durd ma! ‘He’s shaking! Grab him.’ birri adv. now. = jalya.  Jalya-ma birri Saturday. ‘Today is Saturday.’ -birri suf. try to, might, attempt to.  Yali karu wandiyina karndingurlu. Nyangkarra-birri! ‘That kid fell out of the tree. You might go and take a look at him!’  Nyunduya-ma yanarnba-li! Barlawa-birri marru Mudburra dardu-rni. ‘You mob, come here! We can speak a bit of Mudburra together.’ birrilibala n. necklace vine. Operculina

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

biyanganina aequisepala. The round, black seeds are made into necklaces. A hole is pierced through the seed using a heated, sharpened piece of wire. The seeds are then threaded onto string or fishing line to make a necklace. birrilyi n. corella, white cockatoo. ALSO: birrili; birriyili. Cacatua sanguinea. birringbarlirni n. Eurasian coot. Fulica atra. This black bird has a white stripe on its face. It lives in swamps, lakes and billabongs and swims around with ducks. It was eaten in the past, but not in recent times. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. birrirda n. grebe, diving duck. ALSO: birrirdina. = kiwinji. These little diving ducks are good to eat, although they are small and don’t have much meat. People hunt them by chasing them around in shallow water until they can catch them. These ducks eat ‘kakuwi’ (fish) and taste a bit fishy themselves. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Birriyardiju n. place upstream of Mundah Waterhole (on Beetaloo Station). This place is on Jingili and Ngarnji country, but is visited by Mudburra people from Marlinja. birrk cv. 1 • pass. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. birrk yanini pass by, go through, come through.  Ngana bayi minya-ma birrk yanarra? ‘Who just passed by me?’  Birrk yanana barla Nangariwu warlaku. ‘The dog passed straight by and went for Nangari.’  Birrk yanarn! ‘Come through/past here!’ birrk ngardanganini pass by.  Minya barna kurdi birrk ngardangku. ‘I’m going to pass this one by.’ birrk wanjanini pass by. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. birrkkarra passing, going back and forth. ALSO: birrkbirrkkarra.  Birrkbirrkkarra bali yananjanarni. ‘They are going back and forth.’ 2 • snatch. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

birrk kurnini snatch away.  Bangaliya birrk kurnirra ngarrka-ma ngaa kardibaliwanya. ‘The white man snatched it away from us Aboriginal people.’ birrka cv. make, fix, build. = mirrka. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. birrka marnini make, fix, build.  Kurdi barna kadi warndu, birrka marniwu tyrewu ngayinyawu bayi. ‘I will get that fella over there to fix my tyre for me.’  Banyanu birrka marnini madayi-ma. ‘Clouds are building up.’  Kandirri barna birrka ma. ‘I will make bread.’ birrkabirrka making, fixing, building. biwula aux. in case those two do it. SEE: bawula; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bawula’ instead of ‘biwula’. biwularla aux. in case those two do it to her/ him/it. SEE: bawularla; biya. USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bawularla’ instead of ‘biwularla’. biwurna aux. in case those two do it to themselves/each other. SEE: bawurna; biya. biya part. in case it happens, otherwise it might happen, lest it happens.  Biya wandiyinarra yali karu. ‘Get that baby or she might fall in (the fire).’  Biya jankiyanarra mungarrayili. ‘It might get burnt, blacken it.‘  Biya warili birnarra. ‘He might get bitten by a snake.’  Yali karu jub warndarra, biya wandiyinarra karndingurlu. ‘Go and grab that child, in case he falls out of that tree.’  Marra-rla yaluwu karuwu, biya wandiyanku. ‘Talk to that kid, otherwise he might fall down.’  Janga biya balya kayinarra. ‘We might get sick.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biya- v. many words beginning with ‘biya’ are forms of the verb ‘bite’. SEE: birnini. biyang- v. many words beginning with ‘biyang’ are forms of the verb ‘cut’. SEE: biyanganini. biyanganina n. someone who cuts things, e.g. a butcher; a cutting implement, e.g. a knife, metal spearhead, chisel blade.  Yani karda marluka nyangarlu karrinyarra bardakurru ngarina biyanganina. ‘That one old man was a good butcher.’  Yali Mudburra to English dictionary 93

b

biyanganini

B

nyunganda-yi biyanganina. ‘Get me that cutter.’ SEE: biyanganini. biyanganini v. cut.  Barna biyanganini ngarina ngandayingka. ‘I am cutting meat in the shade.’  Wunyuwunyubiji biyangka! ‘Cut it into small bits!’ SEE: lurlurl. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. biyanganini is cutting. biyangana has cut. biyangka cut it! biyangku will cut it, wants to cut it. biyanganinja n. someone who has been cut, something which has been cut up.  Yali warnda ngayili bardakurru-ma biyanganinja. ‘Get me that good choppedup one.’ SEE: biyanganini. biyardu n. small deep coolamon.  Yali yanana kirri, yananjanarra kirri, biyarduyaru nguku warndu. ‘That woman’s gone to get a bucket shovel to go and get water.’ SEE: kawarla; lurda. This coolamon is used as a shovel and for carrying water. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. biyawuja n. little top grindstone held in the hand (the pestle) and rubbed on ‘lardaranga’ (the big grindstone, the mortar). ALSO: biyawija. = bunbunnga.  Yali biyawuja warnda-yi barna luwa minya lukarrara. ‘Get the top grindstone and I’ll grind this wild rice.’ SEE: lardaranga; kumurru. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. biyi aux. in case it happens to me. SEE: bayi; biya.  Kuwanya barna ngayu-ma kari kurdij karri, biyi-barra warlulu jankiyinarra. ‘I’ll stay away from that fire, in case it burns me.’ biyili aux. in case they do it to me, in case it happens to those two. SEE: bayili; biya.  Ngayu-ma-rna yandurru kanju kardi yali biyili barnarra. ‘I’m going inside in case that mob attacks me.’ biyilin aux. in case you do it to those two. SEE: bayilin; biya. ALSO: binbulin.  Bawula kayam barna kanju. Wirlarnkarra bangkuwula kayina, biyilin barnarra. ‘Those two ran inside fast — they’re afraid you want to fight them.’ 94

biyin aux. in case you do it to me. SEE: bayin; biya.  Biyin barnarra. Ngayu-ma-rna kanju. ‘You might hit me. I’m going inside.’ biyina aux. in case it happens to them. SEE: bayina; biya.  Yali warlaku-nyanu dirrk ma, biyina birnarra karudarra. ‘Tie up that dog of yours, in case it bites the children.’ biyinan aux. in case you do it to them. SEE: bayinan; biya. ALSO: binjinan.  Barra biyinan barnarra. ‘So that I don’t hit those two.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bayinan’ instead of this word. biyinanngulu aux. in case you mob do it to them. SEE: bayinanngulu; biya. ALSO: binjinanngulu.  Dardu banda yanarni kanju bali yanarra minyarra-ma biyinanngulu barnarra. ‘You mob came up and they all went inside because you might attack them.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bayinanngulu’ instead of ‘biyinanngulu’. biyinangulu aux. in case they do it to those other ones. SEE: bayinangulu; biya.  Kadiya-ma bali burriyi kayinykayini, biyinangulu barnarra. ‘They are nervous that they might hit them.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bayinangulu’ instead of ‘biyinangulu’. biyinbula aux. in case you two do it to me. SEE: bayinbula; biya. ALSO: biyinbulayin.  Biyinbula nyanganarra. Kanju barna yandurru mabu barnangkuwula kayini. ‘You might see me. I am going inside because I feel shy of you two.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bayinbula’ instead of ‘biyinbula’. biyinda aux. in case you mob do it to me. SEE: bayindan; biya. ALSO: biyindan.  Biyinda nyanganarra. Mabu barnanjurra kayini, kanju barna yandurru. ‘You mob might see me. I feel shy of you mob, so I’m going inside.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bayinda’ insetad of ‘biyinda’. biyingki n. horizon, open ground to horizon. = yindirr.  Yali jungkarna dumarnini karduwarra-ma biyingkingka-ma barna nyanganini. ‘I can see smoke rising on that open country to the horizon.’ biyiwula aux. in case those two do it to me. SEE: bayiwulayi; biya. ALSO: biyiwulayi.

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

bujbu  Biyiwula nyanganarra mabubiji ngayuma, kanju barna yandurru. ‘Those two might see me, I feel shame, I’m going inside.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra often uses ‘bayiwula’ instead of ‘biyiwula’. bub adv. 1 • inside. ALSO: bubub. = darndarn, kanju. bub kayini inside.  Minya barna kanju bub kayini. ‘I’m sitting here inside.’ bub wandiyini go inside, get inside, enter. bub yanini come inside.  Kuwanjala bub yanarn, nguku yananjanarni! ‘Come inside, the rain’s coming!’ bub kurnini inhale, suck in.  Bub kurnini ban lurrbu-rni. ‘You inhaled it back in.’ bubub all inside, all going in.  Bubub bali wandiyini karudarra. ‘The kids are all going in.’ 2 • blow (of wind). ALSO: buwub. bub marnini blow.  Bub marnini malywa. ‘The wind is blowing.’ buba n. fire, firewood, matches, lighter. = warlu, kungunjul.  Buba kanyarra kardibalima. ‘The whitefellas brought matches.’  Kuwurru barnirra bubama dilubiji. ‘(They) used to spin the fire-drill until it lit up the fire.’ — See p. 404 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. Mudburra speakers sometimes use this as the babytalk word for ‘fire’. bubu n. bung-eye. ALSO: milabubu. bubulu n. rock-country dragon lizard. Diporiphora spp. This lizard lives in hollow trees and under rocks. bud cv. send, phone up. ALSO: bul. bud bunganini send.  Ngurrmana barna bud bungku barnarla ngarrkawu. ‘I want to phone up that man.’  Marndaj barnarla bud bungana wumara-ma ngayinyawu kakuwu-ma. ‘I already sent money to my grandson.’ budala n. ripe, cooked.  Ngarina-ma budala-wanya. ‘The meat is cooked now.’  Yali kurlinyaka warndarra. Budala-

wanya. ‘Go get that wild orange. It’s ripe now.’ SEE: kurnka. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘burdalu’ in Jingulu. budubudu n. rough.  Yali-ma wanyarri-ma budubudu-kayi. ‘The bauhinea is actually quite rough.’ buj cv. cut into pieces, chop into pieces, break into pieces. = biyanganini. buj barnini chop into pieces.  Barna ban bungana wardabarnmarra. Jawurd barna biyangana. Barna buj barru wajurrajurrama supperwu. ‘I found a kangaroo. I cut off the tail. I will chop it into pieces in the evening for dinner.’ buj biyanganini cut into pieces.  Nganalibarra bayi buj biyangana rope knifejaru. ‘Someone cut my rope into pieces with a knife.’ buj kayini broken into pieces.  Buj kayina bayi jardukurru. ‘My hairbelt broke.’ buj warndanini break into pieces.  Barnanyanu buj warndana ngayinya rope. ‘I broke my rope into pieces.’ bujarri cv. sulky, grumpy. ALSO: bujarrarra. = jilyirrwari, burdurl. bujarri kayini sulk.  Yali-ma karrila, bujarri kayini. ‘Leave that person, they’re sulky.’ bujarri nyanganini look sulky, look disappointedly at someone.  Bujarri nyanganjinani bayi yali-ma. ‘He was looking at me sulkily.’ bujarri marnini talk sulkily, upset.  Bujarri marnini bayi yali-ma. Ngadayini barnarla? ‘He’s talking grumpily to me. What did I do to him?’ SEE: burdurl. USAGE: Western Mudburra uses ‘bujarrarra’, while Eastern Mudburra uses ‘bujarri’. The Jingulu word is ‘bujarrima’. These may all be related to the Gurindji word ‘pujarl’ (laze about, slack). bujarrarrangarna sulky person. ALSO: bujarringarna.  Bujarringarna, yalima karrila. ‘That person’s sulky, leave him.’ bujbu n. round ground oven, made with antbed and stone, with lots of wood. = julbu.  Bujbungka lakurd kayini. ‘It’s buried (to cook) in the ground oven.’  Yali bujbu mirrka ma. Ngarina barli lakurd Mudburra to English dictionary 95

b

buji

B

kuya. ‘Make a ground oven; you and I will bury the meat.’ SEE: lakurd. Round hole in the ground, about 15 cm deep. You make a fire in the hole and put in stones or metal things like chains to heat them up. After the fire burns down to charcoal, you put your meat in and cover it up with the hot stones or chains to cook it. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. buji n. bush, scrub, country with no town, not as dry as desert.  Karrawarra barna ngayu-ma yandurru bujingka-rni. ‘I’ll go walking in the bush to the east.’ SEE: kaja. USAGE: This is a Kriol word. Bujiji n. place possibly west of Murranji.  Bujiji-ma might bengurra ngayinya-ma Murranjayingurlu karlarra little bit. ‘Bujiji might be a little to the west of my country Murranji.’ bujikard n. cat, pussycat. ALSO: bujikadi; bujikarda. = nyurnam. Felis catus. This is a Kriol word. In the past people used to eat cat meat after roasting it in a ground oven. It has a strong smell and a good taste, like possum meat. It was eaten up until recent times and it is still a favoured meat for many elders. The Mudburra name ‘nyurnam’ refers to the round shape of their faces. Sometimes you can tease people by calling them ‘nyurnambari’, meaning ‘pussycat face’. Feral cats are good hunters and eat a lot of small native animals. The males, tom cats, can get very large and aggressive. See p. 407 for the hand sign. bujurrndayidayi n. March-fly bird. ALSO: burrjundayidayi This bird calls out when the March flies start to bite. ‘Bujurrdayidayi’ is the sound of the call it makes. buka n. rotten. = nungulyu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. bukbukbini n. pheasant coucal. 96

= yirribudbudba. Centropus phasianinus. When you hear this bird call out ‘buk . . . buk . . . buk’ it means that it will rain soon, but not straight away. bukumarra n. bootlace oak, northern corkwood. ALSO: bukumara. = wuwarrajkala. Hakea chordopylla, Hakea lorea. The bark of this tree is used as medicine. It is boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat ‘jangawurru’ (scabies, skin sores). You can also lightly burn some bark on a fire, then rub the fine black charcoal onto your lips to treat sores or rub the inside of babies’ mouths to treat thrush. The gum can be boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores and scabies on children. The yellow flowers can be sucked to get the sweet nectar. Sometimes this plant is called ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag) because the flowers contain sweet honey-like nectar. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. This is also a Jingulu word. bukurdi n. ceremonial headdress.  Ngayuma-rna kurdi bukurdi barna mirrka marnini. ‘Wait up I’m making a headdress for the ceremony.’ SEE: kumundunga. bul cv. poor eye sight, blurry vision, someone with cataracts. = kamamurru. bul kayini have poor eyesight.  Kula barna nyanganini kari-ma. Bul barna kayina ngabanju-ma. ‘I can’t see very far. My vision has become blurry.’ bul nyanganini see poorly.  Kula barna bul nyanganini. ‘I can’t see very well.’ bulwari cataracts.  Bulwari barna ngayu-ma ngabanju-ma. ‘I have cataracts in my eyes.’ bula n. corroboree. = wajkarra, wajarra.  Kadi bali bunganjinganini marlarluka bula. ‘Those old men are dancing a corroboree.’ bularraku n. smoke tree. = minburu. Eucalyptus pruinosa. Branches from this tree that have been hollowed by termites and are of the appropriate diameter can be made into ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos). The

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

-bun timber can also be used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag — native beehives) can be found in this tree. The bark can also be burnt to ‘buna’ (fine white ash) to mix with ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). buliki n. cattle, bullock, cow. = didbakarnu. Bos indicus, Bos taurus. The meat is very good to eat after roasting. In recent times brahmans have become very common on Jingili and Mudburra country, but before the 1980s it was mainly shorthorns that were raised in this area. The first white pastoralists brought white-faced bullocks and short-horns. See p. 406 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Kriol word. bulngayid n. flood. SEE: lurlularra. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. buludin n. container, cup, tin. = kardak, jawaranya, barrakud.  Buludin warnda yali barna yuwarru baka. ‘Get that cup; I’m going to put conkerberries in it.’ bulumbu SEE: bulungku. bulumburlirdi n. spoonbill. = damburrngarna. Platalea spp. Spoonbills move their flat beaks from side to side through the water looking for food. White feathers from these birds are used as body decoration in some ceremonies. bulungku n. hook spear. ALSO: bulumbu. = wararang, kularda.  Bulungku warndala yali. ‘Give me that hook spear.’ SEE: mirlarrang. Bulungurlu n. Number 1 Bore, Newcastle.

 Barnali buliki-ma musterim karrinya Bulungurlungka. ‘We used to muster cattle at Bulungurlu.’ bulwa n. pouch of marsupial. = kuda. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bulya n. soft (damper, beef, mud, mattress, etc). = manyamanya, nuya, manmanbari.  Yali-ma minganya bulya. ‘That mud is soft.’ bulyawulya n. loincloth made from possum or hare wallaby fur.  Kurdi barna mirrka ma minya-ma bulyawulya-ma jakulajingurlu. ‘Wait, I’m just going to make a loincloth out of possum fur.’ SEE: winanga. Ceremonial loincloth worn by men after initiation. buma- v. many words beginning with ‘buma’ are forms of the verb ‘blow’. SEE: bumarnini. bumarnina n. someone who blows, blower, didgeridoo player.  Yali bardakurruma bumarninama. ‘He’s a good didgeridoo player.’ SEE: bumarnini. bumarnini v. blow, smoke, play didgeridoo.  Barna bumarnini buba. ‘I am blowing the fire.’  Kadili-ma bumanjimarnini jungkarna-ma kula jalyawu. ‘That one just keeps smoking tobacco for a long time.’  Yalikujarra-ma bawula bardakurru, bumarniwu-ma bambuwu-ma. ‘Those two are good at playing the didgeridoo.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. bumarnini is blowing. bumarna has blown. buma will blow, wants to blow. buma blow it! bumarninja n. something that has been blown or played.  Minya barnangku nyungku bumarninja, bardakurru. ‘I’ll give you the one I played, it’s good.’ SEE: bumarnini. -bun suf. ending which marks that the sentence is a suggestion, or that it needs confirmation.  Kula-bun-ma-rna yandurru lurrija-rni. Murlangka-rni-bun barna karri. Mudburra to English dictionary 97

b

buna

B

‘I might not go away just yet. I will keep staying right here.’  Wajurrawajurrabun bangalawa wandiyinarni. ‘Wasn’t it yesterday that we had rain coming this way?’ buna n. ashes.  Burrb-wanya jankiyana yali warlu-ma. Buna-wanya kayini. ‘That fire finished burning. It’s ash now.’ Kurdi, barna ngardangku yali-ma buna-ma. Warluwurru-rni. ‘Wait, I will leave those ashes. They’re still hot.’  Yali barra-yi darralyaka, bunawu. ‘Hit that white gum tree for me to make ashes.’  Kurdi, barnanyanu baly ma bunayaru ngayilirni. ‘Wait, I will rub myself with ashes.’ SEE: bunku. You mix ‘warnu’ (tobacco) with ‘buna’ (ashes). Ashes give the tobacco more bite and enhance the effect of the nicotine. You can also use ‘buna’ to make a kind of white body paint. See p. 419 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Bunarraban n. Renner Springs.  Bunarraban-ma bayina Warlmanadarrawu. ‘Renner Springs belongs to the Warlmanpa people.’ It is a place in Warlmanpa country. bunayingmi n. bush orange. = kurlinyaka, bambilyi. Capparis umbonata. SEE: mawukala. The fruit are eaten when they are ripe — green with a slightly orange-yellow colour. They are sweet and very tasty. The unripe fruit can be buried in the sand to help them ripen. Sometimes this might take as long as two weeks. When the fruit are fully ripe they are called ‘mawukala’. They have a very strong, pleasant smell, which can be noticed a long way from the plant. The wood is used as firewood as it lights quickly and easily. ‘Lirralirraka’ (red-tailed black-cockatoos) like to eat the seed of the fruit. The inner bark or cleaned roots can also be used as medicine. It is chipped into small pieces and boiled in water until the water becomes red. This liquid is used as a wash applied frequently to treat ‘wukurliji‘ 98

(boils), chicken pox and ‘jangawurru’ (scabies, skin sores). If the liquid is boiled longer, it turns into a liniment that can be used for pains in the chest, muscles and joints. You must not get this medicine near your eyes. When the large flooding rains of the full wet season are coming, this plant can be used to chase the rains away. The leaves are placed on a fire to make smoke, and this is waved towards the rain clouds to make them go away. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bunba cv. fight, be aggressive, angry, ‘cheeky’ in Kriol. See p. 426 for the hand sign. bunba kayini angry, aggressive.  Bunba bayi kayini. Bayi barru yalili kirrili, ngayinyali mungkajali. ‘She’s angry with me. My wife is going to hit me.’ bunba barnini fight.  Balirna bunba barnana kurrulala-ma. ‘They were fighting each other last night.’ bunba marnini talk aggressively.  Ngadarra bayin bunba marnini? ‘Why are you shouting at me?’ bunba nyanganini look aggressively.  Nyambaya bayin bunbali-ma nyanganini? ‘Why are you looking at me in that nasty way?’ bunbangarna aggressive one.  Karrila yali warlaku-ma bunbangarna, bingku birnarra! ‘Leave that aggressive dog alone, in case it bites you!’ bunbun cv. bald, hairless. SEE: danganybari. bunbun kayini bald, hairless.  Yili nyaka. Yali nyangka ngarrka bunbun kayini, malibanyawangka. ‘Look at this man, he’s bald, hairless.’ bunbunbari bald.  Bunbun damangka, bunbunbari damangka. ‘Bald head, bald head.’ bunbunnga n. top grindstone (pestle) held in hand. ALSO: bunbunngarna. = biyawuja.  Barna durd marnini bunbunnga marndamarndali. ‘I’m holding the top grindstone with my hand.’  Barna barnini lukarrara bunbunngayaru lardarangaka. ‘I am bashing wild rice with the top

For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

burdak grindstone on the bottom grindstone.’ SEE: lardaranga; kumurru. This small grindstone is used on a ‘lardaranga’ (mortar — large stationary grindstone). bundajbundaj cv. strut, walk ‘sucker way’. = wajalkarra. bundajbundaj yanini strut, walk ‘sucker way’.  Yali nyangka kirri, bundajbundaj yananjanarra. ‘Look at that woman strutting along.’ bundundurra n. full up (with food or drink), eaten or drunk enough, satiated. ALSO: bundundura. = nanbari.  Bundundura barna kayini. ‘I’m full up.’  Marndaj barna, bundundurra-wanya. Marndaj barna ngarnana. ‘I’m good, full now. I ate well.’ SEE: balika; jamandarra; nunyku. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bunjarri n. sandpaper fig. Ficus aculeata. This small tree has rough leaves that feel like sandpaper. It only grows in the far north of Mudburra country and is not well known. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bunku n. anything with a fine, powdery texture, like ashes, flour, baking powder, baby powder, or flour and ashes mixed for tobacco.  Bunku warndarra-yi kadi. Barna duji karri. ‘Go get that flour for me. I’m going to mix up (some dough).’  Barna yilyilyi marnini. Warnda-yi bunku. ‘I have a rash. Get powder for me.’  Barna-wanya yuwarnini bunku-ma kandirringkurra. ‘I am adding baking powder to the bread dough.’ USAGE: This word is similar to ‘burnku’ in Jingulu. bungan- v. many words beginning with ‘bungan’ are forms of the verb ‘dance’. SEE: bunganini. bunganina n. dancer.  Yali barla bud bungku, bardakurra-ma bungmaninama. ‘Send that one to dance, he’s a good dancer.’ SEE: bunganini. bunganini v. dance, poke.  Wajarra bali bunganini. ‘They are dancing a corroboree.’

 Kadi bali bunganjinganini marlarluka bula. ‘Those old men are dancing a corroboree.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. bunganini is dancing. bungana has danced. bunganarra might dance. bungku will dance, wants to dance. bungka dance! bunganinja n. someone who has been danced for.  Yali-ma marndaj yaba, bunganinja. ‘He’s a proper young man, he’s been danced for.’ SEE: bunganini. bungbunga n. thighbone. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. bungbungkarra cv. aching.  Walu barna bungbungkarra. ‘I’ve got a headache.’ bungk- v. many words beginning with ‘bungk’ are forms of the verb ‘dance’. SEE: bunganini. bunybunyi cv. suck. = muk, nyunyuk. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. bunybunyi kayini sucking.  Barna bunybunyi kayini kardakarda. ‘I’m sucking a bone.’  Yali karu bunybunyi kayini. ‘That child is sucking (on a lolly).’  Yali karu bunybunyi karri. Kilimi kujkulyawurru. ‘Suck on that kid’s (nose). His nose is full of snot.’ burarr cv. light kindling, kindle a fire. = dun, lurrku. SEE: wimina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. burarr kurnini light kindling, kindle a fire.  Bikirra warnda, burarr kuya. ‘Get some grass and light it.’ burdak cv. extract guts, remove entrails. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. burdak biyanganini remove entrails, guts.  Barna burdak biyangana walanja, dija majula. ‘I cut open and removed the big guts from the goanna.’ burdak langanini cut open.  Burdak barna langana. ‘I removed the guts.’ burdak warndanini cut open.  Burdak warnda, majulala jirdi warnda! ‘Cut open Mudburra to English dictionary 99

b

burdukawu

B

(the goanna), and get the guts out of the stomach!’ burdukawu n. red ground country covered with bush. SEE: bilyingbilyinga. USAGE: This is ‘babirda’ and ‘miyaka’ country. burdun n. shelter, Aboriginal house. = dumuru. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. burdurl cv. sulk, walk away and not talk, go off in a huff, disappointed. SEE: bujarri. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. burdurl kayini sulk, be disappointed.  Nyambawu ban burdurl-ma kayini? ‘Why are you sulking?’ burdurl marnini whinge, complain.  Burdurl marnini yali-ma — burdurl kayinykayini yali-ma kula barna nyungana mangarri. ‘He’s whinging — he’s sulking because I didn’t give him any food.’ burlka n. old man. = marluka. USAGE: This is also a Warlmanpa and Gurindji word. In Gurindji it also means ‘white hair’. burlkunga n. eldest relative of a particular type.  Marndaj banyanu bardardadarra-ma karlunini burlkungali. ‘The oldest one is taking care of his/her younger siblings.’  Ngayinya-ma bayi burlkunga ngabuju-ma ngayinya kirdawu barla burlkunga ngamirni. ‘My eldest ‘ngabuju’ (the eldest sibling of father’s mother) is my father’s eldest uncle.’ SEE: mijinykurra. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. burlu n. grass gut, tripe.  Barnali kambarla. Ban kambarla nyundu-ma burlu-ma. ‘I can cook (but). We always cook. You can cook tripe.’ — Tripe, which comes from cattle, kangaroo, or other sizeable animal, can be boiled and eaten. burndurdu n. harmonic generations, members of a single generation plus those who are an even number of generations removed from them (+2, -2, +4, -4, etc.). For example, you and your grandparents

(two generations up) are members of the same ‘burndurdu’, as are you and your grandchildren (two generations down), you and your great-great-grandchildren (four generations down), etc. ‘Burndurdu’ effectively divide the entire community into two halves (called ‘moieties’ by anthropologists). In the old days, this division may have been important for certain ceremonial practices. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. burrb cv. finished, done completely. burrb kayini finished.  Barlawarla burrb karrinyarra. ‘We finished up there (a long time ago).’ burrb barnini finish hitting.  Burrb-wanya kayili marndaj ban barnana. ‘Stop hitting him, enough now.’  Barnali burrb barnana. ‘We’ve finished it all.’ burrb warndanini finish taking.  Nyunduma-n burrb warndanini yali mangarri ma. ‘You’re finishing up taking that food.’ burrb kurnini finish doing something.  Kadi-ma jangan kuya burrb. ‘Clean it all up until it’s done (e.g. for ceremony ground).’ burrbkarra finishing. burriyi cv. nervous, anxious, scared. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. burriyi kayini anxious, nervous, scared.  Ban burriyi kayini. ‘You are nervous.’  Kadiya-ma bali burriyi kayinykayini, biyinangulu barnarra. ‘They are nervous that they might hit them.’ burriyib n. wind, cold weather. ALSO: burrib. = yak wandiyini, warrajkalu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. burrju n. March fly. Tabanidae spp. SEE: bujurrndayidayi. These large flies can give a painful sting, often around the lower leg and ankles. They are slowmoving and easy to kill. There is a bird called ‘bujurrdayidayi’ that calls out when March-fly time has arrived. It is called ‘bujurrdayidayi’ because this is the sound of the call it makes. The March fly is also associated with the ‘kiyirnmini’ (yellow tree snake), which likes breast milk. It will go and suck milk from a young woman who

100 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Buwarraja is breast feeding so young mothers are warned not to go near the river. The snake knows that there are people by the river because the march fly gives them away. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. burrk cv. take (something) off (someone), take away from, snatch. = birrk. burrk kurnini take off, take away from, snatch, pull out.  Burrk kuya yali karu. ‘Take it away from that kid.’  Burrk kuya yali warlaku jawurd-ma yali-ma-rna kambu. ‘Get that kangaroo tail off the dog, I want to cook it.’ burrmurumura n. hornet, mud wasp. Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Delta spp. SEE: nurnurnuminji. These large black and yellow wasps make their nests from mud collected at the edges of puddles, creeks and waterholes. They often build these nests on the outsides of people’s houses. They are aggressive and can sting you. These wasps are only seen by themselves, not in swarms. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. burrngayik n. stink, stench. = nungulyu, lungulyu.  Burrngayik ngabukarra kayini. ‘The stench is strong everywhere.’ Burruburrurda n. clan name (one of the matrilineal clans into which Mudburra society is organised), totem name. SEE: ngurlu; Ninibi; Buwarraja; Kalanybuka; Wilarrka; Yuwangka. burruburrurda n. itchy caterpillar, greenfire. ALSO: burruburrurdi. These green-brown caterpillars can sting you. Their sting hurts a lot and causes swelling. They are often seen in creeks and in the bush, and they grow into butterflies. ‘Burruburrurda’ is also one of the ‘ngurlu’ (matrilineal clan groups) into which Mudburra society is organised. burrularla n. night. = kurrulala. USAGE: This is

a Western Mudburra word. burrunjawuni n. fontenelle, soft spot at crown of a baby’s head.  Nginyakarda karu burrunjawuni, manyamanya damangka-ma, dardalya yarri ngana diyija-ma karri. ‘A child has a soft spot on the crown of their head, but it hardens as they get bigger.’ burrunjawurni n. quail. ALSO: burrunjurawuni. Turnix spp. These birds live in grassy areas and often walk around in little groups. They fly up out of the grass with a loud noise if you walk near them. These birds have no tails and are too small to eat. They are mates for the ‘kunkurdijarra’ (singing bushlarks). burruru n. blue wire grass, pokey grass. ALSO: burrurru. Aristida pruinosa. SEE: mawurumi. This grass has ‘mawurumi’ (sharp, three-pronged seeds) that can poke through your trousers into your leg as you walk through it. ‘Mawurumi’ can be used to clean your ear. burumana n. taipan-like snake. = jurndakal. Oxyuranus? This is a very dangerous snake. It is highly venomous and deadly and is sometimes called ‘man-killer’. It is rarely seen and is not well known but is highly feared. This is possibly an extinct species of taipan (Oxyuranus), one of the world’s most venomous snakes, or an extant species whose geographic range has reduced within the last few thousand years. It could be the western taipan, or fierce snake, Oxyuranus microlepidotus. This snake currently occurs in western Queensland but not in the Northern Territory. burunjirrila n. afternoon, evening, suppertime. = wajurrajurra.  Yanarnnginyi burunjirrila. ‘He’s arriving this afternoon.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. buwala cv. numb.  Buwala-wanya barna kayina wanjalmarni-ma. ‘I can’t feel my bum.’ buwali n. bush, wooded country like Murranji, open savannah. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Buwarraja n. 1 • Dreaming, Dreamtime; designs associated with the Dreaming that are painted on dancers’ bodies for Kujika Mudburra to English dictionary 101

b

buyirrin

D

ceremonies. = wumangku.  Buwarrajama waninyarra Yingawunarri buyuka-ma. ‘The Dreaming fell down as a rain stone at Old Top Springs.’  Minya-karda barnayina nyunganini Buwarraja-ma ngayinya ngalinyadarrawu-ma, amba bali karluya kakunyannginyi-ma. ‘I am giving this Dreaming to my sons so they can keep it, all the way from their paternal grandfather.’  Ngayu-ma-rna yuwala ngayinya-rni Buwarraja-ma kakunginyi ngurra, Murranji. Barna yuwala dankurra-kurla, kalngawanya kankuluka-ma. ‘I always put on my own Dreaming designs (from my) paternal grandfather’s country, Murranji. I put on yellow (paint) first, then red ochre on top.’ 2 • dream. = bankaja.  Buwarraja barna manyan karluna. ‘I had a dream last night.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. buyirrin n. spear grass or wire grass. ALSO: buyurruny. This grass grows around Mataranka, not in Mudburra country. buyirrinngarnarra person from the spear grass country stretching from Dunmarra north to Mataranka.  Buyirrinngarnarra bali yaninjanirra kambambarra-ma Badbangkurra, Jardbiningkurra. Bali yaninjanirra ngarranyanawu, jujuwu, nyambanyambawu, Marlinjangkurra. ‘A long time ago the people from the wire grass country used to go to Daly Waters and Dunmarra. (Then) they would carry on to Marlinja for ceremony, sacred business, and other such things.’ buyuda n. sand. = nuya, nulka. buyuka n. rain stone, quartz. ALSO: biyuka. = burrnguburrngu.  Buyuka barna birrka ma: ngukuwangka barlawa. ‘I’m going to make a rain stone: we have no rain.’ — To bring rain, people would find a piece of this stone and set it up with some grass and a ‘kaburi’ (lizard). USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. buyuluka n. sand, dirt; rotten tree or log which is soft or light. = buyuda, nuya. buyurr cv. skin, take skin off in an accident. = ngakalyarra, wabalyu. buyurr wandiyinini fall and take skin off.  Dingarri barna buyurr warndana. ‘I fell and skinned my knee.’ buyurrkarra taking skin off.

Dd dad cv. high up, put something high up, hang up clothes to dry. = kankulu.  Ban warrard ngardanganini nyununya bangku abaaba. Ban dadbili kayina wirengka. ‘You are leaving your clothes to dry. You have hung them up on the clothes line.’ dad kayini hanging up.  Yali nyangkawula kankulu karndingka! Walanja dad kayini. You two look up in the tree! There’s a goanna hanging up there.  Barna yirrmal kangana karndingkurra. Kankulu-wanya dad kayinykayini, marndaj. I shifted him over to the tree (stump). Now he’s perched on top of it. He’s fine.  Ban warrard ngardanganini nyununya bangku abaaba. Ban dadbili kayina wirengka. You are leaving your clothes to dry. You have hung them up on the clothes line. dad kurnini hang up, put up high.  Yaliya karudarra dad kuya-yina, dirrk ma-yina seat beltjaru! Put those kids up (in the child car seats) and tie them in with the seat belt!  Kulunjurrungka barna dad kurnana. I perched it on the coolamon log. dak cv. sit. = lurlubkarra, kulardbi.

dak kayini there sitting.  Ngananganju bali kadiya-ma dak kayini ngandayingkama? ‘Who are those people sitting in the shade?’ dak wandiyini sit down.  Yalungka dak wandi. ‘Sit down with her.’ Dakabulu n. place out Montejinnie way.  Kambambarra-bili warndajwarndanirra marlarlukali-ma bilirdbi-ma Dakabulukarda yini-ma. ‘In the old days people would get white ochre right there at Dakabulu.’ dakudbari n. pink cockatoo, Major Mitchell’s

102 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

damburrngarna cockatoo. = yarrkankuna. Cacatua leadbeateri. The pink cockatoo lives in desert areas in the southern parts of Mudburra country. It likes to eat ‘wurrubuja’ (a type of grass). In the old days, people roasted and ate the meat from this bird. It is no longer eaten though. It has country around Jarrimanu, west of Elliott and has the skin name Jimija or Namija. See p. 410 for the hand sign. dalak cv. bump or hit with small object. = lurl. dalak barnini hit with a small object (held or thrown).  Kadili bayi dalak barnarra damangka. ‘That guy hit me on the head (with something).’ dalak luwarnini pelt, hit with small thrown object.  Yalili karulu dalak luwarnini yali karukari wumarayaru. ‘That kid hit the other kid with a thrown rock.’ USAGE: Western Mudburra uses ‘dalak luwarnini’ and Eastern Mudburra uses ‘dalak barnini’ here. This is also a Gurindji word. dalak wandiyini bump. dalanybari n. bald, balding on top. = danganybari.  Danganybari yali nyangkali ngarrka, malibanya-wangka lungkurru-ma. ‘That man’s balding, he has no hair on top.’ SEE: bunbun. USAGE: This means ‘bald’ and ‘balding’ in Western Mudburra, but only ‘balding’ in Eastern Mudburra, where ‘bunbun’ is used for completely bald. dalburrarra cv. lie down with one knee up and crossed over the other leg. dalburrarra kayini lie with one knee up.  Manyan kayini, dalburrarra kayini. ‘He’s lying down with one knee up, over the other leg.’ dalmurrana n. blue-winged kookaburra, kookaburra. = jalkururru. Dacelo leachii. This large bird is known by the common name ‘kookaburra’, but the word ‘kookaburra’ is also used for the smaller kingfishers and the rainbow bee-eater. They are often heard calling loudly at dawn and dusk. dalwirr cv. hang up. = dad. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

dalwirr yuwarnini hang up. dalydalyngarna n. mole cricket. Gryllidae. These large black insects live in soft ground like creek and riverbanks. They make a droning ‘dalydaly . . . dalydaly’ sound in the ground, but stop when people walk near them. dalyi n. whip snake. Demansia? These snakes are fast-moving and aggressive. They are not deadly, but their bite causes swelling and severe pain. When you get them out of the water, they shrink. They are common and are seen in Elliott regularly. damangka n. head. = kurlaka, walu, ngarlaka.  Wunyubaka bayi murrkardi-ma. Ngayu barna damangka diyija karrinyarra, wilirla malibanya. ‘This hat is too small. I have a big head and long hair.’ dambaj cv. detach a part of, uproot, extract, chip off, shatter. dambaj barnini chip off.  Yali dambaj barra-yi kiyindan! ‘Chip off shards of that stone knife for me!’ dambaj wandiyini fall and shatter. dambaj kurnini throw and shatter.  Yalili dambaj kurnana murrubala. ‘That one shattered the bottle.’ dambaj warndanini uproot, pull out, extract.  Dambaj warnda yali miringmi! ‘Pull off that gum.’  Kardibali bayi dambaj warndana ngayinya lirra. ‘The dentist extracted my tooth.’ dambaj kayini missing a piece or part.  Lirra barna dambaj kayina. ‘I lost a tooth.’ dambajkarra chipping off. damburrng n. pointy-nosed legless lizard, legless lizard, Burton’s lizard, spinifex lizard. Delma nasuta. This legless lizard lives in spinifex country. It is small and sometimes seen on the road at night. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. damburrngarna n. spoonbill. = bulumburlirdi. Platalea spp. Spoonbills Mudburra to English dictionary 103

d

danbina

D

move their flat beaks from side to side through the water looking for food. White feathers from these birds are used as body decoration in some ceremonies. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. danbina n. pillow, head rest.  Kambambarra-ma bali warndanirra marlarlukali-ma danbinawuma bilaya. ‘In the old days people would get a piece of termite mound to use as a head rest.’ danka n. ankle. = bardbala.  Danka barnanyanu kird warndana. ‘I twisted my ankle.’ USAGE: This is also a Wambaya word, but not a Jingulu word. danku n. 1 • swag, belongings, necessities. = dankarra. USAGE: In Eastern Mudburra, this word is used for a piece of bedding or a bed, and ‘dankuma’ for a whole swag. This is also a Gurindji word, but it means only ‘food’. 2 • full, (enough) food.  Danku barna. ‘I’m full (of food).’ dankurra n. yellow, orange.  Kurdi barli yandurru yuwulungkurra dankurrangkurra, nyangku barli yunbawu walanjawu. ‘Wait up, you and I will go to the yellow ground, look around for goanna tracks.’ dang cv. kill, dead. = bak, wurru, dikirrij. dang barnini kill.  Yali warlaku dang barra! ‘Kill that dog!’  Yali dang barra wardabarnmarra mangarlingka! ‘Kill that kangaroo by hitting it in the chest!’ danganybari n. bald, balding on top. ALSO: danganywari. = dalanybari.  Danganybari yali nyangka-li ngarrka, malibanyawangka lunkurru-ma. ‘Look at that man; he’s balding, he has no hair on top.’ dangbarrangarna n. lazy.  Yali-ma ngarrkama dangbarrangarna. ‘That man is lazy.’ dangkila n. small freshwater mussel. Velesunio wilsonii. SEE: kurdijalaka; dugu;

marlangayi. In the big wet seasons, mussels can be found in large numbers in waterholes and lakes and can be collected from the mud at the bottom. The meat inside the shell is eaten after lightly cooking it on hot coals or in a small grass fire. As it burns, it lightly cooks the meat. The shells open up when the meat is cooked. It is really good tasting and nice to eat, like eating at a restaurant. The meat is also used to treat ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). The hard shell can be used as a spoon, and the sharpened edge was used as a knife in the past. Shards of broken mussel shell are sharp and can cut your foot if you walk on them. dangulinji n. slippery lizard, skink. Ctenotus sp. This sleek-looking lizard runs around in the leaves at dawn and dusk. It has nice shiny skin. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. danyan n. spangled perch. Leiopotherapon unicolor. The meat from this fish is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. It has quite a few bones, so you must eat the meat carefully. Larger ones can get up to 15– 20 cm long. They can be caught on a handline, with frogs or meat as bait. They can also be caught by simply herding them towards the bank or the causeway and flicking them out of the water up onto the bank. They were traditionally caught by submerging a hollow log and trapping them inside it. Only the larger ones are eaten; the small ones are put back in the water to grow bigger. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. danykalk cv. hit against something (e.g. holding a goanna by the tail and hitting it against the ground). = bard. danykalk kurnini hit against something.  Wurr warnda jawurdngurlu danykalk kuya. ‘Pull (the goanna out of its hole) and kill it by the tail.’ darab cv. duck down, go out of view, go down

104 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

darldarl under cover (e.g. underwater or behind a tree, grass, windbreak). darab wandiyini duck down.  Wud bayi nyangana, darab wandiyina. ‘He peeped out at me, and ducked back down.’ dardaji n. nutwood and its nuts, desert walnut. = bardiki. Terminalia arostrata. When the hard, dark fruits of the nutwood are ripe, they can be broken open to reveal the edible seed inside. Camels like to eat the entire fruit. The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) and it is common to find ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag) in the trunk. The outer bark produces fine black soot when it is burnt. This can be used as colour during ceremonies. In the past, it was rubbed onto the skin of light-skinned babies to stop sunburn. This tree casts good shade and kangaroos often sit under it. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. dardaka n. northern kurrajong. = yingki. Brachychiton diversifolius. This tree grows in northern areas of Jingulu and Mudburra country; there are lots around Larrimah. The swollen tap root of young plants can be dug up, roasted and eaten. It is like a long thin yam and is good to eat. The bark of young plants can be made into string that is very long-lasting and strong. It can be used to tie spearheads onto spear shafts or hooks onto spear-throwers, or to tie up bundles of food, firewood or any other items. In the past it was used to make nagas or loincloths for women, and was used to make special headbands worn by men during ceremonies. Paint brushes can be made from twigs and from small saplings. The ends are crushed with a stone to make the brush part. The gum can be used as medicine. It is applied directly to sores

and cuts. The inner bark is also used as a bandage, as it has an open weave pattern like a bandage. It is good for treating cuts and wounds caused by being hit with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). dardalya n. hard, firm, tight, strong (person). = birlbu.  Dibid ma wireli dardalyayili. ‘Tie it up tight with wire.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. dardarra n. short, small. = dunkuja. SEE: wunyu. dardu n. many, big mob, everyone, lots. ALSO: darda. = yuranya.  Dardu-rni bali yanarra. ‘Everyone’s gone.’ SEE: babard. See p. 433 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is also in Jingulu, Gurindji, and Warlmanpa. darl cv. 1 • bang, crash, tap. darl barnini bang, crash.  Nyambali bangalawa darl barnana, minya marru-ma kankulu-ma. ‘What crashed for us, on top of this shed.’ darldarl tap repeatedly.  Nganali bangalawa darldarl barninybarnini karnbaj-ma? ‘Who is hitting those clapsticks and making a noise for us?’ 2 • warm up. darl kayini warm up.  Darl barna kayini, warlungka. Minjanini barna. ‘I’m warming myself up by the fire. I’m cold.’ darladarla n. bindi-eye. = nyili, wurlurnmi. Tribulus terrestris. This plant has yellow flowers and grows flat along the ground. It has very prickly fruit that must be avoided when walking. They can poke right into your foot, which is very painful. darldarl n. clapsticks. = kundalnga, karnbaj.  Darldarl bangku mirrka marni ngayinyali karlajali kambarra-ma. ‘My little brother Mudburra to English dictionary 105

d

darliwa

D

made clapsticks for you earlier.’ — Not used ceremonially in JingiliMudburra country, only as accompaniment to secular songs. darliwa n. blue crane, white-necked heron (egret). = jarlwa, karnbakakurni. Egretta pacifica. darlk cv. 1 • spurt, burst forth, jump out, bang (sound). darlk barnini pierce (for water).  Darlk barnana. ‘Somebody burst it (to get the water out).’ darlk dumarnini water spurt out, jump up.  Darlk dumarnini. ‘The water is spurting out.’ darlk kayini water coming out.  Yali nguku darlk kayini yuwulungurlu. ‘That water is coming up out of the ground.’ darlk langanini dig hole to get water out.  Bali darlk langana. ‘They made a hole for the water to come out.’ darlk warndanini get water out.  Nguku bali darlk warndana. ‘They got the water out already (there’s none left).’ darlkkarra bursting, spurting.  Nguku darlkkarra kayini yali yuwulungurlu. ‘Water’s coming up out of the ground.’ 2 • whip, crack a whip. darlk barnini crack a whip.  Barlawangulu yandurru barlawangulu nyangku kuwala darlk barru whip-ma. ‘Let’s go, we can watch them crack whips like that.’ darlk kayini crack a whip.  Ngayinya kujarra karlaja kujarra bawali birna darlk karrabani wuma whipngku-ma. ‘My two little brothers are good at cracking whips.’ darlkarra cracking a whip. darlkarrangarna n. whip. ALSO: darlkngarna.  Yali warnda-yi darlkarrangarna. ‘Give me that whip.’ darlkurr cv. break into pieces. darlkurr kayini break into pieces.  Yali wire darlkurr kayina. ‘That wire has broken in half.’ darlkurr barnini chop into pieces.  Marndaj kadili darlkurrkarra barnana warlu-ma. ‘That one has already cut up the firewood.’ darlkurr biyanganini cut into pieces.

 Wajurrajurra barna darlkurr biyangku yali wire-ma. ‘This afternoon I am going to cut the wire up.’ darlukurru n. hole, cavity, grave, holey country, many holes, deep. = bandarra, jirrkana.  Karrila yali jawaranya-ma — darlukurruwurru. ‘Leave that billycan — it’s got a hole in it.’  Binyana barrbarda-n, biya ban darndarn wandiyinarra darlukurrungkurra. ‘You are going way out into the deep.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. darlarlukurru holey country, country with lots of holes.  Yamaka yandarra, darlarlukurru ngabala yaninjanirra. ‘Go carefully, it’s holey country all around.’ darndarn cv. 1 • inside. = bub, kanju. See p. 425 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. darndarn kayini inside.  Yanana kuwanjala minya, darndarn kayini. ‘It’s gone around this way, it’s inside.’ darndarn wandiyini go inside, enter.  Darndarnkarra bali wandiyini (marrungka). ‘They’re going in (the house).’ darndarnkarra inside, right in.  Barlawa darndarnkarra wandi kanju nguku yananjanarni diyija. ‘Let’s all go inside under shelter because big rain is coming.’ 2 • splash. darndarn wandiyini splash.  Darndarn wandi karu. ‘The kid’s splashing.’ -darra suf. lots, many, big mob (plural). = -barra, -walija, -rra, -ya, -jban.  Durlkkarra barnini jurlakadarra durlkbariyaru. ‘He keeps shooting the birds with the gun.’  Warlakudarrali balirna birninybirnini. ‘Those dogs are biting each other.’ darrajbi n. side of creek, bank, edge of water. = jirrkilimi.  Darrajbi kayini yali ngardarda. ‘There are crabs at the water’s edge.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. darralyaka n. ghost gum, white gum. Corymbia bella. SEE: diyinu; nanjarrnga. These trees are generally referred to as ‘gum trees’. Their timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) as it burns slowly and evenly. The outer smooth white bark is burnt to ‘buna’ (fine white ash) to mix with ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). The bark is

106 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

dibij either collected dry and burnt straight away, or chopped wet from the tree and left to dry out for a few days before burning. The outer bark is also used to make special boomerangs that are used during ceremonies. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native beehives) can be found in this tree. ‘Nanjarrnga’ (sugarleaf, lerps) can be found on the leaves. As with the hill bloodwood and the bloodwood, the red sap of this tree is called ‘diyinu’ and makes good medicine. It can be placed directly onto an aching tooth to stop the pain. It can also be boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. darridarri cv. line up, in a row.  Nginyarra wumaradarra, kurdi barna warndu, barnayina darridarri yuwarru. ‘I’ll get these stones and I’ll line them up.’ — Applies to things or people lined up whether in rank or file (front to back or side to side). darru n. spider. = yumbu, jirinyili, karruji. Arachnida, Araneae. All spiders have the same names although many different types of spiders are recognised and some are dangerous. Some of the larger spiders live in burrows in the ground. The red-back spider has a painful bite that causes a lot of swelling. Spider webs are called ‘karrujinginyi’. darukarra cv. swim, wash, bathe, bogey. ALSO: daruk. = jakarajbi, kalyarrumi, lilaj, jirrbu. See p. 424 for the hand sign. darukarra yanini go for a swim.  Darukarra barna yandurru.

‘I’m going for a swim.’ darumi cv. look for, search for. = nyanganini. darumi kayini look for, search for.  Barnarla darumi kayini. ‘I’m searching for her.’ dawurdawu n. axe, tomahawk. ALSO: dardawu. = mayingka. See p. 417 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. -di case. This ending marks the one who performs the action, a weapon or implement, or adverb agreement (ergative). = -li, -lu, -ji.  Marlarnbirlindi ngarrka-ma wanka warndanirra. ‘Marlanbirlin kept the Aboriginal people alive.’ SEE: -li. dibard cv. jump, boil, spring up from the ground, jump around, hop, skip, take big jumping steps. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dibard kayini jump.  Dibardkarra kayini. ‘He’s jumping.’ dibarddibard wandiyini boil, jump up and down.  Nginya nguku dibard wandiyini. ‘This water is boiling.’  Dibard-bun wandiyina, banbij warndana football-ma. ‘Though he jumped, he missed the football.’  Dibarddibard wandiyini. ‘He’s jumping up and down.’ dibardkarra jumping. dibarddibard jump up and down, bubble up. dibid cv. tie up something. SEE: dirrk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dibid marnini tie up. dibij cv. appear, come into view, come out, get out. dibij kayini appear, come into view, come out, get out.  Nginya-ma banyanu walanja mindirr yuwarna, kadingurlu dibij kayina. ‘This goanna covered itself up here, and it revealed itself from that one.’  Kadi dibij kayina marrungurlu-ma, yananjanarraMudburra to English dictionary 107

d

didbakarnu

D

wanya. ‘That one got out of his house, and now he’s going along.’ dibij yanini appear, come into view, come out, get out.  Kurdi yandarra nyundu-ma dibij! Barnanyanu jard kuya nginya doorlima. ‘You go out! I am going to shut myself in with the door.’ dibij dumarnini come up into view, come up out here.  Dibij dumarna kadingurlu. ‘It came out from over there.’ dibij kanganini make appear, take out.  Kurdi barna minya karu dibij kangkurru. ‘I will take this child outside.’ dibij ngardanganini go out leaving someone.  Kurdi barnangku dibij ngardangku ngayili-ma. Nyundu-ma karri kanju-rni! ‘I will go out leaving you here. You stay right here inside!’ dibij kurnini make appear, put out.  Marndaj barna dibij kurnana. Barna yuward barna. ‘I already got him out. I’ve kicked him out.’ dibij yuwarnini make appear, put out.  Ngayukujarra barli bub wandi, yali-marli dibij yuwarru. ‘You and I will go inside, and then we’ll get him out.’ dibij nyanganini poke head out and look.  Kurdi barna dibij nyangku wangku minya, wajurrajurra-wanya-barra. ‘I will poke my head out to look at the sun to see whether it is evening yet.’ dibidibij appearing. didbakarnu n. cattle, bullock, cow. = buliki. Bos indicus, Bos taurus. The meat is very good to eat after roasting. In recent times brahmans have become very common on Jingili and Mudburra country, but before the 1980s it was mainly shorthorns that were raised in this area. The first white pastoralists brought white-faced bullocks and shorthorns. See p. 406 for the hand sign. didikarra cv. wait anxiously for a long time.  Wangku barnarla nyanganini didikarra. ‘I’m watching the sun, waiting anxiously for him.’ didiyija n. peewee, magpie-lark. = dirridirrija, kurlirrida. Grallina cyanoleuca. This small black and white bird is very common; you

see it everywhere. It builds a nest from mud. It is a Dreaming for some people and has the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. dij cv. make camp, camp temporarily. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dij kayini camp.  Murlungka-karda barli dij karri. ‘You and I will camp right here.’ dija n. big, heavy, important, a lot, big mob. ALSO: diyija.  Nguku ngarnana dija. ‘He drank a lot.’  Minya-ma-rna diyija karlunini nguku. ‘This is heavy with water.’ — See p. 427 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dijadija lots of big things.  Dardu wumara dijadija barrbarda Tennant Creekngurlu. ‘There are lots of big rocks further along from Tennant Creek.’ dijak cv. enlarge. = dijayili. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dijak dumarnini enlarge while rising.  Wangku-ma dijak dumarnini. ‘The sun is rising.’ dijayili cv. enlarge. = dijak.  Yali karulu banyanu nguku wulu kurna balloonkurrama dijayili. ‘That child was running water into his balloon to make it bigger.’ SEE: dija; -yili. dijayili kayini enlarge.  Dijayili kayina yali balloon-ma. ‘The balloon is enlarged .’ dijbijbini n. dotterel, bobbing bird. = bijbija. Erythrogonys cinctus. This small birds runs around the edge of the water in billabongs and swamps. As it goes along, it stops and bobs its head, then runs again. dijirrirna n. jacana, Jesus bird. ALSO: dijirrirni. Irediparra gallinacea. These birds have long thin toes and walk on waterlily leaves. They often carry their little chicks under their wings. People don’t eat these birds. They have the skin name Janama or Nanaku. dijung cv. play didgeridoo. = bumarnini. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dijung kayini play didgeridoo. dijung karlunini play didgeridoo.  Dijung

108 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

dil karluni ngaa, nyanirnima nyambayalama bambu-ma, nganayalala Mardbangka-ma, bambu-kardabun. ‘He played, that whatsit didgeridoo, at wheresit Montejinni, (that’s why) it’s ‘Didgeridoo’.’ dijungdijung playing didgeridoo.  Dijungdijung kayini bali kadi. ‘They played that didgeridoo.’ dika n. fat (on body or cooking fat).  Dikali baly ma. ‘Rub it with fat.’  Dikawurru nginya-ma bardbaka. ‘This big fella’s got a lot of fat on him.’ — You mix ‘dika’ with finely-ground ‘linyarda’ (charcoal), or red ochre or other stones to make body paint for ceremonies. dikal cv. talk to, tell story, instruct. = yurrk. SEE: jawuja. dikal kurnini talk to, tell, instruct.  Ngadarra marnini? Yali-ma yurrwa bangalawa dikal kurnini. ‘What’s he saying? He’s telling us all a story.’ dikal marnini tell a story, instruct.  Marndaj bayina yali-ma dikal marninymarnini schoolteacherlima karudarra. ‘The schoolteacher is telling the kids a good story.’ dikawangka n. skinny, thin, someone or something that is skinny. = kudbari, mayiwangka, kardakarda.  Nginya-ma-n barnana dikawangka larrkaja. ‘This one you killed has no fat, it’s too skinny.’ dikawurru n. fat, someone or something that is fat. = bardbaka.  Yali nyangka-li ngarrka dikawurru. ‘Everyone look at that fat man.’ dikabila fat.  Yali-ma ngarrkama dikawurru, dikabila. ‘That man is fat, he’s fat.’ — See p. 427 for the hand sign. dikidiki n. cards.  Yali wajkarra

kayina dikidiki-ma wumarawuma kardarrkuji. ‘They are playing cards for money all night long.’ — See p. 421 for the hand sign. dikirrij cv. die, dead, kill. ALSO: dikikij. This is a very direct and impolite way to say ‘die’ and is not used unless the person who passed away was disliked by the speaker. You would generally use the euphemistic ‘wandi’. dikirrij kayini dead.  Dikirrij kayina. ‘He died.’ dikikirrij kayini many things dead.  Dikikirrij bali kayina. ‘They died.’ dikirrij barnini kill.  Bingali barnarra dikirrij. ‘He might kill you and me.’ dil cv. crack, crack open, crack off, split, remove bark. = laj, ruwu. dil kayini crack, split.  Yali karndi dil kayina. Bingalawa wurrkumi kayinarra. ‘That tree has cracked. It might fall on top of us.’  Yali warlu wird warnda! Wumarangkurra wan kuya, amba dil karri! ‘Pick up that firewood! Throw it on that rock, so that it splits!’ dil wandiyina crack by falling, split by falling.  Yali plate dil wandiyina. ‘That plate has fallen and cracked.’ dil kurnini crack, split.  Barna barrala yali warlaku, barnanyanu kurrubardu dil kurnana. ‘I was trying to hit that dog, but I split my boomerang.’ dil barnini crack by hitting, split by hitting.  Barnangku dil barru damangka kuduruyaru. ‘I will crack your head open with a club.’ dil biyanganini crack by cutting, split by cutting.  Marndaj barna dil biyangana yali ngarina-ma! Kamba-wula-wanya! ‘I have already cut up this meat into bits. You two cook it now!’  Wakurni-rni, kula barna dil biyangana ngarina-ma. Dardalya-rni. ‘I still haven’t split up any of the meat. It’s still frozen.’ dil wandiyini crack by hand, split by hand, remove bark.  Yali kurrunyu dil warndayi bunawu! ‘Crack that bark off for me for Mudburra to English dictionary 109

d

dilburr

D

ashes!’  Minya-ma kandirri-ma dardalyarni. Kula barna dil warndana. ‘This bread is still frozen. I haven’t been able to split it.’ dil jankiyini split open from the heat of a fire.  Miyakadarra-ja-barra kadi warluluma dijali-ma dil jankiyini. ‘Maybe that big fire is heating up and splitting open a lot of the kurrajong seed too.’ dil kambarnini split open from fire.  Miyakadarra-ja-barra dil kambarnini kadi warlulu dijali-ma. ‘Maybe that big fire is heating up and splitting open a lot of the kurrajong seed too.’ dilwari crack.  Yali durlk warnda milakurrmi dilwaringurlu. ‘Get that sweet potato out of the cracks.’ didilwari cracked.  Yali yuwulu didilwari kayini. Babirda kayinykayini kanju. ‘That ground is all cracked. There are bush potatoes underneath.’ dilburr cv. broken. = kird, lakarr. dilburr kayini break.  Yali murdika bayi dilburr kayina. ‘That car broke down on me.’ dilburr wandiyini fall and break.  Yali karndi dilburr wandiyina. ‘That tree fell and broke.’ dilburr kurnini throw and break.  Janyburra-wanya bayi dilburr kurnana. ‘Then it threw me and broke my rib.’ dilburr warndanini break.  Kurdi barna nginya karndi dilburr warndu. ‘I will break this stick.’  Dimanali bayi wan kurna, dilburr warndana bayi janyburra. ‘The horse threw me off, and it broke my ribs.’ dilburr lamarnini squash and break.  Yunba bayi dilburr lamarna dimanali, barnarla yuwarrarnku yunbanginyi. ‘The horse trod on my foot and broke it, while I was trying to put shoes on it.’ dilburrwari broken.  Karrila-wanya dimana-ma! Wird kangani-mulu! Wulu ban dilburrwari. ‘Leave horses now! Don’t ride them! Your shin is broken.’ dilili cv. kneel. = jirr, lurdbanu.  Kardiba-ma dilili kayini, luwarninayaru. ‘The white man is kneeling, with a gun.’ dilji n. spring grass. Cyperus vaginatus. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

dilkurni n. whistling kite. Milvus sphenurus. SEE: kalbuna; dirdingarnu. This is a darkcoloured kite that nests in bushland. It whistles when it sees something. It likes to hunt near grass fires and can start and spread fires on its own. It picks up burning sticks and drops them in grassy areas, creating more fires to hunt near. dilu cv. alight, light. ALSO: dili. SEE: warlu. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. dilu kayini alight.  Dilu-wanya kayini. ‘Now it’s alight.’ dilu yuwarnini make light.  Nganali dilu bayi yuwarna? ‘Who turned the lights on for me?’ dilubiji get alight.  Kuwurru barnirra buba-ma dilubiji. ‘(They) used to spin the fire-drill until it lit up the fire.’ dilwari n. crack in ground. = yalawara.  Warndana babirda diyija dilwaringka. ’I found these big yams in a crack.’ didilwari cracked, having many cracks (dry ground).  Wakurni-wanya yali-ma barlakuji-ma didilwari wanya, ngukuwangka. ‘That billabong’s full of cracks, it’s got no water.’ dilyika n. greedy, selfish, not generous, won’t give anything. = yilyi, nyunganiwangka.  Yali-ma dilyika karrila! ‘That fellow’s greedy, leave him alone!’ dim cv. fly. dim kayini fly.  Walanybirridarra baliwanya dim kayini. ‘The pelicans are all flying now.’ dim yanini fly along.  Nginyarra kankulu jurlakadarra bali dim yananjanarni kuyanjala bangalawangulu. Kari-wanya bali dim kayinarra. ‘These birds were flying this way above us. They have already flown far away now.’ dim dumarnini take off, fly upwards.  Dim dumarna bawula kankulu, kujarra kurrarndala. ‘The two brolgas took off and flew away.’ dim ngardanganini fly away from.  Yali

110 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

dingarri jurlakali bangalawa dim ngardangana. Kankulu-wanya nginya yananjanarra. ‘That bird flew away and left us. Now it’s going away, high above.’ dim kurnini make someone jump up (in shock), heart miss a beat.  Birrard marnana. Dim banyanu kurnana. ‘He got a shock. His heart missed a beat.’ dimana n. horse. = yarrarrawirra, yawarda, yarraman. Equus caballus. In the past, horses were used a lot on stations for mustering cattle. They are agile and fast runners and were excellent for cattle work. There are wild horses on Mudburra and Jingili country, and in the past they were mustered, broken in and sold. See p. 407 for the hand sign. dimarlarn n. river red gum. = bilirna, kunjimarra. Eucalyptus camaldulensis. This large gum tree grows by ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks). There are a lot of large old trees at Lake Woods. The outer bark can be chopped off and used as a ‘kawarla’ (coolamon). The timber can also be carved into a canoe-shaped coolamon. It also makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) and ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from hollow branches. This tree provides very good medicine. The new leaves are crushed and then boiled in water, and this liquid is used as a wash to treat ‘kudkulya’ (coughs and congestion) and skin problems. A small amount may also be drunk to treat coughing. The liquid has a good smell, like Vicks, a commercial ointment with a strong eucalyptus smell. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in this tree and ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs) can also be found in the lower part of its trunk. Birds and possums make nests in the hollows of large, old trees. The leaves can be added to meat when cooking it in the ground to keep it moist and gives it a nice ‘salty’ flavour. USAGE: This is a Western

Mudburra word. dimbak n. plenty, full.  Ngadarra? Marndaj, dimbak kayini. ‘How much (water) is there? It’s okay, there’s plenty.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dimbu n. sky. = kulumarra.  Kula barna nyanarnini dimbu-ma madayiwurru. ‘I can’t see the sky, it’s full of clouds.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. dimbungarna n. aeroplane, plane. See p. 419 for the hand sign. dinimi cv. roll up. USAGE: There is also a similar Jingulu word ‘dirnim’ which means melt, stick together. dinimi kayini roll up.  Larlub yungka-yi. Barna warnu dinimi karri. ‘Scoop it out and give it to me, I’m going to roll up the tobacco.’ dinkija cv. sit crosslegged. dinkija kayini sit cross-legged. dinngarrwari n. 1 • pregnant, expectant mother. ALSO: dilngarrwari. = karuwurru, majulawurru, yarluba.  Dinngarrwaridarra bali manyan kayini. ‘The pregnant women are sleeping.’ — Pregnant women can’t eat any type of eggs from any native animal, or any animal that has eggs inside it. If she does, she will get sick and the baby will develop skin sores. Pregnant women also should not breathe any kind of smoke, whether from food cooking, a bushfire, a campfire, a house being smoked out or any other source. A pregnant woman’s husband can still hunt and fish, but pregnant women themselves can’t fish and can’t go swimming. In fact, they should not get too close to the river at all, or else the rainbow serpent might smell them. 2 • full of food, satiated. = danku.  Dinngarrwari barna kayini mangarringurlu. ‘I’m full up from tucker.’ dingarri n. knee.  Dingarri barna janga, kula barna kurdij karri. ‘I’ve got bad knees, I can’t stand Mudburra to English dictionary 111

d

dinyil

D

up.’ SEE: mingirridbi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dinyil cv. light, shining, burning, glowing (like coals after a bushfire has passed, or car headlights). = bilyingkarra. dinyil kayini shine, glow. ALSO: dinyilarra kayini.  Warlu dinyilarra kayini. ‘That fire is lighting up everything.’ dinyil warndanini turn a light on.  Dinyil warnda! ‘Put a light on!’ dinyingilan n. snail. = karlardari. Xanthomelon durvilli. The white, sun-bleached shells of these snails are collected by bowerbirds who place them around their bowers as decoration. People smash up these snails and use their flesh as bait when fishing with a handline. These snails live near water and like wet weather; they are a mate, or close countryman, for the water mussel. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dinykarrangarna n. jealous person. = nguwajkarrangarna.  Yali-ma ngarrkama kayini dinykarrangarna. Kirri-ma banyanu bala. ‘That man is jealous. He always hits his wife.’ dirdila n. kestrel. = waruburluburlu. Falco cenchroides. This small hunting bird can hover in one place for long periods looking for prey. It is often seen near black-soil plains and at the start of the cold weather. It likes to eat snakes and lizards. dirdingarnu n. black kite. Milvus migrans. SEE: dilkurni. These birds are commonly seen around grass fires in the dry season, looking for insects and lizards. They can also help people find food. If you follow this bird, you will find freshly killed meat such as bullocks and kangaroos. It has the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. dirndiji cv. crawl, drag knees. ALSO: dirndij. = yirrik. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. dirndiji kayini crawl, drag knees.  Yali karu-ma-ngku dirndiji-wanya kayinkayini. ‘That child of yours is crawling now.’ dirndiji marnini crawl.  Nganda yali-ma dirndiji marnini? ‘Who’s that one crawling?’

dirndiji yanini crawl, drag knees.  Yali bangku karu-ma dirndiji-wanya yananjanarra — jub warnda! ‘Your child is crawling away — grab him!’ dirndijingarna crawling one. ALSO: dirndijkarrangarna.  Barna ngardangana kambarra-ma, dirndijingarna-bun. ‘I left it before, while I think it was still crawling.’ dirrakin n. red-tailed black-cockatoo. = lirrawuna, lirralirraka. Calyptorhynchus banksii. The black feathers from the tails of these birds are used as decoration in ceremonies. These birds like to eat the fruits from trees, especially bloodwoods. They also like the seeds of ‘bunayingmi’ (bush orange) and the nectar on gum trees. They have the skin name Jimija or Namija. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dirridirrija n. peewee, magpie-lark. = dirridirrija, didiyija. Grallina cyanoleuca. This small black and white bird is very common; you see it everywhere. It builds a nest from mud. It is a Dreaming for some people and has the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. dirrjirrirna n. masked lapwing, plover. Vanellus miles. The plover is an aggressive bird that lives in open grassy areas. It lays its eggs on the ground and, if you walk near the nest, it will swoop and chase you, trying to poke you with the little nail in its wing. Pregnant ladies must copy the plover’s call at night. Plovers call out at night with a loud, distinctive call. dirrk cv. tie up, handcuff, restrain, put on a leash. SEE: dibid. USAGE: This is also a

112 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

diyinu Gurindji word. dirrk warndanini restrain.  Ngarrambalyakali dirrk warndana wajurra. ‘The police handcuffed him yesterday.’ dirrk marnini tie up, put on a leash.  Kurdi barna dirrk marruru ngayinya danku. ‘I will go and tie up my swag.’  Yali warlakunyanu dirrk ma, biyina birnarra karudarra. ‘Tie up that dog of yours, in case it bites the children.’ dirrmirl cv. in fork (as of tree). dirrmirl kayini in the fork of a tree.  Barna yuwarna ngayinya-ma danku-ma karndingka dirrmirl kayini. ‘I put my swag up so it’s in the fork of a tree.’ dirrmirl wandiyini come to be in the fork of a tree.  Yandarra dirrmirl wandi yalungka karndika yalyalywarila. ‘Go and stand up in that fork of the tree.’ dirrmirl yuwarnini put in a fork.  Dirrmirl yuwarra kankulu. ‘Put it up in the fork.’ dirrmirl kurnini throw into the fork of a tree. ALSO: dirrmirl wan kurnini.  Yalingka dirrmirl yuwarra karndingkurra. ‘Throw it up there into the fork of the tree.’ dirrmirlwari fork of a tree.  Yali jurlakali dirrmirlwaringkurra yuwarna. ‘The bird sticks it in the fork (of a tree).’ diwarna n. wedge-tailed eagle, eaglehawk. ALSO: diwuwarna. = warlawirri. Aquila audax. This is the biggest hunting bird. It can catch small kangaroos and wallabies and also hunt for ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys). It is often seen high in the sky, slowly circling and looking for food. It also likes to eat roadkill and ‘diwarna’ often get hit by cars because they are slow to take off. There is an important Dreamtime story about this bird which is connected to men’s business. It has the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. diwurru n. freshwater long tom. Strongylura krefftii. This fish occurs in the larger river, creek and billabong systems that are found in Western Mudburra country, but not in the more central areas of Mudburra and Jingili

country. These central areas do not have much perennial surface water and are much drier country in general. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

diyadiya n. feathers, down, down (soft feathers) (from eaglehawk or white cockatoo) for decoration, name of a dance or ceremony. diyaj cv. far from, separately, apart. = jarrban. SEE: barrbarda. diyaj kayini far from somewhere.  Diyajwanya kayini jilimingka. ‘She’s apart now in the single women’s quarters.’ diyaj wandiyini come to be separate.  Nyamba-ma bayin nyundu-ma diyaj kayini — diyaj wandiyini? ‘Why are you so far away from me — moving far away?’ diyarrngarna n. water goanna. Varanus mertensi. This goanna lives in water and is very good to eat. The meat has a fishy taste. You can sometimes catch them on a handline when fishing. You can also catch them with your hands, but they have a hard bite so you have to be careful. They only live in northern areas. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. diyi n. tea. = lalija.  Warlu lurrku ma. Diyi kambu. ‘Build a fire. He will make tea.’ USAGE: This word is from English. diyinu n. red sap from ‘darralyaka’ (ghost gum), ‘jardburru’ (bloodwood), and ‘kurruda’ (hill bloodwood).  Diyinu-ma bardakurru darralyakangurlu-ma warrkujiwu-ma. ‘The red sap from the ghost gum is good for itches.’ SEE: darralyaka; jardburru; kurruda. This sap makes good medicine. It can be placed directly onto an aching tooth to stop Mudburra to English dictionary 113

d

duba

D

the pain. It can also be boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores like scabies. duba cv. get up. duba dumarnini rise up, get up.  Duba duma nyunduma! ‘Get up, you!’ dudji cv. knead. See p. 425 for the hand sign. dudji kayini knead.  Barna dudji karri kandirri; barna lakurd kuya yuwulungkurra. ‘I’m going to knead the damper; I’ll bury it in the ground (to cook).’  Barna-wanya durd larlub warndanini kandirri-ma; barna-wanya dudji karri. ‘I am grabbing and scooping out the dough; I will knead it.’ duji SEE: dudji. dujud cv. hunt into open, drive into open. = kard. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dujud barnini hunt into open. dukurl cv. swallow. = kunyki, nginying. dukurl kurnini swallow.  Lalija-ma-rna dukurl kurnana. ‘I swallowed my tea.’ dul cv. kick. dul barnini kick.  Kadili bayi dul barnana janyburra. Janga barna. ‘That one kicked me in the ribs. I’m injured.’  Barna dul barnana football, kari wandiyinarra. ‘I kicked the football, and it landed a long way away.’  Yali-birri warlu dul barra! ‘Try and kick that fire (to check it’s still burning)!’ duldul knock, bang (with body or object).  Nganali bayi duldul warndana marruma. ‘Somebody banged on my house (with a thrown object).’  Nganali bayi duldul barnana. ‘Someone knocked (on my door).’ dulkarra kicking.  Nyundulu-ma-n dulkarra barnini, bunbawu ban darumi kayini nginya? ‘You keep kicking him, are you looking for a fight?’ dulang n. heart. ALSO: dulu. = jingirdi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. duliny cv. get up, stand. = kurdij. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. duliny kayini get up.

duliny dumarnini get up.

dulurdulub cv. take out. = wijuk. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. durlulub kanganini take out. dulykurr cv. bend over, double up, hunched. dulykurr kayini bend, double up.  Yali-ma nyambawu dulykurr kayini? ‘Why is that person hunched over?’ dulykurr warndanini doubled up unable to move. dulkurrwari bent, doubled up, hunched. ALSO: dulykurrwari; dulydulywari; dulywari.  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma yananjanarni dulydulywari. ‘That man is going along all hunched over.’ dulyurr cv. shoot, chop up, smash up. ALSO: dulyu. dulyurr barnini shoot, chop up, smash up.  Luwarninayaru bayi dulyurr barnina. ‘He shot me with a gun.’ dulyurr kayini go bang.  Dulyurr kayini nyamba yali-ma. ‘What’s that thing going ‘bang’?’ dulyurr luwarnini shoot.  Kardibali dulyurr luwarna buliki ngarina. ‘The whitefella shot the cow for meat.’ dulyurrkarra shooting, chopping up, smashing up.  Dardulu dulyurrkarra barnini. ‘A big mob are shooting him.’ dulyurrkarrangarna rifle, shooter. USAGE: This only means ‘rifle’ in Western Mudburra, but means ‘something or someone that shoots (all the time)’ in both dialects. duma- v. many words beginning with ‘duma’ are forms of the verb ‘rise’. SEE: dumarnini. dumaji part. too much. ALSO: jumaji. = waju.  Dumaj ban marnini — yamaka

114 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

durlk marra. ‘You talk too much — speak less.’ USAGE: This is a Kriol word derived from the English word ‘too much’. dumarnina n. someone who rises or gets up. SEE: dumarnini.  Yali-ma ngana dumarnina-ma? ‘Who’s that that just got up?’ dumarnini v. rise, go up, get up.  Nyamba yali-ma dumarnini? ‘What is that getting up?’  Barna dumarnini Marlinjangkurra. Juju bali karlunini. ‘I am going up to Marlinja. They are having an initiation ceremony.’  Wangku-ma dumarnirrarni. ‘The sun came up (rose) a long time ago.’ — See p. 424 for the hand sign. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. dumarnini is rising. dumarna has risen, is going while rising, has been going while rising, is going up, has been going up. duma will rise, wants to rise. duma rise up! get up! dumarninja n. place that has been risen from, empty nest or bed.  Nginya barla ngurra walanjawu dumarninja. ‘This goanna nest is empty.’ SEE: dumarnini. dumuru n. windbreak, shelter. = narranjarna, nijiniji.  Ngayu-ma barna mirrka marniwu dumuru wurrajkalungka kurrulala-maamba barna warangali karrinyarra stock campkulala-ma. ‘I used to build a windbreak in the cold weather at night when I was working in the stock camp.’ SEE: nanji. See p. 418 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. dun cv. light a fire. = burarr, lurrku. dun kurnini light a fire.  Barna-wanya yuwarnini bikirradarra, amba barna dun kuya. ‘I am adding grass so I can light a fire.’ dunkarr n. beside. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dunkuja n. short. ALSO: dunkujka.  Jindabama yali-ma dunkuja. ‘That other one is short.’  Dunkujayili bali kardaj barnana.

‘They have chopped it short.’ SEE: wunyu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. dunkukuja many short things.  Dunkukuja barra-yi yali karndi. ‘Hit those short sticks for me.’  Dunkukuja-wanya kurrulala-ma. ‘The nights are short now.’ durd cv. hold, grab. ALSO: durn. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. durd marnini hold, grab.  Minya barna durd marnini karu wunyubaka manjala. ‘I’m holding the small baby.’ durd warndanini hold, grab.  Bali durd warndana karu, julkuwarri. ‘They grabbed the young uninitiated boys.’ durd barnini grab hold, seize hold.  Banyanu durd bala maru. ‘He’s grabbing hold of his hip.’ durdurd holding, grabbing.  Durdurd ma yali karu! ‘Grab hold of this kid.’ durdba n. great cormorant. = kirringkirringma, kirrkilanji. Phalacrocorax carbo. ‘Durdba’ is the name of the big cormorant and ‘kirrkilanji’ is the name of the smaller one. These birds are found in saltwater and freshwater country. They catch fish. durdukuly cv. double over, curl up, sit with legs folded back to one side, kneel with bottom on ground or heels. ALSO: durdukurl. SEE: jirr. durdukuly kayini curled up, doubled over.  Manyan ban durdukurl kayini. ‘You’re sleeping curled up.’ durdukuly wandiyini curl oneself up, double oneself over.  Durdukuly wandi, warrajkalu ban kayini. ‘Curl up, you’re cold.’ durdurdarra cv. thunder. = jujumana. Durdurdarra ngana. ‘It’s thundering.’ SEE: jujumana. durdurdarra kayini thundering (far off).  Kadi barna nguku kurru kayini durdurdarra kayini. ‘I can hear rain and thunder over there.’ durlk cv. 1 • pull up, pull out. durlk warndanini pull up, pull out.  Yali durlk warnda milakurrmi dilwaringurlu. ‘Pull that sweet potato out of the cracks.’ 2 • shoot, pull trigger. durlk barnini shoot, pull trigger and hit.  Yali barna durlk barru yukulyarri-ma, ngarniwu. ‘I will shoot the goat, to eat it.’ Mudburra to English dictionary 115

d

durlkbari

D

durlkkarra shooting.  Yalili bayina durlkkarra barnanybarnarra winymiyaru. ‘That one is walking along shooting them.’ durlkbari n. gun, rifle, shotgun. = durlkkarrangarna, luwarnina, makirdi.  Durlkkarra barnini jurlakadarra durlkbariyaru. ‘He keeps shooting the birds with the gun.’ durlkkarrangarna n. gun, rifle, shotgun. = durlkbari, luwarnina, makirdi.  Yali warnda durlkkarrangarna! ‘Get that gun!’ durlmak cv. pick up, fetch. SEE: dumarnini. durlmak warndanini pick up.  Kadi-ma durlmak warndarra! ‘Go and pick up that person!’ durlmak kanganini pick up and take.  Yali jawaranya durlmak kanganda-yi. ‘Fetch that billycan for me.’ durlmakarra knock down. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. durlngu n. emu or eaglehawk wing feather and the loincloths made from them. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. durlurl cv. deliver, leave (something for someone). durlurl wandiyini drop (for someone). durlurl kurnini deliver, drop off.  Marndaj bayili durlurl kurnini babirda miyaka. ‘Great, he’s dropped off potatoes and kurrajong for you two.’ durlurl kanganini deliver.  Marndaj bayili durlurl kanganini nginya mirlarrangdarra. ‘Good, he’s brought you two these spears.’ durrb cv. pierce, poke, prod, stab. USAGE: This is also a word in both Jingulu and Gurindji. durrb langanini pierce, prod, poke, stab.  Durrb langka yali ngarina, nyungandayi! Barna ngalu. ‘Stab that meat (with your fork), and give it to me! I’ll eat it.’  Kurdi barna yali durrb langku mirlarrangjaru. ‘I will pierce that with a spear.’ durrbkarra poking.  Yalikujarra karukujarra bawurna durrbkarra langanini. Jindaba barna warndu, murlungkurra barna yuwarru. ‘Those two kids are poking each other. I will get one of them, and I will

put him over here.’ durrbul n. legs close together, take tiny steps. = manburr. A person or animal might walk this way out of habit, due to age or injury, or just on a whim. durrbul kayini keep legs close together.  Yali warlaku-ma manburr karra, durrbulkarra-wanya yaninjanini marlukawanju. ‘That dog keeps its legs close together, goes around with its legs close together because it’s old.’ durrbulwari keeping legs close together, taking tiny steps.  Yali-ma kuyala-rni karrinyarra wunyungurlu manburrwari durrbulwari. ‘That person’s always gone around with their legs close together since they were little.’ durru cv. lead, take along. ALSO: durrubiyi. durru bunganini lead.  Durru bunganini minya marluka. ‘He is leading that old man around.’ durrub warndanini lead. durrubi kayini lead.  Kurdi barna durrubi karri ngayinya ngabuju. ‘I will lead my grandmother around.’  Wire durd ma! Durrubi-wanya banyanu karri nyanirnilirni. ‘He will hold onto the wire. He will lead himself around now by himself.’ durrudurrub warndanini lead many people. durrujki cv. sit with legs straight out. = durrurr.  Yaliya karudarra bali durrijki kayinkayini. ‘Those children are sitting with their legs straight out.’ SEE: durdukuly. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. durrujki kayini sit with legs straight out. Durrurdba n. Moonlight Waterhole.  Durrurdba karlarra, Hidden Valleyngurlu, Daisyngurlu-ma karlarraside. ‘Moonlight Waterhole is west, a little west from Hidden Valley and Daisy Soak.’ durrurr cv. sit with legs straight out. = durrujki. durrurr kayini sit with legs straight out. duruk cv. shoot. = dulyurr, durlk. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. duruk barnini shoot. duwa cv. meet up, find, arrive, present in person. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. duwa karlamarnini meet up, find, bump into.  Yandarra! Ban duwa karlama,

116 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

dugu ban kangannginyi murlungkurra malkirrangkurra. ‘Go! You can meet up with that man, and bring him here to the men’s quarters.’  Barna duwa karlamarna. ‘I found him.’  Barna duwa karlamarna kadi ngarrka. ‘I bumped into that man.’ duwa kayini present, arrived.  Duwa kayini. ‘He has arrived (from a long way away).’ duwarduwa bump into, meet by accident.  Kadiya barlawarna duwarduwa karlamana. ‘We all bumped into each other.’ duwaj cv. climb. ALSO: duwadaj, duwaduwaj. = karlirl, bardaj, badak. duwaj kayini climb.  Nginya karndingkurra duwadaj karri, yali kilibi warnda kankulu! ‘Climb up this tree, and get that bush banana on top!’  Yalungka duwaj karri! Bingki nyangka-rla! Ban kirnang kuya. Ban marru. ‘You climb up there! Then you look around the country for him! Then you will find him, and you will speak to him.’ duwaj yanini climb up.  Duwaduwaj yanarn nyundu-ja! ‘You climb up this way too!’ duwaj kurnini make climb.  Yali karu duwaduwaj kuya! No, biya wandiyinarra! ‘Make that child climb up the tree!’ ‘No, he might fall off!’ duwaj warndanini climb and get.  Ban warndana kilibi-ma? Yuwu, marndaj bayi duwarduwaj warndana nginyali karulu. ‘Did you get the bush bananas? Yes, this child has already climbed and got me some.’  Duwaduwaj warnda, jujurd wandi! ‘Get it from the top, and come back down (with it)!’ duwaj barnini climb and chop.  Yali ngarlu duwarduwaj barra-ngali! ‘Climb up and chop down that sugarbag for yourself and me!’ duwaduwajkarra climbing. duwany n. string. = mundiri, yibungu.  Duwany-ma barla wandinyarrarni marlarlukali-ma karnawunangurlu karndijbunga. ‘A long time ago the old folks would make string out of the bark of

lancewood trees.’ USAGE: This comes from the English ‘twine’. duwu cv. sound of gun firing, go bang. = dulyurr.  Nyamba duwu kayina? ‘What went bang?’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dugu n. freshwater mussel. = marlangayi, kurdijalaka. Velesunio wilsonii. In the big wet seasons, mussels can be found in large numbers in waterholes and lakes and can be collected from the mud at the bottom. The meat inside the shell is eaten after lightly cooking it on hot coals or in a small grass fire. As it burns, it lightly cooks the meat. The shells open up when the meat is cooked. It is really good tasting and nice to eat, like eating at a restaurant. The meat is also used to treat ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). The hard shell can be used as a spoon, and the sharpened edge was used as a knife in the past. Shards of broken mussel shell are sharp and can cut your foot if you walk on them. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

Mudburra to English dictionary 117

d

ijibarda

I

Ii

Jj

ibiba SEE: yibiba. iburu n. black storm clouds. SEE: yiburu. ijibarda n. spinifex hopping-mouse. ALSO: ijibardu. = wijibarda. Notomys alexis. This mouse has a long tail and hops around like a little kangaroo, with its long tail curled up over its back. It does not run around like other mice. This mouse lives in a deep burrow to get out of the heat, generally in spinifex country and sandy areas. It likes to eat ‘nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) and insects. Ijibarda n. Longreach.  Wajuwarra barlawa nyangana nyangarlu liwirni kakuyi warndanku Ijibardangka. ‘The other day we saw one egret fishing at Longreach.’ imarnnga n. fly. SEE: yimarnnga. imina n. kindling, small sticks used to make a fire. ALSO: yimina. = wawurru. iminji n. dingo. SEE: yiminji. ingalka n. soup. SEE: yingalka. -inyi case. of, belonging to, from. This ending is used when an object is owned by someone, or if the object is related to another thing (source). = -nginyi, -nya.  Karlakinyi, kurlakinyi bali yana ngarranyanawu-ma murlungkurra. ‘The western ones and southern ones come here for ceremony.’

-ja suf. too, as well, in addition.  Karu-ja bali lungkalungkarra kayini ngadarralabarra. ‘The children are crying as well about something.’  Ngayi-ja barna barru ngarina-ma. ‘I will kill some animals too.’ jaalyakbalyaku n. lungs. ALSO: lalyabalyaku; jalyabalyaku; laalyakbalyaku. = yaya.  Yali-ma barli ngarlu jaalyakbalyakuma boilim karri. ‘You can boil the guts.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jaama n. sharp.  Jaama barnanganda mayingka. ‘I’ll make our axe sharp.’ Jaarlaku n. Jingaloo Outstation.  Jaarlakuma-rla marluka Pompeywu-wanya, dija karrinyinginyi karlaja barla ngaba barla. ‘Jingaloo Outstation has belonged to old man Pompey since he’s been big enough; (before that, it belonged to) his younger — sorry older brother.’ Jababula n. place name.  Jababula-ma karudarra dardu kujarrangurlu. ‘At Jababula were lots of children from those first two.’ — This refers to the Two Children Dreaming which is also found at Namirini and Manuwangu. jabaka n. old woman. = kajirri.  Bangalawan warndurru kadi jabaka, amba bangalawa mangarri kambujambu bardakurru mangarri-ma. ‘You have to go and get that old woman for us so that she can cook us some good food.’ jababaka old women.  Jababakama kajajirri-ma-ngalawangulu lurrbu yandadala. ‘Those old women are allowed to come back to us.’ Jabalyi n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jimija and Nangala, father of Jimija and Namija. ALSO: Jabalya. = Jalyirri.  Jabalyiwu-ma barla kirdama Jimija. ‘Jimija is the father of Jabalyi.’ SEE: Nalyirri. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with

118 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jabunganmembership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jabandurra n. earless dragon. Tympanocryptus cephalus. This spiny lizard is round and fat. It lives in stony areas in the desert country to the south. It is not very well known. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Jabarda n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jurla and Nanaku, father of Jurla and Nawurla.  Nimarrawu, Jabardawu kirda-ma-yili Jurla. ‘Jurla is the father of Nimarra and Jabarda.’ SEE: Nimarra. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Jababarda lots of Jabarda men.  Kadi bali malkirrakaringka-ma dardu Jababarda. ‘There are lots of Jabarda men over at the other single men’s quarters.’ jabardajabarda n. water python. = baningkula, jimuruka. Liasis fuscus. These pythons live in waterholes and can be caught by hand or speared with light spears. They have a distinctive shiny skin that reflects light like a rainbow. They are cooked in the same way as ‘mulyukuna’

(black-headed python), and can have a lot of meat on them, as they can get very large. Their meat tastes similar to goanna flesh. This snake has important Dreamings around Juna (Beetaloo Waterhole). Along with Kiwarlija, he created the central Dreaming track for Jingili people. All the other Dreaming tracks connect with or cross this one. There are songs associated with this snake. USAGE: This is a Western Murdburra and Gurindji word. jabardkarra cv. chew, eat up. ALSO: jawardkarra. = nyanyambi. jabardkarra ngarnini chew, eat up.  Jabardkarra barna ngarnini mangarri. ‘I’m chewing my food.’

jabarrka n. liver. = malamba, jawarrka. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu, and similar to Gurindji ‘jawarrka’. jabirri n. stone knife. = kiyindan, jarribili, kajakaja, wardirrki.  Kambambarra-ma bali marlarlukali-ma jabirri karlunirra, amba balirna banjibarnirra-ma — biyanganjinganirra, kuwala. ‘In days long gone, the old people had stone knives, and they attacked each other — cut each other, like that.’ USAGE: This is also a Warlmanpa and Warumungu word. jabujabu n. adulterer, fornicator, promiscuous.  Jabujabu kujarra bawula kayang barnini. ‘The two adulterers are running away.’  Ngardangka yali ngarrkama — jabujabu, kirrikaringarna. ‘Leave that man — he mucks around, always going for another woman.’ SEE: jarrarda. This word can apply to men or women. jabujabunganina n. scissors. See p. 417 for the hand sign. jabulyuka cv. rotten (of wood).  Yali karndi jabulyuka kayini. ‘That wood is rotten.’ jabungan- v. many words beginning with ‘jabungan’ are forms of the verb ‘trim’. SEE: jabunganini. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 119

j

jabunganini

J

jabunganini v. trim, shear, shave.  Barnanyanu jabungana malibanyama jardukurruwu. ‘I trimmed my hair for a hairbelt.’  Jindabali banyanu jabunganjinganarra ngarnka. ‘The other one was going along trimming his beard.’ — See p. 426 for the hand sign. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. jabunganini is trimming. jabungana has trimmed. jabungku will trim, wants to trim. jabungka trim it! jabungk- v. many words beginning with ‘jabungk’ are forms of the verb ‘trim’. SEE: jabunganini. jaburruka adv. ahead. = kambarra. jadurr cv. upside down, turn over. = jandurr.  Yali jawaranya jadurr kuya. ‘That cup is upside down.’ jadurr kayini upside down. jadurr wandiyini come to be upside down. jadurr yanini turn over. jajalya n. 1 • cool, cold. ALSO: jaajalya.  Jaajalya nguku. ‘That water’s cold.’ SEE: warrajkalu. 2 • star. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jajarlkin n. onion lily. ALSO: jajarrkin. Crinum arenarium. This plant grows on plains country in the wet season. The underground tuber, which looks just like a commercial onion, can be dug up and made into medicine. The tuber is mashed up and boiled in water, and the cooled liquid is then used as an external wash to treat ‘jangawurru’ (skin sores, scabies), leprosy sores, chicken pox, fungal infections, and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion). This medicine should not be used near the head as it dangerous for your eyes. It is also good medicine to treat ‘bangkula’ or

‘kanamurrmurra’ (lumpy bites from sandflies and mosquitoes). jaju n. mother’s mother (maternal grandmother) and her siblings.  Yali-karda-bun balyarla ngurrawurni kardardakardarda yarra-ma kirdanginyiwu-rni, jajunginyiwu-rni, ngamirninginyiwu-rni, kuya. ‘In that way, he and I will always be of this land of (our) father, mother’s mother, and mother’s brother, like that.’  Jajunyanji kanganarra that karu manjala. Kambarna kakurraliwanya. ‘(The baby’s) maternal grandmother took that newborn baby out. Then she treated (the baby) with antbed slurry.’ SEE: kaminjarra. See p. 401 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra, Gurindji and Jingulu word. jajurla maternal grandmother and her grandchild.  Yali-ma bawula Nangala and Nawurla, jajurla. ‘Those two, Nangala and Nawurla, are a grandmother and grandchild.’ jajurr cv. turn back, turn around. jajurr wandiyini turn back.  Jajurr wandi! ‘Turn back!’ jajurr kurnini make turn back.  Yali kirri jajurr kuya lurrbu yaninjani. ‘Make that woman turn back and return.’ jajurrkarra turning back.  Marndajwanya, jajurrkarra yanarn lurrbu. ‘Okay, now stop and come back.’ jak cv. drop. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jak kurnini drop.  Nyamba ban jak kurnana? ‘What did you drop?’ jak wandiyini fall.  Yali jak wandiyina jurlaka wunyubaka juwurungurlu. ‘That little bird fell out of its nest.’ jakabirdi n. small of back, hip (side of hip). = maru.  Jakabirdi wangi karrinyarra ngayinya kirda-ma. ‘My dad had a bad hip.’ SEE: nyinji. USAGE: This is also a Warumungu word. jakarajbi cv. swim, swim across. = jirrbu, lilaj, darukarra, ngajarl. jakarajbi kayini swimming

120 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jakudakuda around.  Jakarajbi kayini ngukungka. ‘She’s swimming in the water.’ jakarajbi yanini swim along. jakardi n. mother, mother’s sister.  Ngayinya-ma-nganda jakardi-ma Marlinjangurlu darduwu-rni. ‘Our mother was from Marlinja.’ — See p. 400 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is similar to ‘jakardini’ in Jingulu. jakardimuju mother and her child.  Barnayili kambarna jakardimuju ngawurrali. ‘I treated the mother and her baby with hot sand and ash.’ jakarr cv. cover, bury, cook in earth oven. = wukuk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jakarr marnini cover up.  Yali ngarina jakarr ma, kunangawirri! ‘Cover that meat, in case of the flies!’  Yali karukujarrali bawurna jakarr marnini yuwuluyaru. ‘Those two children are covering each other in sand (by throwing it at each other).’  Jakarr marna yuwulungkurra. ‘He buried it in the ground.’ jakarr bunganini cover up.  Barna jakarr bungana. ‘I covered it up.’ jakarrjakarr keep covering.  Kadili jakarrjakarr marni warlu. ‘That person covered up the fire.’ jakba cv. take away. jakba kanganini take away.  Yalili bayi jakba kanganarra kardak. ‘That one took away my cup.’ Jakilarrawurru n. place on Murranji.  Jakilarrawurrungka bawula changewanya karrinyarra, Jundakalng-wanya karlarrak-wanya, ini, jandaku-wanya, ngamu, marndaj. ‘At Jakilarrawurru, those two (snakes) changed, and then as Jundakalng (snakes that have turned into birds) they went west, didn’t they, perhaps never to return.’ Jakirlirra n. specific whitewood tree on or near Murranji. jakirlirra n. whitewood tree. Atalaya hemiglauca.  Kunujarri Ngidingida bawula yanirra karlarra Murranjayingurlu bawula yali Jakirlirrangkurra karndingkurra yalingkarda bawuna birrka manirra jindabanya wari marrimarri karlarra bawula yanayi jandakunya-rni. ‘The two

snakes Kunujarri and Ngidingida went west from Murranji to the tree at Jakirlirra where they turned into another dangerous one and went into the west forever.’ — This tree is a good tree to sit under as it provides dense, cool shade. Many birds are attracted to the flowers for their nectar. The pale, hard timber can be used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). This tree also has gum, but it is not eaten. jakirri n. 1 • termites, white ants. Isoptera, Macrotermes spp. Termites eat the wood inside trees. ‘Kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from trunks and branches that have been hollowed out by termites. Porcupines (echidnas), goannas and frillneck lizards like to eat termites and their eggs. In the past, people also ate termite eggs. They were like wild rice. They were collected from antbeds (termite mounds) and then winnowed in ‘kawarla’ (coolamons) to remove dust and grass seeds. The eggs were then eaten raw or lightly roasted on hot ashes and sand. 2 • sawdust, rotted wood (left behind by rot or white ants).  Jakirringinyi, jakirrili ngala karndi-ma, wandinya yuwuluwurru jakirriwurru barnali darlk birnirra kambambarra-ma. ‘This white-ant stuff, (it comes about because) white ants always eat trees, and (the sawdust) falls down and it mixes with the dirt.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. jakudakuda n. dodder. Cassytha filiformis. The older, dry, orange stems of this plant can be made into a hair dye. They are burnt to ash, and this ash is mixed with fat and rubbed through the hair to make it go black. The younger, greener stems can be boiled in water and the liquid washed through the hair to make the hair grow longer. The small, clear fruit can be eaten when they are ripe, but they are bit spicy and you have to be careful or they will hurt your mouth. The Ngarinyman to English dictionary 121

j

jakulaji

J

umbrella formed by this species is a hiding place for ‘wild women’, who wear no clothes but carry nulla-nullas to attack unsuspecting persons. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jakulaji n. brush-tailed possum. = jangana, ngurrkudi. Trichosurus vulpecula. Possum meat can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven with paperbark; it is very tasty and quite tender. Sometimes possums sleep in the forks of trees, but more often they prefer to live in hollow parts of large trees. They often live together in groups; sometimes there are several, maybe four, inside one large hollow tree. You can see their climbing tracks on the trunks of trees that they live in. When you find a tree they are in, you throw a stone down the hole, and they will run out. When you catch a possum, you have to be careful, as they have sharp claws and can scratch you. They like hollow snappy gums, bloodwoods, coolabahs and river red gums. They sleep all day in these hollow trees and hunt around for food in the night. They don’t like the sunshine. They really like to eat ‘wandala’ or ‘nanjarrnga’ (sugarleaf, lerps) and ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives). They also eat flowers and ripe fruit. There were lots at Longreach, Beetaloo Station and Murranji in the past, but now there are very few. There are still some at Daly Waters, but in recent times none have been seen around Elliott. See p. 406 for the hand sign. jakuli n. plate worn around waist. = binjayinja, jaramarra. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu and Gurindji. Jakumindirni n. Double Crossing which is on Newcastle Creek.  Jakumindirni-ma yali-ma kirrawarra kuwarni karra. ‘Double Crossing is up north in the middle there.’ — It is deep in northern Jingili country, around Nutwood. jalak cv. get out, get up. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. jalak warndanini pull (food) out of a fire, get someone up (out of bed).  Jalak-

wanya warnda. Kujarra-rni bawula budala. ‘Take (them) out now. Those two are really cooked.’  Nginya-ma-rna kardarr barna lanba kayina. Warlakulu bayi jalak warndana. Langa warndana bayi. ‘I was awake all night. The dog got me up. I heard him barking (lit. he had my ear).’ jalalang cv. tip up.  Barnangku nyangana, nguku-ma ban jalalang kurnana. ‘I saw you drinking (lit. I saw you tipping up water).’ jalalang kurnini tip up. jalanya n. 1 • tongue.  Jalanya bingku biyanganarra. ‘It might cut your tongue.’ 2 • flame, firestick.  Jalanya warndalarra — warlu barna dun kuya. ‘Get a firestick — I’ll light the fire.’ jalardu n. vine, rope.  Hey barnkurdi, yali warnda-ngali jalardu amba barli darndarn wandi minyangkurra bidbulungkurra, amba barli nguku warndu. ‘Hey cousin, get that rope vine for you and me so we can go into this rockhole to get water.’ jalarlka n. pale eel-tail catfish or nailfish. = kirirni. Neosilurus hyrtlii. Eel-tail catfish are good to eat, with soft, tender flesh and very few bones. They are cooked by roasting on hot coals and ashes. They can get quite big, up to 25 cm long. They have nails or prickles in their fins, and, if these poke you, the wound will swell and be very painful for a long time. You can ease the pain by poking that same area with the same prickle again. In the mid to late wet season when the floodwaters are starting to form, there are often schools of ‘ngirnngirda’ (baby nailfish) in the grassy water edges. These can be collected in large numbers and all cooked together and then eaten. They taste good and are too small to have dangerous spines. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jalbawurru n. bilby. ALSO: yalbawurru. = yarningki, jilbi. Macrotis lagotis. Bilbies look a bit like rabbits. They have long ears, a pointy nose and a long tail with a white tip. They have a single baby in the cool weather

122 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jalkaji time, after the rains have finished. Bilbies like to eat grass and ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs), which they look for in turpentine wattles and lancewood trees. They sniff along the roots of trees to smell witchetty grubs, then dig and bite open the roots to get the grubs. They live in lancewood country or in sandy country, more commonly in southern areas, and dig large burrow systems with deep tunnels and lots of holes. People hunt them by digging the burrows up with digging sticks; while someone digs, others wait near the burrows exits to throw boomerangs at the animals when they run out. Bilbies are very fast runners and are hard to hit with a boomerang. Sometimes they were also hunted with goanna dogs that would go down goanna and bilby burrows and chase the animals out. Bilbies were eaten in the past, but have not been eaten in recent times. A large one would feed two or three adults. They taste good, like a feral rabbit or a porcupine (echidna). They were gutted, held over flames to burn off the fur and then cooked in a ground oven. Pythons and feral cats also like to eat bilbies. The long white fluffy tail can be used in the initiation ceremony for young men. The tails are worn on a headband and around the neck, and you cannot speak while wearing them. They were also worn by men to attract a partner. Bilbies used to be quite common at Beetaloo. After the end of the Second World War, there were lots. Now there are very few. jalbu n. bland, tasteless.  Barna wan karri nginya warnu jalbu-wanya. ‘I’m going to chuck away this tobacco because it’s lost all its flavour.’ jalibi n. large praying mantis, stick insect. = wajirrki. Phasmatodea. These insects hold their front legs up like they are praying. They also sometimes look like sticks in colour and shape. If one flies into your head it will cause a headache. You can stop the headache, though, by catching the insect and gently running it around in circles on the top of your head several times, then

carefully letting it go. The term ‘wajirrki’ was also used to refer to helicopters and a very bad flu that could kill you in station days. Jalibirri n. creek near Barnjak.  Jalibirringka kilikikawu Jurlawu Nawurlawu banjurra ngurra-wanya. ‘The home for the Kilikilika (Galah) Dreaming, and for you Jurlas and Nawurlas, is at Jalibirri.’ —This place is a part of the Kilikilika (Galah) Dreaming. jalij n. freshwater prawn, yabby, crayfish. Macrobrachium rosenbenbergi. The meat in the body and tail of this animal is very good to eat after roasting on hot coals. The shell and head are peeled off and the white meat is eaten. The meat is also good bait for catching ‘kakuwi’ (fish) with a handline. These animals are commonly found at Longreach Waterhole. In the past they were caught by hand, but people use nets and traps as well now. Mudburra elders from Marlinja consider them to be recent arrivals that were not on Mudburra country in the past, and that have only arrived since white people came. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jalirla n. new. = jayilya. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jalirla-jalirla lots of new things. jalk cv. hook up a spear. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jalk marnini hook up a spear.  Jalkaji warnda, jalk ma mirlarrang! ‘Get your spear-thrower, and hook your spear on!’ jalkaj cv. crack. = dil, murrb. jalkaj barnini crack.  Kadili bayi jalkaj barnana damangka karndiyaru. ‘That one cracked me over the head with a stick.’  Yali floor jalkajkarra barra wunyuwunyubiji. Barna wheelbarrowngkurra yuwarru, barna wan kuyarru kari. ‘Keep cracking up the floor, making it into little chunks (of cement). I will put it in a wheelbarrow, and I will throw it out.’ jalkaji n. spear-thrower, woomera. ALSO: jalkani; jalykaji.  Kurdi barna mirrka ma barnanyanu jalkaji ngurlungurlu karnawunangurlu. ‘Wait, I’ll make myself Ngarinyman to English dictionary 123

j

jalkarndarra

J

a spear-thrower out of lancewood.’ SEE: birlkurung. See p. 416 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. jalkarndarra n. 1 • dead person.  Barnali lakurd kurnana jalkarndarra-ma wajurra. ‘We buried the deceased person yesterday.’ 2 • deceased person whose name you can’t say, ‘no-name’. = wukarrija.  Wanjuwarra karri-ma? Bangalawarna ngardangana. Jalkandarra yayili. ‘Where is he? He left us. He passed away (became a deceased person).’  Karrila yalima yini-ma, jalkarndarra. ‘Leave that name, it’s the name of a dead person.’ SEE: ngambungambu. When someone becomes ‘jalkarndarra’, you can no longer say their name out loud. You refer to them as ‘jalkarndarra’, and anyone living with the same name you have to refer to as ‘ngambungambu’ (so-and-so) instead. jalkirra n. spit, saliva. = banga. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jalkururru n. blue-winged kookaburra, kookaburra. = dalmurrana. Dacelo leachii. This large bird is known by the common name ‘kookaburra’, but the word ‘kookaburra’ is also used for the smaller kingfishers and the rainbow bee-eater. They are often heard calling loudly at dawn and dusk. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jalngak cv. mount, get on, get in. = wilngib.  Jalngak wandi yawardangkurra. ‘Get up on the horse.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jalngak wandiyini mount, get on, get in. jalwilyi n. beefwood. = jawilyi. Grevillea striata. The hard, dark wood is used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs), ‘karnbaj’ or ‘kurndarnnga’ (clapsticks) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). It also makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood), as it burns for a long time.

USAGE: This

is a Western Mudburra word. jaly cv. cool, cold, cool something down. ALSO: jalyjaly.  Wakurni, kurdi, nginya nguku barna yuwarru jalybari bardaj. ‘No, wait, I’m going to put this water up top (in the freezer) to (make it) cold.’ SEE: warrajkalu. jaly kayini cold.  Ngarrab kayina warlu, jaly kayini, marndaj. ‘He had a high temperature, he’s cool now, he’s okay.’ jaly barnini make (something) cold. jaly kurnini cool down. jalya n. today, just now.  Jalya barna warndana mangarri bangaliya pensionernginyi ngurrangkurra, balikangarnarra. ‘ Today I took our food to the pensioners’ houses; they’re hungry people.’ jalyajalya right now, modern (times, people).  Jayajalya nyambalawa ngayuwalija-ma. ‘We’re new people these days.’ kula jalya long time ago, for a long time.  Kula jalya barlawa minya Mudburra-ma marnirra. ‘We’ve been talking Mudburra for a long time.’ jalyangbalyangku n. moustache, whiskers. = jawulungbulungka.  Yali nyangka-li ngarrka jalyangbalyangkuwurru. ‘You mob look at that man with big whiskers.’ SEE: ngarnka. USAGE: This is an oldfashioned word, younger speakers would just use ‘ngarnka’. jalybuk cv. flatten, crush, smash, sit with spread bottom which takes up the entire seat. jalybuk kayini sit with a spread out bottom.  Yali nyangka ngarrka! Jalybuk kayinykayini, dija. ‘Look at that man! His bottom is spread out on that chair, large.’

124 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jamarnini jalybuk barnini crush up, smash.  Yali wumara-ngali warnda! Kalnga barli jalybukkarra barru. Bilijbi-wanya barli jalybukkarra barru! ‘Get that rock for you and me! You and I will pound the red ochre. Then we will be able to crush it by pounding it.’ jalybuk lamarna flatten, squash flat.  Bayin jalybuk lamarna kandirri yunbali. ‘You trod on that bread of mine.’ jalybukkarra flattening.  Jalybukkarra barna barru kalnga minya. ‘I’ll pound that ochre.’ Jalyirri n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jimija and Nangala, father of Jimija and Namija. = Jabalyi.  Jambijina barla barnkurdi-ma Jalyirriwu-ma. ‘Jambijina is Jalyirri’s cousin.’ SEE: Nalyirri. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Jalyalyirri lots of Jalyirri men.  Jalyalyirri bayili ngayinya kirdadarra. ‘Jalyirris are my fathers.’ jalyu n. bed.  Jalyu kuya! Barlkina warndarla! ‘Make the bed! Get the blanket for him!’ — See p. 421 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. Jamakuru n. place near Murranji.  Jamakuru nyangarlu karndi dija yalangka-karda barra. ‘Jamakuru was one big tree but it got knocked down there.’ — The big tree at Jamakuru was knocked down for the railway line. jamana n. foot, track, horseshoe, toe. = yunba, jina. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jamandarra n. hungry. = balika, nunyku.  Jamandarra barna barli

kakuwi warndurru. ‘I’m hungry, let’s catch some fish.’ SEE: bundundurra; nanbari. USAGE: This is also a word in Bilinarra and Jingulu word. jamanji- v. many words beginning with ‘jamanji’ are forms of the verb ‘grind’. SEE: jamarnini. Jamanku n. hill near the new site of Wave Hill Station.  Bali yanirra Wave Hillngurlu-ma Jamankungkurra na. ‘They went from Wave Hill to Jamanku.’ jamankula n. frill neck lizard, blanket lizard. Chlamydosaurus kingii. = kadangula.  Jamankula karndingka balyab kayini, laban. ‘The blanket lizard leans in the tree.’ SEE: kidkilyi; walbingkirra; kidkilyi. These lizards can be aggressive; the big ones will chase you if you go near them. When you try to catch them they often hide behind a tree or antbed. They like to eat ants, termites, grasshoppers and the flying ants that come out after rain. You often see them near antbeds looking for a feed. The meat of this lizard is eaten after roasting on hot coals and ashes. You can also burn its frill on a fire and then rub it through your hair to make your hair grow long and stay black. This lizard is the brother of ‘kidkilyi’ (ring-tailed dragon). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Jamankula put his frill down and convinced Kidkilyi that he had cut his hair, and that Kidkilyi should cut his hair too. Kidkilyi cut off his frill, and then Jamankula revealed that he had only hidden his frill. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. jamarn- v. many words beginning with ‘jamarn’ are forms of the verb ‘grind’. SEE: jamarnini. jamarnina n. grinder. ALSO: jaamarnina.  Yalili karlunini jaamarnina-ma. ‘That fellow has a grinder.’ SEE: jamarnini. jamarnini v. grind, sharpen.  Wumarala bali jamarnini mangurlu. ‘They are grinding Ngarinyman to English dictionary 125

j

jamarninja

J

the pig weed up on the rock.’  Kurdi barna jamarnini ngayinya mayingka. ‘I’m sharpening my axe.’  Jaamarna barna marndaj lukarra ra-ma. ‘I’ve ground the wild rice well.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. jamarnini is grinding. jamarna has ground it. jama(rru) will grind, wants to grind. jama(rra) grind it! jamarninja n. something that has been ground, something that has been sharpened. ALSO: jaamaninja.  Yalima jaamaninja, marndaj karrila. ‘That one’s been sharpened, it’s fine, leave it.’ SEE: jamarnini. jamarr- v. many words beginning with ‘jamarr’ are forms of the verb ‘grind’. SEE: jamarnini. jamba n. Leichhardt tree. Nauclea orientalis. This is a large tree that grows on ‘binka’ (rivers) and near ‘winji’ (springs). It is a good shade tree. The fruit can be eaten when they are ripe and brown. This large tree only grows in north-west Mudburra country and is not well known to Mudburra people. There are some that have been planted as street trees in Elliott. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jambard cv. stuck. jambard kayini stuck.  Jambard kayini. Yibuk warnda! ‘It’s stuck. Pull it out!’ Jambijina n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jangala and Namija, father of Jangala and Nangala. ALSO: Jambijinba.  Jambijina barla barnkurdi-ma Jalyirriwu-ma. ‘Jambijina is Jalyirri’s cousin.’ SEE: Nambijina. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their

community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Jabijinnginja’ in Jingulu. Jambijban lots of Jambijina men. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra form. Eastern Mudburra uses ‘Jambabijina’. Jambabijina lots of Jambijina men. jambu n. left hand, left-handed. = wakunya, jambukarra.  Jambu karra barli ngayi kujarra-ma. ‘The two of us are left-handed.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jambukarra n. 1 • left hand, left-handed. ALSO: jambu. = wakunya.  Ngayukujarra barli jambukarra. ‘We two are left-handed.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. 2 • nail-tail kangaroo, left-hand kangaroo. = junguwarn. Onychogalea unguifera. This kangaroo has a ‘milinji’ (nail) in the end of its tail. It often makes an ‘oo . . . oo . . . oo’ or ‘ngung . . . ngung’ noise while hopping. The name ‘ngungungmarna’ refers to this sound. It holds its left arm up to its chest when hopping, and is sometimes called ‘Lefthand Charlie’ because of this habit. Some of its language names refer to its lefthandedness. These kangaroos sometimes have a distinctive humped back. They are only seen by themselves, not in groups. They often live in lancewood and bulwaddy country. The flesh can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven, but it does not taste very good and is rarely eaten. It is good to make soup from it. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jamburlk cv. crush, crumple, tread on, sit on, squash. jamburlk lamarnini squash.  Majulu bayi ngurlulu-ma jamburlk lamarna amba barna manyan kayina. ‘Somebody stepped on my stomach while I was sleeping.’  Murdika jamburlk lama yali jawaranya. ‘The car will

126 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jandurr crush that billycan.’ jamirli n. lip. = lirra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jamud n. bush turkey, Australian bustard. = kurrkabadi. Ardeotis australis. SEE: larraranga. Bush turkey meat is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. It is very tasty and is considered the best bush meat by many people. In the past, only people who had been through ceremony could eat bush turkey meat, but now everyone eats it. Bush turkeys are found in open plains and grassy country, and they are often specifically hunted. In the past they were hunted with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and spears, but now they are hunted with shotguns and rifles. When you get close to a bush turkey and are ready to kill it, you can whistle. This makes them stop still and look around, allowing you to kill them easily. Bush turkeys like to eat ‘waniyi’ (grasshoppers) and ‘baka’ or ‘ngamanburru’ (conkerberry fruit). Bush turkeys are often seen in pairs, looking around for food to eat. As they walk around they often look upwards to see if wedge-tailed eagles are hunting for them. They hide in the grass if they see you hunting them. Their small, fluffy feathers can be used as body decoration for ceremonies. The throat pouch of males is called ‘larraranga’. They use this pouch to make a rumbling sound when they are looking a wife. They have the skin names Jangala or Nangala and Jambijina or Nambijina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. Janama n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jangari and Nambijina, father of Jangari and Nangari. ALSO: Jana.  Nangariwu-ma barla kirda-ma Janama. ‘Janama is the father of Nangari.’ SEE: Nanaku. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups

their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Janamadarra lots of Janama men.  Dardu bali Janamadarra jindabadarra bayili ngabuju. ‘There are lots of other Janamas on my father’s mother’s side.’ janba n. white-breasted woodswallow. Artamus leucorynchus. ‘Janba’ is a close countryman for ‘jinbinbilyi’. ‘Janba’ are often seen sitting on powerlines looking for insects to eat. They have the skin name Jangari or Nangari. janbara n. bird nest made from mud or sticks. = juru. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. janbarrimana n. black woodswallow. ALSO: janbarrimanu. = jinbinbilyi. Artamus spp. These birds cluster together on powerlines or in trees in the cold weather to keep warm. ‘Janbarrimana’ is dark in colour, while his close countryman, ‘janba’, has a white chest. They have the skin name Jangari or Nangari. jandak adv. for good, forever. ALSO: jandaku. = kardarlu, ngajikba, ngadik, ngajibarni.  Yali-ma yanarra jandak. Kula-wanya lurrbu yanarnnginyi, kulawa. ‘He’s gone for good. He won’t come back, that’s how it is.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. jandarni adv. again, more, once more.  Jandarni warndarra-yi! ‘Go and get more for me!’  Minya-ma nguku-ma wandiyini jandarni. ‘It’s raining again.’ jandurr cv. head down, looking down, face down. = wurdkurdkuli. SEE: jukurli; jirri. jandurr kayini having head down.  Yali durdukuly kayinykayini jandurr. ‘He is sitting with his knees curled up and his head down.’  Ngana yali-ma jandurr kayini? ‘Who’s that sitting with his head down?’ Ngarinyman to English dictionary 127

j

janki-

J

jandurr nyanganini look with your head down.  Jandurr nyangka-rla! ‘Get down and look for it!’ jandurrjandurr having head down (a lot). janki- v. many words beginning with ‘janki’ are forms of the verb ‘burn’. ALSO: jankiya. SEE: jankiyini. jankinyana n. something burning. ALSO: jankinyina. SEE: jankiyini. jankinyanja n. something burnt. ALSO: jankinyinja.  Wajuwarra majurru yanarra Nanaku-ma balya nyangana manyangarna barla nyangana jankinyinja, kambarra-rni jankinyarra. ‘The other day when Nanaku and I went out in the middle walking we saw spinifex that had already burned.’ SEE: jankiyini. jankiyini v. burn, heat up.  Warlulu-ma bayi jankiyini-wanya. ‘The fire is heating me up now.’  Warlulu jankiyini nyamba-barra. ‘The fire is burning something.’  Warlu jankiyini dija. Linyarda dibard wandiyana, larnkungkurra. ‘The fire is burning fiercely. The charcoals are jumping out onto the clothes.’  Bayi jankiyini ngabanji. ‘It is burning my eyes.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. jankiyini is burning. jankiyina has burnt. janki will burn, wants to burn. janki burn it! Janmarru n. waterhole just west of Dunmarra.  Janmarru-ma karlarra-side Dunmarrangurlu. ‘Janmarru Waterhole is to the west of Dunmarra.’ — This waterhole gives its name to Dunmarra, though Dunmarra is just to the east of Janmarru at Jardbini. janga n. sick, sore, ill, sores, scabies.  Walu barna janga. ‘I’ve got a headache.’  Yalima wabajak kayina janga-ma nyana-ma kurnbarra-ma. ‘That cut has healed up.’  Janga barna karlunini yunbangka. ‘I’ve got a sore on my foot (or a pain).’ — See p. 429 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a

Gurindji word. Jangala n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jambijina and Nangari, father of Jambijina and Nambijina.  Jangala, Jana bawula barnkurla-ma. ‘Jangala and Jana are cousins.’ SEE: Nangala. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Jangalinginja’ in Jingulu. Jangangala lots of Jangala men.  Jangangala ngabujudarra bayili jindabadarra-ma-yili ngumbarna. ‘Some Jangalas are my paternal grandmother’s brothers, while others are my brothers-inlaw.’ jangan cv. push down, push away, kick. jangan kurnini push down, push away, kick.  Jangan kuya yunbali! ‘Kick it with your foot!’  Kadi-ma jangan kuya burrb. ‘Clean it all up, all the trees (e.g. for ceremony ground).’  Yunganda-yi lalija! Barna ngarina jangan kuya. ‘Give me tea! I’ve got to push that beef down (my throat).’ jangankarra pushing (around), kicking.  Nganali bayi nginya-ma jangankarra kurnini? ‘Who’s pushing that around on me?’ jangana n. brush-tailed possum. = jakulaji, ngurrkudi. Trichosurus vulpecula. Possum meat can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven with paperbark; it is very tasty and quite tender. Sometimes possums sleep in the forks of trees, but more often they prefer to live in hollow parts of large

128 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

janyungu trees. They often live together in groups; sometimes there are several, maybe four, inside one large hollow tree. You can see their climbing tracks on the trunks of trees that they live in. When you find a tree they are in, you throw a stone down the hole, and they will run out. When you catch a possum, you have to be careful, as they have sharp claws and can scratch you. They like hollow snappy gums, bloodwoods, coolabahs and river red gums. They sleep all day in these hollow trees and hunt around for food in the night. They don’t like the sunshine. They really like to eat ‘wandala’ or ‘nanjarrnga’ (sugar-leaf, lerps) and ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives). They also eat flowers and ripe fruit. There were lots at Longreach, Beetaloo Station and Murranji in the past, but now there are very few. There are still some at Daly Waters, but in recent times none have been seen around Elliott. See p. 406 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jangardka SEE: jingirdi. Jangari n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Janama and Nawurla, father of Janama and Nanaku.  Jangari barla kirda-ma Janamawu-ma. ‘Jangari is the father of Janama.’ SEE: Nangari. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Jangaringinja’ in Jingulu. Jangangari lots of Jangari men.  Jangangari bali dardu jindabadarra bayili ngalinya jindaba bayili mali. ‘There are lots of Jangari men, some I call son, others my mother-in-law’s brother.’ jangarla n. spring corkwood. Sesbania

formosa. The pale, lightweight wood of this tree can be used to carve message sticks and to make ‘jalkaji’ (the shafts of spear-throwers) USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jangarlandi n. blind boil. SEE: wukurliji. Jangawirri n. sickness country. Literally means ‘might get sick’, ‘might get sores’. Jangawirri is to be avoided and has no traditional owners, some of this is around Larrimah, between Jingili and Wardaman country. jangawurru n. skin sores, scabies, skin cancer.  Bali biyanganirra marndamarnda-ma jangawurru nyanirni ngaba-ma-yi. ‘They cut off my older brother’s bad arm (because of cancer).’  Jangawurru kayini yurrub. ‘ He’s hiding away with sores all over.’ janginyina n. lightning.  Kanji yanarni darndarn barungkurra yali nguku yanganjarnini janginyinawurru. ‘Come inside, there’s rain coming with thunder and lightning.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jangkijbiyi cv. recognise, identify. = ngarrka. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jangkijbiyi kayini recognise, identify.  Kula barnangku jangkijbiyi kayina. ‘I didn’t recognise you.’ janyburra n. rib.  Janyburra-karda bardakurru bulikinginyi ngarina. ‘Cattle ribs are good meat.’ USAGE: This word is also in both Jingulu and Gurindji. janyungu n. tobacco. = warlayarra, warnu. You mix tobacco with ‘buna’ (ashes). The ashes are the burnt bark of ‘babingi’ (wild pawpaw), ‘kamanji’ (bulwaddy), ‘bularraku’ Ngarinyman to English dictionary 129

j

jaramarra

J

(smoke tree), ‘darralyaka’ (ghost gum), ‘kurruda’ (hill bloodwood) or ‘wanyarri’ or ‘jingi’ (bauhinia). Ashes give the tobacco more bite and enhance the effect of the nicotine. See p. 419 for the hand signs. USAGE: This word is also found in Gurindji. jaramarra n. plate tied around groin, made of turtle shell or mussel shells. Decorative, but not strictly ceremonial. Worn by men and women. = binjayinja.  Kurdi barna buk biya minya-ma jaramarra-ma. ‘Wait, I’ll tie this big plate on me.’ jarany n. rough-tailed goanna. = ladaja, kinja. Varanus storri. These goannas have a very rough tail, like a wood rasp. They also taste nice. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jard cv. closed, shut, locked, covered over, cut off (as of a road). See p. 428 for the hand sign. jard kayini closed.  Ngayinya bayi doorma jard kayini. ‘My door is closed.’ jard kurnini close, shut, lock up.  Barna jard kurnana door-ma marndaj. ‘I closed that door alright.’  Jard bali kurnana. ‘They locked him up.’ jard yuwarnini close, shut, lock up.  Jard yuwarra-nyanu door, bin wandiyinarra. ‘Shut your door, in case you fall out!’ jard wandiyini become closed or shut.  Kadi-ma door-ma bayi jard wandiyina, ngayinya-ma key-ma-rna ngardangana kanju. ‘That door closed on me, but I left my keys inside.’ jardal cv. put together, join together (like parts of a spear, or put the handle on a knife, or put a toy together). = jarlarr, wurruwanji, nyan. jardal yuwarnini put together.  Warnda yali mirlarrang. Ban yuwarru yali binymala, jardal yuwarra yali binymala. ‘Get that spear shaft and that stone blade, and put the blade on it.’ jardarr n. fastened, glued. = jalarr, wurruwanji, nyan. Jardbini n. Dunmarra (township), swamp and well at Dunmarra.  Juburdukarda karndi

karninyarra, kurruda diyija yali karndi Dunmarrangka — marndaj. ‘The quoll has a tree there, a big bloodwood tree at Dunmarra, right.’ jardburru n. bloodwood. = jidburdbu. Corymbia bleeseri. SEE: diyinu. The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hive) is often found in this tree. Sugarbag contains honey, pollen and wax. ‘Kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from hollow branches. The red sap of this tree is called ‘diyinu’ and is good medicine. It can be placed directly onto an aching tooth to stop the pain. It can also be boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores. The knobs on the trunks can be cut off, and sometimes they contain water that can be drunk. People often looked for these while on long walks with little water. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jardila n. tomorrow. ALSO: jawardila. = bayinda.  Jardila-ma barra, jardila-ma barra bulawa kula yandurru, wangkulij marni. ‘Tomorrow we might be able to go if it’s not too hot.’ jardukurru n. hair belt, string made from hair or ‘miyaka’ (kurrajong bark). = wirrkala, ngurrmana.  Malibanyangurlu barla mirrka mala jardukurru-ma, or wirrkalama. ‘Belts are made from people’s hair.’ SEE: yibungu. This belt is worn by newly initiated men for about a month following initiation. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jardukurruwurru n. newly-initiated man. This word literally translates as ‘with the hair belt on’.  Warrik barnana karu-ma, abala bayi karrinyku jardukurruwurru marliyarra. ‘He rubbished the boy (to encourage the boy) to sit down with me as an initiated man.’ — After a young man finishes the initiation, he will continue to wear the hair belt he was given at the ceremony for several months or longer. During this time

130 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jarrarda he is ‘jardukurruwurru’. His ‘ngumbarna’ (brother-in-law) will tell him when it’s time to take it off, on the advice of the new initiate’s ‘lambarra’ (father-in-law). jardul cv. go down the bank of river, descend. jardul wandiyini descend, go down a bank. jardulwari n. steep drop, bank.  Yamaka yandurra, jardul warndi-ma kal ban yandurru. ‘Go carefully, go down the bank and then you go across.’  Yamaka yandarra — yali-karda kambarra kayini jardulwari. ‘Go carefully — up ahead there’s a bank that drops down.’ jarlan cv. join up (e.g. army). = lik. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jarlardu n. snake vine. Tinospora smilacina. This climbing plant often grows around the trunks of trees. The leaves can be boiled in water and the water used as a wash to treat ‘wukurliji’ (boils) as well as general sickness or pain. The stems can be softened on a fire, pounded and then buried in wet sand for a few minutes. This produces a bandage which feels cool and sticky, and is soft enough to wrap around the head, back, swollen joints, feet or limbs to relieve pain. The stems can be used as bush rope to tie things up like bundles of ‘warlu’ (firewood). jarlarr cv. join together (as in making spear). = jardal, wurruwanji, nyan. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jarlmurunymuruny n. orange-naped snake. = miyakakarra, yindarangi. Furina ornata. This snake often sits under the bush orange tree. It has a pretty face with nice colours. The girl snake is aggressive when she has laid eggs. She will chase you but generally only acts like she is going to bite without actually

striking. These snakes are venomous and can bite, though, so you must be careful. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jarlwa n. blue crane, white-necked heron (egret). = darliwa, karnbakakurni. Egretta pacifica. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jarn cv. separate, split up, break up. ALSO: jany. jarn warndanini split up, break up, cut up, separate.  Yalikujarra keykujarra jarn warnda-yili, nyunganda-yi nyangarluma. ‘Split those two keys apart, and could you give me one of them!’  Yaliya bali dardu yananjanarra. Balirna-wanya jarn warndana. ‘They were all going along. Then they split up from each other.’ jarn wanjanini separate. Jarn wanjani bawurna kambarra-rni. ‘Those two split up a long time ago.’ jarra cv. dance by clapping thighs together. Performed only by women. SEE: dumdum; jujirrki; milymily; mulyurrbkarra; murdu. Women dance like this at the ‘ngarranyana’ (ring place) during the Bandimi ceremony, which is part of the initiation ceremony for making young men. Men do not dance like this. jarra bunganini dance by clapping thighs together.  Yaliya-ma kirridarra-ma bali jarra bunganini Bandimi. ‘Those women are dancing by clapping their thighs together, Bandimi-style.’  Yanarn bali, kirridarra, barlawa jarra bunganini! ‘Come here, ladies, we’re dancing!’  Jarra bungka-li, karudarra! ‘Dance, kids!’ jarrak cv. talk about. jarrak marnini talk about.  Jarrak marra-rla yaluwuma! ‘Talk about it to him!’ jarrarda cv. elope, run away with a wrong-way wife or husband.  Yali-ma jarrardawurru yanarra. ‘That one ran off, eloping.’ SEE: jabujabu, karndikari. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jarrarda kanganini take a wrong-way spouse.  Jarrarda bawula kayang barna. ‘They ran off to elope.’  Jarrarda karrakarra kangana. ‘He took a wrong-way Ngarinyman to English dictionary 131

j

jarrbajarrba

J

spouse and eloped with her as quickly as he could.’ jarrbajarrba cv. visit, walk around, walkabout. jarrbajarrba yanini visit, walk around, walkabout.  Jarrbajarrba bali yandurru. ‘They are going to go walkabout.’  Kurdi barna jarrbajarrba yandurru Kulumindiningkurra. ‘I will go travel to Elliott for a few days.’ jarrbajarrba kanganini take for a visit, take for a walk.  Barna jarrbajarrba kangkurru ngayinya kirda Ijibardangkurra. ‘I will take my father away for a few days to Longreach.’ jarrban cv. far from, separately, apart. = diyaj. SEE: barrbarda. jarrban kayini far from.  Kadi-wanya nyana-ma kirri-ma wangu wanju diyaj kayinkayini jindabangka jilimingka. ‘That woman there now is a widow and lives separately in the single women’s quarters.’ jarrban wandiyini go outside. jarrbard cv. turn off. ALSO: jarrbarn. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jarrbard yanini turn off. jarrbarn wandiyini turn off. jarribili n. stone spearhead. ALSO: jarribilid. = jimbilang.  Barla kambambarra-rni yuwanjuwarnirra; jarribili jikalawu barnali jambard yuwarna. ‘In the old days they’d stick spearheads on using wax.’ Jarrimanu n. sand ridge west of Longreach and Lake Woods, with a soak to one side.  Jarrimanu bayi ngayinya ngurra-ma jakardinginyi-ma . ‘Jarrimanu is my mother’s country.’ jarriny n. cave. = nankuna, bidbulu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jarrkuru n. tendon that runs down side of head and neck. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jarrmaka n. river crossing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jarrumulu n. 1 • sheets of rain. = kala.  Yali nyangka jarrumulu nguku yaninjanini kuwanjala. ‘See those sheets of rain, it’s coming this way.’

2 • thigh, thighbone.  Jarrumulu barnanyanu kird barnana. ‘I broke my leg.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jarrunguna n. coolamon which is made from the ‘ngimbija’ (helicopter tree). = kawarla.  Jarrunguna barna mirrka ma karndi ngimbijangurlu. ‘I can make coolamons from the ‘ngimbija’ tree.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu and Gurindji. jarrwana n. cheeky yam, round yam. Dioscorea bulbifera. These yams are round and can grow up to about 20 cm in diameter. They are often covered in hairy roots and have small yams growing off the side. This yam can be dug up and eaten, but it must be carefully prepared first or it will burn your mouth badly. In traditional times, the old men used to prepare the yams by crushing them with a stone and then mixing them with fat, or by chopping them into small pieces and soaking the pieces in water for a long time. This cheeky yam is rare on Mudburra country and only occurs in northern areas near Daly Waters and Larrimah. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -jaru suf. with, by means of, while. This ending is used when you are accompanied by something, when you use something else to do something, or when when you do something by means of another action (comitative). = -yaru.  Kurdi barna yali durrb langku mirlarrangjaru. ‘I will pierce that with a spear.’ SEE: -yaru. jaru n. language. = yurrwa, mulwa. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jawaranya n. billycan, cup, tin. = barrakud, kardak, buludin.  Jawaranya kangkarra nguku warnda-yi. ‘Take this container and go get me some water.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jawardila n. tomorrow. = jardila. jawardikari adv. the day after tomorrow, in a few days.  Wajurrakari ban yanarni, jawardikari-ma-n yandurru lurrbu-rni. ‘You just came back the other day and you’re going away again in two days.’ jawardkarra cv. chew, eat. ALSO: jabardkarra.

132 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Jawurdi = nyanyambi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

jawardkarra ngarnini chew, eat up.  Jawardkarra na barnali ngarniwu bubangka-ma . ‘We always ate it by the fire.’ jawarla n. earthworm, worm; worm. Oligochaeta. Earthworms make good bait for fishing with a handline. They are found in damp soil. They come out after heavy rain and crawl around on the ground. jawarrka n. liver. = jabarrka. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. jawiji n. mother’s father (maternal grandfather) and his siblings; man’s daughter’s child, brother’s daughter’s child (for a woman or man). = mimi.  Ngayinya jawiji, ngayinya kirda, ngayinya kaku — kirdawu barla ngayinyawu, kirda barla — yali-rni Mardbangka-rni. ‘My maternal grandfather, my father, my paternal grandfather — my father’s father — lived right there at Montejinni.’ — See p. 401 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jawijimuju grandfather and his daughter’s child.  Yali bawula yaninjanini jawijimuju. ‘There go a man and his grandchild.’ USAGE: ‘Jawijkula’ is used in Western Mudburra, and this word in Eastern Mudburra. jawijirla grandfather and his daughter’s child.  Jawijirla bali yanarra. ‘The group of grandfathers and their daughters’ children went away.’ jawilyi n. beefwood. Grevillea striata. The hard, dark wood is used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs), ‘karnbaj’ (clapsticks) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). It also makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) as it burns for a long time. jawuja cv. tell someone something, report gossip, tell on someone, inform, deliver news. SEE: dikal. jawuja yanini come and tell.  Jawuja bayi yanarni. ‘He came and told me.’

jawuja kayini tell, report, inform. Jawuja kayinarni. ‘He came and reported it.’ jawujbi cv. show, teach, test, give permission (to carry out ceremonial knowledge). = lin.  Jawujbi karri minya-ma ngarina ngaba ngalu: kurrkabadi, walanja, wawirri. ‘He has to give him ceremonial permission to eat certain meats — turkey, goanna and kangaroo.’ — Boys who are about the initiated have to be given permission to eat certain kinds of bush tucker. This giving of permission as part of the initiation process is called ‘jawujbi’. jawulungbulungka n. moustache, whiskers. ALSO: jawulyungbulunga; jawulungbulyunga. = jalyangbalyangku.  Yali-ma jawulungbulunga-wanya, yali-ma jawulungbulungawurru. ‘He’s got a moustache now.’ SEE: ngarnka. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. jawulwarra n. king brown snake. ALSO: jawulwara; jawalarra. = kiwarlija, wari, kiwarlija. Pseudechis australis. This is a very dangerous snake. You cannot get close to them as they are fast-moving and aggressive; their venom is strong and deadly. In the Dreamtime, a number of ‘kiwarlija’ came up from Tennant Creek to Murranji. A couple of them then went to Beetaloo; these were the quiet ‘kiwarlija’ (i.e. olive or rock pythons). Two others went west as the dangerous ‘kiwarlija’ (i.e. king browns) and turned into the ‘jurndakal’, a taipan-like snake. They have the skin names Jimija and Jalyirri and are father and son. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jawurd n. tail.  Bardakurru ngarina wardabarnmarra-rni jawurd-ma, barnali ngala wakurni. ‘Kangaroo tail is good meat, but we never eat it.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Jawurdi n. place at Longreach, north of Ijibarda.  Barlawa yana Ijibardangurlu Minkungkurra, Minkungurlu barlawa yana Jawurdingkurra yanarrarni. ‘We go around from Ijibarda to Minku, then we go around from Minku and we should come to Jawurdi.’ SEE: Ijibarda. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 133

j

jawurra

J

jawurra cv. steal. jawurra warndanini steal.  Kadili bayi jawurra warndana murdika ngayinya. ‘He stole my car.’  Yalili wangkulayili bayi jawurra warndana mangarri. ‘That crow stole my food from me.’ jawurra nyunganini steal and give. Jawurra nyungana. ‘He stole it and gave it to him.’ jawurrangarna thief, robber.  Yali-ma karrila ngarrka-ma! Jawurrangarna. ‘Leave that man! He is a thief.’ jayilya n. new, fresh, green (of plants). ALSO: jayilyak. = jalirla.  Nginya walanja kayang barna. Jayilya yunba. ‘This goanna has run past. These are fresh tracks.’ jayilyajayilya modern, new-fangled, new generation.  Marlarluka-ma bali burrb wandiyana, nginya-ma-li jayilyajayilya na. ‘All the old people are gone, just young folks now.’ jayilya karu newborn, baby (from birth until one or two months of age).  Yalili kirrili jayilya karu warndana. ‘That woman had a newborn baby.’ -jban suf. lots, many, big mob (plural). This ending is used with skin names to mean many people from that skin group. = -darra, -barra, -walija, -rra, -ya.  Nawurlajban bali dardu yananjanarni. ‘Many Nawurlas are coming this way.’ SEE: -darra. -jbunga suf. This ending is used with location words meaning that something is associated with the location (associative). = -nybunga.  Walykarrangarna yali kanjijbunga murdika-ma. ‘That car on the bottom is the slow one.’  Yali-ma bardakurru barrbardajbunga-ma. Minya wangi-ma mulurawurru. ‘That one (apple) that is further away is good. This one (apple) is full of maggots.’ -ji case. This ending marks the one who performs the action, a weapon or implement, or adverb agreement (ergative). = -li, -lu, -di.  Yali kirdanyanji wajkarra karlunini yali karu banyanu. ‘That father is playing with those children of his.’ SEE: -li.

jib cv. put something on the fire to boil or cook. jib kurnini put something on the fire to boil or cook.  Kurdi, barna jib kuya ngarina. ‘Wait, I will put the meat on the fire.’  Yali jawaranya warnda, jurlurl kuya nguku, jib kuya warlungkurra. ‘Get that billycan, pour in water, put it on the fire.’ jibibin n. swamp box. = bawulji, jinjaraku. Lophostemon grandiflorus. The wood makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). The timber can also be carved to make artefacts. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in this tree. It is large and grows in creek and river beds, where it provides dense, cool shade. jibij cv. cover up, bury, put fire out, extinguish, turn lights off. ALSO: jibiji. = lakurd. SEE: jard; jiburn; lakurd. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. jibij barnini put out (fire, light), bury.  Yali jibij barra warlu. ‘Put out that fire.’ jibij kayini covered, go out (fire, light).  Yali ban warlu ngardangarna ngurlaka, jankijankiyini. Marndaj, jibij karri nyaninirni. ‘You left that fire behind, and it’s really burning. It’s okay, it’ll go down by itself.’ jibij kurnini put out (fire, light), extinguish.  Yali warlu jibij kuya ngukuyaru. ‘Put out that fire with water.’  Hey, karu, yali jibij kuya warlu verandahngka. ‘Hey, kid, turn that light off on the verandah.’ jibij wandiyini go out (fire, light).  ’Yali ban warlu ngardangana ngurlaka, jankijankiyini.’ ‘Marndaj, jibij wandi nyanirni-rni.’ ‘You left that fire behind, and it’s really burning. It’s okay, it’ll go down by itself.’ jibij yuwarnini cover, bury.  Barnarla karal marna. Barna ngarina-ma yali-ma jibij yuwarna. ‘I dug a hole for it. I covered up that meat (in the ground oven).’ jibijbi kayini cover up, bury.  Bunku warnda-yi jibijbiwu. ‘Get powder for me so I can cover (this skin rash).’  Warndarra-yi yali jibijbinginyi. ‘Go get (some powder) for

134 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jikala me so I can cover (this skin rash).’ jibijibij cover up lots of things, bury lots of things, put out lots of fires.  Yali kardibali jibijibij barnini yali warlu. ‘That white person is going around putting out fires.’ jibijnginyi grave. jibilyuku n. whistling duck. ALSO: kibilyawurni. = kibilyuku. Dendrocygna eytoni. These ducks are often seen grazing on grass in large flocks near the water’s edge. They nest in hill country and walk around at night. When they fly they often make a whistling noise. They are good to eat, and people hunt them with rifles. These ducks have the skin name Jangala or Nangala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jiburn cv. put fire out, extinguish, dead (of fire). USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jiburn barnini cover up, bury, extinguish.  Jiburn barra yali warlu yuwululu. ‘Put out that fire with dirt.’ jiburn kayini extinguished. jid cv. upright, stood up. = jirrk. SEE: kurdij. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word but it means ‘kneeling’. jid kayini upright.  Yali jid kayini dingarrikujarra. ‘That one has both knees bend straight up.’ jid kurnini put upright, stand something up.  Jid kuya-li murrubala ngukuwurru. ‘Stand that water bottle upright.’ jidard cv. hate, dislike, not want. USAGE: This word is also in Gurindji. jidard kayini hate.  Ngana-barra jidard kayina? ‘Someone hated him.’ jidburdbu n. bloodwood. = jardburru. Corymbia bleeseri, Corymbia dichromophloia. The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hive) is often found in this tree. Sugarbag contains honey, pollen

and wax. ‘Kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from hollow branches. As with the hill bloodwood and the ghost (white) gum, the red sap of this tree is called ‘diyinu’ and is good medicine. It can be placed directly onto an aching tooth to stop the pain. It can also be boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores. The knobs on the trunks can be cut off, and sometimes they contain water that can be drunk. People often looked for these while on long walks with little water. jidi cv. pinch. = kidiji. jidi marnini pinch. jidji n. face. = nyujujka.  Bardakurru jidji yali. ‘That one’s got a nice face.’ This word in Gurindji means ‘nose’. -jija suf. not having, damaged, not working. This ending is used when you do not have something, or if you have something that doesn’t work (usually a body part).  Yali langajija wirdik barra. Kadiya balirla wayarra kayinykayini. ‘Whack that deaf one. They are calling out to him.’  Yali-ma jabaka-ma jarrumulujija. ‘That woman has one leg.’ jijal n. roly-poly. = karlwakarlwa. Salsola australis. This small succulent plant has prickles. It forms in round, balllike clumps, which blow around in the wind. jiji n. face. SEE: jidji. jijirrmirni n. fairy-wren. = jirrjirrmirni, kirnjirlmirna. Malurus melanocephalus. These colourful little birds have long tails that stick up. They live in tall grass in grassy country near ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks), but also fly around everywhere. They are often hard to see as they are a bit camouflaged. jikala n. wax from sugarbag, spinifex or your ear.  Barna nginya ngarlu nyunyuk ma - nyunyuk ma. Yali jikala nyungkada-yi, barna ngalu. ‘I can suck that sugarbag Ngarinyman to English dictionary 135

j

jikalawurru

J

suck it. Give me that wax and I’ll chew it.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. jikalawurru n. police officer. = yibunguwurru, murnungku, ngarrambalyaka. See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jikarrambini n. wild potato. = babirda. Ipomoea costata. This plant has pretty pink flowers and grows in red plains country. The yams are dug up and eaten; they have an excellent taste and can often be collected in large numbers. The yams can be eaten lightly roasted or boiled. The root system is expansive and the yams are usually found quite far from the plant. People locate them by looking for cracks in the ground: the roots and bulbs often crack the ground above them. These cracks can be followed to find large yams below. The yams can also be found by tapping the ground around the plant with a digging stick. If a hollow noise is heard, it indicates a large yam is below and it is a good place to dig. The young or small yellow yams are called ‘ngabilyi’. The large round yams under the main stem are called ‘damangka’ which also means ‘head’ because this yam can get very big, like a person’s head. See p. 414 for the hand sign. Jikarrambini n. place near Number 10 Bore (Kiyiwulu). Darliwa (crane) threw yams to this place from Kandurlarra (Condalara Waterhole, upstream of Beetaloo).  Bali waliju warndanirra kambambarra-ma marlarlukali-ma babirda-ma Jikarrambini. ‘In the old days people would get lots of yams at Jikarrambini.’ — Wild potatoes grow here.

Jikaya n. Lake Woods.  Karlarrangurlu yali-ma walanybirri-ma Jikayangkurra, barlirla kinjulara karrinyarra jurlakadarra wunyuwunyu yunbawu, marrawurruwanya marluka-ma yanirra karlarrangurlu. ‘From the west, Pelican went to Lake Woods, where there were little bird tracks all around, there the old man came from the west.’ jikirdikirdi cv. scratch an itch. = warra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jikirrija n. willie wagtail. = jindikirrija. Rhipidura leucophrys. This little black and white bird jumps around calling and dancing. The spirits of people who have passed away are present in these birds and, if you see one, you know that the old people are close. Because the spirits of ancestors and ‘ngurramala’ (traditional owners) are in these birds, they also keep an eye on country. They will scold someone if they are from another country and have entered the area or have gone for a swim without being introduced to country properly. You can introduce a stranger to country by dousing their head or rubbing them with mud. These birds also bring luck to card games. They have the skin name Jangala or Nangala. See p. 410 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jilaminya n. poison from a mangrove tree. SEE: jilawanmani. The bark and twigs of mangroves can be used as fish poison. They are crushed and thrown into small waterholes; the water becomes soapy and the fish die and float to the surface. They are then collected, cooked and eaten. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jilawanmani n. freshwater mangrove, itchy tree. Barringtonia acutangula. SEE: jilaminya. The bark and twigs of mangroves can be used as fish poison. They are crushed and thrown into

136 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jilwi small waterholes; the water becomes soapy and the fish die and float to the surface. They are then collected, cooked and eaten. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jilbi n. bilby. = yarningki, jalbawurru, yalbawurru. Macrotis lagotis. Bilbies look a bit like rabbits. They have long ears, a pointy nose and a long tail with a white tip. They have a single baby in the cool weather time, after the rains have finished. Bilbies like to eat grass and ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs), which they look for in turpentine wattles and lancewood trees. They sniff along the roots of trees to smell witchetty grubs, then dig and bite open the roots to get the grubs. They live in lancewood country or in sandy country, more commonly in southern areas, and dig large burrow systems with deep tunnels and lots of holes. People hunt them by digging the burrows up with digging sticks; while someone digs, others wait near the burrow’s exits to throw boomerangs at the animals when they run out. Bilbies are very fast runners and are hard to hit with a boomerang. Sometimes they were also hunted with goanna dogs that would go down goanna and bilby burrows and chase the animals out. Bilbies were eaten in the past, but have not been eaten in recent times. A large one would feed two or three adults. They taste good, like a feral rabbit or a porcupine (echidna). They were gutted, held over flames to burn off the fur and then cooked in a ground oven. Pythons and feral cats also like to eat bilbies. The long white fluffy tail can be used in the initiation ceremony for young men. The tails are worn on a headband and around the neck, and you cannot speak while wearing them. They were also worn by men to attract a partner. Bilbies used to be quite common at Beetaloo. After the end of the Second World War, there were lots. Now there are very few. jilij cv. ask, enquire. jilij kanganini ask, enquire.  Yali jilij kangka! ‘Ask him!’  Minyakujarra

karukujarrali bayiwula jilij kanganjinganini mangarriwu. ‘These two kids keep asking me for food.’ jililij all asking.  Yaliyali bayili jililij kangana warnuwu. ‘They all asked me for tobacco.’ jilimi n. single women’s quarters, single women’s camp. = birdibirdi.  Jilimilawanya kayini. ‘She is in the single women’s camp now.’  Yali-ma kirri-ma marndaj. Karlamanjima, jilimingka-wanju. ‘That woman is appropriate (for you). Keep approaching her since she’s single (that is, in the single women’s camp).’  Nyunduma diyaj yandarra jilimikaringkurra. Ngumbarnawangka-wanya ban. ‘Go out to that other camp for single women. You’ve got no husband now.’  Kadi jilimi-ma barnali karlunirra kurlarra-karlarra-karlarra. ‘We used to have that single women’s camp on the west side, a bit to the south.’ SEE: malkirra. The ‘jilimi’ is located in the southwestern part of the encampment. The camp for married people is in the southeast. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jilimingarnarra single woman.  Yali-ma kirri-ma jilimingarnarra-rni. ‘That woman is still single (lit. lives in the single women’s camp).’ jilimingarna man interested in single woman.  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma jilimingarna. ‘That man’s always snooping around the single women’s quarters.’ jilng cv. drip. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu, but in Gurindji it means ‘seep’ or ‘sweat’. jilng wandiyini dripping out.  Yali nguku jilngkarra wandiyini. Yali jawaranya-ma mulywari. ‘Water is dripping out. That billycan has holes.’ jilngjilng dripping.  Jilngjilng wandiyininya-ma minya nguku-ma. ‘Water is dripping from it.’ jilngkarra dripping.  Karndingurlu yali nguku jilngkarra wandiyini. ‘Water is dripping off that tree.’ jilngida n. sweat.  Nginya-ma-rna jilngidawanya; yali yakulngali yuwarra. ‘You’re all sweaty, put the air conditioner on.’ jilwi n. seed. = nginja.  Yali jilwi warnda-yi barna karndi wiliya ma. ‘Get those seeds Ngarinyman to English dictionary 137

j

jilyi

J

for me so I can grow a tree.’ See p. 413 for the hand sign. jilyi n. dust storm, sand storm.  Nyamba yali jilyi yananjanarni ludba-wanya. ‘What’s that dust storm coming close up now.’ jilyiburr cv. burn, put on charcoal to burn. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘jily’ in Gurindji. jilyiburr kambarnini burn.  Yali karu jilyiburr kambarna warluyaru, yali karulu bunbangarnali. ‘He burned that (other) kid with fire, that aggressive kid did.’  Barnali jilyiburr kambarnirra hot ironjaru buliki-ma kambambarra-ma. ‘We used to brand cattle with hot irons a long time ago.’ jilyiburr yuwarnini burn someone.  Yalulu-karda jilyiburr yuwarna! ‘That one there burned him!’ jilyiburrkarra burning.  Warnda-yi janyburra; jilyiburrkarra kamba-yi linyardangka. ‘Get a rib bone for me; cook it for me on the charcoal.’ jilyirrwari n. sulky, not happy. ALSO: jilyiwari. = bujarri, burdurl. jimaj cv. shave, plane down. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jimaj kurnini shave, plane down.  Barna jimaj kuya nginya kurrubardu. ‘I’m going to plane down this boomerang.’ Jimarra n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jurla and Nanaku, father of Jurla and Nawurla. = Jabarda. SEE: Nimarra. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jimarri n. ceremony-mate, age-mate, man who went through the initiation at the same

time as you.  Barna wuruly ngardangana ngayinya-ma jimarri-ma. ‘I snuck away from my friend.’  Yali bangku nyununya jimarri. ‘That is your mate.’ — Jimarri are not allowed to say each other’s names. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jimarrkula pair of ceremony-mates.  Yali kujarra-ma bawula jimarrkula. Kula bawurna yini-ma yinbajibarnini. ‘Those two are a pair of ceremony-mates. They can’t call each other by their names.’ jimbilang n. spearhead, spear. ALSO: jimbila. = bankili, jarribili. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jimbilayaru spear with a head. Jimija n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jalyirri and Nimarra, father of Jalyirri and Nalyirri.  Ngayu-ma-rna Jimija. Nangala barna karlunini. ‘I am Jimija. I take Nangala [as a wife].’ SEE: Namija. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. It is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Jiminginja’ in Jingulu. Jimimija lots of Jimija men.  Barnayina yandurru Jimimijawu kakumarnanybarrawu. Barnayina nyangkurru. ‘I’m going to go visit those Jimija grandsons of yours. I’m going to go see them.’ jiminkina n. short ribs, floating ribs, last short rib when you cut up a bullock.  Yali warnda-yi jiminkina. Barna kambu linyardangka, barna ngalu. ‘Get the short ribs for me. I will cook them on coals and then I’ll eat them.’ jimuruka n. water python. = baningkula. Liasis fuscus. These pythons live in waterholes and can be caught by hand or

138 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jindiminya speared with light spears. They have a distinctive shiny skin that reflects light like a rainbow. They are cooked in the same way as the ‘mulyukuna’ (black-headed python), and can have a lot of meat on them, as they can get very large. Their meat tastes similar to goanna flesh. This snake has important Dreamings around Juna (Beetaloo Waterhole). Along with Kiwarlija, he created the central Dreaming track for Jingili people. All the other Dreaming tracks connect with or cross this one. There are songs associated with this snake. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. jina n. foot, track, horseshoe, toe. = yunba, jamana. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jinarli n. leaf, tea-leaves.  Yali ngarina jakarr ma jinarlili, kunangawirri. ‘Cover that meat with leaves, or else the flies (will get it).’  Kurdi, nyunganda-yi yalima jinarli-ma; barna yuwarru lalijangkurra. ‘Hang on, bring me those tea-leaves; I will put them in the tea.’ SEE: lalija. Jinbarrak n. old Wave Hill Station. jinbinbilyi n. 1 • black woodswallow. ALSO: kinbinbilyi; jinbilbili. = janbarrimana. Artamus spp. SEE: jalwakbarna. These birds cluster together on powerlines or in trees in the cold weather to keep warm. ‘Janbarrimana’ is dark in colour, while his close countryman, ‘janba’, has a white chest. They have the skin name Jangari or Nangari. 2 • dollarbird, rainbird. = kulkanya. Eurystomus orientalis. This bird comes with the first rains of the wet season. It sits high in dead trees and looks for insects to eat. When it flies, you can see a white dot on each wing. It has the skin name

Jangari or Nangari. jindaba n. different, another. = jindara, -kari.  Yali-ma kirdakaringinyi, jindaba barla kirda-ma. ‘He’s from a different father.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jindaba-jindaba variety, lots of different ones.  Nginya-ma barlawa marnini Mudburra-ma, jindabajindaba yurrwa-ma. ‘We’re talking Mudburra here, (we’re using) lots of different words.’ jindabadarra that other mob.  Jangangari bali dardu jindabadarra bayili ngalinya jindaba bayili mali. ‘There are lots of other Jangari men, some I call son, others my mother-in-law’s brother.’ jindaku n. one. = yangarlu, nyangarlu. See p. 433 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jindara n. different, another. = jindaba, -kari. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jindikirrija n. willie wagtail. ALSO: jindiijirrija; jindijirrija; jindikirrijba; jindikijba. = jikirrija. Rhipidura leucophrys. This little black and white bird jumps around calling and dancing. The spirits of people who have passed away are present in these birds and, if you see one, you know that the old people are close. Because the spirits of ancestors and ‘ngurramala’ (traditional owners) are in these birds, they also keep an eye on country. They will scold someone if they are from another country and have entered the area or have gone for a swim without being introduced to country properly. You can introduce a stranger to country by dousing their head or rubbing them with mud. These birds also bring luck to card games. They have the skin name Jangala or Nangala. See p. 410 for the hand sign. jindiminya n. mistletoebird. Dicaeum hirundinaceum. This small bird eats the sweet fruit from mistletoe plants that grow in trees. They have a red chest and backside under the tail feathers and a black back. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 139

j

jinjaraku

J

jining SEE: jirning. jinjaraku n. swamp box. = bawulji, jinjaraku. Lophostemon grandiflorus. The wood makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). The timber can also be carved to make artefacts. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native beehives) can be found in this tree. It is large and grows in creek and river beds, where it provides dense, cool shade. jinjimilirrinmi n. spring, water coming through the ground. ALSO: jinjimulirrinmi. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jinjinymi n. caustic vine, milk vine. Sarcostemma viminale. This climbing plant produces a milky liquid when it is damaged. This plant also has special powers and can be used to chase away big flooding rain. The stems are burnt on a fire and the smoke causes the storms to go away. It is also used by evil spirits or ‘wild women’ to kill their babies. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jinkiji n. star. = kamirrinji. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. Jinkiji n. tree and site 40 km west of Marlinja on the Ghan rail line in Jingili and Mudburra country. It is a Star Dreaming site.  Kari mukurla-yi nyangana warlu, jungkarna jankinya Jinkijingka. ‘Far off on my aunty’s country, fire and smoke could be seen burning at Jinkiji.’ jinkirr cv. split (as of head). = dil. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jinkirr barnini split. jingi n. bauhinia. = wanyarri, banjibanji. Bauhinia cunninghamii. SEE: ngabilibili. This large tree is common on Mudburra country. It is an excellent shade tree. Many birds sit in it and eat the red flowers. The inner red bark of the trunk or the roots

can be used to make a strong medicine. They are boiled in water and the liquid is used as a wash, and a little is drunk, to treat headaches, ‘jangawurru’ (scabies, skin ulcers, skin sores) and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). This medicine is used a few times a day for a few days and will cure most skin problems. The leaves can also be chewed to treat congestion or when you are thirsty and in need of water. This helps to produce saliva and stops the feeling of intense thirst. The gum is called ‘kuramarna’ which refers to the edible gum from any tree. The fruit or pods are called ‘ngabilibili’. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in the trunk of this tree, and also in the roots sometimes. The red flowers can be sucked to get the sweet nectar. They can also be collected in a tin and mixed with water to make a sweet drink. The outer bark is burnt to ‘buna’ (a fine white ash), which is then added to ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). The twigs can be made into ‘junji’ (paint brushes and spoons) used for painting or for extracting honey. Jingili n. Jingili people, eastern neighbours of the Mudburra.  Jingili, Warlmana, Warlpiri, karrinyarra-ma. ‘The Jingili, Warlmanpa, and Warlpiri were there.’ SEE: Kuwaarrangu; Jingulu. Today, Jingili and Mudburra people live alongside each other in Elliott. jingirdi n. heart. ALSO: jangardka. = dulang.  Nyundu-ma yamurra karri, jingirdi ban wangi. ‘You should be careful, you have a bad heart.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jingkarli n. happy. = kilkil, luyurd.  Jingkarliwanya barna kayini. ‘I’m happy now.’  Yali nyangka-li! Jingkarlijingkarli bunganjinganini. ‘You mob look at him! He’s showing off dancing.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jingkarrangarna n. premonition of someone coming which you can tell when your nose is itching. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Jingulu n. Jingulu language.  Ngarla nyundu? Nganali bangku mirrarda marni Jinguluwu-ma? Jalyirrili, ngayinyali ngamirnili. ‘What about you? Who taught

140 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jirrijirri you about Jingulu? Jalyirri, my uncle, did.’ SEE: Jingili; Kuwaarrangu. jirdi n. excrement, faeces, shit, guts, middle guts. = jirrikulukula, mangulkbi.  Yali-ja jirdi warnda-yi. ‘Get those guts for me too.’  Kurdi barnali jirdingkurra. ‘Wait, we have to go to the toilet.’  Dirdilwari-ja warnda-yi jirdi. ‘Get the guts out, the entrails.’ ‘Guts’ applies to innards generally, not specific organs. jirdird cv. alone. jidird kayini alone.  Barna jirdird kayini. ‘I’m alone.’ jirinyili n. spider. = yumbu, darru, karruji. Arachnida, Araneae. All spiders have the same names although many different types of spiders are recognised and some are dangerous. Some of the larger spiders live in burrows in the ground. The red-back spider has a painful bite that causes a lot of swelling. Spider webs are called ‘karrujinginyi’. See p. 408 for the hand sign for ‘jirinyili’. jirning cv. paint up. ALSO: jinim. = birnim. jirning birnini paint up.  Barnangku jirning birnana ngayili-ma. ‘I have painted you up myself.’ jirr cv. kneel, as in church. = dilili. SEE: durdukuly. This refers to kneeling as is done in church. Kneeling down with buttocks on heels is ‘durdukuly’. jirr kayini kneeling, on knees.  Kadiya bali jirr kayini. Kirdawu balirla marninymarnini. ‘Those people are kneeling. They are talking to God (the father).’ jirr wandiyini kneel, get onto knees.  Kurdi barna jirr wandi. ‘I will kneel down.’  Manyanngurlu-ma-rna duma. Barna jirr wandi. Ngukuwu barna nyangku. ‘I will get

up from lying down. I will get (up) onto my knees. I will look for water.’ jirr nyanganini look while on knees.  Kurdi barna jirr nyangku minya ngurra barla walanjawu. ‘I will look at this goanna hole while kneeling.’ Jirrarnku n. Number 9 Government Bore.  Liyardungurlu bali yanirra marlarlukama, Liyardungurlu, Jirrarnkungka-ma. ‘The olden folks went from Liyardu, from Liyardu up to Jirrarnku.’ SEE: Munmaku. This place is associated with ‘nyunumiyi’ (finch). jirrbindi n. right (side), right hand, righthanded.  Yali binka yaninjanirra jirrbindi. ‘That river flowed to the right.’ jirrbu cv. bathe, wash, wet, swim, immersed in water, drown. ALSO: jirrb. = nyinybuk. See p. 424 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jirrbu kayini immersed, there swimming.  Jirrbu barna kayini. ‘I’m wet.’ jirrbu wandiyini swim underwater.  Jirrbu wandi yandarra malyaku! ‘Swim underwater to the other side!’  Jirrbu wandiyana, jandaku-wanya-rni. ‘She drowned, she’s gone forever.’ jirrbukarra swimming around.  Jirrbukarra barna karri. ‘I need to bathe.’ jirri n. fork of tree. = yalyalywari. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. -jirri case. to, towards (allative). This ending is used to mark goals (though it’s not always used on place names). It can also mark a simultaneous action performed by a different person from the one who did the first action. = -ngkurra, -kurra, -yirri.  Kadungka barna nyangana kurdijjirri ngana-barra. ‘There I saw someone standing up.’ SEE: -ngkurra. jirrijirri cv. loudly, shout, strongly.  Wurrkarra warnda jirrijirri. ‘Stretch that out strongly.’ jirrijirri kayini do something loudly, noisily.  Jirrijirri kayini bali wajkarra kayini. ‘They are playing it loudly.’ jirrijirri marnini shout, speak up, talk loudly. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 141

j

jirrikik  Yaliwu karuwu marra-rla, jirrijirri

J

marrala, amba barna ngayili-ja lankaj karri. ‘Tell that child to speak up, so that I can hear him too.’ jirrikik n. owlet nightjar. = ngarrajaja. Aegotheles cristatus. This small owl lives in hollow logs in the day and comes out at night to hunt for little insects. It calls loudly at night and can be heard for a long distance. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jirrikulukula n. milk guts, intestine. ALSO: jirrikulukala. = mangulkbi.  Barnali jirrikulukala-ma boilim karri or barnali fryim karri dikangka. ‘We can boil up those milk guts or we can fry them up in fat.’ SEE: jirdi. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jirrjirrmirni n. fairy-wren. = jijirrmirni, kirnjirlmirna. Malurus melanocephalus. These colourful little birds have long tails that stick up. They live in tall grass in grassy country near ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks) but also fly around everywhere. They are often hard to see as they are a bit camouflaged. jirrk cv. upright. = kurdij. jirrk kayini upright, standing up.  Jirrk kayini yali. ‘That’s standing upright.’ jirrk n. small spear-thrower for a fighting spear. = ngarlika. SEE: warlmayi; jalkaji. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jirrkana n. deep (water). ALSO: jirrkarna. = darlukurru, jurrku.  Karu ngukungka jirrkana. ‘The child is in deep water.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.  Jirrkana langka. ‘Dig a deep (hole).’ jirrkilimi n. river bank, embankment, cliff (on river).  Kula barlawa yandurru yali yalingkurra. Diyija jirrkilimi kayini. ‘We won’t go there. The river bank is steep.’ SEE: jurrkulu; binka. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jirrku cv. in the middle. = jurrku, majurru.  Jurlaka jirrku kayini. ‘That bird is in the

middle.’ SEE: jurrku. jirrmiriny n. goat. = yukulyarri. Capra hircus. SEE: bilikud; nanikud. In the past, goats were kept on stations and at missions for their meat and milk. Both of these are very tasty. jiwarurru n. stealing bird, bowerbird. Chalmydera nuchalis. ALSO: jiwayurru. These birds pick up anything that is brightly coloured or shiny and place it around their bower. This includes coins, bottle tops, rings, tobacco tins, screws, bolts, snail shells and so on. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jiya n. any kind of kangaroo. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra, Bilinarra and Ngarinyman word. jiyibi n. death adder. ALSO: jiibi. Acanthophis hawkei. This is a small, poisonous snake with a short prickle in the end of its tail. It is very dangerous. If it bites someone, they will die quickly in a very short time. You must go to the clinic really fast if you are bitten. There are plenty at Daly Waters. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jub cv. grab. ALSO: jurrb. jub warndanini grab.  Jub warnda-li, durd ma-li kurdi-rni! ‘You mob grab it, and hang onto it!’ jubu adv. just, only (one), by oneself, not seriously, for nothing.  Jubu barna nyangkurru kurrubardiwu. ‘I will just go over there and look for a boomerang tree.’  Yalikujarra karukujarra jubu bawula wajkarra kayinykayini. Kula bawurna barninybarnini. ‘Those two kids are just playing around. They aren’t (actually) fighting each other.’  Yalili-ma jubu-rni larlub warndana. ‘That one only took a scoop.’  Jubu barnangku marnana. ‘I just said it (don’t take it too seriously).’  Jubu barna karri, ngurrangka. ‘I’m going to sit by myself, at home.’ juburda n. northern quoll, native cat.

142 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jukuli ALSO: juburdu.

= barrjirda. Dasyurus hallucatus. Quolls used to be seen around, generally in the northern areas, but have not been seen on Jingili or Mudburra country since Pompey Raymond was quite young, probably in the 1940s and 1950s. In the past they were eaten, but they did not have much meat. The males had a bad smell. They always lived by themselves and the mother would look after the babies. The quoll has white spots on its back and lives in grassy areas and in hollow logs, particularly in lancewood and bulwaddy country. Eaglehawks used to hunt them sometimes. Quolls were good at hunting small birds and grasshoppers. They could have three or four, or even up to 10, babies at a time. jud cv. get down, get off. jud wandiyini get down, get off.  Karukujarra, jud wandi-wula! ‘You two kids, get down!’ judjud get down, get off, dismount.  Barna judjud wandiyina ngayinyangurlu dimanangurlu. ‘I dismounted my horse.’  Judjud wandi karndingurlu. ‘Get down from that tree.’ jud yanini go down. jud kurnini make get down, make get off.  Kadi karu jud kurnini school bus. ‘She is getting that kid off the school bus.’ juduk cv. straight, correct. = yurrk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. In Eastern Mudburra this is only used in ‘juduk marnini’, meaning ‘to track down’, and is not used to mean ‘straight’. juduk kurnini straighten. juduk marnini track down.  Juduk ma yali walanja, jayilya yunba. ‘Track that goanna straight, there are fresh tracks.’ jujirrki cv. dance by clapping thighs together. Performed only by women. ALSO: jujurrki. = jarra. SEE: dumdum; jarra; milymily; mulyurrbkarra; murdu. Women dance like this at the ‘ngarranyana’ (ring place) during the Bandimi ceremony, which is part of the initiation ceremony for making young men. The men sing while the women ‘jujirrki’.

Men do not dance like this. USAGE: This is similar to words built from ‘jujurrk-’ in Jingulu. jujirrki kayini dance by clapping thighs together.  Kirridarra bali jujurrki karri Bandimi kurrulala-ma. ‘The women will do the thigh-clapping, Bandimi-style dance tonight.’ juju n. stink-bug. = ngabukarrangarna. Pentatomoidea. These small bugs have a strong, bad smell when they are squashed. jujumana n. lightning, thunder. = durdurdarra.  Minya-ma ngukuma yananjanarni jujumanawurru. ‘Rain is coming with lightning.’  Jujumanayaru nguku yananjanarni minya diyija. ‘Rain is coming with powerful lightning and thunder.’ USAGE: This is very similar to the Jingulu word ‘jujumi’. juk cv. appear. = dibij. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. There is a similar word in Gurindji: ‘jik’. juk yanini appear. juka n. woman’s child, sister’s child (for a woman or man). = kurdurdu.  Marndaj barla nyungana warnu-ma jukanyanku Jalyirriwu ngamirninyanji. ‘[Jalyirri’s] uncle has already given tobacco to Jalyirri, his sister’s son.’ — See p. 400 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Bilinarra word. juku adv. hardly, not really, pretending.  Juku manyan kayini. ‘He’s pretending to sleep.’  Yali-ma kula kardiba nyanirni; juku bali yuwarni yali-ma kardiba-ma. ‘That’s not actually a white man, that one there; they put that fake whitefella there.’ jukuli cv. head down, face down, head hanging. = jandurr. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jukuli kayini have head down, have face down, have head hanging.  Ngana yali-ma jukuli kayini? ‘Who’s that sitting with his head down?’ Ngarinyman to English dictionary 143

j

Jukurraku

J

jukuli nyanganini look with head down low.  Jukuli nyangka-rla! ‘Get down on your knees and look inside!’ Jukurraku n. Tennant Creek. ALSO: Junkurraku.  Barlawa-wanya marndaj Junkurrakungkurra? ‘Are we ready to go to Tennant Creek yet?’ jularr cv. halfway, send or put something halfway. jularr kurnini halfway.  Barna jularr kurnana. ‘I sent it halfway.’ julbu n. ground oven. = bujbu.  Barna lakurd kurnana julbungka. ‘I buried it in the ground oven.’  Barna jalak warndu walanja nginya julbungurlu. ‘I will dig up this goanna from the ground oven.’ SEE: lakurd. Round hole in the ground, about 15 cm deep. You make a fire in the hole and put in stones or metal things like chains to heat them up. After the fire burns down to charcoal, you put your meat in and cover it up with the hot stones or chains to cook it. julbun cv. bury, cook in ground oven, roast. = lakurd. julbun kurnini cook in ground oven.  Julbun barna kurnana. ‘I buried it (to cook).’ julnguny cv. touch. SEE: dalak. julnguny barnini touch.  Nyambawu bayin julnguny barnana? ‘Why did you touch me?’ julu n. navel, bellybutton, umbilical cord. = ngajurrujurru. USAGE: This is also a word in Gurindji. julub cv. smoke or dust rising. = jungun, jidiburl. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. julub kayini smoke or dust rising. julub marnini make smoke or dust rise. juluj cv. carry on hip, under arm. ALSO: jilij. = ngamurrumurru. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

juluj kanganini carry on hip, under arm.  Yali karu juluj kanganjingana kari jabakali. ‘That old woman over there was always carrying that child on her hip.’ juluj warndanini carry in arms. juluj kurnini carry in arms. julwa n. ground. = yuwulu. USAGE: Uncommon and used only in Western Mudburra. This is also a Gurindji word. jumurdku n. breast. = ngabulu, milki. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jun- v. many words beginning with ‘juna’ are forms of the verb ‘swear’. SEE: junini. juna n. 1 • millipede. Diplopoda. These small animals have no specific use and are not dangerous. They do produce a bad smell and so are left alone. When touched they roll up into a ball. They are often seen crawling around after rain. 2 • chisel handle, scraping tool. = ngarlaardku, minanga.  Hey karu, warnda-yi yali juna. Barna mirrka ma kurrubardu, yaliwurru-rni minangawurrurni. ‘Hey kid, get that big scraper for me, the one that also has that little scraper. I’m going to make a boomerang.’ SEE: binymala; langanirra. A chisel handle is attached to the blade with either wire or string and wax. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. junba n. public corroboree, song. = wajarra. USAGE: This is also a Jaru word. jundayunda n. bush onion. = kinyuwurru. Cyperus bulbosus. SEE: kurrarndala. The small bulbs of the bush onion can be eaten and are very tasty. In the past they were an important food resource. They grow underground

144 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jungkarna but close to the surface, and so are easy to dig out and can often be collected in large numbers. They are lightly cooked in hot sand and then rubbed between the palms to loosen the dark brown, papery skin. The skin is then blown away from the little yams. ‘Kurrarndala’ (brolgas) like to eat them too. These bulbs grow well in northern areas, such as Nutwood Downs and Daly Waters, but also grows in other parts of Mudburra country. There are some growing in the sandy soils near North Camp in Elliott. See p. 414 for the hand sign. junina n. someone who swears a lot, swearer, foul-mouth. ALSO: juwaninja.  Yali-ma karrila junina. ‘Leave him, he swears a lot.’ SEE: junini. juninangarna n. swearing one, swearing bugger, person who swears or growls a lot. = jununarrangarna.  Juninangarna, karrila barik. ‘He’s a swearing bugger, leave him behind.’ SEE: junini. junini v. swear, growl.  Nyambawu banburnan junini-ma? ‘Why are you two growling each other?’  Kadili juninjunini kadi-ma, jawurra barla warndana yunbanginyi. ‘That one is swearing at him, because he stole his shoes.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. junini is swearing. junana has sworn. jundu will swear, wants to swear. junda swear at him! juninja n. someone who has been sworn at.  Yali-ma yanda yana juninja. ‘That one that got sworn at is walking away.’ SEE: junini. junji n. small stick (poking tool), paintbrush.  Yali warnda-yi junji. Barnarla yuwarru ngurlu. ‘Get me that brush. I’ll paint his totem on him.’ — It is used for poking into small holes, getting honey from sugarbag, or fine painting. Junkurdji n. place around North Hole and Four Mile.  Barlakuji na, Junkurdji-ma — yarrungurlu-ma Kulaja-wanya. ‘Junkurdji is a swamp — not far from North Hole.’ — Associated with Wild Dog Dreaming (‘jurruwujui’). This place is mentioned in the

Beetaloo Kujika (initiation). Junkurraku n. Tennant Creek. ALSO: Jukurraku.  Barlawa-wanya marndaj Junkurrakungkurra? ‘Are we ready to go to Tennant Creek yet?’ junma n. nail-tail kangaroo, lefthand kangaroo. ALSO: jurnma. = junguwarn, ngungungmarna, jambukarra. Onychogalea unguifera. This kangaroo has a ‘milinji’ (nail) in the end of its tail. It often makes an ‘oo . . . oo . . . oo’ or ‘ngung . . . ngung’ noise while hopping. The name ‘ngungungmarna’ refers to this sound. It holds its left arm up to its chest when hopping, and is sometimes called ‘Left-hand Charlie’ because of this habit. Some of its language names refer to its left-handedness. These kangaroos sometimes have a distinctive humped back. They are only seen by themselves, not in groups. They often live in lancewood and bulwaddy country. The flesh can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven, but it does not taste very good and is rarely eaten. It is good to make soup from it. See p. 405 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. junumburrku SEE: yunumburrku. jununarrangarna n. swearing one, swearing bugger, person who swears or growls a lot. ALSO: juninarrangarna. = juninangarna, junina.  Jununarrangarna yali-ma, karrila barik! ‘That one is a swearing bugger, leave him behind!’  Juninarrangarna, yali-ma ngarrka-ma, bayi jundala. ‘He’s a swearing bugger, that man, he would swear (at) me.’ SEE: junini. jungari n. large bottom grindstone, mortar. = lardaranga, kumurru. SEE: bunbunnga. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. jungbirri n. elbow. = munjuna. jungkarna n. smoke, cigarette.  Jungkarna; kadi jankiyini. Warlu-barra. ‘There’s smoke; something is burning over there. Maybe there’s a fire.’  Kadili-ma bumanjimarnini jungkarna-ma kula jalyawu. ‘That one just Ngarinyman to English dictionary 145

j

jungkayi

J

keeps smoking cigarettes.’ SEE: warnu. See p. 420 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘jungkart’ in Gurindji. jungkarnangarna someone or something that smokes a lot.  Jungkarnangarna; jiburn barra. ‘That one is always smoking; put it out.’ jungkayi n. traditional ‘policeman’, boss for ceremony, as opposed to the owner of the ceremony whose Dreaming is actually being danced. = kulyungkulyungbi.  Ngayu barnarla jungkayi-ma. ‘I’m the ‘policeman’ for him/her.’ — Your ‘jungkayi’ are in the opposite patrimoiety from you and include, among other relations, your classificatory ‘juka’ (woman’s child, or man’s sister’s child) and ‘barnkurdi’ (cross-cousin). For example, Nawurla’s ‘jungkayi’ include at least Nangari and Namija. When you perform a ceremony that you own, your ‘jungkayi’ will help you by making sure the rituals are performed correctly, and will punish those who fail to follow the traditional laws. Your ‘jungkayi’ might also help you with daily matters like looking after your belongings for you. USAGE: This word is from Yanyula and Garrwa, and in Elliott it is used mostly by the Kakarrinji (Tablelands) people. jungun cv. rising smoke or dust, paint up so that body ‘smokes’. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jungun kayini smoking.  Warlu jungunkarra kayini. ‘The fire is smoking.’ jungun marnini dust or smoke rising.  Kadi warlu — kardi jungkarna jungun marnini. ‘That fire — that smoke is rising.’ jungunkarra nyanganini hazy eyesight.  Jungunkarra barna nyanganini. ‘I see with smoky eyes (with cataracts).’ junguwarn n. nail-tail kangaroo, left-hand kangaroo. ALSO: jungwarnu. = ngungungmarna, jambukarra. Onychogalea unguifera. This

kangaroo has a ‘milnji’ (nail) in the end of its tail. It often makes an ‘oo . . . oo . . . oo’ or ‘ngung . . . ngung’ noise while hopping. The name ‘ngungungmarna’ refers to this sound. It holds its left arm up to its chest when hopping, and is sometimes called ‘Left-hand Charlie’ because of this habit. Some of its language names refer to its left-handedness. These kangaroos sometimes have a distinctive humped back. They are only seen by themselves, not in groups. They often live in lancewood and bulwaddy country. The flesh can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven, but it does not taste very good and is rarely eaten. It is good to make soup from it. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. juny cv. sunset, sun go down. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. juny wandiyini sunset.  Junywanya wandiyina wangkuma. ‘The sun has set now.’ junyjuny adv. all afternoon, until sunset.  Kadiya marlarluka bali karra junyjuny. ‘Those old whitefella men are always there until the sun goes down.’ junywarla n. sunset. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jurdard cv. pile up, heap up, in a heap, in a pile. = wurrubarru.  Wurrubarru yiliya, jurdard jukayini nyangulungka. ‘Pile those up over here in a heap.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jurdard kayini in a heap.  Warlu-ma marndaj jurdard-wanya kayini. ‘The wood is piled up well.’ jurdard kurnini heap up.  Warlu bali jurdard kurnini yarrulanji. ‘The young men are piling up wood.’ jurdiyina n. tawny frogmouth, mopoke. ALSO: jurdiyini. Podargus strigoides. This bird hides by sitting motionless in trees camouflaged by the branches so that it looks like a

146 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

jurluwardbini dead stick. It has the skin name Jangala or Nangala. jurdma cv. bump. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jurdma kurnini bump. jurdukuwurru n. spotted, freckled. jurdurdu n. dirt, dirty.  Ngadarrany bini yali-ma nguku-ma? Jurdurduwurru, wangi. ‘What kind of water is it? It’s dirty, no good.’ Jurla n. one of the eight skin names for men and boys. Son of Jabarda and Nalyirri, father of Jabarda and Nimarra.  Nimarrawu, Jabardawu kirda-ma-yili Jurla. ‘Jurla is the father of Nimarra and Jabarda.’ USAGE: ‘Jurlama’ is also a Gurindji word. SEE: Nawurla. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. Jurlajurla lots of Jurla men.  Yaliyama bangkulu ngabadarra Jurlajurla-ma nyununyawu-ma. ‘Those Jurlas are older brothers for you.’ Jurlajban lots of Jurla men.  Kadi bali Jurlajban kayinykayini ngandayingka. ‘All those Jurlas are sitting down in the shade.’ jurlaka n. any kind of bird.  Kadi bali jurlakadarra dim kayinykayini. ‘Those birds are flying.’ — See p. 409 for the hand signs. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word, and similar to the Jingulu word ‘jurliji’. jurlkuwarri n. initiand, boy undergoing initiation.  Birdibirdili-ma barnini ngajarrangka, mirimingka, murlkungka jurlkuwarri-ma jardukurrulu. ‘The sisters and cousins flog the boy being initiated on the calf, rump, and shoulder with hairbelts.’  Barnanjurrangulu jurlkuwarri kangannginyi karu. ‘We are going to bring your boys being initiated.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘junkuwarri’

in Jingulu. jurlnguny cv. touch, tap. jurlnguny barnini touch, tap.  Yali jurlnguny barra ngarrka! Barnarla marru yurrwa. ‘Go and tap that man! I’ve got a message for him.’ jurlurl cv. pour, tip water in or out of something, spill, wet, running water. ALSO: jurlu.  Yali-ma jurlurl biya ngukuma murrubalangurlu-ma wangi. ‘Spill the water out of that bottle, it’s no good.’ — See p. 425 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jurlurl kayini something spilling. jurlurl kurnini pour, rain, spill.  Jurlurl kurnini. ‘It’s pouring (raining heavily).’  Yali jawaranya warnda, jurlurl kuya nguku, jib kuya warlungkurra. ‘Get the billycan, pour in water, and put it on the fire.’  Yali ban nguku jurlu kurnana. ‘You spilled the water.’ jurlurl langanini pierce and pour.  Jurlurl langana barna, jurlurlarra-wanya kayini. ‘I poked it with a stick to make the water come out, now it’s running out.’ jurlurl wandiyini pour with rain, water falling. jurlurlarra spilling, pouring, running out.  Yali karudarrali bali jurlurlarra kurnini nguku ngayinya. ‘Those kids are spilling all my water.’ jurlurlurra n. male northern blue-tongue lizard. Tiliqua scincoides. The northern blue-tongue is considered to be male and is generally bigger than the desert bluetongue. The skin on its back is dark brown to black and, unlike the desert blue-tongue, it does not have a black mask on its face. The meat from this lizard is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. The skin needs to be scraped off before eating as it is quite scaly and sticks to the meat. Northern blue-tongues are easy to catch because they cannot run very fast. You can easily knock them on the head with a stick. They can bite hard, though, so you need to be careful with them. They are fattest in the hot weather season, so this is the best time to eat them. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. jurluwardbini n. hardhead duck, pink-eared Ngarinyman to English dictionary 147

j

jurnalinja

J

duck. = ngurrujuruka. Aythya australis. SEE: warlabardbi. This duck has a large, flat beak. The meat is good to eat after roasting on hot coals. jurnalinja n. bottlebird, fairy martin. = wurrujulajula, bijiwiriwiriya. Petrochelidon ariel. This little bird makes a bottle-shaped nest from mud and lays its eggs inside it. The nests are often seen in sheds, under eaves, in culverts, under rock overhangs and under tree branches. The mud nest is called a ‘juru’, the same word that is used for other types of nests. jurndakal n. taipan-like snake. = burumana. Oxyuranus? This is a very dangerous snake. It is highly venomous and deadly and is sometimes called ‘man-killer’. It is rarely seen and is not well known but is highly feared. This is possibly an extinct species of taipan, one of the world’s most venomous snakes, or an extant species whose geographic range has reduced within the last few thousand years. It could be the western taipan, or fierce snake, Oxyuranus microlepidotus. This snake currently occurs in western Queensland but not in the Northern Territory. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Jurriyi n. Six Mile, station bore at Beetaloo. This place is right at a cattle grid coming south from Dunmarra. jurrjurrki SEE: jurruki. jurrk cv. pull out, pull apart. = warnbarlk. jurrk warndanini pull out, pull apart.  Yali bawula karukujarra jurrk warndanarra yali. ‘Those two kids might pull that apart.’ jurrkkarra pulling out, pulling apart.  Yali sheet jurrkkarra warnda bakuriwu. ‘Rip that sheet apart for headbands.’ jurrku n. middle, centre. ALSO: jirrku. = majurru.  Kadi jurlaka jurrkungka kayina kari. ‘That bird was way out there in the middle.’  Yali karu darukarra kayini jurrkungka. ‘That child is swimming in the middle (of the river which is deep).’

USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. jurrkubadi n. male sand goanna, plains goanna. Varanus panoptes. SEE: warnkarranga; kirrawa. The flesh of this goanna can be eaten after roasting and is very tasty. It often digs deep holes; it can be tracked to these holes and then dug out. Often the holes have to be dug very deep and a lot of work is required to get the goanna out. See p. 411 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. jurrkulu n. river, main creek, gutter. = binka.  Kurdi, barna yandurru minyangkurra jirrkilimingkurra marlangayiwu kakuyiwu. ‘Listen, I’m going down to that creek for mussels and fish.’ SEE: jirrkilimi. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. Jurrkulu n. place just south of Longreach.  Junmakarra barla boss-ma Jurrkuluwuma wakunya. ‘The left-hand kangaroo is the boss for Jurrkulu.’ — Large creek associated with left-hand kangaroo (‘junma’). jurruki n. fast women’s dance. ALSO: jurrjurrki.  Kirri-ma bali jurrjurrki karra wajarrangka-ma. ‘The women dance at the corroboree.’ — This fast dance is performed by women at the male initiation ceremony as well as at some women’s ceremonies. jurruwuji n. dingo with a large black nose. = yiminji, winkuwarnu, wurrakina, ngurrakina. Canis familiaris dingo. In the past, dingo scalps were collected and sold to the police at Newcastle Waters and Elliott as part of a control program. Dingoes were eaten in the past when other meat was scarce. The pups were most tender and were good to eat. The meat tasted similar to meat from a cat. Dingos have not been eaten for a long time. People in the old days used to keep them as pets and for hunting kangaroos, goannas and lizards. They were very good at finding game and were sometimes called ‘goanna

148 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kabili dogs’. They were not good pets, though, because they would kill animals at stations such as chickens and goats. Dingoes breed in the cold-weather time of the dry season, when they are often heard howling at night. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jurruwuji n. shufflewing, cuckoo-shrike. ALSO: jirruwuji; jirriwiji. Coracina spp. ‘Jurruwuji’ shuffles its wings every time it lands, folding its wings back to make itself comfortable. If you look at ‘jurruwuji’ too much, it makes your eyes water because it is a smoky colour. This bird has the skin name Jangala or Nangala. juru n. bird nest. = janbara.  Yali nyangka bidbidarrangka, jurlakali karlunini wunyuwunyu jurungka. ‘Look there in the coolibah, a bird has a young one in its nest.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. jurub cv. halfway. ALSO: jurubini.  Yandarra jurub! ‘Go halfway!’ juwuda n. nits, head lice, louse. = mubunjini, yingkila, wurdu. Phthiraptera, Pediculus capitis. These small insects live on humans. They cause severe itching in the hair and elsewhere on the body where they live. Some bush medicine plants, such as gutta-percha, can be used to treat lice and nits. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. juwurlana n. white plum, white currant. Flueggea virosa. The white fruit are eaten when they are ripe. They are very sweet and tasty. The trees produce fruit in the middle of the wet season. The straight, dry stems are used for making ‘mirlirdi’ (spear-thrower hooks). They are also used to make firesticks or bush matches for lighting fires using ‘binyinyib’ (traditional drilling or friction method). In the old days, these firesticks were carried everywhere and could be used many times. In the wet season they were wrapped in paperbark to keep them dry.

Kk -ka case. 1 • at, on, in. This ending marks where something is located, a time period, or a simultaneous action performed by the same person who performed the first action (locative). = -ngka, -la, -kula, -kulala.  Yalima balarr karrila wangkuka! ‘Leave it to dry in the sun!’ SEE: -ngka. 2 • towards (allative). ALSO: -k.  Birirda wan kurni kurlarraka. ‘It threw a leg to the south.’  Kirrayin bawula karlarraka karlamarnirrarni Niwakurlarniyirri-ma ngurrangkurra-ma. ‘The two of them approached from the north, westward towards Niwakurlarni camp.’ kaang SEE: kayang. kaarri n. fur. = nganya, yinjalmarri, winjalma. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kaarrikaarri n. everybody. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kabal n. gardenia. Gardenia ewartii. The bark and leaves can be used to make a strong medicine. They are boiled in water and the cooled liquid used as a wash from the neck down. It is good for treating skin sores and other skin conditions. kabarani interj. exclamation when you witness someone in the patrimoiety opposite yours being sworn at.  Nyana jajunyanji jundu Jambijina-ma, nyundu-ma marra ‘kabarani’! ‘If (Jambijina’s) maternal grandmother swears (at) him, you have to say ‘kabarani’! (said to a young boy of Jimija skin).’ SEE: warri; ngakuny. Spoken as an expression of pity or shame. If someone in the patrimoiety opposite yours is sworn at, you should say ‘kabarani’ or (if they are your brother-in-law or sister-in-law) ‘ngakuny’. If someone in your same patrimoiety is sworn at, you should say ‘warri’. If someone swears at your mother-in-law, you should say nothing, but make a sharp ‘raspberry’ sound by blowing air energetically between your pursed lips. kabili n. digging stick, yam stick, stick used for leading blind people around. ALSO: kabila. = kiyarri.  Nginya-ma Mudburra to English dictionary 149

k

kabuku

K

kabili barna durd marnini. Barna warndu mangarri yuwulungka. ‘I’m holding this digging stick. I’m going to get the food that’s in the ground.’ — See p. 416 for the hand sign. kabuku n. older sister. ALSO: kabu. = karlu. See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. kaburi n. military dragon, ta‑ta lizard. = yibijirrina, wijina, marndaraji. Amphibolurus spp. These lizards often wave one of their front legs in the air. When they do this, it means the rain will stop soon. They are not eaten because of this, and also because they are quite small. They run on their two hind legs. They have the skin name Jambijina. See p. 411 for the hand sign. kadangula n. frillneck lizard, blanket lizard. = jamankula. These lizards can be aggressive; the big ones will chase you if you go near them. When you try to catch them they often hide behind a tree or antbed. They like to eat ants, termites, grasshoppers and the flying ants that come out after rain. You often see them near antbeds looking for a feed. The meat of this lizard is eaten after roasting on hot coals and ashes. You can also burn its frill on a fire and then rub it through your hair to make your hair grow long and stay black. This lizard is the brother of ‘kidkilyi’ (ring-tailed dragon). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. kadi dem. that, that one, thus, that way, them, there. ALSO: kardi. = yali, yalu, yala, kardu.  Ngarrkawu marra-rla. ‘Tell it to that man.’ kadikadi fifty-fifty, equally, a draw.

 Kadikadi-rni bawurna barnina. ‘These two here are equally-matched fighters.’ kadimala for him/her/it, for his/hers/its.  Kadimala karrila! ‘That’s his, leave it alone!’  kadiya those, those ones. ALSO: kadirra. Kadiya bali dardu kayinykayini ngandayingka. ‘The whole lot of them are resting in the shade.’  Bayinanngulu nyangkurru kadiya, amba bali lungkarra kayinykayini, nyambangkurra-barra. ‘You will all go to see them because they keep crying for something or other.’ kadiyangkurra over here, not too far, a little way off.  Kadiyangkurra barnayina duma karurdarrawu. ‘I’ve got to get up and go just over there for the kids.’ kadikujarra those two.  Ngana kujarra bawula kadikujarra-ma? ‘Who are those two?’ kadingka there.  Wanjuwarra marlukakujarra bawula amba karrinyarra kadingka? ‘Where are those two old folks who were sitting over there?’ kadingkurra towards there, towards that, that way.  Ngana kujarra bawula kadi-ma nyinda yanina kadingkurra-ma? ‘Who are those two people going over there?’ kadingurlu from there, from that, after that.  Nganda yali-ma yananjanarni kadingurlu-ma? ‘Who’s that coming from over there?’ kadiwu to that one, for that one.  Karrila barla yali-ma kadiwu. ‘Leave it, it’s for that person.’ kadiba SEE: kardiba. kadu dem. that, those, that way. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kadukujarra those two. kadungka there. kadungkurra towards there, towards that, that way. kadungurlu from there, from that, after that. kadurra those, those ones. kaduwu to that one, for that one. kaja n. dry country, stone country, desert.  Kadingkama kajangka-

150 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Kakarrinji ma barlawa barn bungkala walanja, kurrkabadi, wardabarnmarra. ‘On the dry country we always find goannas, turkeys and kangaroos.’ SEE: buji. kajakaja n. stone knife for fighting. = kiyindan, jabirri, jarribili, wardirrki.  Barnangku biyangku ngayili-ma kajakajayaru. ‘I’ll cut you with this stone knife.’ — This knife is not cut or flaked but found ready to use, then attached to a handle using sugarbag wax or spinifex wax. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Kajalangkujku n. place between Warlamarnda and Jinkiji, along railway line. ALSO: Kayalangkujku; Kajalangkujbi.  Barnali yana Marlinjangurlu Jinkiji, Jinkijingurlu barnali yana Kajalangkujku. ‘We would go around from Marlinja to Jinkiji, (then) from Jinkiji go around to Kakalangkujku.’ kajangarna n. male red kangaroo, desert kangaroo. ALSO: yunumburrku. = wawirri, kanjarlawirri, wakwara, junumburrku. Osphranter rufus. This is the largest kangaroo and the adult males can be very tall and muscular. The meat is eaten after roasting and is very tasty. Some people think this is the best kangaroo meat. They are most commonly seen in the southern areas, but they live everywhere. They are common in the Elliott area and other places like Marlinja and Beetaloo. A groups of these kangaroos is called ‘kajangarnarra’. This name means bushdweller and refers to their preferred habitat in bush areas. See p. 405 for the hand sign. kajimi cv. wake up, awake. = lanba. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kajimi kayini wake someone up.  Kajimi karri yali! ‘Wake that one up!’ kajirri n. old woman. = jabaka.  Yali kajirrili bangku walarn kurnana nyununya wumara-ma. ‘That old woman hid your

money from you.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kajijirri lots of old women. kajub cv. catch up to, get close to.  Karu duma, kajubku yali bus! ‘Get up kid, and catch up to that bus!’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kajub yanini come close. kajub kayini stay close. kajubili close.  Kajubili karri. ‘Stay close by.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kajubari n. near, shallow. = ludba.  Darlukurru ngangbarra kayini, kula kajubari. ‘The hole is deep, not shallow.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kajuwa n. necklace seed. ALSO: kajura. The bright red and black seeds of this vine (Abrus precatoriu) are hard and shiny, and can be used to make a necklace. A hole is poked in them with a hot wire, then they are threaded onto string or fishing line. This climbing vine only occurs in northern areas of Jingulu and Mudburra country. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kak cv. cough up, chuck up, vomit. ALSO: kakuya. = wujkurrarra, baku. See p. 425 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kak kurnini cough up, chuck up.  Jandurr yuwarra, kak kuya. ‘Turn (that child) upside down, make him cough it up.’ kakarra vomiting.  Karlumuju bawula yarlubakujarra. Bawula dumala, kakarrawanya bawula karra. ‘Those two sisters are both pregnant. Every time they get up, they vomit (due to morning sickness).’ kaka interj. don’t! (used in talking to children).  Kaka! Wan kuya! ‘Don’t! Chuck it away!’ Kakarrinji n. people to the east of Mudburra country, Tablelands mob.  Bali karrinyarra kambarra-ma dardu Kakarrinjidarra Wilyikungka ngurrangka-ma. ‘Lots of Kakarrinji people used to live at South Camp.’ SEE: karrakinyi; karrawarra. The Kakarrinji people are easterners. They come from places across the Barkly Tablelands region, including stations such as Anthony Lagoon, Brunette Downs and Alexandria, and communities such as Corella Creek. Mudburra to English dictionary 151

k

kaku

K

Many of them are Wambaya speakers, although some also speak Yanyula and Garrwa. In the past, these people would have included Ngarnji people as well. Some Kakarrinji people live in Elliott today, mostly in South Camp. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kaku n. father’s father (paternal grandfather) and his siblings; man’s son’s child.  Ngayinya jawiji, ngayinya kirda, ngayinya kaku — kirdawu barla ngayinyawu, kirda barla — yali-rni Mardbangka-rni. ‘My maternal grandfather, my father, my paternal grandfather — my father’s father — lived right there at Montejinni.’  Ngayinya kaku, ngayu balya manyku-ma nyangarlu, Jimija. ‘My paternal grandfather and I have the same skin, Jimija.’ — See p. 401 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kakurla grandfather and his son’s children. ALSO: kakumuju.  Kakurla bali yanarrawanya. ‘The group of grandfathers and their sons’ children went away.’ kakuwi n. any kind of fish. ALSO: kakuyi. = yawu.  Marndaj banda ngarnirra bardakurru-rni kakuyi-ma damperngkama. ‘It was really good when you lot ate fish on damper.’ — See p. 412 for the hand signs. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kal cv. go to other side, cross, traverse. kal yanini go to other side, cross, traverse.  Nyinyinbaringka barna kal yandurru. ‘I’ll cross (the river) at this shallow place.’ kal kanganini take across, carry across, bring across.  Kurdi barna minya karu jub warndu marndamarnda. Barna kal kangkurru, murdikawirri. ‘I will grab this child’s hand. I will take him across, for fear of the cars.’ kal barnini run to other side.  Nginya walanja kal kayang barna yunba. ‘These goanna footprints are running across.’  Kurdi nyangka murdikawu, karu! Banwanya kayang barru kal. ‘Watch out for cars, kid! Then you can run across (the road).’ kala n. leg, thigh, sheet of rain. = jarrumulu, birirda. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

kalaja SEE: karlaja. kalama n. nose. ALSO: kilimi.  Yali karulu banyanu kudkulya warndanini kilimingurlu. ‘That kid’s pulling snot out of his nose.’ USAGE: This is the Eastern Mudburra word. kalangarna n. trousers. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kalangarriya n. diver duck, pied cormorant. Phalacrocorax varius. These waterbirds swim very well underwater to catch fish. You can see the bubbles coming up as they swim. Kids often jump in the water and try to swim after them. They can get quite large and often have a belly full of fish. They can be eaten after roasting on hot coals; they have a fish-flavoured meat. kalanybuka n. 1 • yellow rain, yellow raincloud; black storm clouds; red colour at dusk and dawn.  Jindaba yali nguku-ma, kalanybuka yananjanarni. ‘That’s another kind of rain, the yellow rain is coming.’ SEE: yiburu. USAGE: This word is also in Gurindji. 2 • name of a clan/moiety, Rain Dreaming.  Ngayu-ma-rna Kalanybuka. ‘I’m Kalanybuka clan.’ SEE: ngurlu; Burruburrurda; Ninibi; Buwarraja; Wilarrka; Yuwangka. kalawuji cv. get down on knees, kneel down. = jukuli, jandurr, jirri. kalawuji nyanganini get down on knees and look for something. kalbuna n. whistling kite. Milvus sphenurus. SEE: dirdingarnu. A white kite which nests near water. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kalidba n. cotton tree. = karlwakarlwa. Cochlospermum gregorii. This shrub has yellow flowers and cotton wool inside its fruit. Children use the straight stems and branches to make light toy spears. It is considered by some Mudburra people to be an introduced plant. kalirrungu n. hill. = ngarlaka.  Kurdi barna kadi kalirrungungkurra barna nyangku,

152 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kamangarna bingki. ‘I’m going up that hill so I can see the country.’ kalkardi n. 1 • soap tree. = bilangbilang. Acacia stipuligera. The stems of young straight trees are used as spear shafts for hunting ‘kakuwi’ or ‘yawu’ (fish) and wallabies. The timber can also be used to make the hook of a spear-thrower. The leaves and the green pods can be rubbed with a little water to make a soapy lather used for washing. The seeds can be eaten when ripe or ground into flour on grinding stones. This flour can then be wrapped in paperbark or waterlily leaves and cooked in hot coals to make small dampers or johnny cakes. Branches can be thrown into small waterholes, which will kill the fish in a day or two. The fish can then be caught, cooked and eaten. 2 • grey weeping wattle. Acacia sp. This small greyish tree is common around Elliott and Lake Woods. The straight stems of larger plants can be used to make spear shafts. kalnga n. red ochre, red body paint.  Kambarra-ma kalnga-kurla barnayinangulu yuwala karu-ma. ‘First we put the red ochre on the boys.’ SEE: bilirdbi. kalngarnda n. jaw, cheek. = kangarnda.  Kalngarnda diyija, yali-karda Jurla, ngaba bangku. ‘That Jurla, your older brother, has a big jaw.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. kalu SEE: karlu. kalwakalwa n. spear bush. = barrakarl. Sesbania cannabina. The stems of this shrub are used to make light spear shafts for hunting small game, such as fish, prawns, crabs and small goannas. The straight stems are also used by young boys as toy spears. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kalyarra cv. move about, rustle. = karrilyarra, mangan, nyingin, yingin. kalyarra kayini move about, rustle.  Kalyarra kayini malywali. ‘The trees are moving in the wind.’ kalyarra yuwarnini make something move.  Malywali kalyarra yuwarnini karndi. ‘The wind is moving the trees.’

kalyarrumi cv. swim. = jakarajbi, darukarra, jirrbu. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kalyarrumi yanini swim. kalja n. shallow. = nyinyinbari. SEE: darrajbi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kalyurra n. naughty, silly, misbehaving; ignorant of proper behaviour; breaking European rules or Aboriginal Law.  Kalyurra yali-ma kula bina jujuwu-ma. ‘That naughty one doesn’t know the traditional laws.’  Minya-ma kalyurra junina ngarrkawu, kirriwu. ‘This naughty one is a real swearing bugger, at both men and women.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. kama n. flat rocks, flat stone. = baranybaranya. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

kamamurru n. blind. = milawangka.  Yalikarda marluka kamamurru dardu yurrwama marnirra. ‘That old blind man there spoke a lot of languages.’ — See p. 422 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in Gurindji and Jingulu. kamanji n. bulwaddy tree. Macropteranthes kekwickii.  Kamanjikamanji-la barna nyangana wayida. ‘I saw a big mob of yams near the bulwaddy trees.’ — The wood of this tree is hard and strong. It can be used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). The timber makes excellent ‘warlu’ (firewood) as it produces hot coals that last for a long time. The bark can be burnt to ‘buna’ (ash) and added to ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco) to improve the flavour and make it stronger. A thicket of bulwaddy trees is called ‘kamanji-kamanji’. kamangarna n. black wattle. Acacia torulosa. Mudburra to English dictionary 153

k

kamara

K

The young leaves are boiled in water and then the cooled liquid is used as a generalpurpose medicinal wash. The black seeds are ground into flour and made into small johnny cakes that are lightly roasted and then eaten. The bush occurs naturally across northern Australia. It has also been planted as a shade tree in more southern areas, including in Elliott. kamara n. blacksoil yam, long yam. Ipomoea diamantinensis. This plant grows on black-soil plains that become very waterlogged in the wet season. The yams are long, like sweet potatoes, and are good to eat. They may be dug up easily as they do not grow very deep and the black soil is easy to dig. They are best dug up soon after the wet season finishes when the soil is still soft. They are eaten after a short roasting in hot coals. The firstyear tubers are very tasty; they are small, sweet and tender like baby carrots. They are attached to the trailing branches of the vine. kamba- v. many words beginning with ‘kamba-’ are forms of the verb ‘cook’. SEE: kambarnini. kambabirrijanga n. former, old people. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kambak cv. glance, look sideways at someone. kambak kayini look sideways.  Kambakarra bayi kayini yali-ma. ‘He’s looking sideways at me.’ kambak nyanganini glance (sideways).  Yalili ngarrkali bayi kambak nyangana nyambawu. ‘Why did that man have a sideways glance at me?’ kambakarra keep glancing.  Yalili ngarrkali bayi nyambawu kambakarra nyanganjinganini? ‘Why did that man keep having sideways glances at me?’

kambakambakarra keep glancing. kambarnina n. cookie, cook, chef, someone who cooks.  Jindaba-wanya bali warunga jayilya mangarriwu-ma kambarninawuma. ‘They’ve got a new cook working there now.’ SEE: kambarnini. kambarnini v. cook, heat up, treat with antbed.  Ban kambarnini ngarinama nyununya-ma. ‘You are cooking meat for yourself.’  Barnali kambarnini warlungka kilibi-ma. ‘We are cooking the bush bananas in the fire.’  Kurdi barna kambarnini, amba dil karri. Barnangkuwuna-wanya nyungku. ‘I am heating them up, so that they split open. Then I’ll give them to you two.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. kambarnini is cooking it. kambarna has cooked it. kambu will cook it, wants to cook it. kamba cook it! kambarninja n. something that has been cooked. Yali kangandayi kambarninja. ‘Bring me the cooked one.’ SEE: kambarnini. kambarra adv. in front, before, in the lead, up ahead, first, previously. = larrbalarrba, jaburruka.  Kambarra barna yandurru. ‘I’ll go in the lead.’ Kambarra-ma barlawa kadungka marrungka karrinya. ‘Before, we lived over there (at Newcastle Station).’ kambarrakambarra right out in front, in the lead.  Kambarrakambarra yanda-yi nyundu-ma. ‘You go out in front of me.’ kambambarra before, in earlier times, olden days. ALSO: kambabarra.  Kambambarra-ma marlarlukali bali dun kurnirra warlu-ma karndiyaru. ‘In the old days people would light fires with a stick.’ kambarrajbunga old, former, oldentimes people, one from the past, leader, front one, one from the front. ALSO: kambambarrajbunga.  Nginya bayi warlaku kambarrajbunga. ‘My dog is old.’ kambarranginyi front one, of the front, of the past. USAGE: Not used in Eastern Mudburra, where ‘kambarrajbunga’ is used instead. kambarrangurlu from before, from in front of.  Nganali yali-ma bangala

154 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kandirri kambarrangurlu nyanganjinganini? ‘Who’s that looking at us from up in front?’ kambambarrajbunga olden-days people.  Kambambarrajbungadarra yali-ma marlarlukali-ma bali warlu-ma mirrka marna karndiyaru. ‘Olden-days people would make fire using a stick.’ kambarra-rni n. late morning.  Kambarra-rni wangkulu wanya bayi kambarnini. ‘In the late mornings the sun can burn.’ kambij n. egg. = kidba. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kambulumi n. yellowjacket tree. Terminalia canescens. This tree grows on stony slopes and has grey leaves. The ‘kuramarna’ (gum) can be eaten. It is quite tasty and lasts for a long time. If it is hard it can be softened beside a fire. The gum can be spotted from a long way off because it sparkles in the sun. ‘Kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys) like to eat it too. The wood is used for ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kaminarrinymi n. blue waterlily. ALSO: kaminarrinmi. Nymphaea violacea. This waterlily has blue flowers. The fruit contain tasty seeds. As the fruit mature and the seeds get heavy, the fruit sink to the bottom of the billabong. They are then collected and peeled to get the seeds out. The seeds can be eaten raw; they are oily but very tasty. They can also be sun-dried and then ground into flour for dampers or johnny cakes, which are lightly roasted and then eaten. The tuber or yam at the base of the waterlily is also edible. It is buried in the mud at the bottom of the billabong. It can be dug out by hand, then roasted on hot coals, peeled and eaten. It tastes good, like butter. The stems of the flowers can

also be eaten. They are nice and crisp like celery. The skin is stringy, though, and has to peeled off before eating.This plant does not grow widely on Mudburra country. It can only be found in the northern-most areas. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kaminjarra n. maternal grandchild, woman’s daughter’s child, sister’s daughter’s child (for a woman or man).  Ngayu-marnangku Mudburra kaminjarra-ma. ‘I am your Mudburra grandchild.’  Ngayinyali jakardili-ma bayina yaliya-ma karudarrama dal barnini ‘kaminjarra’. ‘My mother calls those kids ‘kaminjarra’.’ SEE: jaju. See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is also in Gurindji. kamirrinji n. star. = jinkiji.  Ngayu-marna nyanganini wakurni-wanya. Barna nyangana kurrulala-ma kamirrinjidarra, madayi-wangka. ‘I can’t see anything right now. I could see lots of stars at night when there were no clouds.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kamuru n. night, darkness, night, in a cave. ALSO: kamurungani.  Barli kamurungani duma jardila-ma. ‘You and I will get up in the dark (before the sun rises) tomorrow.’  Bayi birnarra kamurungka warrbanjili. ‘A centipede might bite me in the dark.’ SEE: mumbari. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kanamurrmurra n. mosquito. = bangkula. Diptera, Culicidae. Mosquitoes are often active at dawn and dusk; they bite and suck your blood. They are most common after heavy rains and during the wet season. Mosquitoes can be chased away by lighting a smoky fire or by placing dry manure from horses or cattle on the coals. The smoke from burning gutta-percha leaves and wood, or from ‘kirnima’ (spinifex wax), is especially good for repelling mosquitos. kandirri n. bread, damper, dough, flour.  Barna-wanya yuwarnini bunku-ma kandirringkurra. ‘Now I’m adding baking powder to the flour.’  Barna-wanya yirrminy kurnini yali-ma kandirri-ma karndiyaru linyardangkurra. ‘I am flipping Mudburra to English dictionary 155

k

-kani

K

that dough over with a stick onto the coals.’  Yali-ma kurnka-rni, kandirri-ma. Marndaja barna yirrminy kuya. ‘That bread is still undercooked. Soon I’ll turn it over.’ SEE: bunku. Also refers to loaves made from ‘lukarrara’ (grass seed) in the old days. See p. 404 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. -kani suf. again, anew, restart (recommence).  Nguku-kani bawula biyanybiya. ‘They are going to continue drinking once again.’  Jawardila-ma-kani biyangkujangku ngarina-ma. ‘Tomorrow he’ll keep cutting the meat again.’ kanimbarra n. downstream. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. kanimbarrajbunga downstream one, one from downstream. kanimbarraka towards downstream. ALSO: kanimbarrak. kanimbarranginyi downstream one, of downstream. kanimbarrangurlu from downstream. kanimbarrarni downstream this way. kanjalawuri n. female hill kangaroo, rock kangaroo, wallaroo. = ngalijirri, wankurra, yunumburrku. Osphranter robustus. SEE: wardabarnmarra. These kangaroos are good to eat after roasting. They often have long, shaggy fur and can range in colour from dark grey to light grey to a bit reddish. The large males are quite heavily built and often a reddish colour. These kangaroos are often seen in hilly parts of the country, like in the area around Powell Creek. They rest in the hills during the heat of the day and come down to the slopes and plains to feed when it gets cool at dusk and during the night. They are only seen by themselves; they do not live in groups. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘wumarangarna’ (or ‘wumarangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means rock-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in rocky areas.

kanjarlawirri n. old male red kangaroo, desert kangaroo. = junumburrku, wakwara. Osphranter rufus. SEE: wawirri; wakwara; junumburrku. This is the largest kangaroo and the adult males can be very tall and muscular. The meat is eaten after roasting and is very tasty. Some people think this is the best kangaroo meat. They are most commonly seen in the southern areas, but they live everywhere. They are common in the Elliott area and other places like Marlinja and Beetaloo. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘kajangarna’ (or ‘kajangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means bush-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in bush areas. kanjilku n. stick for leading old or blind people.  Yali kanjilku warnda-rla, yirribudkarra kangkarra. ‘Get that stick for him and lead him.’ kanjiyin n. from down low, from the bottom, from below, from inside. = kanjungurlu. SEE: kanju. kanju n. under, underneath, bottom, down, inside, right inside, low.  Kanju barlawa kayini nginya-ma murrkuna-ma. ‘The three of us are sitting inside here.’  Yali walanja kanju kurlundurrungka kayini. ‘That goanna is down under the hollow log.’  Yuwulungkurra kanju yuwarra! ‘Put it down on the ground.’  Minya-ma nguku-ma kanju-wanya. ‘The water is low now.’ SEE: balyawalya. USAGE: This word in Gurindji means ‘beneath’. kanjukanju right inside.  Kanjukanju-rni yandarra. ‘Go right inside.’ kanjungurlu from inside, from underneath.  Yali wari dibij kayini kanjungurlu. ‘That snake is coming out from underneath.’ kanjujbunga bottom one, one from the bottom.  Kanjujbunga kanganda-yi yali. ‘Bring me the bottom one.’ kanjunginyi bottom one, of the bottom, someone who sits inside all of the time. kanjungurlu from down low, from the bottom, from below, from inside. kanju-rni down this way, down here.  Kanjurnikanjurni langkajingkarra. ‘Keep digging away right down the bottom here.’ kanjuwarraka downwards, inwards. USAGE: This word is used only in Western

156 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kangkMudburra. kanjuwurru two people or two or more animals inside somewhere (e.g. a married couple or a dog and her pups in a house). kanjungarna someone who sits inside all of the time. kankanbalarra n. chatterbox. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kankarra n. upstream. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kankarrajbunga upstream one, one from upstream. kankarraka towards upstream, face up.  Kankarraka-ma-rna manyan karri. ‘I’m lying on my back, facing up.’ kankarranginyi upstream one, of upstream. kankarrangurlu from upstream. kankarrarni upstream this way. kankil cv. look straight at, look directly at, stare at. SEE: kambak. kankil nyanganini look straight at, look directly at, stare at.  Yalili bayi kankil nyangana nyambawu? ‘Why did that one glance at me?’  Kankil bayi nyanganini. ‘She is looking straight at me.’ kankulu n. up, on top, across the top. ALSO: kankula.  Yali nyangka kankulu! ‘Look up!’  Yali nyangka kankulu karndingka. ‘It’s up the tree.’  Yali juru nyangka kankulu karndingka. ‘See that nest high up in the tree.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kankulungka above, on top. kankulunyangkarra above. kankula-rni up this way. kankulujbunga someone who lives high up. kankuluka upwards, outwards. kankulunginyi top one, of the top. kankulungurlu from high up, from the top, from on top of, from outside. kankuluyin from high up, from the top, from on top of, from outside. kankuluwurru passing something to someone on top of a ladder, etc. kankuluka n. ownership.  Mudburra-wanya balya take over-ma kayini-ma, kankulukawanya. ‘We two Mudburra are taking over now, as the owners (lit. the higher ones).’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

kanga- v. many words beginning with ‘kanga-’ are forms of the verb ‘bring’. SEE: kanganini. kanganina n. carrier, rubbish-collector.  Marndaj yali-ma kanganina — kangkala marndaj. ‘Good, that’s the collector — he takes stuff away.’ SEE: kanganini. kanganini v. carry, take, bring, drive.  Yaluluma kanganini. ‘He is carrying it.’  Kanganini kadi murdika. ‘He is driving that car.’  Yukangkurra barnayinangulu kanganini. ‘We are taking them to the grass.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. kanganini is carrying. kanganjinganini keeps carrying. kangana has carried. kanganarra has taken. kanganarni has brought. kanganjinganarra is taking, has been taking. kanganjinganarni is bringing, has been bringing. kangku will carry, wants to carry. kangkurru will take, wants to take. kangannginyi will bring, wants to bring. kangka carry it! kangkarra take it! kangan bring it! kangkajingka keep carrying. kangkajingkarra keep taking. kanganjingan keep bringing. kanganinja n. something that’s been taken, cargo, rubbish.  Kadi-ma-li karlula kardibadarrali-ma dumpngka-ma kanganinja. ‘Those white folks keep all the rubbish at the dump.’ SEE: kanganini. kangarnda SEE: kalngarnda. kangbi n. gecko. = warlwara, kumbali. Gekkonidae. There are different types of geckos, all called ‘kangbi’. Some are connected to Lightning Dreaming stories. People must leave them alone and never harm them. kangk- v. many words beginning with ‘kangk’ are forms of the verb ‘bring’. Mudburra to English dictionary 157

k

kangkawala

K

SEE: kanganini. kangkawala n. bullocky bush, cattle bush. ALSO: kangkaala. Wrightia saligna. A small tree with red flowers which grows in southern areas. The straight, dry stems can be used as firesticks to start fires using ‘binyinyib’ (traditional drilling or friction technique). The branches can be boiled to make a medicinal wash for sores and itches. Dried leaves that have been soaked and allowed to rot were traditionally used to make rain. kanyburru n. muscle, meat, flesh. = ngarina. SEE: wili. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. Kanyiya n. place at south end of Longreach Waterhole, north of Jurrkulu.  Kanyiya-ma kayini kurlarra Ijibardangurlu-ma. ‘Kanyiya is a little south of Longreach.’ kara interj. word adding emphasis to a request you make of someone else or statement about your own plans: ‘please, I just might’.  Nyunganda-yi kara, ngayuwanya! ‘Give it to me now, come on!’  Bunbamulu, karrila-wanya, kara! ‘Don’t fight, just leave it now, will you please!’  Minya barna karu kangkurru lurrbu nyananyangkurra ngurrangkurra, kara. ‘I will take this kid back to his house, for sure.’  Barnanjurra barnarra ngayili-ma, kara. ‘I might hit you mob, I just might.’ karal cv. scratch, dig. ALSO: karad. = warrkuji, warra, jikirdikirdi, karal. See p. 426 for the hand sign. USAGE: There is a similar word in Gurindji, ‘karan’. karal marnini scratch, dig.  Nyamba ban karal marnini yuwulu-ma? Minya walanja mindirrwari. ‘What are you digging for in the ground? This buried goanna.’ Karayu n. Ferguson’s Spring.  Karayu-makarda nguku dibij kayini wumarangurlu. ‘Right there at Ferguson’s Spring there is water coming out of the rock.’ kard cv. frighten away. = dujud. kard bunganini frighten away.  Kurdi barlawa karri kurdij, yali kurrkabadi

birlawangulu kard bunganarra. ‘We should pull up here and wait, in case we frighten away those bush turkeys.’  Kuyanymulu kurdi karri, biya ban kard bunganarra yali kangbi! ‘Don’t do that, in case you frighten away that gecko!’ -karda suf. right here, right there, precisely.  Yali-karda wumangku-ma warrbma waninyarra Yingawunarrila. ‘That Dreaming was gathered all around Top Springs.’  Ngayinya-karda ngaba kayini ngandayila. Banbula kayini ngandayilakarda-rni. ‘My older brother here is sitting in the shade. You two are sitting right here in the very same patch of shade.’ kardabun adv. then, well then, it’s best.  Nyundu-ma kardabun yandarra. ‘You’d better go, then.’  Ngayu-ma kardabun barna yandurru. ‘I’d better go.’ SEE: abala. kardaj cv. choke, strangle. ALSO: kadaj. = kardkumili. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. kardaj marnini choke, strangle.  Yali kardaj ma! ‘Strangle that one!’  Kadulu kardaj marna ngujbi. Kula-wanya marnini. ‘That one choked him, and now he can’t talk.’  Kadi kardaj marnini ngarinali ngujbingka. ‘He is choking on that beef in his throat.’ kardajala n. wild spirit people believed to live out bush, particularly in sandhill or hill country such as that to the southwest of Marlinja toward Powell Creek.  Kardajalawu, bundindiwu warlungarnarra-ma barlawa wirlarnkarrangarna. ‘We regular people are frightened of ‘kardajala’ and ‘bundindi’.’  Kardajalawirri! ‘Look out for the wild spirit people!’  Kardajala-ma karra marndaj. Warra kanganina. ‘Kardajala are all right. They are caretakers.’ — Kardajala are powerful and can be frightening, but they can also use their power for good by looking after people. They are invisible; you can’t usually see them, but they can see you. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘kirdijilirni’ in Jingulu. kardak n. container, cup, tin can. = barrakud, jawaranya, buludin.  Ayi karu, wandayi yali kardak! ‘Hey kid, get me

158 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

karlaja that cup!’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kardakarda n. bone, bony, skinny. = mayiwangka, dikawangka, kudbari.  Wangi barna jarrumulu kayini kardakarda. ‘I have something wrong with my thighbone.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kardarda adv. always, all the time.  Nyundu-ma ban manyan karra kardarda. ‘You’re always sleeping.’  Kardarda ban karrinykarri ngurramala. ‘You’ll always be a traditional owner.’ kardarlu adv. for good, forever. = jandak, ngajikba, ngadik, ngajibarni. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kardarr adv. all night, to the break of day, to daybreak, right through the night.  Kujika bali yinba dardulu ngarrkali bali abala karri kardarr. ‘Those men gotta sing that song all night.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kardarrkuji through the night.  Yali wajkarra kayina dikidiki-ma wumarawu-ma kardarrkuji. ‘They played cards for money all night long.’ kardarr langanini sun rising, night ending.  Kardarrkardarr langanjinganini Kamirrinji-ma dumarnini dijangurlu kambarrangurlu wangkuwu-ma. ‘The night is ending and the morning star is rising big, up in front of the sun’s rising.’ kardarrkardarr all night long. kardawurra n. lower arm, forearm. SEE: marndamarnda. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kardiba n. whitefella, European or other lightskinned person of non-Aboriginal descent. = kardiya.  Kardibakujarranganju mungarrangarnadarra barnali yanarra. ‘We all went out, two whitefellas and their mob, who were Aboriginal.’  Afghanma kardibamarraja-rni. ‘Afghans closely resemble Europeans.’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is similar to

‘kartiya’ in Gurindji and ‘karriba’ in Jingulu. kardiya n. whitefella, European or other light-skinned person of non-Aboriginal descent. = kardiba.  Kardiya bali dardu yananjanarra. Ngayi barnayina, ngayi barnayina lik wandi. ‘A bunch of whitefellas went off. Me, I’m going to join up with them.’ —See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: Jingulu and Gurindji also use this word. kardiyi n. water carrier coolamon, bucket shovel.  Ngimbija-ma-karda balya mirrka manirra jababakali marlarlukali wunyubaka ngukuwu, kardiyi ngaba warndi ngaba nguku kambambarra-ma. ‘We olden folks would cut the coolamon wood to make a little coolamon for water, a bucket shovel was how we’d get water in the old days, my brother and I.’ SEE: kawarla. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kardkumili cv. choke, strangle. = kardaj. USAGE: This is an Eastern Mudburra word. kardkumili kayini choke, strangle.  Yali karulu kardkumili kayini yali jindaba karu. ‘That child is choking that other child.’  Kardkumili karri! ‘Strangle him!’ kardu dem. that. SEE: kadu. karduk cv. track, follow. = juduk. karduk warndanini track, follow. -kari suf. different, another, other.  Jindaba yali-ma kirdakaringinyi. ‘He’s from a different father.’  Barna kangannginyi Jimijakari-ma lurrbu murlungkurra marrungkurra. ‘I brought that other Jimija back to this house.’  Kurdi barna yandurru kadi ngurrakaringkurra. ‘I will go to another place for a while.’ SEE: jindaba. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kari cv. far, distant.  Karrakarra barna yanini karingurlu. ‘I’m running from far away.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karikari a long way away, very far, too far.  Nyambawu banbula kayinykayini karikari-ma? ‘Why are you standing so far apart?’ karlaba n. boil. = wukurliji. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karlaja n. younger brother or sister, younger ‘cousin-brother’ or ‘cousin-sister’ (mother’s sister’s child or father’s brother’s child: parallel cousin). = bardarda.  Marndaj bayina kanganjinganarra babanyanji Mudburra to English dictionary 159

k

karlakinyi

K

karlajadarra-ma banyanu. ‘It’s okay, the older brother is taking his younger siblings.’ — See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘karlaj’ in Gurindji. karlakinyi n. from the north. SEE: karlarra. karlama- v. many words beginning with ‘karlama’ are forms of the verb ‘approach’. SEE: karlamarnini. karlamarnina n. someone who approaches.  Marndaj bayi nginya-ma karlamarnina. ‘It’s good he comes up to me all the time.’ SEE: karlamarnini. karlamarnini v. approach, go up to, get together.  Nginya barnayina karlamarnini. ‘Now I’m going up to them.’  Yalikujarralima-wuna kula jalyawu karlamanjima. Yuwu yijarni marndaj! ‘Those two are going to keep getting together (every night). Yeah, that’s true!’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. karlamarnini is approaching. karlamanjimarnini keeps approaching. karlamarna has approached. karlamarnarra has approached that way. karlamarnani has approached this way. karlama(rru) will approach, wants to approach. karlamarruru will approach that way, wants to approach that way. karlamarrarnnginyi will approach this way, wants to approach this way. karlama(rra) approach it! karlamarrara approach that way. karlamarrarn approach this way. karlardari n. snail. ALSO: kalardayi. = dinyingilan. Xanthomelon durvilli. The white, sun-bleached shells of these snails are collected by bowerbirds who place them around their bowers as decoration. People smash up these snails and use their flesh as bait when fishing with a handline. These snails live near water and like the rain time; they are a mate, or close countryman, for the water mussel. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlarla n. forked stick. = yalyalywari. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

karlarlanjurru n. lovegrass, wild rice. = kiyinkirra. Eragrostis tenellula. This is a small grass with lots of little seeds. The seeds are harvested after the wet season and dried in the sun. When they are dry, they can be ground up into a fine flour, mixed with water and made into damper. These are lightly roasted on a fire and then eaten. karlarra n. west, to the west. karlakinyi westerner, from the west. = karlayin.  Ngayinya-ma bayi kirda-ma karlakinyi. Yanirra Marlinjangkurra-ma karlarrangurlu. ‘My father was a westerner. He came to Marlinja from the west.’ — Eastern Mudburra speakers use this word to refer to Western Mudburra and Kuwirrinji (Gurindji) people. karlarraka westwards. ALSO: karlarrak.  Karlarraka yandurru. ‘He will go west.’ karlarranginyi west one, of the west. karlarrangurlu from the west.  Yalima ngarrka warnayaka karlarrangurlu, karikaringurlu. ‘That man is a stranger from the west, from very far away.’ karlarranybunga western one, one to the west.  Yali-karda karlarranybunga warnda-yi. ‘Bring me that one that’s to the west.’ karlarrangarnarra western, from the west.  Ngayinya bayi jakardi kirda karlarrangarnarra. ‘My mother and father are from the west.’ karlayirra west.  Barna yanirra karlayirra. ‘I went to the west.’ karlayin n. from the west. SEE: karlarra. karlbirl cv. still, not moving. karlbirl kayini still. karlikarli n. cheek. = kangarnda. karlikujarra n. kidneys. USAGE: This word is ‘karlikurda’ in Warlmanpa. karlina n. nankeen night heron. = kawula, karliwaku, karnbakakurni. Nycticorax caledonicus. This bird hunts around billabongs and creeks at night for ‘kakuwi’ (fish) and ‘nyurrnguli’ (leeches). It often makes strange calls and noises at night. During the day, it hides in dense vegetation. It has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. karlirl cv. climb. = duwaj, bardaj, badak. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

160 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

karnanganja karliwaku n. nankeen night heron. Nycticorax caledonicus. = kawula, karlina, karnbakakurni. This bird hunts around billabongs and creeks at night for ‘kakuwi’ (fish) and ‘nyurrnguli’ (leeches). It often makes strange calls and noises at night. During the day, it hides in dense vegetation. It has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. karlu- v. many words beginning with ‘karlu’ are forms of the verb ‘hold, have’. SEE: karlunini. karlu n. older sister, older ‘cousin-sister’ (mother’s sister’s daughter or father’s brother’s daughter: older female parallel cousin). = kabuku.  Burlkunga bayina karlu. ‘She is their eldest sister.’ — After a young man is initiated, he and his ‘full’ (i.e., biological) sisters can no longer say each other’s names out loud. Instead, they might say ‘so-and-so’, use each other’s initials, or use a nickname like ‘bro’ or ‘sis’. Additionally, for the first few years after the initiation, the young man’s sisters and female cousins can refer to him as ‘yirrimaka’. Some people also follow these same restrictions with their classificatory siblings — that is, with everyone who is of the right skin group regardless of any biological relationship. See p. 403 for the hand sign. karlumuju older sister and her younger sibling.  Karlumuju bawula yarlubakujarra. Bawula dumala, kakarra-wanya bawula karra. ‘Those two sisters are both pregnant. Every time they get up, they vomit (due to morning sickness).’ karlunina n. carer, babysitter.  Yali karda bayi karuwu-ma karlunina-ma ‘That’s the person who looks after my children.’ SEE: karlunini. karlunini v. have, hold, keep.  Barna karlunini marndaj malibanya-ma jardukurruwu. ‘I already have hair for

the hairbelt.’  Nyundu-ma-n karlunini ngarina-ma? ‘Do you have any meat?’  Yeah marndaj ban karlunini. ‘Yes, I’m holding it.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. karlunini has, holds. karluna has had, held. karluya will have, wants to have, will hold, wants to hold. karluya hold it! have it! karlwakarlwa n. cotton tree. = kalidba. Cochlospermum gregorii. This shrub has yellow flowers and cotton wool inside its fruit. Children use the straight stems and branches to make light toy spears. It is considered to be an introduced plant by some Mudburra people. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karna cv. spear, pierce, inject. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karna bunganini spear (someone or something).  Karna barna bungku. ‘I speared him right through.’ karnamurrurra n. mosquito. = bangkula. Diptera, Culicidae. karnanganja n. emu. = yibarrardu. Dromaius novaehollandiae. SEE: ngunyunyu. ‘Ngunyunyu’ (emu chicks) have stripes. Emu eggs are very large and green. They are called ‘kidba’ or ‘kambij’, the same words that are used for all kinds of eggs. Emu eggs are good to eat after they are boiled or cooked beside a fire. A big emu has lots of meat on it that is very dark and good to eat. It is often cooked in a ground oven. Emu fat, which is yellow, is also nice to eat. Emus are large, strong animals and have a strong kick, so you need to be careful when hunting them. ‘Durlngu’ are loincloths made from hairy emu feathers and the feathers are also used as body decoration during ceremonies. Emus are Mudburra to English dictionary 161

k

karnari

K

large strong animals and have a strong kick, you need to careful when hunting them. They have the skin name Janama or Nanaku. See p. 409 for the hand sign. karnari n. ring-tailed dragon. = lakurda, kilykilyi, kidkilyi. Ctenophorus caudicinctus. This lizard is like a small goanna but with a long tail and spines on its head and neck. It lives in rocky country and the meat tastes like goanna meat. It likes to eat grasshoppers and ants and is the brother of ‘jamankula’ (frillneck lizard). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Karnarnamana n. place just south of North Hole (Kulaja).  Karnarnamanangurlu bali yanirra marlarluka-ma. ‘Lots of the oldentime men came from Karnarnamana.’ — There is permanent water at a campsite between North Hole and Marlinja. karnawuna n. lancewood. = warraka. Acacia shirleyi. SEE: manjarna. The wood of this tree is hard, strong and dark in colour. It makes excellent firewood as it burns evenly for long periods. The smoke from the burning wood repels ‘bangkula’ or ‘kanamurrmurra’ (mosquitoes). The trunks and roots often contain ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs), which are good to eat. The stems can be used for bough shelters, fence rails and fence posts. The wood is also used for ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs), ‘karnbaj’ and ‘kurndarnnga’ (clapsticks), spearheads, ‘kuwarri’ (shields) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). The outer bark is called ‘manjarna’ or ‘kurrunyu’. It can be pulled off the trunks and used to make bough shelters or humpies. The dried bark

is also good for lighting fires. The inner part of the fluted trunk bark can be chewed and sucked. It is not much food, but it’s good for keeping your mouth moist. The inner bark can also be made into ‘yubungu’ (string or rope), or used as a ‘junji’ (spoon or brush) to extract honey from ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karnbaj n. clapsticks. = kundalnga, darldarl.  Kula barnali bala karnbaj-ma nginyangka-mawanya jalyajalya-ma. ‘We don’t play clapsticks around here these days.’ — Not used ceremonially in JingiliMudburra country, only as accompaniment to secular songs. karnbakakurni n. blue crane, white-necked heron (egret). = darliwa, karnbakakurni. Egretta pacifica. karnbalaja n. stone axe, adze. = mayingka, kurrwa, bama.  Karu yali warnda-yi karnbalaja. ‘Kid, get me that stone axe.’ karndi n. tree, stick, wood.  Murdika-ma yuwarna ngandayingka kadi wanyarringka karndingka. ‘He put the car under the shade of that bauhinea tree.’ — See p. 413 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karndikari n. wrong skin for marriage, wrong-way marriage partner. = waji.  Yali-ma-ngku ngarrka-ma karndikari nyununyawu-ma. ‘That man is wrong skin for you.’ — Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership influences many aspects of their life, including who they can marry. Appropriate (‘straight’) marriage partnerships are as follows: Janama–Nawurla, Jurla–Nanaku, Jabarda–Nalyirri, Jalyirri–Nimarra, Jimija– Nangala, Jangala–Namija, Jambijina– Nangari, Jangari–Nambijina. In the past, ‘wrong-way’ marriages (partnerships that

162 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

karrawarra did not comply with these skin group pairings) were sometimes punished harshly. karnkarn cv. pick up. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karnkarn marnini pick up.  Yali-ma karnkarn marra! Kangan murlungkurra! ‘Go and get that one! Bring him here!’ karr- v. many words beginning with ‘karr’ are forms of the verb ‘be’. SEE: kayini. -karra suf. -ing (continuative). = -warra.  Yali karndi lajkarra kayini, bingalawa wurlkumi kayinarra. ‘That tree is cracking. It might fall on us.’ karrab cv. look at. = mardkarra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. karrab kayini look at. karrakarrab kayini look at things. karrajkarraj cv. sneak up. = nangaj. karrajkarraj yanini sneak up.  Yali-karda karrajkarraj yananjanarni munba. ‘There, a wild man is sneaking up.’ karrakarra adv. run, at top speed, sprint. = kayang.  Yali karrakarra yananjanarni. ‘That one is sprinting this way.’  Kadili banyanu karrakarra kirdi marnini karu nyanunya. Ngadayina-barra barla. ‘That one is chasing after his child at top speed. Maybe he did something to him.’ karrakarrangarna n. car. = murdika, kurrurrij.  Karrakarrangarna barna birrka marna. ‘I fixed my car.’  Yali karu karrambu, karrakarra karra barnini bardakurru, ngayina ngardangana jindabardarra-ma. ‘That boy’s fast, a good runner, he leaves all the others behind.’ — See p. 419 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word only means ‘car’ in Western Mudburra. In Eastern Mudburra it refers only to someone who is a runner. karrakinyi n. from the east. SEE: karrawarra. Karrambalyi n. waterhole near Camfield station and Wirringkurru.  Camfield, Camfieldngurluku, Wirringkurru,

Wirringkurrungurlu, Karrambalyi. ‘Camfield, from Camfield you get to Wirringkurru, and from Wirringkurru, Karrambalyi.’ Karranga n. variety of Mudburra with Wardaman loan words. = Kayilariny, Bardamunkiyid, Karrangburru.  Ngayiwanya balya karra Karranga, Mudburra, Wanyjirra. Karranga Mardbawu-kardabun ngurrawu. ‘We lived together, Karranga, Mudburra and Wanyjirra. The Karranga belonged to Montejinni country.’  Mudburra, Karranga bawula-wanya karrinyarra company. Kujarra-wanya bawurna duwarduwa karlamarnirra, Wardamandi, Mudburrali. Karranga now; balya karrinyarra-ma Karranga. ‘The Mudburra and Karranga were together as a band. Then two (tribes) met up, the Wardaman and Mudburra. Then we two were the Karranga.’ — Formerly spoken around Moolooloo and Killarney stations, as well as Coolibah and Timber Creek. The people who spoke Karranga were known as ‘Karrangburru.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Karrangburru n. people who spoke Karranga, a variety of Mudburra with Wardaman loan words. = Kayilariny, Bardamunkiyid, Karranga. The Karrangburru people spoke a language called ‘Karranga’ (sometimes also called ‘Karrangburru’). The Karranga/ Karrangburru language was spoken around Moolooloo and Killarney stations, as well as Coolibah and Timber Creek. karrangkarrang n. darter, diver duck, cormorant. Anhinga melanogaster. This bird can swim underwater for long distances. The meat can be eaten after roasting on hot coals, and has a pleasant, fishy taste. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karrawarra n. east.  Bayin kangkurru karrawarra yawuwu. ‘You will take me east for fish.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Mudburra to English dictionary 163

k

karrila

K

karrakinyi eastern one.  Karrakinyi karrawarrangurlu bali yananjanarni Wambayadarra. ‘These easterners, the Wambaya, they come from the east.’ karrawarrangarnarra easterner, from the east.  Karrawarrangarnarra bali Wambaya whole lot dardu. ‘The Wambaya and lots of others are from the east.’ karrawarraka eastwards. ALSO: karrawarrak. karrawarranginyi east one, of the east. karrawarrangurlu from the east.  Karrawarrangurlu yanarni. ‘He’s come from the east.’ karrawarranybunga eastern one, one from the east.  Yali kirrili-ma karlunini karrawarranybunga ngarrka-ma. ‘That woman married an eastern man.’ karrayin from the east. USAGE: This form is Western Mudburra, Eastern Mudburra uses ‘karrakinyi’. karrila interj. leave it!  Karrila yali-ma-yina Kirrawarrangarnarrawu. ‘Leave those alone, they belong to the northerners.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. karrilyarra cv. move about, rustle. ALSO: kayilyarra. = kalyarra, mangan, nyingin, yingin. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. karrilyarra kayini move about, rustle.  Barna karrilyarra kayinarra, kula barna manyan kayinarra kadarrkuji. ‘I was moving around, (because) I couldn’t sleep all night.’ karrilyarra yuwarnini make move. karrilyarrangarna restless.  Nyunduma-n kayilyarrangarna. ‘You are restless.’ karrinbirri n. knob or lump on bloodwood or ‘jardburru’ tree, water in bloodwood knob. ALSO: kaminbirri; karrinybirri.  Nyundu ban ngukuwu-ma kurranyku kayini. Yali-karda jarin karrinbirringka bali ngarnirra marlarlukali-ma nguku-ma, karinbirringurlu karndingurlu. ‘You’re thirsty for water. The old folks drank the water in bloodwood knobs, from lumps in bloodwood trees.’ karrinji n. jabiru, man-eater bird, black-necked stork. Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus. In the Dreamtime, this bird used to eat Aboriginal people. There is an important Dreamtime

story about how this bird used to eat people in the Jikaya, Milugurru and Bujbu areas, before it went off to the west where its story ends at Jinbiya. In the past, these birds were killed and eaten by Aboriginal people, but not in recent times. It has the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. karrinya n. cold, cold weather, windy time. = yak wandiyini, burriyib, warrajkalu, minjarnini.  Barna karrinya kayini. ‘I’m cold.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karrinyanja n. former, used to be. ALSO: karrinyinja.  Nginya barla ngurra nginya-ma karrinyinja-ma. ‘This is the site of his former camp.’ SEE: kayini. Karrka n. place between Beetaloo and Jingaloo outstations.  Barna yandurru Karrkangkurra mayingka barna warndurru. ‘I’ll go to Karrka to get an axe.’ karrkanya n. black and brown falcon. Falco spp. These noisy birds hunt for all sorts of prey, like small birds and lizards, and also scavenge for roadkill. If you follow this bird, you might find freshly killed meat like bullocks or kangaroos. They have the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. karrngayi n. cheeky yam, round yam. = jarrwana. Dioscorea bulbifera. These yams are round and can grow up to about 20 cm in diameter. They are often covered in hairy roots and have small yams growing off the side. This yam can be dug up and eaten, but it must be carefully prepared first or it will burn your mouth and hurt you badly. In traditional times, the old men used to prepare the yams by crushing them with a stone and then mixing them with fat, or by chopping them into small pieces and soaking the pieces in water for a long time. This cheeky yam is rare on Mudburra country and only occurs in northern areas near Daly Waters and Larrimah. USAGE: Mudburra. karruji n. spider. = yumbu, jirinyili, darru. Arachnida, Araneae. All spiders have the

164 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kawarraj same names although many different types of spiders are recognised and some are dangerous. Some of the larger spiders live in burrows in the ground. The red-back spider has a painful bite that causes a lot of swelling. Spider webs are called ‘karrujinginyi’. See p. 408 for the hand sign for ‘karruji’. karrujinginyi n. web (of spider).  Yali-karda karrujinginyi wankij barlawa yandurru. ‘There’s a spider web there, we’ll have to go around it.’ karrwi n. armpit. = wanyku. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karu n. child, baby.  Wanjuwarra-barra karu wunyubaka? ‘Where might that little kid be?’ — See p. 398 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karu marndarrangka initiation ceremony for making boys into young men, ‘business’ ceremony. jayilya karu newborn, baby from birth until one or two months of age.  Yalili kirrili jayilya karu warndana. ‘That woman had a newborn baby.’ manjala karu newborn, baby from birth until one or two months of age.  Jajunyanji kanganarra that karu manjala. Kambarna kakurrali-wanya. ‘(The baby’s) maternal grandmother took that newborn baby out. Then she treated (the baby) with antbed slurry.’ karumarni n. apart, separate.  Yali-ma kayini karumarni ngurra-ma. ‘He’s got a separate camp.’ SEE: nyangarlu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Karungka n. initiation ceremony for making boys into young men, ‘business’ ceremony. ALSO: Karungkakarungka.  Karungkakarungka! Nginya bangku Karungkawu-ma Buwarraja-ma. ‘Ah, the initiation ceremony! This is your Dreaming for use at the initiation ceremony.’ — This ceremony is held around Christmas time.

USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. karuwurru n. pregnant, expectant mother, having a child or being together with a child. = yarluba, dinngarrwari, majulawurru.  Kirrikujarra karuwurru bawula now. ‘Those two women are pregnant.’ SEE: majula. Pregnant women can’t eat any type of eggs from any native animal, or any animal that has eggs inside it. If she does, she will get sick and the baby will develop skin sores. Pregnant women also should not breathe any kind of smoke, whether from food cooking, a bushfire, a campfire, a house being smoked out, or any other source. A pregnant woman’s husband can still hunt and fish, but pregnant women themselves can’t fish and can’t go swimming. In fact, they should not get too close to the river at all, or else the rainbow serpent might smell them. kawaj SEE: kawarraj. kawankarra cv. lost, bushed. kawankarra kayini get lost.  Kawankarra kayina so-and-so-ma barlawarla darumi karri. ‘So-and-so got lost and now we have to look for him.’ kawarla n. 1 • coolamon which is generally made from the ‘ngimbija’ tree.  Kawarla barna mirrka ma murluwu karuwu manjalawu. ‘I’ll make a coolamon for a baby child.’ SEE: biyardu; ngimbija. See p. 416 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. 2 • shell, an empty one with no meat in it; a long fish with no meat and a lot of bones, bony bream.  Yali-ma kawarla wan kuya kardakardawurru ngarinawangka. ‘Throw that bony bream away, it’s all bones and no meat.’ kawarraj cv. lose, forget, rob. ALSO: kawaj. = mujkiyi. USAGE: Generally said ‘kawarraj’ in Western Mudburra and ‘kawaj’ in Eastern Mudburra. kawarraj kayini forget.  Barna kawaj kayina wajurranginyi-ma. ‘I forgot the thing from yesterday.’ kawarraj marnini forget.  Barnanyanu kawarraj marnana wumara ngayinya

Mudburra to English dictionary 165

k

kawujin

K

ngurrangka-rni. ‘I forgot my money back at home.’ kawarraj warndanini steal, lose.  Bangandangulu nyambayala kawarraj warndanirra kirdanginyi-ma ngurra-ma. ‘They stole our fathers’ land from us.’  Kuyala kula balya kawarraj warndala. ‘We must not lose it.’ kawujin n. bush cucumber. = mikalinbi. Cucumis melo. The fruit of this plant is light green in colour with a strong, sweet, fruity smell when fully ripe. The fruit may be eaten at this time; it has a sweet taste and crispy texture. It is very good food, tasting similar to the cucumber you can buy in shops. The fruit must be rubbed before eating, however, to remove any short hairs from the outside. If these are not removed, they can hurt your lips and tongue. If you eat too much of this fruit, you will get a sore mouth, sore throat and a headache. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kawukawu n. great egret, great crane. = liwirni. Egretta alba. This tall, white bird is seen around the water’s edge looking for fish to eat. People don’t eat this bird. kawul adv. no matter.  Kawul barna yandurru lurrbu ngurrangkurra. ‘No worries, I can go home anytime.’  Yardi karri ngurrangka, barna kawul yandurru ngunyi-ma ngayi-ma. ‘Stay here! I’m fine to go out hunting myself.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kawula n. nankeen night heron. ALSO: kawulnga. = karliwaku, karlina, karnbakakurni. This bird hunts around billabongs and creeks at night for ‘kakuwi’ (fish) and ‘nyurrnguli’ (leeches). It often

makes strange calls and noises at night. During the day, it hides in dense vegetation. It has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. kawurawura n. Gillen’s pygmy goanna. ALSO: kawurura; karura. = walbingkirra. Varanus gilleni. SEE: jamankula. This goanna is generally considered too small to eat, though children might hunt them and cook them. If you kill one, you might bleed from your nose. kaya n. dead body, ghost, ‘devil-devil’.  Kaya-wanya. ‘(She’s) dead now.’  Barna bankaja kayina kurrulala-ma, kayali bayi kirdi marna. ‘I dreamt last night that a ghost chased me.’  Karrila yali-ma yini-ma, kaya. ‘Leave that name, it’s (the name of) a dead person.’  Kayali bingalawarna birnarni. ‘A ghost might have come out and bitten us.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kayangarna someone who is paid to kill people, mercenary, ‘devil-killer’.  Barla nyungana danku yali kayangarnawu-ma, barniwu-ma ngambungambuwu-ma. ‘He gave gear to that devil-killer so he would kill that so-and-so.’ kayaya graveyard, cemetery.  Nginyarrakarda barli kayaya-ma lakurd kayini. ‘We stopped a while on our way at the graveyard.’ = jibijnginyi. Kayalangkujku SEE: Kajalangkujku. kayambala n. fast, quick.  Yali-ma kayam bala kambarra-rni. ‘That one runs fast.’ kayang cv. run, energetic, active. ALSO: kaang. kayang barnini run, active.  Nginya walanja kayang barna, jayilya yunba. ‘This goanna has run past. These are fresh tracks.’  Yali-ma kayang barnini lurrija. ‘That one is running fast.’ kayang-kayang active.  Yali warlaku-ma bardakurru kayang-kayang barnina. ‘That dog’s good, he’s active.’ kayangbarnina n. car, vehicle, runner (one who runs a lot). = murdika, karrakarrangarna, kurrurrij.  Yeah, barna kayang barnana ngayu-ma schoolngurluma, kayang kangana — kayang barnirra,

166 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kidkilyi kayam barnirra barna kirdangkurra, nginyangkurra stockcampkulala. ‘Yeah, I would nick off from school all the time, run off and head to my father, where he was at the stock camp.’ USAGE: This word means ‘car’ in Western Mudburra. In Eastern Mudburra, it refers to someone who is a runner. kayi- v. many words beginning with ‘kayi’ are forms of the verb ‘be’. SEE: kayini. -kayi suf. actually, unexpectedly, surprisingly.  Minya-ma-kayi light one-rni. Jindaba barna mirrka ma dardalya. ‘Actually, this one is not strong enough. I’m going to make another one which is stronger.’  Nginyama-kayi marluka-ma nyana-rni? ‘Is this actually the same man?’ Kayilariny n. variety of Mudburra with Wardaman loan words. = Karranga, Bardamunkiyid, Karrangburru. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kayini v. be, sit.  Yali kardibadarra bali kayini. ‘There are a lot of whitefellas.’  Nginya bardakurru-ma kayini, nginyama wangi kayini. Janga-barra kayini. ‘This one is good, but this one is bad. Maybe he’s sick.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. kayini is. kayina has been, was. karri will be, wants to be. karri stay! be something! kibilyibilyi n. tadpole. = kirikira. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kibilyibiyi n. waterbug, water scorpion. ALSO: kibilyibilyi. Hemiptera, Lethocerus spp. These large beetles swim in water. They can also fly and are attracted to lights at night. Some can bite quite hard and so are avoided. kibilyuku n. whistling duck. ALSO: kibilyawurni. = jibilyuku. Dendrocygna eytoni. These ducks are often seen grazing on

grass in large flocks near the water’s edge. They nest in hill country and walk around at night. When they fly they often make a whistling noise. They are good to eat, and people hunt them with rifles. These ducks have the skin name Jangala or Nangala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kida n. father. SEE: kirda. kidba n. 1 • egg. = kambij.  Yalili darlk kurnana yali-ma kidba-ma. ‘He threw that egg and its insides spurted out.’ ­—See p. 404 for the hand sign. 2 • brain. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kidi cv. chase, follow, argue. ALSO: kirdi. kidi warndanini chase, follow. kidi marnini chase, argue.  Ngana kadilima kidi marnini? ‘Who is that person chasing?’  Yali karu kidi ma, murdikawirri! ‘Chase after that child, for fear of the car!’  Kadikujarra bawurna kidi marnini nyambangurlu-barra. ‘Those two are arguing with each other over something or other.’ kidikidi chasing around, arguing.  Kadi jakardinyanji bayina kidikidi marnini karudarra wunyuwunyu. ‘The mother is chasing all the little kids around.’  Karudarra bayina kidikidi marninymarnini jakardinyanji. ‘(The kids’) mother is chasing all the kids around.’ kidiji cv. pinch. = jidi. kidkilyi n. ring-tailed dragon. = karnari, kilykilyi, lakurda. Ctenophorus caudicinctus. SEE: jamankula. This lizard is like a small goanna but with a long tail and spines on its head and neck. It lives in rocky country and the meat tastes like goanna meat. It likes to eat grasshoppers and ants. It is the brother of ‘jamankula’ (frillneck lizard). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Jamankula put his frill down and convinced Kidkilyi that he had cut his hair, and that Kidkilyi should cut his hair too. Kidkilyi cut off his frill, and then Jamankula revealed Mudburra to English dictionary 167

k

kija

K

that he had only hidden his frill. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. kija cv. walk, go on foot. ALSO: kiyija. = winymi. kija yanini walk.  Bali kambarra-rni kija yanarra Jardbiningkurra-ma. ‘They have already gone to Dunmarra on foot.’  Ngarla kadi-ma? Yunba-ma yanirra kambarra-ma? Jilij-birri kangka! ‘What about that one? Did he go on foot (a long time ago)? Try and ask him!’  Karrakarramulu karu! Kija yandarra! ‘Don’t run! Walk!’ kija dumarnini go up on foot.  Barli duma kija Marlinjangkurra. ‘We will go up to Marlinja on foot.’ kija kanganini take on foot.  Marndaj bayili ngayu-ma kija kanganirra kakulu ngabujulu Badbangkurrama Marlinjangurlu-ma. ‘My paternal grandfather and grandmother used to take me on foot to Daly Waters from Marlinja.’ kija karlamarnini approach on foot.  Nyambawu bayin ngayu-ma kija karlamarnini? ‘Why are you coming up to me on foot?’ kija barnini walk.  Kadiya bali dardu-ma kija barnini. ‘All of them are walking around.’ kijakija n. black bull ant. = lirrkinkinya. Hymenoptera, Odontomachus spp. kijikijik cv. tickle. = kinkilarri. kijikijik marnini tickle.  Kijikijik marnini wanyku. ‘She’s tickling me under my arm.’ kili adv. ready (prepared).  Kili karlunini mangarri-ma ngayinya-ma. Bali kambarna kambarra-rni. ‘Someone has my prepared lunch. They cooked it already.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kilibi n. bush banana. Leichhardtia australis, Marsdenia viridiflora. The fruit and leaves of this plant may be eaten. They are sweet and tasty. The round, crunchy young fruit are the best to eat. They are found in the heavy

rain time of the wet season. They contain a lot of juice. Older fruit are hard and chewy, though they may be softened by lightly roasting them on hot coals. They can also be cooked in a ground oven with water to steam them, making them softer and nicer to eat. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Kilikilika n. swamp north of Murranji.  Kilikilika and Kurrakurraka — yali bayina nyungani nyambala-karda, juju. ‘Kilikilika and Kurrakurraka — those are places for business, ceremonies.’ — This place is paired with Kurrakurraka. kilikilika n. galah. = wajilan, kilinykiliny, wajilan. Cacatua roseicapilla. Galah feathers can be used as body decoration during ceremonies. In the past, people hunted large flocks of galahs with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). They ate the meat after roasting it on hot coals and ashes. There is an important Dreaming story about this bird. The galah is a Dreaming or totem for some people. These birds have the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. USAGE: There is also a similar Jingulu word: ‘kilikilirdi’. kilimi n. 1 • nose. ALSO: kalama.  Yali karulu banyanu kudkulya warndanini kilimingurlu. ‘That kid’s pulling snot out of his nose.’ 2 • pigweed yam. Portulaca bicolor. This small yam is roundish and about 2 cm long. It can be dug up, cooked and eaten, and is quite tasty. This yam grows during the wet season and is best eaten in the late wet and early dry seasons. It grows in bluebush country and is very easy to dig up. kilinykiliny n. galah. = wajilan, kilikilika.

168 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kindijku Cacatua roseicapilla. Galah feathers can be used as body decoration during ceremonies. In the past, people hunted large flocks of galahs with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). They ate the meat after roasting it on hot coals and ashes. There is an important Dreaming story about this bird. The galah is a Dreaming or totem for some people. These birds have the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Kilirrini n. Stony Creek.  Bali yaninjanirra kambambarra-ma marlarluka-ma Jingilidarra-ma yunba Kilirriningkurra. ‘A long time ago the old Jingili folks would go on foot to Kilirrini.’ — On Jingili country in the central Barkly, towards Eva Downs. kilkayi n. billabong. = langkana, barlakuji, balunbarra, langkana.  Barlawa darukarra yandurru langkanangkurra kilkayingkurra. ‘Let’s go to the billabong for a swim.’ USAGE: From Kriol ‘gilgayi’. kilkil cv. happy. = jingkarli, luyurd. kilkil kayini happy. kilwilwirni n. spinifex pigeon, rock pigeon. Geophaps plumifera leucogaster. This orange-brown pigeon has a crest of feathers sticking up on top of its head and has a distinctive red patch around its eye. The meat is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. This pigeon lives in rocky country and spinifex country. It has the skin name Jangala or Nangala. kilyi n. clean. = kirlka.  Marndaj bardakurru kilyi-wanya. ‘Great, that’s good and clean now.’ kilyikilyikbari n. patterned (e.g. dots or floral pattern on a dress), zebra strips, spots, rash.  Janga barna kilyikilyikbari. ‘I’m sick with a rash.’ kilykilyi n. ring-tailed dragon. = karnari, kidkilyi, lakurda. Ctenophorus caudicinctus. This lizard is like a small goanna but with a long tail and spines on its head and neck. It lives in rocky country and the meat tastes like goanna meat. It likes to eat grasshoppers and ants. It is the brother

of ‘jamankula’ (frillneck lizard). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. kindijku n. ant (general), flat round antbed, big red ants (Western Mudburra), small black ants (Eastern Mudburra). = yibiba. Amitermes. SEE: mardumardu; wanbuni; bilaya; barlanji; kumbari. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘burning’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. To ‘burn’ a baby, light a fire and heat up some pieces of antbed. When the fire has burned down to coals, the antbed pieces will be glowing red. Scoop some out to one side, then put some water on the fire and cover it with leafy twigs such as ‘mulurrmi’ (turpentine wattle) or ‘bikirra’ (any type of grass), and then put the reserved chunks of antbed on top. When the plants heat up and begin to smoke, hold the baby over them so that the smoke goes all over the baby and its mother. The pieces of antbed are crushed during the smoking to reveal still-red parts. Cooled charred pieces of antbed are used to treat sick people (especially infants). They are crushed in water to make a thick, black slurry. The slurry is rubbed on a child from head to toe. The black water may also be sipped. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are also sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in Mudburra to English dictionary 169

k

kinja

K

the wet season. kinja n. rough-tailed goanna. = ladaja, jarany. Varanus storri. SEE: walbingkirra. These goannas have a very rough tail, like a wood rasp. They are good to eat as they taste nice. kinjaka n. base of tree, bottom (of tree).  Kinjakangka barna karri. ‘I’ll sit against the trunk of the tree (in the shade).’ kinjirrka n. redflowered kurrajong. ALSO: kinji. = miyaka. Brachychiton megaphyllus, Brachychiton paradoxus. This plant is similar to the other redflowered kurrajong called ‘miyaka’; however, it is a bigger tree that grows in northern areas. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kinjuwurnu n. didgeridoo, bamboo. = bambu, kulumbud. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. kinkilarri cv. tickle, laugh. = kijikijik. kinkilarri yuwarnini tickle.  Yali karu kinkilarri yuwarru. ‘Someone’s tickling that kid.’ kinkilarri nyanganini smile.  Nyambawu bayin kinkilarrili nyanganini? ‘Why are you smiling at me?’ kinginymi n. bush plum. = manamburran. Grewia retusifolia. This herb has a brown, shiny, edible fruit that are very tasty but often quite hard to chew. People used to treat them like travel sweets in the old days. They would put them in their saddle bags when they were riding or in their pockets when they were walking. These fruits gave

them an energy boost along the way. The fruit are also eaten by ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys) and ‘karnanganja’ (emus). The leaves can be boiled in water and the liquid used as a medicinal wash to treat skin sores and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kinyuwurru n. bush onion. = jundayunda. Cyperus bulbosus. SEE: kurrarndala. The small bulbs of the bush onion can be eaten and are very tasty. In the past they were an important food resource. They grow underground but close to the surface, and so are easy to dig out and can often be collected in large numbers. They are lightly cooked in hot sand and then rubbed between the palms to loosen the dark brown, papery skin. The skin is then blown away from the little yams. ‘Kurrarndala’ (brolgas) like to eat them too. These bulbs grow well in northern areas, such as Nutwood Downs and Daly Waters, but also grows in other parts of Mudburra country. There are some growing in the sandy soils near North Camp in Elliott. See p. 414 for the hand sign. kird cv. break. = lakarr, dilburr. kird kayini broken, broke.  Kird kayina bayi CDwu-ma. ‘My CD player broke.’ kird warndanini break.  Murdika bayi kird warndana. ‘My car broke down.’ kird barnini break.  Yali warlu kirdkarra barra-yi. ‘Break up that wood for me.’ kirdkarra breaking.  Kirdkarra barna lakard warndu nginya kandirri nginya

170 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kirlka jurlakawu. ‘I’m breaking off little bits of this bread for the birds.’ kirdbari broken.  Nginya-ma jawaranyama bayi kirdbari. ‘That billycan is broken.’ ­­—See p. 425 for the hand sign. kirda n. father, father’s brother. = yarriki.  Yali-karda barna bina ngayu-ma. Ngayinya kirdali bayi nyunganirra buwarraja-ma ngayinya kakunginyi. ‘I know that (Dreaming). My father long ago gave my paternal grandfather’s Dreaming to me.’  Kirdali bayi mirrarda marnirra Kujikawu-ma ngayu-ma. ‘My father taught me the Kujika.’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kirdamuju father and his child.  Kirdamuju bawula yaninjanirra. ‘A father and his child were going along.’ kirdba SEE: kidba. n. egg. kirdilkbari n. curved, crooked, bent. ALSO: kirdilwari.  Yali-ma karndi-ma kirdilwari. ‘That stick is crooked.’ kirikira n. tadpole. = kibilyibilyi.  Kirikiri-ma dija yarra ngalyiminji-wanya. ‘Tadpoles get big and become frogs.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kirininyma n. antbed. = bilaya, wanbuni. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘burning’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. To ‘burn’ a baby, light a fire and heat up some pieces of antbed. When the fire has burned down to coals, the antbed pieces will be glowing red. Scoop some out to one side, then put some water on the fire and cover it with leafy twigs such as ‘mulurrmi’ (turpentine wattle) or ‘bikirra’ (any type of grass), and then put the reserved chunks of antbed on top. When the plants heat up and begin to

smoke, hold the baby over them so that the smoke goes all over the baby and its mother. The pieces of antbed are crushed during the smoking to reveal still-red parts. Cooled charred pieces of antbed are used to treat sick people (especially infants). They are crushed in water to make a thick, black slurry. The slurry is rubbed on a child from head to toe. The black water may also be sipped. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are also sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in the wet season. kirirni n. pale eel-tail catfish or nailfish. ALSO: kiyini. = jalarlka. Neosilurus hyrtlii. Eel-tail catfish are good to eat, with soft, tender flesh and very few bones. They are cooked by roasting on hot coals and ashes. They can get quite big, up to 25 cm long. They have nails or prickles in their fins, and, if these poke you, the wound will swell and be very painful for a long time. You can ease the pain by poking that same area with the same prickle again. In the mid to late wet season when the floodwaters are starting to form, there are often ‘ngirnngirda’ (schools of baby nailfish) in the grassy water edges. These can be collected in large numbers and all cooked together and then eaten. They taste good and are too small to have dangerous spines. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kirlirrwala n. spear grass. Sorghum matarankense. This grass forms large stands during the wet season. It has lots of dark brown seeds that poke into you if you walk through it. When the rains stop the stems dry off and become brown. When this grass is burnt during the early dry season, it cleans up the country and makes it healthy again. Burning this grass is a good way to hunt out kangaroos. kirlka cv. clean. = kilyi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Mudburra to English dictionary 171

k

Kirnbininku

K

kirlka kayini clean.  Ngarranyana yali, abala kirlka karri. ‘That ceremony place that will be clean.’ Kirnbininku n. waterhole near Dunmarra. kirnima n. spinifex wax. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kirnirriny n. yellow tree snake. = kirnirriny. Dendrelaphis punctulata. This snake is yellow and lives in pandanus trees and near waterways. There are lots at OT Downs and near lakes and waterholes. This snake likes breast milk. It will go and suck milk from a young woman who is breastfeeding, so young mothers are warned not to go near the river. It knows when there are people by the river because the ‘burrju’ (March fly) gives them away. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kirnjirlmirna n. fairy-wren. = jijirrmirni, jirrjirrmirni. Malurus melanocephalus. These colourful little birds have long tails that stick up. They live in tall grass in grassy country near ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks), but also fly around everywhere. They are often hard to see as they are a bit camouflaged. kirrakinyi SEE: kirrawarra. kirrarayimirni n. Apostle bird. Struthidea cinerea. These birds are noisy and cheeky and are often seen around settlements, outstations, fuel stops and roadside stops. kirrardawu n. dangerous.  Karrila yali yuwulu-ma — lamarnimulu, kirrardawu bayina. ‘Stay away from that ground — don’t step on it, it’s dangerous for them.’ kirrawa n. male sand goanna, plains goanna. = warnkarranga. Varanus panoptes. SEE: jurrkubadi. The flesh of this goanna can be eaten after roasting and is very tasty. It often digs deep holes; it can be tracked to these holes and then dug out. Often the holes have to be dug very deep and a lot of work is required to get the goanna out. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kirrawarra n. north. = kirrayirra.  Barna yandurru kuwarni kirrawarra. ‘I’m going

north.’ kirrakinyi northerner, from the north.  Kirrakinyi-karda bali, kirrakinyi bali Wardamandarra. ‘They’re northerners, the Wardaman are northeners.’ kirrawarrangarnarra northerner, from the north.  Kirrawarrangarnarra bali yaninjanini dardu ngarrkardarra. ‘A big mob of northern men are coming.’ kirrawarraka northwards. ALSO: kirrawarrak.  Kirrawarraka barna duma ngayi-ma. ‘I’ve got to go north.’ kirrawarranginyi north one, of the north.  Yali-ma kirrawarranginyi ngarrka-ma bawulajirri. ‘Those two men are from the north.’ kirrawarrangurlu from the north.  Kirrawarrangurlu bawula yali kujarra kirri ngarrka. ‘Those two are from the north, the man and the woman.’ kirrawarranybunga northern one, one from the north.  Kirrawarranybunga yaliya bali. ‘They’re all people from the north.’ kirrayin from the north. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kirrayirra SEE: kirrawarra. kirri n. woman.  Yarlubali kirrili kula ngarnarra kidba jurlakanginyi and walanjanginyi, kakuwinginyi, biya karulu karlunarra janga. ‘Pregnant women probably won’t eat bird, goanna, or fish eggs, or else the baby will be sick.’  Yaliyama kirrirdarra-ma bali manyan kayini birdibirdingka. ‘Those women are sleeping in the women’s quarters.’ — See p. 398 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kirringkirringma n. great cormorant. = durdba, kirrkilanji. Phalacrocorax carbo. ‘Durdba’ is the name of the big cormorant and ‘kirrkilanji’ is the name of the smaller one. These birds are found in saltwater and freshwater country. They catch ‘kakuwi’ (fish) from ‘binka’ (rivers). kirrirdinkirrirdin cv. swing. USAGE: This word is Western Mudburra. kirrirdinkirrirdin kayini swing (on a swing). kirriri n. rosewood, wild peanut. Terminalia volucris. This tree grows in bush or savanna country. It is a good shade tree

172 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kiyindinymi to sit under. The small seed inside the winged fruit can be eaten raw. The wings of the fruit are pulled apart and the seed eaten. The gum is also edible. It is sweet and tasty and lasts in the mouth for a long time. It is also eaten as medicine to treat diarrhoea and other gut disorders. The gum is eaten by ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys), who love it. kirrkilanji n. great cormorant. = kirringkirringma, durdba. Phalacrocorax carbo. ‘Durdba’ is the name of the big cormorant and ‘kirrkilanji’ is the name of the smaller one. These birds are found in saltwater and freshwater country. They catch ‘kakuwi’ (fish) from ‘binka’ (rivers). kiwardakarra cv. wander, walk around. kiwardakarra yanini wander around.  Ngana yali-ma kiwardakarra yaninjanini? ‘Who’s that wandering around?’ kiwarlija n. 1 • king brown snake. ALSO: kiyalija. = jawulwarra, wari. Pseudechis australis. This is a very dangerous snake. You cannot get close to them as they are fast-moving and aggressive; their venom is strong and deadly. In the Dreamtime, a number of ‘kiwarlija’ came up from Tennant Creek to Murranji. A couple of them then went to Beetaloo; these were the quiet ‘kiwarlija’ (i.e. olive or rock pythons). Two others went west as the dangerous ‘kiwarlija’ (i.e. king browns) and turned into the ‘jurndakal’, a taipan-like snake. They have the skin names Jimija and Jalyirri and are father and son. See p. 411 for the hand sign. 2 • olive python, rock python. Liasis olivaceus. This python looks similar to the water python, but it lives in rocky country. It is often seen on roads at night and is also very good to eat. kiwinji n. grebe, small diver duck, longnecked diver, little pied cormorant. = birrirda. Phalacrocorax varius. ‘Kiwinji’ is a countryman for ‘narli’, but is lighter

coloured. kiwirra part. nothing. = wakurni.  Kiwirra ngayu-ma-rna warnuwangka. ‘I have no tobacco at all.’ USAGE: This word is also in Jingulu. kiyarri n. yam stick, digging stick. = kabili. SEE: kanjilku. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kiyikarra cv. glow red. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kiyikarra kayini glowing.  Kiyikarra kayini linyarda. ‘The coal’s glowing.’ kiyikarrangarna n. red. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kiyilmi n. needlebush. = nyili. Dichrostachys spicata. The timber can be used to make ‘warrirdila’ (number 7 boomerangs). The prickles can scratch you. They can be used to kill scabies by poking the spine into the infected area; this makes the mite go away. They can also be used to lance ‘wukurliji’ (boils) and blisters, as they are very sharp. kiyindan n. stone chisel blade, stone knife. = jabirri, kajakaja, karndin, jarribili.  Yalili-ma kiyindanji-ma balirna biyanganjinganirra marlarlukali-ma. ‘In the olden days people would cut one another with stone knives.’ SEE: binymala; langanirra; juna; ngalardku. kiyindinymi n. black plum. ALSO: kiyindijmi. Vitex glabrata. The sweet, tasty, black fruit are eaten when they are ripe. They were an important food resource in the past and were collected in large bags. The fruit and seed can also be pounded on a flat rock and made into small dampers, which are lightly roasted and highly regarded as a food source. The tree generally fruits around the early wet season, but sometimes the fruit are also available later in the year. When the firefly begins blinking its light, it indicates the fruit are ripe and ready to eat. This plant only occurs in northern areas of Jingulu and Mudburra country, in places Mudburra to English dictionary 173

k

kiyinkirra

K

such as Hayfield, Nutwood Downs, Danumbirini and Daly Waters. kiyinkirra n. lovegrass, wild rice. = karlarlanjurru. Eragrostis tenellula. This is a small grass with lots of little seeds. The seeds are harvested after the wet season and dried in the sun. When they are dry, they can be ground up into a fine flour, mixed with water and made into damper. These are lightly roasted on a fire and then eaten. kiyingmi n. rainbow.  Kangkulu kulumarra nyangka-li! Kiyingmi kurdij kayini. ‘You mob, look up in the sky! There’s a rainbow there.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kiyirnmini n. yellow tree snake. = kirnirriny. Dendrelaphis punctulata. This snake is yellow and lives in pandanus trees and near waterways. There are lots at OT Downs and near lakes and waterholes. This snake likes breast milk. It will go and suck milk from a young woman who is breastfeeding, so young mothers are warned not to go near the river. It knows when there are people by the river because the ‘burrju’ (March fly) gives them away. Kiyiwulu n. soakage near Number 10 Bore, with two swamps.  Kiyiwulu-ma-karda, nankuna karrinyarra nyambala. ‘Kiyiwulu is a soakage.’ — Part of same Dreaming as Kundalngalarni and Banganyi. -ku case. for, to, in order to. This ending marks a person who: receives something, is being talked to or looked for, benefits from another person’s actions, is a goal or the purpose of another action (dative). = -wu.  Minya barna ngarninyngarnini burrb. Kula barnangku marnana ngarniwu burrbku. ‘I am finishing off all the food. I didn’t tell you to finish eating it all!’ SEE: -wu.

kuburlkuburl cv. in a pile. = kurlkurl. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kuburlkuburl kayini in a pile.  Kuburlkuburl yali-ma wumara kayini. ‘Those stones are in pile.’ kuda n. pouch of marsupial. = bulwa.  Jakardinyanji-ma jama kangkala junma-ma kudangka banyanu karu-ma. ‘The mother wallaby keeps her child in her pouch.’ kudajirr cv. green. SEE: jayilya. kudajirrwari n. green coloured.  Kudajirrwari murdika ngana yali-ma? ‘Whose green car is that?’ kudbari n. thin, skinny, light-weight (person), tight. = mayiwangka, dikawangka, kardakarda.  Ngayinya bayi abaaba kudbari kayini ngayinya bayi mayi. ‘My clothes are too tight for my body.’ SEE: madbari. kudingi n. long-tailed planigale. Planigale ingrami. These small mouse-like animals live on plains country and around waterholes. They prefer black-soil plains, which is their home. After a big wet season, they are often seen in large numbers. They live in burrows and cracks in the clay soil, sometimes with many in one burrow. You can poke a stick down and sometimes lots will run out. They do not hop like other native mice; they run instead. These creatures walk around looking for food all the time and sometimes travel in large migrating groups. They hunt for food at night and eat almost anything small. They especially like to eat centipedes, small lizards and grasshoppers, but they also eat finches. When they hunt finches they jump at them like a cat. In the past they were eaten, even though they’re very small, because they sometimes occurred in big enough numbers that lots could be caught. Eaglehawks and snakes like to eat them as well. So do feral cats and dogs. Lady Dixon said that old people used to sing special songs when they found their little tracks to make them breed. kudkulya cv. have a head cold, cough or flu. ALSO: kujkulya. = kulykulya, kulyurrk.

174 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kulamandarri USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu.

kudkulya kayini sick with the flu or a cough.  Kudkulya kayini. ‘He’s coughing.’ kudkulya karlunini have the flu, have a cold.  Yali-ma kudkulya kayini, kulykulya karlunini. ‘He’s coughing, he’s got a cold.’  Kudkulya karlunini kilimingka. ‘He’s got a runny nose.’ kudkulya n. snot, mucus, phlegm. = kulykulya.  Kilimingurlu kudkulya yali karulu karlunini, kilimingka. ‘The child is pulling snot from his nose.’ kudkulyawurru snotty, fluey.  Yali-ma kudkulyawurru. ‘That person’s snotty.’ kuduru n. fighting stick, nulla-nulla, club.  Kurdi, barnanyanu mirrka ma kuduru murluyaru karnawunangurlu, amba barna bunbawu karliya. Barna mirrka marna kuduru. ‘Wait, I’m making myself a nulla nulla out of this lancewood so that I can have it for fighting. I’ve made a nulla nulla.’ USAGE: This word is also in Jingulu and Gurindji. kujarra n. two.  Yali kujarra nyangandayi, kandirri kujarra. ‘Give me those two, two pieces of bread.’ — See p. 433 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word appears in all the languages of the area. kujarra-kujarra two by two, in pairs. ALSO: kujarrarni-kujarrarni.  Yali-ma-ja-rni nyunganda-yi, nyunganda-yili kujarra-rnikujarra-rni. ‘Give that right there to me, and give it to those two, two by two.’ -kujarra suf. two things (dual). = -birra.  Yalikujarra karukujarra jubu bawula wajkarra kayinykayini. ‘Those two kids are just playing around.’  Kadikujarra bawula yananjana ngarrkakujarra. ‘Those two men are going across.’ Kujika n. initiation ceremony (along with its associated songs, dances, and painted designs), initiation song.  Ngarrkali-ma Kujika-ma yinbala, bunga-ma. ‘The men always sing and dance Kujika.’  Kirdali bayi mirrarda marnirra Kujikawu-ma ngayu-ma. ‘My father taught me the Kujika.’ SEE: wajarra; buwarraja. Women can be present when the Kujika is performed, but they cannot sing or dance Kujika themselves. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word.

kukurlinji n. chef, person who cooks. = kambarnina.  Wangiwangi bali kambala ngarina-ma, yali kukurlinjidarralima. ‘They always cook bad meat, those cooks do.’  Kambarra-ma bangandan karrinyarra bardakurru kukulinji-ma, nyundu-ma. Jalya-ma-n jabaka-wanya. ‘A long time ago you were a good cook for all of us, but now you’re an old woman.’ kula part. not, doesn’t, don’t, isn’t, aren’t (negative).  Kula barnangku kurru nyanganini. ‘I can’t hear you.’  Kula barna ngarnana. ‘I haven’t eaten it.’ -kula case. 1 • at, on, in. This ending marks where something is located, a time period, or a simultaneous action performed by the same person who performed the first action (locative). = -ngka, -la, -ka, -kulala.  Ngayu barna mukurna kayina. Ngarina kayina bayi warlarlkula. ‘I was sleeping. My beef was still in the ground oven.’ SEE: -ngka. 2 • pair. This ending attaches to the older person or male in a pair of two related people when talking about both people (dyad). = -rla, -rra, -muju.  Yali-ma bawula jimarrkula. ‘Those two are age mates.’ SEE: -rla. Kulaja n. North Hole.  Nginya-ma wangkuwa barna yananjanarni Kulajangurlu Marlinjangka, Ijibardangkurra, Jikayangkurra-rni. ‘I can follow the water from Kulaja to Marlinja, to Longreach, and just to Lake Woods.’ — This place is a waterhole upstream of Ijibarda and just north of Marlinja, on the Newcastle Creek. The name ‘Kulaja’ can be used for a specific site or the entire North Hole area. -kulala case. at, on, in. This ending marks where something is located, a time period, or a simultaneous action performed by the same person who performed the first action (locative). = -ngka, -la, -ka, -kula.  Manyankulala marninymarnini minya-ma. ‘This one is talking in his sleep.’ SEE: -ngka. kulamandarri n. short-necked turtle, snapping turtle. ALSO: kulamandarrirni. Elseya dentata. Jingulu and Mudburra elders think this turtle has been introduced to their country in recent times. In old days, Mudburra to English dictionary 175

k

kulanginyirni

K

there were no turtles in the waterholes and billabongs, but there are lots of these turtles in places like Longreach Waterhole now. They can be caught on a handline using corned beef, raw beef or a frog as bait. This is the most commonly eaten turtle, though some elders have never eaten turtle, and they are not caught often. kulanginyirni n. babbler, happy family bird. = barlakaka, kakajikakaji. Pomatostomus temporalis. These birds are seen in large noisy groups jumping around on tree trunks and on the ground. These birds have the skin name Jambijina or Nambijina. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kulany cv. blame, at fault, culpable. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kulany kanganini to blame, at fault, culpable.  Kulany ban kangana, nyundu! ‘You’re to blame!’ kularda n. hooked or barbed spear, used for fighting. The tip has hooks in the side so it is hard to pull out. = wararang, bulungku.  Mirlarrang bali mirrka mala karlarraside-ma marlarlukali-ja kularda. ‘The old people over on the western side made a kind of spear called ‘kularda’ (hook spear).’ SEE: mirlarrang. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kulardbi cv. sit. ALSO: kulajbi. = dak.

kulardbi kayini sit.  Dak kayini kulardbi ngana yali-ma? ‘Who is that sitting down?’ kularnkurridi n. diamond dove, peaceful dove. ALSO: kularnkurru. = kulukuk, kulunkurru. Geopelia cuneata, Geopelia

striata. The Mudburra names for these doves are based on the sound of their call. In the past they were eaten at Beetaloo, but they are not eaten now as they are quite small. kulayangujba n. lots, many, a big mob. = dardu.  Kadi kardibali kanganjinganarra bali bulikidarra kulayangujba. ‘See the whitefella (ringers) have a big mob of cattle there.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kulindirnda n. bush coconut. ALSO: kulirdirda. Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha. This is a type of insect gall, a swollen spot that grows on a plant and is caused by a small worm. This particular gall grows on coolabah trees. The worm lives inside the gall and is edible. A white spot on the end tells you the little worm is alive and good to eat. These worms have a nice aftertaste and contain a cool sweet liquid. kulkanya n. dollarbird, rainbird. = jinbinbilyi. Eurystomus orientalis. This bird comes with the first rains of the wet season. It sits high in dead trees and looks for insects to eat. When it flies, you can see a white dot on each wing. It has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. kulkurdukurdu n. paintbrush grass. ALSO: kunkurdurdu. This small grass can be used to paint ochre on people for decoration during ceremonies. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kulukuk n. diamond dove, peaceful dove. ALSO: kularnkurru. = kularnkurridi, kulunkurru. Geopelia cuneata, Geopelia striata. The Mudburra names for these doves are based on the sound of their call. In the past they were eaten at Beetaloo, but they are not eaten now as they are quite small.

176 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kulyurrk kulumarra n. sky. = dimbu.  Jalya-ma minya kulumarra-ma madayi-wangka. ‘Right now there are no clouds in the sky.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. kulumbud n. didgeridoo, ‘bamboo’ in Kriol. ALSO: kulumbu; kulumbubi. = kinjuwurnu, bambu.  Kulumbukarda didgeridoo bali mirrka marnirra marlarlukali-ma. ‘The old men made didgeridoos.’ USAGE: This like the Jingulu word ‘kulumbubi’. Kulumindini n. Number 8 Government Bore on Stock Route east of Elliott; Elliott. ALSO: Kulumindirni.  Ngayinya bayi ngurra-ma Murranjayi, Kulumindiningka barna karra ngayi-ma. ‘My country is Murranji but I live in Elliott.’ USAGE: Originally a Jingulu word. kulunjurru n. coolamon tree, helicopter tree, shitwood. = ngimbija. Gyrocarpus americanus. The bark is silver-gold and is easy to spot from a distance. The soft wood is used to make ‘kawarla’ (coolamons). It is the best wood for coolamons as it is easy to carve but strong, light and long-lasting. It is especially good for making ‘kawarla’ for carrying babies. The lumps on the trunks and branches can be chopped open to get water from inside. The two-winged fruit are used as toy helicopters by children, who like to throw them in the air and play with them as they twirl down. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kulunkurru n. diamond dove, peaceful dove. Geopelia cuneata, Geopelia striata. ALSO: kularnkurru. = kulukuk. The

Mudburra names for these doves are based on the sound of their call. In the past they were eaten at Beetaloo, but they are not eaten now as they are quite small. Kulungurlu n. place name.  Kujika barna yinbala Kulungurlu. ‘I always sang Kujika at Kulungurlu.’ kulykulya cv. congested with a head cold, snot, phlegm, cough, mucus. ALSO: kulykuly. = kulyurrk, kudkulya. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kulykulya kayini have a cough, have a head cold.  Nyundu-ma-n kulykulya kayini. ‘You have a cough.’ kulykulya marnini cough.  Yali-ma kudkulya kayini, kulykulya karlunini. ‘He’s coughing, he’s got a cold.’ kulyungkulyungbi n. traditional ‘policeman,’ boss for ceremony, as opposed to the owner of the ceremony whose Dreaming is actually being danced. = jungkayi.  Kulyungkulyungbi, Nangari, bayi barra. ‘(My) ceremonial policeman, Nangari, always gives me (Nawurla) a hiding.’  Ngayu barnarla kulyungkulyungbi. ‘I’m the ‘policeman’ for him/her.’ — Your ‘kulyungkulyungbi’ are in the opposite patrimoiety from you and include, among other relations, your classificatory ‘juka’ (woman’s child, or man’s sister’s child) and ‘barnkurdi’ (cross-cousin). For example, Nawurla’s ‘kulyungkulyungbi’ include at least Nangari and Namija. When you perform a ceremony you own, your ‘kulyungkulyungbi’ will help by painting the appropriate designs on your body, making sure the rituals are performed correctly, and punishing those who fail to follow traditional laws. Your ‘kulyungkulyungbi’ might also help you with daily matters like looking after your belongings for you. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kulyurrk cv. head cold, flu. ALSO: kulyurr. = kulykulya. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kulyurr marnini head cold. kumaji n. Children’s python, carpet snake. Mudburra to English dictionary 177

k

kumaji

K

Antaresia childreni. This small python, also sometimes called a piebald snake, has pretty markings on its skin. It is a quiet snake that can be picked up and handled. It is too small to be eaten. kumawarla cv. play about. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kumbali n. gecko. = warlwara, kangbi. Gekkonidae. There are different types of geckos. Some are connected to Lightning Dreaming stories. People must leave them alone and never harm them. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kumbari n. small black ant. = yibiba, kindijku. SEE: bilaya. Its eggs look like rice, and are edible and sweet. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kumbu n. urine, piss. = ngundu, mijuku. kumbulyurra n. varied lorikeet. Psitteuteles versicolor. SEE: nguruwaji; wujuwujurna; wilik. These small, pretty, green birds like to eat flowers. They look like budgerigars but are bigger. Kumbulyurralani n. place on old stock road near Murranji. ALSO: Kumbulyurra.  Kumbulyurralani barli kanganjinganirra buliki-ma kambambarra-ma. ‘Kumbulyurralani is where we used to take the cattle in the old days.’ kumundunga n. tall, cylinder-shaped hats worn by men at certain big business ceremonies.  Barnali yuwarra kumundunga-ma ngarlingarlingurlu, karnawunangurlu. ‘We always make the men’s tall ceremonial hats from paperbark or lancewood.’  Minya nyan-ma kumundunga-ma barnangku birrka marna, abala ban wajkarra karluya wajarrala. ‘I made this tall ceremonial hat for you so you will dance corroboree.’ — Women do not wear the ‘kumundunga’. Traditionally, ‘kumundunga’ were made from ‘ngarlingarli’ (paperbark) or ‘karnawuna’ (lancewood). In modern times, they are sometimes made from cardboard. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word, and is similar to ‘kumununga’ in Gurindji.

kumungku n. back, backbone, spine. ALSO: kumangku.  Kumungku wangi yalima yaninjanini bayi mularda. ‘He’s got a bad back so he limps around on me.’ kumurlawurra n. magpie. ALSO: kumurlawuji. = bilkurr. Gymnorhina tibicen. The magpie has a distinctive red eye, but is otherwise quite similar to the butcherbird. The magpie is also an excellent singer. It has an important Dreamtime story and has special powers. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kumurru n. large bottom grindstone, mortar. = lardaranga, jungari.  Lukarrara-wanya bali kumurrungka-ma barninybarnirra jababakali-ma. ‘The old ladies used to pound wild rice on the large bottom grindstone.’ SEE: binjawunyja; bunbunnga. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kunama n. fly. = kunanga. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kunandurru n. bush bean tree. Acacia maconochieana. This tree grows on open country, often in grass plains that are flooded in big wet seasons. The seeds inside the green pods can be eaten after lightly roasting the pods in hot coals and ashes. They are very tasty and much sought after. If the pods are dry they can be collected and placed on a calico mat, then hit with a stick to release the seeds. The seeds are collected and ground up into a coarse powder that can then be eaten. The hard timber is used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs), ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks) and ‘kiyarri’ (digging sticks). kunanga n. fly, bee. ALSO: kunama. = yimarnnga, warangarra. These small black flies are often a nuisance as they fly around the face and eyes. They are bad in areas with lots of cattle and horses. See p. 408 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kunawa n. open grass plain, black-soil plain. = mangkuru.  Kunawa-ma yali-ma jurrkubadi kantri. ‘The black-soil plain is goanna country.’ Kunawa n. Cattle Creek Station, which is now

178 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kunjimarra a part of Wave Hill Station. kundalnga n. clapsticks. ALSO: kundannga. = karnbaj, darldarl.  Kundalnga nyundu wanya, kardi kardi kardi warndayi karnbaj! ‘Get the clapsticks now, and play, play, play them!’ — See p. 416 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. This is like the Jingulu word ‘kundalnga’ (clapsticks). Kundalngalarni n. site on Murranji.  Kundalngalarni Banganyingurlu ludbawanya Murranjayi wangkula. ‘Kundalngalarni is back this way a little from Banganyi on the Murranji track.’ — Mulyukuna (black-headed python) played the ‘kundalnga’ (clapsticks) here. One ‘mandalngarra’ (big ironwood tree) stood there, which was knocked down for the railway line. There is a similar site to Banganyi and part of the same Dreaming as Banganyi and Kiyiwulu. kundarri n. yellow bee eggs and pollen of sugarbag, mixed with honey for flavour. = kurla, mayibi.  Yali-ja kundarri warnda-yi. Barna ngalu ngarlungka. ‘Get me the pollen balls too. I’ll eat them with honey.’ SEE: ngarlu. Native beehives or ‘sugarbag’ (in Kriol) contain sweet, dark honey that is very tasty and much sought after. The hives also contain wax, pollen and eggs. The small bees have no sting and are harmless. The general term for sugarbag is ‘ngarlu,’ which also refers to the sweet, dark honey. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘kundirrimi’ in Jingulu. kundu n. log boat, raft. SEE: limirnmi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kunduwa n. bloodwood. Corymbia terminalis. The timber from this bloodwood makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) are often found in this tree. These contain honey, pollen and wax. ‘Nanjarrnga’ (sugarleaf, lerps), which is a sweet edible insect, is found on the leaves

of this tree in the hot weather before the rains. USAGE: This is an old word that is not in common use now. Kuniyan n. Gooniyandi people and language. The Gooniyandi people live in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kunja- v. many words beginning with ‘kunja-’ are forms of the verb ‘wet’. SEE: kunjanini. kunja n. sweet. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kunjanina n. someone or something that wets something, sprinkler.  Kunjanina yalima barrbarda yuwarra. ‘Go far from that spraying thing.’ SEE: kunjanini. kunjanini v. wet, drench.  Kurdi barna kayang barru kanju. Ngukulu bayi kunjanini. ‘I am going to run inside. I’m getting wet (from the rain).’  Jalya-karda bangalawarna kunjaninjanini-ma. ‘We are getting wet right now.’  Kurdi barna kunjarru minya dalyalyabiji. ‘Wait, I’ve got to wet my clothes.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. kunjanini is wetting it. kunjana has wet it. kunjarru will wet it, wants to wet it. kunjarra wet it! kunjaninja n. one who has been wet.  Yalima marndaj kunjaninja, ngardangka barrbarda yuwarri yali-ma. ‘That’s already been wet, move it away.’ SEE: kunjanini. kunjimarra n. river red gum. ALSO: kunjumarra. = bilirna, dimarlarn. Eucalyptus camaldulensis. This large gum tree grows by ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks). There are a lot of large old trees at Lake Woods. The outer bark can be chopped off and used as a ‘kawarla’ (coolamon). The timber can also be carved into a canoeMudburra to English dictionary 179

k

kunjird

K

shaped coolamon. It also makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) and ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from hollow branches. This tree provides very good medicine. The new leaves are crushed and then boiled in water, and this liquid is used as a wash to treat ‘kudkulya’ (coughs and congestion, bad cold) and skin problems. A small amount may also be drunk to treat coughing. The liquid has a good smell, like Vicks, a commercial ointment with a strong eucalyptus smell. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in this tree and ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs) can also be found in the lower part of its trunk. Birds and possums make nests in the hollows of large, old trees. The leaves can be added to meat when cooking it in the ground to keep it moist and give it a nice ‘salty’ flavour. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kunjird n. type of bloodwood. Eucalyptus phoenicea. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kunka SEE: kurnka. kunkurdijarra n. singing bushlark, Richard’s pipit. ALSO: kunkurdijirra. These small brown birds live in plains country. They talk all night, often taking it in turns. They sit in the grass and are good mates for ‘burrunjawurni’ (quail). kunkurdurdu n. grass with white ends use as ‘diyadiya’ (decoration) in ceremonies. ALSO: kulkurdurdu. kunudjarri n. olive python, rock python. = kiwarlija. Liasis olivaceus. This python looks similar to the water python, but it lives in rocky country. It is often seen on roads at night and is also very good to eat. In the Dreamtime, a number of ‘kiwarlija’ came up from Tennant Creek to Murranji. A

couple of them then went to Beetaloo; these were the quiet ‘kiwarlija’ (olive pythons). Two others went west as dangerous ‘kiwarlija’ (king browns) and turned into the ‘jurndakal’, a taipan-like snake. They have the skin names Jimija and Jalyirri and are father and son. kungkarla n. fire-drill, firestick. ALSO: kungkala; kungkarlu. = kuwurru, wulmana.  Binyinyib barnirra kungkala dilubiji. ‘(They) rolled the fire-drill until it sparked.’ SEE: binyinyib. In the old days, these fire-drills, or firesticks, were carried everywhere and could be used many times. In the wet season they were wrapped in paperbark to keep them dry. To make firesticks, a straight, smooth, narrow stem is cut to about 40 cm long. A broader, heavier stem is also cut, and a small, round hole with a vee is carved into it. One end of the narrow stick is placed in the hole of the heavier stick, and a clump of fine, dry grass is piled up underneath. The narrow stick is then rotated quickly between the palms with a strong downward pressure. This drilling creates friction which in turn creates a very hot, fine dust. This dust pours down the vee carved into the heavier piece of wood and onto the dry grass below. The grass and the very hot dust are gently blown on until flame appears. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘kungkulimi’ in Jingulu. kungkulimi n. firestick tree. = nyambalanyambala. Clerodendrum floribundum. The smooth, straight stems and branches are used to make firesticks or bush matches for lighting fires using ‘binyinyib’ (the traditional drilling or friction method). The pale, light timber can also be used to make the shaft of a ‘jalkaji’ (spear-thrower). USAGE: This is

180 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kurdarr also a Jingulu word. kungmarna n. caterpillar, chrysalis that turns into a butterfly or moth. Lepidoptera.  Minya-ma kungmarna bali karrinya marlimarliwanya. ‘These were caterpillars but are now butterflies.’ SEE: marlimarli. kungulu n. blood. = ngabarurru.  Ngayuma-rna kunguluwangka. ‘I’ve got no blood (anaemia).’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kungunjul n. fire, firewood. = warlu, buba.  Kungunjul lurrku ma-yi; warndarra-yi warlu. ‘Build a fire for me; go get firewood for me.’  Kungunjuljirri yuwarra. Put it on the fire. — See p. 404 for the hand sign. kungurlurla n. blow-flies. Diptera, Sarcophagidae. SEE: mulura. This large, dark fly is attracted to meat, where it lays eggs. These eggs will hatch into ‘mulura’ (maggots) that eat the meat. kunguyarra cv. think, think about. kunguyarra kayini think.  Kunguyarra barna karri kurdi-rni. ‘I need to think, just wait.’ kunyarrba n. dog. = warlaku. Canis familiaris. Dogs are kept as pets and hunting companions. They are good at sniffing out where game animals are hiding. They are good pets and are a lot quieter than dingoes. They often receive the skin name of the owner’s child. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. kunybarra n. ritual scar, line. ALSO: kunbarra. = murrurru.  Minya barna majulangka kunbarra karlunini. ‘I have ceremonial scars on my belly.’ kunyki cv. swallow. = nginying, dukurl. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘kunjkuw-’ in Jingulu.

kunyki kayini swallow.  Yalili ngalayiminjili kunyki kayina kunanga. ‘The frog swallowed the fly.’  Barna marnini dardu, barna kunyki kayini ngayinya-ma banga. ‘I’m talking a lot, and I’m swallowing my spit.’ kunymirni n. glossy ibis, black and white ibis. Threskiornis spp. SEE: kurndindin. Some ibises are black and some are white. They hunt for worms in soft ground with their long, thin beaks. In the past, people hunted and ate them, but not in recent times. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kurabuka n. type of wattle. Acacia sp. The seeds of this shrub can be eaten. The seed pods are soaked in water for half a day, then the seeds are ground on a grinding stone and cooked in ashes or hot coals. They are then rinsed and eaten like wild rice. You can also find ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs) in the roots of this plant. The hard wood of straight stems can be used to make spear shafts. kuramarna n. edible gum from ‘jingi’ (bauhina), ‘wurumburru’ (sandalwood), ‘kambulumi’ (yellow-jacket). = miringmi. SEE: jingi; wurumburru; kambulumi. Can be eaten raw like toffee, or mixed with water to make a syrup or drink. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurangkujku n. desert bush tomato. Solanum chippendalei. The fruit of this plant are a bit salty in taste and are eaten when they turn white. Sometimes they are put in a hole in the ground and cooked with a fire to ripen them up. Only the outer flesh and skin are eaten; the seeds are not. This plant only occurs in the southern, dry areas of Jingulu and Mudburra country, often in bulwaddy country. Mudburra to English dictionary 181

k

kurdi

K

kurdarr cv. sitting up. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurdarr kayini sitting up. kurdi cv. wait, stand there, hang on. See p. 432 for the hand sign. kurdi kayini wait.  Kurdi-rni karra-yi! ‘You gotta wait for me.’  Kurdikarda karra-yi nginyangka! ‘Wait right here for me!’ kurdij cv. standing around, stand up. = jirrk, jid. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurdij kayini standing.  Nyambawu kadi-ma kurdij kayinykayini? ‘Why is that one standing there?’ kurdij dumarnini stand up.  Kurdij duma! ‘Stand up!’ kurdij wandiyini stand up. kurdij yanini go standing.  Ngana yali-ma kurdij yanini? ‘Who’s that walking along so upright?’ kurdirdij standing.  Kardarda kurdirdij karra yali-ma. ‘That one always stands about.’ kurdijngarna one who stands all the time.  Karrila yali-ma kurdijngarna! ‘Leave the one who stands up all the time alone!’ kurdijalaka n. freshwater mussel. = marlangayi, dugu. Velesunio wilsonii. In the big wet seasons, mussels can be found in large numbers in waterholes and lakes and can be collected from the mud at the bottom. The meat inside the shell is eaten after lightly cooking it on hot coals or in a small grass fire. As it burns, it lightly cooks the meat. The shells open up when the meat is cooked. It is really good tasting and nice to eat, like eating at a restaurant. The meat is also used to treat ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). The hard shell can be used as a spoon, and the sharpened edge was used as a knife in the past. Shards of broken mussel shell are sharp and can cut your foot if you walk on them. kurdikurdi adv. be patient, wait.  Kurdikurdi karri. ‘Be patient.’ SEE: kurdi. kurduju n. shield. = kuwarri, mirda.  Kurdi barna minya warndu karnawuna diyijarni barnanyanu mirrka ma kurduju. ‘Wait, I’m going to get a big lancewood tree, and

I’m going to make myself a shield.’ — See p. 416 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kurdujukurduju n. shoulder blade. = ngabikilyi. kurdurdu n. woman’s child, sister’s child (for a woman or man). = juka. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurla n. yellow bee eggs and pollen of sugarbag, mixed with honey for flavour. = kundarri, mayibi. SEE: ngarlu. Native beehives or ‘sugarbag’ (in Kriol) contain sweet, dark honey that is very tasty and much sought after. The hives also contain wax, pollen and eggs. The small bees have no sting and are harmless. The general term for sugarbag is ‘ngarlu’, which also refers to the sweet, dark honey. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. -kurla suf. first (of all), after.  Ngayi-kurla bayin jakarajbi kangkurru yali boatjaru-ma. ‘You will take me first across on the boat.’  Kadikujarra-ma bawula yananjanarra, bardawurrunykarra-kurla. Ngukunginyima, bawurna bunba-wanya barrunybarru. ‘Those two are going away, after having been fine. But because of alcohol, then they’ll fight. each other.’ kurlaka n. head. = walu, damangka, ngarlaka. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurlakinyi n. from the south. SEE: kurlarra. kurlarra n. south.  Kurlarra barna yandurru ngayi-ma. ‘I’m going south.’ kurlayindu ALSO: kurlayin. from the west. USAGE: These words ‘kurlayin’ and ‘kurlayindu’ are Western Mudburra. kurlarrangarnarra southerner, from the south.  Malywa bub marnini kurlarrangarnarra. ‘A strong wind is coming up from the south.’ kurlarranginyi south one, of the south.  Yali-ma kurlarranginyi. ‘That one’s a southerner.’ kurlarraka southward, towards the south.

182 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kurndaja  Kurlarraka yandurru bayi ngayinya ngalinya-ma. ‘My son will go southwards.’ kurlarrangurlu southerner, from the south.  Kurlarrangurlu bali Waramungudarra. ‘The Warumungu are from the south.’ kurlarranybunga southerner, person from the south.  Kurlarranybunga bali dardu Waramungudarra. ‘Warumungu people are from the south.’ = kurlakinyi.  Kurlakinyidarra bali nginyarra-ma. ‘These people are southerners.’ kurlbari n. correct. kurliji n. kneecap. = mangarrad, mingirridbi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurlinyaka n. bush orange. = bambilyi, bunayingmi. Capparis umbonata. SEE: mawukala. The fruit are eaten when they are ripe — green with a slightly orange-yellow colour. They are sweet and very tasty. The unripe fruit can be buried in the sand to help them ripen. Sometimes this might take as long as two weeks. When the fruit are fully ripe they are called ‘mawukala’. They have a very strong, pleasant smell, which can be noticed a long way from the plant. The wood is used as firewood as it lights quickly and easily. ‘Lirralirraka’ (red-tailed black-cockatoos) also like to eat the seed of the fruit. The inner bark or cleaned roots can also be used as medicine. It is chipped into small pieces and boiled in water until the water becomes red. This liquid is used as a wash applied frequently to treat ‘wukurliji’ (boils), skin sores, chicken pox and ‘jangawurru’ (scabies) If the liquid is boiled longer, it turns into a liniment that can be used for pains in the chest, muscles and joints. You must not get this medicine near your eyes. When the large flooding rains of the full wet season are coming, this plant can be used to chase the rains away. The leaves are placed on a fire to make smoke, and this is waved towards the rain clouds to make them go

away. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurlirrida n. peewee, magpie-lark. ALSO: kurliyida. = dirridirrija, didiyija. Grallina cyanoleuca. This small black and white bird is very common; you see it everywhere. It builds a nest from mud. It is a Dreaming for some people and has the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurlkurl adv. on top, in a pile. ALSO: kurlurl; kurlurlkurlurl.  Ban kurlkurl kayini. ‘You’re on top.’  Kurlurl yuwarra. ‘Put it on (like billycan on the fire).’ SEE: kuburlkuburl. kurlumbu n. leg bone, upper arm bone. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kurlundurru n. log you catch fish with.  Yali warnda-yi kurlundurru — limirnmi barna birrka ma kakuwiwu. ‘Get me that log — I’m going to make a fishing log to catch fish.’ SEE: kundu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurlungarlijba n. sky (in song). SEE: kulumarra; dimbu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurn- v. many words beginning with ‘kurn-’ are forms of the verb ‘throw’. SEE: kurnini. kurnbarra n. scar, mark, cut.  Karlunini kurnbarra dija. Yali-ma wabajak kayina, janga-ma nyana-ma kurnbarra-ma. Yalima karlunini barduru. ‘He’s got a big cut. That cut has healed up. Now he’s got a scar.’ SEE: murrurru. ‘Kurnbarra’ refers to scars and marks from accident, illness or injury. Ceremonial scars are ‘murrurru’. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurndaja n. woman’s mother-in-law, woman’s daughter-in-law (reciprocal term for a woman and her son’s wife or husband’s mother). ‘Kajin’ (in Kriol).  Ngayinya karlajali Nangari-ma dal barnini ‘kurndaja’. ‘My younger sister (Namija) calls Nangari ‘kurndaja’.’ kurndajkula mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law.  Kurndajkula bawurnabun, marndaj, helpim kayini mangarriwuma. ‘It’s okay, that mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law are nevertheless helping each other with the food (even though they Mudburra to English dictionary 183

k

kurndindin

K

must also, to some extent, avoid each other).’ SEE: mali. Like your ‘mali’, your ‘kurndaja’ is an avoidance relation. kurndindin n. straw-necked ibis, white ibis. ALSO: kurndidin. Threskiornis spp. SEE: kunymirni. Some ibises are black and some are white. They hunt for worms in soft ground with their long, thin beaks. In the past, people hunted and ate them, but not in recent times. kurni n. dream. = bankaja. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurnini v. throw, drizzle, vomit, emit.  Ngabulu-ma-ngku lurrbu kurnini, yali-ma karu-ma warlard. ‘That sick child is vomiting the milk back up.’  Madayi yalima kurnana-wanya. Jurlurl-wanya kurnini. ‘The clouds have been spitting. Now it’s pouring.’  Dija barla kurnini nguku-ma nginya-ma. ‘Now there’s a heavy drizzle on him.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. kurnini is throwing it. kurnana has thrown it, threw it. kuya will throw it, wants to throw it. kuya throw it! kurnka n. raw, undercooked, unripe, tobacco with no ashes. = walyu.  Kurnka-rni nginya-ma ngarina-ma. ‘This meat is still raw.’ Kurdi-rni, karrirla yali-ma kurlinyakama. Kurnka-rni. ‘Just wait, leave that wild orange. It’s still unripe.’  Yali-ma kurnkarni, kandirri-ma. Marndaja barna yirrminy kuya. ‘That bread loaf is still undercooked. Soon I’ll turn it over.’ SEE: budala. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. -kurra case. to, towards. This ending is used to mark goals (not always on place names), or a simultaneous action performed by a different person to the one who performed the first action (allative). = -ngkurra, -yirri, -jirri.  Nyundu bayin bunbakurrama kurnana. Well barlirna barru. ‘You pushed me into a fight. Well, let’s fight.’ SEE: -ngkurra. Kurrakurraka n. swamp north of Murranji.

 Kilikilika and Kurrakurraka — yali bayina nyungani nyambala-karda, juju. ‘Kilikilika and Kurrakurraka - it gave them whatsit, ceremonies.’ kurrakurraka n. channel-billed cuckoo, storm bird, rain bird. Scythrops novaehollandiae. When these birds are heard calling it indicates that rain will begin shortly. They have a distinctive raucous call and big beaks. When they fly, they look like a flying cross. Other birds chase them a lot. They have the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. Kurrakurraka’s Dreaming begins at Elsey Station (Kuyangkan) and travels to Murranji, then south into South Australia, where a rock in Pitjantjatjara country marks its final destination. This is a very long story that covers country belonging to Mangarrayi, Wardaman, Jingili, Mudburra, Warlmanpa, Warlpiri and Pitjantjatjara. USAGE: This is similar to the Jingulu word, ‘kurrakurriji’, and is also a Gurindji word. kurraly cv. green. kurraly kayini green.  Kurraly kayini nginya bikirra-ma. ‘That grass is green.’ kurralywari n. 1 • green.  Minya-ma bikirrama kurralywari-wanya. ‘That grass is green now.’  Yali nganawu yali murdika-ma kurralywari-ma? ‘Whose is that green car?’ 2 • paper money. kurranyku n. 1 • thirsty, dry, shallow. = jankina.  Kurranyku barna kayini, nguku warndayi! ‘I’m thirsty, give me water!’  Yali barlakuji-ma kurranykuwanya, wakurni ngukuwu-ma. ‘That billabong’s dry, it has no water.’  Karu lungkarra kayina ngukuwu; kurranyku. Nguku barnarla kangkurru. ‘The kid cried for water; he’s thirsty. I will take water to him.’ SEE: balika. USAGE: This word is also in Gurindji and Jingulu. 2 • Thursday.  Kurranyku jardila-ma. ‘Tomorrow’s Thursday.’ — This meaning has developed because ‘thirsty’ sounds like ‘Thursday’. kurrarndala n. brolga. Grus rubicunda. Brolgas like to dig up and eat ‘kinyuwurru’ (bush onions) and ‘marlangayi’ (mussels). In the past they were hunted and eaten, but not now. There is an important and detailed

184 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kurrma Dreamtime story about this bird. It is also a Dreaming or totem for some people. It has the skin names Jambijina or Nambijina and Jangala or Nangala. See p. 410 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurrarramba n. midnight, late at night. ALSO: kurrarra.  Kurrarra-wanya minya-ma, bali-wanya makin kayini. ‘It’s midnight, everyone’s asleep.’ kurrb cv. stick in. = durrb. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurrb langanini stick in.  Kurrb barna langana. ‘I stuck it in.’ kurrbari n. 1 • on target, straight.  Marndaj ban kurrbari barnana. ‘Good, you shot it straight.’ 2 • straight (appropriate) for marriage. = linba, minmiji, yamarak.  Nangala, Jimija bawula kurrbari. ‘Nangala and Jimija are straight marriage partners.’ SEE: kurrb. kurrbulawuji n. pied butcher bird. = bilkurr. Cracticus nigrogularis. These birds are very good singers, with a varied and pretty song. When they sing too much, however, people get worried, because these birds know when someone has died or is close to death. They will sit near family, face towards where the person has died or is dying, for example towards the hospital, and sing. They have the skin name Jangari or Nangari. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kurrijkarra cv. dig. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. kurrkabadi n. bush turkey, Australian bustard. = jamud. Ardeotis australis. SEE: larraranga. Bush turkey meat

is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. It is very tasty and is considered the best bush meat by many people. In the past, only people who had been through ceremony could eat bush turkey meat, but now everyone eats it. Bush turkeys are found in open plains and grassy country, and they are often specifically hunted. In the past they were hunted with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and spears, but now they are hunted with shotguns and rifles. When you get close to a bush turkey and are ready to kill it, you can whistle. This makes them stop still and look around, allowing you to kill them easily. Bush turkeys like to eat ‘waniyi’ (grasshoppers) and ‘baka’ or ‘ngamanburru’ (conkerberry fruit). Bush turkeys are often seen in pairs, looking around for food to eat. As they walk around they often look upwards to see if wedgetailed eagles are hunting for them. They hide in the grass if they see you hunting them. Their small fluffy feathers can be used as body decoration for ceremonies. The throat pouch of males is called ‘larraranga’. They use this pouch to make a rumbling sound when they are looking a wife. They have the skin names Jangala or Nangala and Jambijina or Nambijina. See p. 409 for the hand sign. kurrkurrji n. boobook, barking owl. ALSO: kurrkuji. = manbulu. Ninox connivens. This owl calls at night and sounds like a dog barking. It calls out ‘mukmuk . . . mukmuk . . . mukmuk’. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word, and similar to Jingulu ‘kurrkurrmirni’. kurrma cv. prepare camp, for example clear leaves and small stones before throwing your swag down. kurrma kanganini prepare camp.  Kurrma kangana ban marndaj. ‘You found a good camp place, you made a good Mudburra to English dictionary 185

k

kurru

K

place.’ kurru cv. listen, hear. = lankaj. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurru kayini hear, listen.  Kula barnangku kurru kayini, ngadarra ban marnini? ‘I can’t hear what you are saying.’  Ngayinya karu barna kurru kayini, lungkarra kayinykayini. ‘I can hear my child. She’s crying.’ kurru nyanganini hear, listen.  Kula barnangku kurru nyanganini. ‘I can’t hear you.’ kurrubardu n. boomerang, killer boomerang. ALSO: kurrubardi.  Barli burrb karra, Kujika-wanya barnali yinbala, kurrubardu barnali birdbili karra ngayuwalija-ma. ‘We always finish, and then we sing the Kujika and we clap boomerangs.’ — See p. 416 for the hand sign. The handle of a boomerang is called ‘bijbi’ (foot); the leading blade is ‘damangka’ (head); the outer curve ‘kumungku’ (back), and the inner curve ‘majulu’ (belly). USAGE: ‘Kurrubardu’ is also in Jingulu and Gurindji. kurrubuja n. kangaroo grass. Chrysopogon fallax. Kangaroos and wallabies eat the base of the stems of the grass. They dig it up and eat the yellow part when food is scarce at the end of the dry season. kurruda n. hill bloodwood. Corymbia aspera. This tree often grows in rocks, in rocky country or on hills. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can often be found in this tree. The red sap is called ‘diyinu’, and is good medicine. It can be placed directly onto an aching tooth to stop the pain or boiled in water with the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores. The bark of this tree can be burnt to ‘buna’ (ashes), which are then mixed with ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). kurrulala n. night, night-time. ALSO: kurulala.  Barli yandurru kurrulala-ma ngunyi mirlarrangyaru. ‘Let’s you and I go hunting at night when it’s cool.’  Kurrulalarni birlawa duma, birlawa yandurru Marlinjangkurra. ‘We’ve got to get up in the

middle of the night and go to Marlinja.’ kurrularni n. early, early morning before daylight, dawn.  Barli yandurru jardilama kurrularni, jajalyangka-rni, ngunyi. ‘Tomorrow, early, you and I will go, when it’s cool, for hunting.’ SEE: arlibala. kurrularni-kurrularni ALSO: kurrulakurrula.  Kurrulakurrula-rni bayi duma, barli yandurru ngunyi. ‘Get me up really early so we can go hunting.’ kurrumunmulu n. cold, wet, cold weather. ALSO: kurrumunwurlu; kurrumunngulu. = warrajkalu, karrinya, yak wandiyini, burriyib, makurru, minjarnini.  Nginyama kurrumunmulu, diyija bangala buwub marnini. ‘This is the cold season and the wind is blowing hard against us.’  Nginya bardakurru nguku, kurrumunmulu barna ngarniwu-ma. ‘This water’s good, but I’m too cold to drink it.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kurrumunmulungarna someone who always gets cold. kurrunyu n. skin, bark. = marrkirri, barnngirri, barndabi.  Yali kurrunyu warnda karnawunangurlu duwany barna mirrka ma — duwany barna warndu. ‘I’ll get the bark from lancewoods and make string — I’ll get string.’  Ngayu barna kurrunyu mungarringarna, nyundu-ma liwakbari kurrunyu-ma. ‘I have dark skin, but you have light skin.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kurrurrij n. car. = murdika, karrakarrangarna, kayang barnina.  Wanjuwarra bangku kurrurrij-ma? ‘Where is your car?’ — See p. 419 for the hand sign. This word probably comes from ‘carriage’. USAGE: It is also a Gurindji word. kurrwa n. stone axe. = mayingka. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kurubi n. emu bush. ALSO: kurubimi. Eremophila bignoniflora. The yellow fruit are eaten by ‘karnanganja’ (emus). The straight, dry stems can be used as firesticks. The leaves

186 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

kuwarni and branches can be boiled in water and then wrapped and held around the head to treat headaches. The vapour from the boiled leaves can also be inhaled. After boiling the leaves, the liquid can be cooled and used as a wash to treat fever and headaches caused by sinusitis or ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). This medicine is not to be used on babies; it is only suitable for adults. Kurungu n. North or Gurungu Camp (Elliott), ceremonial place at North/ Gurungu Camp.  Minyangka ngurrangka-ma bilyingbilyinga yuwulu Kurungungka-ma, Kurungungka-ma. ‘Here in this country there’s red ground, at Gurungu, at Gurungu.’ — Although technically Kurungu is the ceremonial ground and Kulumindini is Number 8 Bore, Kurungu is now identified as the Mudburra name, and Kulumindini the Jingulu name, of the town of Elliott. kururlarni n. early. = arlibala. kururr cv. ignore, not believe. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kururr kayini ignore, not believe. kururr kurnini ignore, not believe. kururr nyanganini ignore, not believe. kururu cv. have a high temperature.  Kururu bayi jankiyini. ‘I’ve got a high temperature.’ SEE: warlu. USAGE: This word is Western Mudburra. kururu jankiyini high temperature. Kuwaarrangu n. Eastern Mudburra people and language; people of both Mudburra and Jingili descent.  Ngayu-ma-rnali Kuwaarrangu. Barnali karra Jingulumuju. ‘We are Eastern Mudburra. We stay together with the Jingili.’ SEE: Kuwirrinji. ‘Kuwaarrangu’ refers to the Mudburra–Jingili people of the Elliott and Marlinja region, along with the variety of Mudburra (and, in some cases, the variety of Jingulu) that they speak. Mudburra and Jingili people have lived together in this area for a long time, and as a result their cultures and languages share many features. These shared features represent the main difference between

Kuwaarrangu Mudburra (also called Eastern Mudburra) and Kuwirrinji (Western Mudburra). USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. kuwabarda adv. that way, hence, away from here, go over there. ALSO: kuwabardaka.  Barnangku nyungku mangarri — kuwabarda-rni yandarra. ‘I’ll give you food — now go over there.’ Kuwajaja n. swamp near railway, beyond Pussycat Bore.  Mulyukuna yanirra Kuwajajangkurra, Kuwajajangkurra yanirra Barnjak karri, Barnjak. ‘Black-headed python went to Kuwajaja, to Kuwajaja and Barnjak too, Barnjak.’ — This swamp is associated with Mulyukuna (blackheaded python) who came from the west. It is a part of the ‘ngajakurra’ ceremony, which goes from Ngabulu via Marndara, Ngandanganirra, Kuwajaja, and then to Barnjak. kuwala adv. like that. = kuya.  Kuwala na, marndaj. ‘Like that now, okay.’ kuwala-rni just like that.  Kuwala-rni durd ma-yi. ‘Hold onto it for me, just like that.’ kuwalamulu not like that. Kuwala n. place name.  Walyalikirra burla kanyarru ngurra-ma Jirrarrku, Kuwala. ‘They make their homes at Jirrarrku and Kuwala.’ — Associated with ‘nyiyinyiyi’ or ‘nyunumi’ (finch). kuwandanbinyaka n. little pied cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo. This cormorant has a white chest, a black back and a long neck. kuwanja n. feather headdress (for ceremony).  Kuwanja banyanu mirrka marnini. ‘He’s making himself a feather headdress.’ kuwanjala adv. this way, towards here, hither. ALSO: kuyanjala. = kuya, kuwala.  Kuwanjala yarrunu kurnawij nyungku mangarri. ‘Come this way, I’ll give you some food.’ kuwanya n. everywhere, all around. ALSO: kuyanya; kuwanyarra-kuwanyarra; kuwanyarrarlima. = wankijwankij. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kuwarni adv. that way, towards there, thither. = kuya.  No marndaj barna, ngarnanyngarnarra barna yanarrara kuwarni. ‘No, I’m ok, I might eat and go Mudburra to English dictionary 187

k

kuwarri

K

along that way.’ kuwarri n. shield. = kurduju, mirda.  Marlarlukali-ma bali karlunirra marndamarndangka-ma kuwarri, warrirdila. ‘In olden days the people would fight holding a shield and a number 7 boomerang.’ Kuwirrinji n. Eastern Mudburra name for Western Mudburra and Gurindji people and language.  Kuwirrinji-ma-li karlakinyi. ‘The Gurindji are Westerners.’ SEE: Kuwaarrangu. Kuwirrinji is spoken in the area around Yingawunarri (Top Springs). USAGE: This word is similar to ‘Kuwirinji’ in Jingulu. kuwuja n. limestone. = lamana.  Mamangkul wandinya yali-rni-karda. Kuwuja karra, kuwuja warrb. Cattle Creekngurlu kuya-warla, kirrawarra Powell Creek-ma kuya, kuya-karda. ‘He became a Dreaming feature right there. He is the limestone, all the limestone there. From Cattle Creek, that way northwards, Powell Creek, that way, right there.’  Nginya wumara dija kuwuja, kula barna wird warndu. ‘This limestone rock is heavy, I can’t lift it.’ — Limestone is found predominantly in the western part of Mudburra country. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kuwujangarnarra limestone-country people.  Kuwujangarnarra bali Kuwirrinji. ‘The limestone-country people are Western Mudburra.’ — This word can refer to Western Mudburra people, as they live in the limestone country stretching westward towards Montejinni Station and the Victoria River District. kuwurru n. fire-drill, firestick. = kungkarla, wulmana.  Kuwurru barnirra buba-ma dilubiji. ‘(They) used to spun the fire-drill until it lit up the fire.’ SEE: binyinyib. In the old days, these fire-drills, or firesticks, were carried everywhere and could be used many times. In the wet season they were wrapped in paperbark to keep them dry. To make firesticks, a straight, smooth, narrow stem is cut to about 40 cm long. A broader, heavier stem is also cut, and a small, round hole with a vee is carved into it. One end of the narrow stick is placed in the hole of

the heavier stick, and a clump of fine, dry grass is piled up underneath. The narrow stick is then rotated quickly between the palms with a strong downward pressure. This drilling creates friction which in turn creates a very hot, fine dust. This dust pours down the vee carved into the heavier piece of wood and onto the dry grass below. The grass and the very hot dust are gently blown on until flame appears. kuya adv. thus, this way, that’s all, like this. = kuwanjala, kuwala. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. kuyarni this way.  Kuyarni kirrawarra. ‘This way north.’ kuyabardaka that way, over there. ALSO: kuyaburdak; kuyaburdali.  Kuyabardaka bali yandurru. ‘They’ll go that way.’  Wanjuwarra karndi? Kuyabardaka. ‘Where’s (that piece of) wood? Over there.’ kuyala everywhere, all around.  Kurdi, barnangku wujungku ngayili-ma, kuyala ban birrka ma. ‘Hang on, I’ll show you how to do it, then you can do it like that.’ = kuyanya. kuya- v. many words beginning with ‘kuya’ are forms of the verb ‘throw’. SEE: kurnini. kuyangka part. there like that, that’s when. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Kuyangkan n. Elsey Station.  Kuyangkan barla ngurra-ma kurrakurrakawu-ma Murranjayingkurra yanirra jujuwurru kurlarra-wanya dumarnirra jandakuwanya-rni. ‘Elsey Station is the country for the storm bird who went to Murranji for ceremonies then left my country and went into the south for good.’ — This place is where the storm bird songline started. kuyangula adv. the other day, the day before yesterday. ALSO: kuyangulu; kuyangulakari. = wajuwarra. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. kuyarru n. barn owl, white-face owl. = ngajakurra. Tyto alba. This owl has a pretty, round, white face. It only comes out at night. kuyu cv. try, test, taste. = malany. kuyu marnini try.  Kuyu

188 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

laj ma-birri, bardakurru? ‘Try it, is it good?’ kuyuwa n. ground soakage, spring. USAGE: This ia also a Jingulu word.

Ll -la case. at, on, in. This ending marks where something is located, a time period, or a simultaneous action performed by the same person as the first action (locative). = -ngka, -ka, -kula, -kulala.  Balya kayini ngandayila kardiba nginya-karda. ‘This whitefella and I are sitting in the shade.’ Laakula n. place near Powell Creek.  Laakula-ma kurlayinirra barnali kurru kanya yili yini-ma. ‘Laakula is near Powell Creek, I’ve been told about that place.’ lab cv. pick up. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. lab warndanini pick up. labarn n. shoulder. = ngabarn. ladaja n. rough-tailed goanna. = jarany, kinja. Varanus storri, Varanus acanthurus. These goannas have a very rough tail, like a wood rasp. They are good to eat as they taste nice. laj cv. cut lengthways, split lengthwise. = dil. laj kayini split lengthwise.  Yali-ma karndi-ma laj karri. ‘The tree will crack.’ laj barnini cut lengthways, chop lengthways.  Nginya barna karndi laj barru mayingkayaru. ‘I will split this tree with an axe.’  Yali marru laj barnana jujumanali. ‘The lightning split the house.’ laj warndanini cut off, split off.  Nginya barna karndi kurdi kurrunyu laj warndu bunawu. ‘I will split off the bark of this tree for ashes.’ laj kurnini cut off, split off.  Yali karndi laj kuya wumarangkurra. Mayingkawangka barna. ‘Throw that wood and split it on the rocks. I don’t have an axe.’ laj kambarnini split by heating up.  Warlulu kambarna miyaka-ma laj-wanya. ‘The fire cooked those kurrajong seeds (so that they) open.’ laj jankiyini split by heating up.  Warlulu jankiyina laj. ‘The fire burnt them (so they Ngarinyman to English dictionary 189

l

laja

L

split and) open.’ lajkarra splitting.  Yali karndi lajkarra kayini. Bingalawa wurrkumi kayinarra. ‘That tree is cracking. It might fall on us.’ laja n. on chest (in song). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. In Gurindji it means ‘shoulder’ laju n. witchetty grub. = lamawurda. Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Hepialidae larval stage. These white grubs live in the trunks and roots of trees, mainly bloodwoods, red river gums, coolibahs, white gums, lancewood and wattle trees. They can be eaten raw or lightly cooked in hot ashes. They taste like scrambled eggs and are much sought after. Witchetty grubs can be found in tree trunks by looking for their entrance hole, which will have fine dust or excrement on the trunk or branch. The wood is then chopped just above the hole to widen it, and the grub pulled out with a piece of thin hooked wire or a hooked stick. When the grubs are in the tree roots, the entrance hole is found by looking for small piles of excrement. Then the plant can be dug up or pushed over so that the roots are exposed. In the wet season when the ground is soft, the small shrubs are just pushed over and the roots pulled up out of the ground. The grubs can then be collected easily. See p. 408 for the hand sign. lakarr cv. break into pieces. = kird. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. lakarr kayini break into pieces.  Yali marru lakarrkarra-wanya kayina. ‘That house has been falling down.’  Jurd wandi karu, bingku lakarr kayinarra yali karndi. ‘Kid, get down from there, or else that tree might break on you.’ lakarr kurnini break into pieces.  Kadili marndaj warlu-ma lakarr kurnana. ‘He has already thrown down and broken that firewood.’  Yali lakarr kuya! ‘Break it!’ lakarr wardanini break into pieces.  Nginya warlu lakarrkarra warndu. ‘He will break up this firewood.’  Wunyu lakarr warnda-yi! ‘Cut a little bit off for me (e.g. of an apple).’ lakarr biyanganini cut into pieces.  Kadi karndi lakarr biyangka! ‘Cut up that log!’

lakarr lamarnini squash and break into pieces.  Nginya barna mirror lakarr lamarna. ‘I trod on and broke this mirror.’ lakarr wandiyini break into pieces.  Yali marluka lakarr wandiyina. Banyanu kird warndana marndamarnda. ‘That old man fell and broke something. He broke his arm.’ lakarrwari run down, broken.  Karrila! Lakarrwari. ‘Leave it! It’s run down.’ lakurd cv. bury, cook in ground oven, cover. = julbu.  Lakurd yuwarnini warlaku. ‘He’s burying a dog.’  Barna duji karri kandirri, barna lakurd kuya yuluwungkurra. ‘I’m going to mix up the damper; I’ll bury it in the ground (to cook).’ SEE: jakarr; jibij; jiburn; julbu; bujbu. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. lakurda n. 1 • any lizard. 2 • ring-tailed dragon. ALSO: lakurdini. = karnari, kilykilyi, kidkilyi. Ctenophorus caudicinctus. This lizard is like a small goanna but with a long tail and spines on its head and neck. It lives in rocky country and the meat tastes like goanna meat. It likes to eat grasshoppers and ants. It is the brother of ‘jamankula’ (frillneck lizard). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. lalija n. 1 • bush tea-leaf. = lambalambarr. Ocimum tenuifloru. The leaves of this plant are boiled in water to make tea to drink. In the past, the old people used this plant a lot instead of commercial tea. The tea made from this plant has a strong

190 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

lambalambarr smell and a pleasant taste. It provides sustenance when walking a long way, especially if there is no food to be found. The tea can keep you going, making you strong when you are feeling weak. This tea also has medicinal qualities and is used to treat ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). This word is also used to refer to commercial tea. 2 • tea.  Lalija birrka ma-yi. ‘Make me some tea.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word, and is similar to ‘nalija’ in Gurindji. lalub SEE: larlub. lalyabalyaku n. lungs. ALSO: jalyabalyaku, laalyakbalyaku. = yaya. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. lama- v. many words beginning with ‘lama’ are forms of the verb ‘squash’. SEE: lamarnini. lamana n. limestone and black-soil country (out west).  Ngayinya-karda kirda droving karrinyarra kambarra-ma lamanangurlu kuwanjala kurlarra minya Helen Springsbarra. ‘My father went droving in the old days from the ridges in the west all the way to Helen Springs.’ — Found mostly in Gurindji country, some in Western Mudburra country. lamanangarnarra someone from the limestone or black-soil country.  Lamananganarra bali yananjanarni — ngarrka, kirri. ‘The limestone country people are coming — men and women.’ lamarnina n. squasher, crusher, one who crushes or squashes.  Yali karu kalyurra lamarnina, jard bilkkarra lamala jawaranyadarra-ma ‘That kid’s a crusher, he crushes lots of cans.’ SEE: lamarnini. lamarnini v. squash, step on, tread on.  Karudarrali nyanadarrali bali lamarna minya kardak-ma. ‘Those children squashed this cup.’  Lamarni yayili warlaku barlawa lakurd biya — murdikali lamarna. ‘The dog that we buried got squashed — it was run over by a car.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this

verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. lamarnini is squashing it, squashes it. lamarna has squashed it. lama(rru) will squash it, wants to squash it. lama(rra) squash it! lamarninja n. squashed, crushed. ALSO: lamarnija.  Yali-ma karrila lamarninja yali bardakurrudarra kangandayi. ‘Leave that squashed one and bring the good ones.’ SEE: lamarnini. lamawurda n. witchetty grub. = laju. Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Hepialidae larval stage. These white grubs live in the trunks and roots of trees, mainly bloodwoods, red river gums, coolibahs, white gums, lancewood and wattle trees. They can be eaten raw or lightly cooked in hot ashes. They taste like scrambled eggs and are much sought after. Witchetty grubs can be found in tree trunks by looking for their entrance hole, which will have fine dust or excrement on the trunk or branch. The wood is then chopped just above the hole to widen it, and the grub pulled out with a piece of thin hooked wire or a hooked stick. When the grubs are in the tree roots, the entrance hole is found by looking for small piles of excrement. Then the plant is dug up or pushed over so that the roots are exposed. In the wet season when the ground is soft, the small shrubs are just pushed over and the roots pulled up out of the ground. The grubs can then be collected easily. See p. 408 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. lambalambarr n. bush tea-leaf. = lalija. Ocimum caryophyllinum. The leaves of this plant are boiled in water to make tea to drink. In the past, the old people used this plant a lot instead of commercial tea. The tea made from this plant has a strong smell and a pleasant taste. It provides sustenance when walking a long way, especially if there is no food to be found. The tea can keep you going, making you strong when you are feeling weak. This tea also has medicinal qualities and is used to treat ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). Ngarinyman to English dictionary 191

l

lambarra

L

lambarra n. father-in-law and his siblings, man’s son-in-law or daughter-in-law and their siblings, woman’s brother’s son-inlaw or daughter-in-law and their siblings (reciprocal term for any person and their spouse’s father or his siblings).  Ngayinya bayi lambarra karrinyarra. Ngalinya barnarla karlunirra ngayulu-ma. ‘He was my father-in-law. I had his daughter (as a wife).’ — See p. 400 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. lamurrangkurdi n. stinking turtle. Chelodina canii. This turtle is similar to the long-necked turtle, but it stinks when caught due to a bad-smelling gland near its backside. This is cut out and chucked away before cooking to get rid of the smell. These turtles also bury themselves in the mud as the water dries out at the start of the dry season. This turtle only occurs in north-eastern parts of Mudburra and Jingili country. lanba cv. awake, wake up. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

lanba kayini awake.  Lanba karri! ‘Wake up!’  Manyan kayini juku, lanba kayinibun. ‘He’s pretending to be asleep, but he’s probably awake.’ lankaj cv. hear, listen. = kurru. See p. 422 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. lankaj kayini hear, listen.  Barnangku lankaj kayina, nyamba bankurla marnana yaliwu-ma. ‘I heard what you said to that one.’ lankaj nyanganini hear, listen.  Marra nyundu! Barnangku lankaj nyangku. ‘You talk! I’ll listen to you.’  Kula ban lankaj nyangana, barnangku marninymarnini. ‘You haven’t been hearing what I’m saying

to you.’ langa n. ear.  Wajurrangula Ngamanali-ma mirdilyi wandanirra langangurlu warlakudarra. ‘Yesterday Ngamana was taking ticks out of the dogs’ ears.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. langajija n. deaf, stupid. = warungka, langawangka.  Karrila yali-ma langajija. ‘Leave him, he’s deaf.’ — See p. 423 for the hand sign. langan- v. many words beginning with ‘langan-’ are forms of the verb ‘poke’. SEE: langanini. langanina n. poker (person or thing that pokes).  Durrbkarra langanina. ‘The poker is poking me.’ SEE: langanini. langanini v. dig, poke, pierce, spear.  Nyamba-barra langanini. ‘He is digging for something.’  Langanini jalya-ma kadi mirlarrangjaru. ‘He is digging for it now with the spear.’ SEE: karna. See p. 426 for the hand sign. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. langanini is poking it, pokes it. langana has poked it. langku will poke it, wants to poke it. langka poke it! langaninja n. someone or something that has been poked.  Yali-ma durrbkarra langaninja. ‘He’s been poked.’ SEE: langanini. langanirra n. chisel (handle and blade). = ngarlaardku. langarak cv. warn. = lirndarr. langarak nyunganini warn.  Warlakulu bayi langarak nyungana. ‘The dog warned me.’ langawangka n. deaf, stupid. = warungka, langajija. See p. 423 for the hand sign. langk- v. many words beginning with ‘langk’ are forms of the verb ‘poke’. SEE: langanini. langkana n. billabong, swamp. = barlakuji, balunbarra, kilkayi.  Kambarra-ma barna daruk karra kayini yali-ka langkanangkama. ‘Once I used to go swimming in that billabong.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu and Gurindji.

192 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

libi lardaranga n. large bottom grindstone (mortar). = kumurru, jungari.  Minyama karda bardakurru lardarangama lukarrarawu. ‘This would make a great grindstone for grinding grain.’ SEE: binjawunyja; bunbunnga. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. larlub cv. scoop out (water, flour, etc.) with a hand or tool such as a cup. ALSO: larluk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word and the Jingulu word ‘larlubaj’ (bail out sand or water) is similar. larlub warndanini get out by scooping.  Larlub warnda-yi jawaranyali bunku yali. ‘Scoop me out some flour with the billycan.’ larlub yuwarnini scoop up.  Nyamba ban yali-ma larlub yuwarnini? ‘What are you scooping up there?’ larlubkarra scooping.  Larlubkarra warnda-yi yali kandirri! ‘Scoop that flour out for me!’ larraranga n. throat pouch of a male bush turkey. SEE: jamud; kurrkabadi. Male bush turkeys use this pouch to make a rumbling sound when they are looking a wife. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. larrba adv. long time ago, previously. ALSO: larrbarni. = kambarra. See p. 434 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. larrbajbunga n. old, former.  Yali bayi ngaba-ma larrbajbunga-ma. ‘My brother there is really old.’ larrbalarrba adv. long long ago. = kambarra. larrkaja n. very thin, skinny, emaciated. = mayiwangka, dikawangka, kardakarda, kudbari.  Yali-ma warlaku-ma bangku larrkaja-wanya, mangarri nyungkula! ‘That dog is so skinny, give it some food!’ USAGE: This is like the Gurindji word ‘larrkaj’. larrwa n. dry, dried, dried out.  Yali-ma barlukuji-ma mukukurra karrinyarra kambarrama jalya-ma larrwa-wanya. ‘That billabong was good for swimming but it’s dry now.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lawa n. lemonwood. Dolichandrone

heterophylla. This tree is very common in the Victoria River area, especially in Gurindji country. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lawarra n. riflefish, archerfish. Toxotes chatareus. This fish occurs in the larger river, creek and billabong systems that are found in Western Mudburra country but not in the more central areas of Mudburra and Jingili country. These central areas do not have much perennial surface water and are much drier in general. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lawura n. morning after breakfast.  Jardayilangurla lawara-wanya duma, bulawa yandurru Warrangankungkurra. ‘We’ll get up around breakfast tomorrow and go to Beetaloo.’ — Not really early, maybe around 7am or 8am. -li pro. they. SEE: bali.  Karudarrali nyanadarrali bali lamarna minya kardakma. ‘Those children squashed this cup.’  Yali nyangka-li. Mangarri kambajibarnini jingkalijingkalili. ‘You mob look at him! He’s showing off cooking his food.’ -li case. This ending marks the one who performs the action, a weapon or implement, or adverb agreement (ergative). = -lu, -ji, -di.  Karndi-karda barnini yalili-ma ngarrkali-ma. ‘That man is chopping that very tree down.’  Marlukali yinbala Bandimi-ma. ‘The old man always sings Bandimi.’ libi n. fingernail, claw, talon. = milinji, ngardjida. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lik cv. join up with. = jarlan. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 193

l

lik

L

lik wandiyini join up with.  Kardiya bali dardu yananjanarra. Ngayi barnayina, ngayi barnayina lik wandi. ‘A bunch of whitefellas went off, I’m going to, I’m going to join up with them.’ likinimi n. broom bush, bluebush, shellbush, bush (broom). Muehlenbeckia florulenta. This plant is an indication of a good place to hunt for long-necked turtles. It is also a good indicator of places which are good for cattle to graze. The stems can be tied together to make brooms for cleaning around campsites or as props for dancers in ceremonies. likirri cv. lie on side.  Likirri barna manyan warndi. ‘I’m getting down to lie on my side.’ SEE: makina. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. lilaj cv. swim along. = jakarajbi, darukarra, kalyarrumi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. lilaj yanini swim along. lilimbi n. turkey bush. = marliyana. Calytrix exstipulata. This small bush has pretty pink flowers in the cold part of the dry season. The branches can be used as a bush broom to clear leaves away from camping areas. lilinkarra cv. hurting, aching. ALSO: lilinykarra. lilinkarra kayini aching.  Balyab barna karri, kumungku barna lilinkarra kayini. ‘I will lean leaning (on the wall because) my back’s hurting.’  Lilinkarra ban kayini. ‘You’re having (labour) pains.’ limirnmi n. hollow log for catching fish. = kurlundurru.  Kurdi barli yuwarru minya-ma limirnmi ngukungkurra jirrbu yuwarru barli kakuyiwu. ‘Listen, you and I will get that hollow log and put it in the water for fish.’ —It is made from a hollowed-out large ‘bidbidarra’ (coolabah) tree. You put grass inside; when the grass is dry, you chuck matches inside and burn the grass, then chuck it in the water and the fish go inside. Then three people go to get it out, to close both ends up (with clothes, or something)

while they lift it out full of fish. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. lin cv. show, teach. = wujunganini, mirrarda. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lin nyunganini show, teach. linba n. straight (appropriate) for marriage. = minmiji, kurrbari, yamarak.  Yali-ma bangku kirri-ma linba bangku, kurrbari bangku. ‘That woman is straight for you.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. linyarda n. 1 • charcoal, coals, embers, electricity, anything electrical. Originally the word for ‘coals’, this now also refers to electricity or any electrical device, such as a radio or a washing machine. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. 2 • electricity, anything electrical.  Lankaj ban kayini yali linyarda? ‘Are you listening to the radio?’ — Originally the word for ‘coals’, this now also refers to electricity or any electrical device, such as a radio or a washing machine. 3 • firefly. Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Luciola. This small insect can be seen at night because of the small, blinking light in its body. Sometimes kids play with them. They poke a little stick into them and carry them around like sparklers. When ‘linyarda’ blink at night it indicates that conkerberries, white currants and black plums have fruit and are ready to eat. The name ‘linyarda’ also refers to electricity, electrical equipment, coals and charcoal. linymurr cv. break. = kird. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. linymurr kayini break.  Karu jud wandi, bingku linymurr kayinarra yali karndi-ma. ‘Kid, get down from there, or else that tree might break on you.’ linymurr wandiyini fall and break.  Linymurr-wanya wandiyina, kula-wanju jayilya. ‘It fell and broke, because it’s very old.’ linymurr warndanini break. linymurr kurnini throw and break.  Yali karndi linymurr kuya yuwulungkurra. ‘Throw that log on the ground and break it in two.’

194 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

liward linymurrwari broken. lird cv. hot (weather). = bilyak, barungka, barungula. lird marnini hot (weather).  Jalya-ma lird marru wangku. ‘The sun will be hot today.’ -lirla pro. they do it for her/him/it, they do it to hers/his/its. SEE: balirla.  Kadiya balirla wayarra kayini. ‘They are calling out for him.’  Kadiwu wayarra karri-lirla! ‘You mob yell out to him!’ -lirna pro. they do it to themselves/each other, they do it for themselves/each other, they do it to their own/each other’s. SEE: balirna.  Balirna kirridarra dumdum barnini jarrumulu Bandimingka. ‘The women are clapping their thighs together at the women’s dance.’  Dumdum barra-lirna jarrumulu! ‘You mob, dance by clapping your thighs together!’ lirndarr cv. warn, give warning. = langarak. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lirndarr nyunganini warn.  Bayi lirndarr nyungana, barla kurru nyangana warlaku. ‘He warned me that, that he heard a dog.’ lirra n. mouth, lip, tooth. = jamirli.  Kanju ngayinya karl lirrangka marna karlunini jalanya, lirra. ‘In your mouth are your tongue and your teeth.’ Lirraku n. one of the two groups based on father’s side heritage (patrimoieties) into which traditional Mudburra society was divided. The Lirraku patrimoiety included all Jabarda/Nimarra, Jambijina/ Nambijina, Jurla/Nawurla, and Jangala/ Nangala people.  Kadiya bali ngandayi karika-ma kayinykayini Lirraku minyarra bali jindabadarra-ma Wilyiku. ‘In the old days people would belong to the Lirraku group while this other mob were Wilyiku.’ SEE: Wilyiku. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word and is similar to the Jingulu word ‘Lirriji’. lirralirraka n. red-tailed black-cockatoo. = dirrakin, lirrawuna. Calyptorhynchus banksii. The black feathers from the tails of these birds are used as decoration in ceremonies. These birds like to eat the fruits from trees, especially bloodwoods. They also like the seeds of ‘bunayingmi’ (bush

orange) and the nectar on gum trees. They have the skin name Jimija or Namija. lirrawuna n. red-tailed black-cockatoo. = dirrakin, lirralirraka. Calyptorhynchus banksii. The black feathers from the tails of these birds are used as decoration in ceremonies. These birds like to eat the fruits from trees, especially bloodwoods. They also like the seeds of ‘bunayingmi’ (bush orange) and the nectar on gum trees. They have the skin name Jimija or Namija. Lirrimbi n. place between Marnda and Ucharonidge, southeast of Beetaloo.  Barna warakngali karrinyarra Lirrimbingka-ma kambambarra-ma. ‘I used to work at Lirrimbi in the old days.’ lirrimi n. large centipede. = warrbanji. Chilopoda, Myriapoda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lirrkinkinya n. black bull ant. = kijakija. Hymenoptera, Odontomachus spp. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. liwakarra cv. white, painted up. liwakarra kayini white, painted up. liwakbari n. white, white stone, light-skinned, grey (of hair), white paint. = bilirdbi, yadu, ngunjungunju.  Yali karndi kurdij kayini liwakbari. ‘That tree is white.’ liward cv. wait, stalk, mind, babysit. liward kayini wait.  Kurdi liward karra-yi! Lurrijalurrija ban yananjanarra nyambawu? ‘Wait for me! Why are you going away so fast?’  Kurdi liward karri-rla yaliwu! ‘Wait for that one for a second!’ liward barnini stalk, mind, babysit.  Yali nyangka diwana kankulu, nyamba-barra liward barninybarnini. ‘Look at that wedge-tailed eagle up there. It is stalking something.’  Liward barnini barna yali-ma Ngarinyman to English dictionary 195

l

liwiji

L

jabaka-ma. ‘I’ll stay there with that old lady.’ liwiji n. 1 • silky browntop grass. Eulalia aurea. This tall reddish grass is used as medicine. It is put on hot ashes and antbed (termite mound) with a little water to make it smoke and steam. The smoke and steam is wafted around a mother and her baby a few minutes each day for a week. This helps the mother make milk and promotes the health of mother and baby. The grass and the termite mound can be crushed together to produce a small amount of liquid. This liquid can be placed in the baby’s mouth to treat oral thrush. It can also be rubbed on the mother’s breasts to help promote milk. 2 • desert red grass. This tall reddish grass is used as medicine. It is put on hot ashes with a little water to make it smoke and steam, and this is wafted around babies to make them grow strong and smell nice. The grass can also be used to make a humpy or to wrap around yams, beef or kangaroo when they are cooking in a fire or ground oven. liwirni n. great egret, great crane. = kawukawu. Egretta alba. This tall white bird is seen around the water’s edge looking for fish to eat. People don’t eat this bird. Liyardu n. New Murranji outstation. = Murrinjangalu.  Liyardungurlu barli yaniya marlarluka-ma, Liyardungurlu, Jirrarnkungka-ma. ‘The olden folks went from Liyardu, from Liyardu up to Jirrarnku.’ liyarrangarna n. cockroach bush, rattle pods. Senna venusta. ‘Karnanganja’ (emu) eat the dark brown pods. The pods rattle together in the wind, and the Mudburra name refers to this sound. liyimbu n. feather, wing of a bird. = bijinka, binkirr, marramarra, kuwanja.  Karnanganja ngubu liyimbuwurru but kula dimngarna. ‘The emu has feathers but it can’t fly.’ Liyinmi n. plain east of Marlinja.  Yali karra Liyinmi-ma karrinyarra kambarra-ma ninima. ‘Liyinmi’s right on that road there.’ — Just east of Stuart Highway around Marlinja

and Beetaloo turn-offs, overlooked by the rest area. -lu case. This ending marks the one who performs the action, a weapon or implement, or adverb agreement (ergative). = -li, -ji, -di.  Warlulu-ma bayi jankiyiniwanya. ‘The fire is heating me up now.’ ludba n. near, close up. = kajubari.  Ludba yanarn banyaka minya jurlaka! ‘Come close and look at this bird!’ SEE: birndika; kari; balkij. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ludju n. sandy ground, sand ridge.  Yali ludjungka dardu bali babirda, kilibidarra. ‘That sandy ridge has got a lot of yams and bush bananas.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lukarrara n. wild rice, slender pigweed. Portulaca filifolia. The small black seeds from this plant are collected, winnowed and ground into flour, then made into small dampers or johnny cakes. These are then lightly roasted beside a fire and eaten. In the past these seeds were an important food resource. Pompey Raymond remembers his elders carrying large sacks of them around when he was young. This plant grows in large numbers in some wet areas and parts of the open plains country, so a lot of seeds could be harvested after the wet season rains had stopped. Ants also collect these seeds and sometimes you can find a good amount of the seed near an ant nest. See p. 415 for the hand sign. lulub cv. send to be educated (ceremonial or western school). lulub kurnini sent to be educated (ceremonial or western).  Yali jurrkwari lulub kuyali-wanya. ‘He’s being pulled aside to be sent off to learn now.’ lulub wandiyini send off to be educated (ceremonial or western).  Bali lulub wandiyila busngkurra wunyuwunyuma karudarra-ma mirrarda marniwu schoolngkurra. ‘They sent all the little kids on the school bus to learn at school.’ lun cv. unload, put down, drop off. = yuwarnini. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lun kurnini drop off, load off.  Yali mangarri kangkarra-yina kadiyawu! Lun kuya-yina! ‘Go and take that food to them!

196 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Luriji Drop it off with them!’ lun yuwarnini drop off, load off.  Marndaj barnayina lun yuwarna. ‘I have dropped it off for them.’ lunkarra dropping off, loading off.  Lunkarra yuwanjuwarnini. ‘He’s loading it off. He’s putting it down.’ lunba n. striated pardalote. Pardalotus striatus. This small bird digs a burrow in banks of creeks and road edges where it lays its eggs. You often see them fly out of road cuttings in front of a car. lunkurru n. halfway, middle. = majurru, jurrku.  Nyinda bayarnini kuwarni karu lunkurru. ‘Come here in the middle, kid.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. lungarn n. forehead. = widuru. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lungbirri cv. swell up. = rub.  Lungbirri barna kayini yunbangka, janga barna kalurnini. ‘My foot swelled up, I’m sore there.’ lungkarda n. medicine, pill, poison.  Lungkarda barna ngarlu. ‘I’ve got to take my tablets.’  Karrila yali-ma lungkarda. ‘Leave that, it’s poison.’ lungkarra cv. cry. See p. 430 for the hand signs. lungkarra kayini cry.  Lurrija yananku-rla murluwu karuwu! Lungkarra kayini. ‘Come quickly to this child. He’s crying!’ lungkarra yanini go crying, come crying.  Bali lungkalungkarra yananjanarni yaliya. ‘They are coming in crying.’ lungkarralungkarra much crying.  Nyambawu bali karda lungkarralungkarra kayini? ‘Why are they all crying?’ lungkarrangarna crybaby.  Nyungkala ngabulu, lungkarrangarna kayili karu-ma. ‘Someone should give that kid some milk, he cries all the time.’ lungkura n. desert bluetongue lizard. ALSO: lungkurini. = ngalbaya, mabaya. Tiliqua multifasciata.

See p. 411 for the hand sign. The desert blue-tongue lizard is considered to be female and is generally smaller than northern blue-tongues. It has orange skin on its back and a black mask on its face near its eyes. The meat from this lizard is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. The skin needs to be scraped off before eating as it is quite scaly and sticks to the meat. They are easy to catch as they cannot run very fast. You can easily knock them on the head with a stick. They can bite hard, though, so you need to be careful with them. They are fattest in the hot weather season, so this is the best time to eat them. lungkurra n. torso, rib cage, heart. ALSO: lunkura. = jingirdi. SEE: mangarli. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lungkurrangarna shirt. = abaaba. lungulyu n. stink, bad smell, stinky, rotten. = nungulyu. Lurangkuji n. place between Wilyiku and Longreach.  Lurangkujingurlu bali yaniraaaa Karniyangka-rra, Karniyangurlu-ma bali yana Ijibardangkurra-wanya. ‘From Lurangkuji they go on to Karniya, then from Karniya right to Longreach.’ — This place is associated with ‘yiminji’ or ‘jurruwuji’ (dingo). There is now a salt pan, built by pastoralists for cattle. lurd cv. wait, stay. lurd kayini wait, stay.  Bangku lurd kayini. ‘He’s staying, waiting for you.’ lurda n. thick coolamon.  Yali-ma wanjarrima barnali barninybarnirra kambarra-ma lurdangka. ‘That grass, I get it and put it in the coolamon first.’ SEE: kawarla. lurdbanu cv. kneel. = dilili, jirr. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Luriji n. Luritja people and language. ALSO: Alurriji; Lurriji.  Binjanjarra, Arrarnda, Luriji karrinyarra-ma kurlarrak-ma. ‘Pitjantjatjara, Arrernte, and Luritja lived Ngarinyman to English dictionary 197

l

lurl to the south.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lurl cv. bump. lurl wandiyini bump.  Lurl wandiyina ngukunginyi. ‘He bumped into (me) drunkenly.’ lurlubkarra cv. sit. = dak, kulardbi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. There is a similar Gurindji word, ‘lurlu’. lurlubkarra kayini sit.

L

lurlularra n. flood, floodwater, flow, running water.  Jurlurl langana barna, lurlurlarraanya kayini. ‘I poked it with a stick to make the water come out, now it’s running.’  Lurlurlarra kayini nguku. ‘The water is flowing.’ SEE: bulngayid. lurlurl cv. cut open. SEE: biyanganini. lurlurl langanini cut open. lurlurl barnini cut open.  Lurlurl barra kumungkungurlu! ‘Cut it open from the back!’ lurrbu cv. go back, come back, return. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu.

lurrbu yanini go back, come back, return.  Nyangurla-barra lurrbu-ma yanarnnginyi. ‘He is coming back at some time.’ lurrbu wandiyana turn back, fall back down.  Lurrbu wandiyana yali-ma nyambawu-ma? ‘Why has he come back?’ lurrbu marnini talk back, say back.  Yalima marni lurrbu bangalawa. ‘He answered

us back.’ lurrbu kanganini take back, bring back.  Barna kangannginyi Jimijakari-ma lurrbu murlungkurra marrungkurra. ‘I will bring that other Jimija back to this house.’ lurrbu karlamarnini go back to, come back to, return to.  Marndaj ban jard kurnana door-ma, burrmurumurawirri, bingalawarna karlamarnani lurrbu-rni. ‘It’s good that you have closed the door, because of the hornet, so it doesn’t come back to us.’ lurrbu kurnini throw back.  Ngayili-marna wan kurna lurrbu-rni. ‘I threw it right back to him.’ lurrbu warndanini take back.  Kadili ngarrkali yilkkarra warndajwarndanini kujkulya-ma lurrbu-rni. ‘That man keeps sniffing his snot back up (his nose).’ lurrbu dumarnini get back up.  Bawulawanya duma lurrbu jawardila-ma. ‘The two of them will then get back up again tomorrow.’ lurrbu nyunganini give back.  Yali-ma-rla lurrbu nyungka-rla! ‘Give that thing of his back to him!’ lurrbulurrbu returning.  Kula lurrbulurrbu dibij kayini. ‘He isn’t coming back up (after going underwater).’ lurrija adv. quickly. ALSO: lurruja. = ngadjangku.  Yali-ma kayang barnani lurrija. ‘That one is running quickly.’  Lurrija yanan! ‘Come quick!’ lurrijalurrija quickly.  Kurdi liward karra-yi! Lurrijalurrija ban yananjanarra nyambawu? ‘Wait for me! Why are you going away so fast?’ Lurriyangkujku n. spring on Newcastle Waters Station.  Lurriyangkujkungka-rna nguku kamardka ngirra darrb kanyarra yuwulungurlu. ‘At Lurriyangkujku I can get water which comes out of the ground.’ — On the Stuart Highway between Marlinja and Elliott. lurrku cv. light fire, start fire, make fire, kindle. = dun, burarr. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. lurrku marnini light fire.  Warlu lurrku ma! ‘Make a fire!’ lurrkulurrku start fire (quickly).  Lurrkulurrku ma lurrijawarlu yali nguku

198 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

-lyarna yaninjanini. ‘Make a fire quickly as rain is coming.’ luwa- v. many words beginning with ‘luwa’ are forms of the verb ‘shoot’. SEE: luwarnini. luwaku n. empty, hole (e.g. in hollow log, or deep waterhole in stone).  Ngayinya bayi kardak luwaku kayini ngukuwangka. ‘My cup is empty, it has no water.’  Yibuk warnda luwakungurlu. ‘Pull it out from the hole.’ luwan n. rockhole, stone trough. = bidbulu, nankuna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luwarnina n. gun, rifle, shotgun. = durlkkarrangarna, durlkbari, makirdi.  Karu, jurdi wandayi yali luwarnina lurrija barna barru yali ngarina. ‘Kid, give me that gun and I’ll shoot some meat.’  Luwarra iliyu kurrkabadi luwarninayaru. ‘Shoot the turkey with a rifle.’ — See p. 417 for the hand sign. luwarnini v. shoot.  Nyamba kadili-ma luwanjuwarnini luwarninayarulu-ma? ‘What is he shooting at with the gun?’  Yali ngarina luwa-ngalawa, amba barlawa ngalu. ‘Shoot that animal for us, so that we can eat it.’  Barna luwa warlaku wumaralu. ‘I’ll hit that dog with a stone.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. luwarnini is shooting it, shoots it. luwarna has shot it. luwa will shoot it, wants to shoot it. luwa shoot it! luwarninja n. someone who has been shot. ALSO: luwarnija.  Nginya barna kangkurru luwarninja, kardibali luwarna jarrumulungka. ‘I’ll take this one who’s been shot, a white man shot him in the leg.’ SEE: luwarnini. luyurd cv. happy. = jingkarli, kilkil. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luyurd kayini happy.  Marndaj barnangku luyurd kayini. ‘I’m happy for you.’ -lya pro. he/she and I, we two, two of us. SEE: balya.  Ngarlina bayi yali-ma,

ngangarlu ngurrangurlu balya. ‘He’s my countryman, we come from the same place.’ -lyangku pro. she/he and I do it to you, she/ he and I do it for you, she/he and I do it to yours. SEE: balyangku. -lyarla pro. she/he and I do it for her/ him/it, she/he and I do it to hers/his/its. SEE: balyarla. -lyarna pro. she/he and I do it to ourselves/ each other, she/he and I do it for ourselves/ each other, she/he and I do it to our own/ each other’s. SEE: balyarna.

l

Ngarinyman to English dictionary 199

ma

Mm

M

ma interj. okay, thanks, here (giving or taking something).  Barnangku marnini, isn’t it? Ma. ‘I’m telling you, right? Okay.’ -ma suf. topic marker. = -mirra.  Kula barna barnana ngayi-ma. ‘I didn’t kill him.’  Yali-ma kula wunyu. Dijardija yali-ma Mardba-ma ngurra-ma. ‘That Montejinnie country isn’t small. It’s very big.’ mabaya n. desert bluetongue lizard. = lungkura, ngalbaya. Tiliqua multifasciata. See p. 411 for the hand sign. The desert blue-tongue lizard is considered to be female and is generally smaller than northern bluetongues. It has orange skin on its back and a black mask on its face near its eyes. The meat from this lizard is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. The skin needs to be scraped off before eating as it is quite scaly and sticks to the meat. They are easy to catch as they cannot run very fast. You can easily knock them on the head with a stick. They can bite hard, though, so you need to be careful with them. They are fattest in the hot weather season, so this is the best time to eat them. mabu cv. shy, ashamed, shame someone, sorry. See p. 429 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. mabu kayini shy, ashamed.  Mabu barna kayini maliwu. ‘I’m shamed for my motherin-law.’  Yali-ma mabu-wanya kayini — kula dibij karri marrungurlu-ma. ‘That person is feeling ashamed now — he won’t come out of his house.’ madayi n. cloud.  Kula barna nyanganini dimbu-ma, madayiwurru. ‘I can’t see the sky, it’s full of clouds.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. madbari n. tight. = kudbari.  Madbari nyina bayili abaaba-ma madbari, mad wandayini bayi abaabali. ‘That’s too tight, these clothes are too tight.’ SEE: kudbari. madja interj. good thing, thankfully, luckily.  Minya nguku-ma diyija karrinya. Madja

barlawa karlunini nginya boat. ‘This water has gotten high. Luckily, we have this boat.’  Madja bangaliya yanarni ngalinya barla Jeremywu. Warndana bangaliya ngayu kujarra-ma. ‘Luckily, Jeremy’s son came for us. He picked the two of us up (when our car broke down).’ madju n. boy, male (person or animal). ALSO: malju.  Nyamba yali warlaku-ma-yin nyunganini, madju or mardukuja? ‘What’s this dog you’re giving me, male or female?’  Yalili kirrili karluna might be mardukuja or might be madju, abala barla dibij kayina kirdanyanku minmina. ‘That woman gave birth to either a girl or a boy, the (baby) whose pregnancy omen appeared to his or her father.’ SEE: mardukuja. USAGE: The variant ‘malju’ is also a Gurindji word. madjadju lots of males.  Madjadju bali kadi-ma. ‘Those ones are boys.’ majka adv. trying, tasting.  Bali majka kuyu-ma, nyana bardukurru-ma. ‘We gotta taste it, might be a good one.’  Majka kuyumarra wandarri. ‘Try and take that road (it might be dry).’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. majula n. 1 • stomach, belly; pouch. ALSO: majulu. = bulwa.  Majula barna wangi yani. ‘I’ve got a tummy-ache.’ 2 • pregnant. = dinngarrwari, karuwurru, yarluba.  Yali kirri majula-wanya. ‘That woman’s pregnant now.’ — A pregnant woman can’t eat any type of eggs from any native animal, or any animal that has eggs inside it. If she does, she will get sick and the baby will develop skin sores. Pregnant women also should not breathe any kind of smoke, whether from food cooking, a bushfire, a campfire, a house being smoked out or any other source. A pregnant woman’s husband can still hunt and fish, but pregnant women themselves can’t fish and can’t go swimming. In fact, they should not get too close to the river at all, or else the rainbow serpent might smell them. majula cv. seat of feelings and emotions. majula barnini hurt (someone’s) feelings.

200 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

malibanya  Nginyali-ma bayi majula barnini. ‘He hurt my feelings.’ majulawurru n. pregnant. = karuwurru, yarluba, dinngarrwari.  Yali-ma kirrima majulawurru karrila! ‘That woman’s pregnant, leave her alone!’ majurru n. middle, halfway. = lunkurru, jurrku, jirrku.  Ngana yali majurru-ma kayinykayini? ‘Who’s that sitting in the middle?’ makiliwarnu n. river wallaby, swamp wallaby, pretty-face wallaby. Notamacropus agilis. These small wallabies live near rivers, creeks and billabongs. They are common in some areas and can be seen in large numbers after a big wet season. Their flesh is very good to eat roasted. They have a pale stripe on their face and are sometimes called the pretty-face wallaby. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. makina cv. lie down, sleep, unconscious. ALSO: makin. = manyan, mukuna.

 Dumarna makinangurlu. ‘She’s getting up from sleep.’ — See p. 424 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word and there is a similar word in Gurindji, ‘makin’. makina kayini lie down, sleep.  Makina kayinykayini. ‘He’s sleeping.’  Makina kayina lanba-rni. ‘He’s lying down fully awake.’ makina wandiyini fall asleep, lie down.  Kuyala-rna manyan-rna, kula makinwanya wandina. ‘It sent me right to sleep, I fell asleep.’ makina barnini knock out, knock unconscious.  Barnana makina-yili, barnana jandurr ngayi-rni makinbiji. ‘He knocked me out, knocked me flat and made me pass out.’ makirdi n. gun, rifle, shotgun. = luwarnina, durlkkarrangarna, durlkbari. makurru n. cold. = warrajkalu,

karrinya, yak wandiyini, burriyib, kurrumunmulu.  Blanket nyungardayi makurru barna minya-ma? ‘I’m cold, can I get a blanket?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. malamba n. liver.  Karrila nguku-ma binku wangi wanirra malamba. ‘Quit drinking, it’s bad for your liver.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu, and in Gurindji it is ‘malumpa’. malany cv. taste. = kuyu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. malany birnini taste.  Malany biya! ‘Taste it!’ malawa n. creek. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mali n. man’s mother-in-law and her siblings, woman’s son-in-law and his siblings (reciprocal term for a woman and her daughter’s husband, or a man and his wife’s mother). Also a man’s sister’s son’s wife, and a woman’s husband’s mother’s brother. A woman might also sometimes call her mother-in-law and her motherin-law’s siblings ‘mali,’ and they might call her (their daughter-in-law or sister’s daughter-in-law) ‘mali’ in return. ‘Kajin’ (in Kriol).  Barnayina mabu kayini maliwu. ‘I feel shame because of my mother-in-law.’  Warak karri nyundu-ma, mali bangku yali yananjanarni. ‘Turn and look away, that mother-in-law of yours is coming.’  Jarrbarn-rni yandarra nyundu-ma, malingka-ma. ‘Go far away so you can avoid your mother-in-law.’ SEE: kurndaja. This is a strict avoidance relationship unless both parties are men. You cannot look at your ‘mali’, say their name, talk directly to them, or get too close to them. Doing any of these things would be considered ‘mabu’ (highly shameful). See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. malirla man and his mother-in-law or her sibling, a woman and her husband’s mother’s brother.  Malirla bawula yanarra, ngarrkakujarra. ‘The two men, the man and his mother-in-law’s brother, went away.’ malibanya n. hair on head. = winjalma, yinjalmarri.  Wunyubaka bayi murrkardi-ma, ngayu-maNgarinyman to English dictionary 201

m

malju

M

rna damangka diyija karrinyarra, wilirla malibanya. ‘This hat is too small, I have a big head and long hair.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. malju n. boy, male (person or animal). ALSO: madju. SEE: mardukuja. malkirra n. single men’s quarters, single men’s camp.  Ngayuma-rna kirriwangka-rni. Malkirrangka-rni. ‘I still don’t have a woman. I’m still in the single men’s quarters.’  Kadi ngarrkali bayina karlunjurrmi kayini kadiya-ma malkirrangkama, bough shedkulala-ja. ‘That man is stirring them up in the men’s camp, and in the bough shed, too.’ SEE: jilimi. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word, and is similar to ‘marrkirra’ in Gurindji. malkirrangarnarra single man.  Jilimingarnali lamarna barrangarnarra, malkirrangarnarra. ‘The single man treads around the single women’s quarters.’ malkirrangarna someone who frequents the single men’s quarters.  Yali kirri malkirrangarna barla darumi karda. ‘That woman is always hanging around the single men’s quarters, looking for someone.’ malngarl cv. startled, frightened, surprised. = mangarl. SEE: nyimung. malngarl kayini surprised, startled, get a fright.  Malngarl barna kayina. Bayi durd marna ngurlakangurlu. ‘I got a fright. Someone touched me from behind.’ malngarl nyunganini give a fright.  Malngarl bayi nyungana ngarrkali. ‘That man gave me a fright.’ malngarl yuwarnini startle.  Malngarl yuwarna bayi. ‘He startled me.’ maluka SEE: marluka. malyaku n. across, on the other side.  Kadi bayi ngaba-ma kurdi kayinykayina malyaku binkangurlu-ma. ‘Hey, there’s my brother standing across the river.’  Barna

malyaku jakarajbi yandurru. ‘I’m going to swim to the other side.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. malywa n. strong wind, big wind.  Bub marnini malywa. ‘The wind is blowing hard.’ mamam cv. forbid, refuse, tell to not do something. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mamam barnini forbid, refuse, tell to not do something. mamangkul cv. become a Dreaming feature (e.g. of the landscape).  Mamangkul wandinya yali-rni-karda. Kuwuja karra, kuwuja warrb. Cattle Creekngurlu kuyawarla, kirrawarra Powell Creek-ma kuya, kuya-karda. ‘He became a Dreaming feature right there. He is the limestone, all the limestone there. From Cattle Creek, that way northwards, Powell Creek, that way, right there.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mamangkul wandiyini become Dreaming feature. mamarrang n. sacred place, dangerous place. ALSO: mamarrangkula. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. manamburran n. bush plum. = kinginymi. Grewia retusifolia. This herb has a brown, shiny, edible fruit that are very tasty but often quite hard to chew. People used to treat them like travel sweets in the old days. They would put them in their saddle bags when they were riding or in their pockets when they were walking. These fruits gave them an energy boost along the way. The fruit are also eaten by ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys) and ‘karnanganja’ (emus). The leaves can be boiled in water and the liquid used as a medicinal wash to treat skin sores and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). manbulu n. boobook, barking owl. = kurrkurrji. Ninox connivens. This owl

202 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

mankujbi calls at night and sounds like a dog barking. It calls out ‘mukmuk . . . mukmuk . . . mukmuk’. manburr cv. close legs, bring legs together, cross legs, close mouth. = durrbulwari. A person or animal might walk this way out of habit, due to age or injury, or just because they feel like it. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. manburr kayini have closed legs, have a closed mouth, have bent legs.  Yali warlaku-ma manburr karra, durrbul karrawanya yaninjanini marluka-wanju. ‘That dog keeps its legs close together, goes around with its legs close together because it’s old.’ manburr wandiyini close one’s legs, close one’s mouth, bend one’s legs.  Walykarran-mulu manburr wandi! ‘Steady on there, close your legs!’ manburrmanburr having legs closed, shuffling. manburr marnini talk with lips closed.  Yali-ma manburr mala lirra-ma. ‘That person talks with their mouth closed.’ manburrwari n. 1 • someone who walks with legs tightly together.  Yali-ma kuyalarni karrinyarra wunyungurlu manburrwari durrbulwari. ‘That person’s always gone around with their legs close together since they were little.’ 2 • buffalo. = babalu, nganabarru. Bubalus bubalis. Wild buffalo are still occasionally seen, but most were killed during the brucellosis and tuberculosis (BTEC) eradication scheme in the 1980s and 1990s. Buffalo meat is good to eat, especially from young ones. It has a strong taste. Buffalo are cranky and dangerous in the bush. See p. 406 for the hand sign. 3 • cat. = nyurnam, bujikard. Felis catus.  Pussycatdarra barna kalurnini dardu manburrwaridarra. ‘I have a lot of cats.’ mandajala n. a while.  Nginya ban dibij

kayina mandajala. ‘It’s been a while since you were here.’ mandangarli n. chest. = mangarli. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mandiyala n. poor thing, poor bugger.  Yali jababaka balirna nyunganjinganini mangarri dakjaru, mandiyalardarra marndiyaladarra. ‘Those old women keep giving each other food while sitting down, poor things.’  Warda, marndiyala! ‘Oh no, poor thing!’ See p. 430 for the hand sign. manja n. scrub. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. manjala n. baby from birth until one or two months of age.  Nginya-ma bayi jawiji-ma manjala-rni — kurdi nyana dirndiji karri. ‘My grandchild is still a baby — it’ll be a while before that one crawls.’  Jajunyanji kanganarra that karu manjala. Kambarna kakurrali-wanya. ‘(The baby’s) maternal grandmother took that newborn baby out. Then she treated (the baby) with antbed slurry.’ SEE: jayilya karu. See p. 398 for the hand sign. Can refer to a human until it’s crawling, or a mammal until its eyes are open. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. manjarna n. lancewood bark. Acacia shirleyi.  Bali wanjuwanirra marlarlukali-ma kambambarrama marru-ma manjarnangurlu. ‘In the old days people would make shelters out of lancewood bark.’ SEE: karnawuna; warraka. manjuna n. ceremonial pit. mankijbi n. back of neck, back of head.  Marndaj wajinyanu karri, nyangka-nyanu marndaj, biya bungku wangkulu jangkirna ngurlaka mankajbingka. ‘Take good care, look after your face, don’t burn your face or the back of your neck.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. mankujbi n. throat. = ngujbi, ngirlkirri. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 203

m

manmanbari  Mankujbi barna wangi, kula barnanjurra

M

marru. ‘I have a sore throat, I can’t talk to you.’ manmanbari n. soft. = bulya, nuya, manyamanya.  Manmanbari barna ngayima. ‘My skin is soft to touch. (lit. I am soft to touch).’ Manuwangu n. Muckety Station, big rock at Muckety Station.  Manuwangu-mayina Jangalawu, Jurlawu, Nawurlawu, Nangalawu. ‘Muckety belongs to the Jangalas, Jurlas, Nawurlas, and Nangalas.’ mangan cv. move about, move around, stir. = kalyarra.  Barna nyangana manganjirri. ‘I saw someone moving about.’ mangan kayini move about, move around, stir.  Kadi mangankarra kayinykayini. Barnarla-birri manymanykarra karri, amba bayi nyangku. ‘That one is moving around. I will try to wave at him, so that he sees me.’ mangankarra moving about, moving around, stirring. mangarl cv. jump with fright or surprise; startled. = malngarl. mangarl kayini jump with fright.  Nyambawu yali-ma mangarl kayina? Nyamba nyangana? ‘Why did that fellow jump with fright? What did he see?’ mangarl yuwarnini frighten someone and cause them to jump; startle someone.  Munbali bayi mangarl yuwarna. ‘The wild devil-killer made me jump with fright.’ mangarli n. chest, front of the body. ALSO: mandangali.  Ngayinya kalajali-ma karlunini murrurru mangarlingka. ‘My people have scars on their chest.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mangarrad n. kneecap. = mingirridbi, kurliji. Yali  Karulu bunyana mingirrirdbi kird wandana. ‘This kid twisted his knee.’ SEE: dingarri. USAGE: ‘Mingirridbi’ is Eastern Mudburra and Jingulu, while this word is Western Mudburra. Mangarrayi n. Mangarrayi people and language.  Ngayi-ma-rna

kula karluna Mangarrayi-ma, kula barna mala. ‘I don’t know Mangarrayi, I can’t speak it.’ mangarrbari n. warm. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mangarri n. food, bread, vegetables. = nanbari.  Yalili bangalawa kirrili duwa darldarl barnana mangarri bayi kanganini bangaliya. ‘That woman came to visit and knocked on our door and is bringing food for us.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mangkaya n. plaited grass shelter.  Mangkaya banyanu wan kurni kangkurru-ma ngurra. ‘They would put together their own shelters.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mangkuru n. plain, open grass plain, blacksoil plain. = kunawa.  Bali yandurru, kurdi, yalingkurra mangkurungkurra jurrkubadiwu. ‘You and I, listen, we’ll go out on the plain for plains goanna.’ — ‘Mangkuru’ is where ‘jurrkubadi’ (plains goannas) are found. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. mangkangkuru plains country. mangulkbi n. guts, innards. = jirdi.  Barna kurdi mangulkbi wurruwarndu. ‘I’ll pull the guts out.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. mangurlu n. bush cereal, wild rice. Portulaca oleracea. This plant is small and grows along the ground. The whole plant can be placed onto a ‘kawarla’ (coolamon) and the small, black and white, sand-like seeds can be winnowed out. When enough are processed this way, they can be ground into a flour with a grinding stone. This flour is then mixed with water and made into small dampers, which are lightly cooked and then eaten. These dampers are very good food, and in the past they served as an important source of nutrition. Making them, however, was hard work. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. manyamanya n. soft, soft ground. = bulya, manmanbari.  Kurdi nyangka, yali manyamanya yuwulu-ma. ‘Look out, that’s

204 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

manyingila soft ground.’ SEE: nuya. manyamanyabiji soften.  Minya munyumi karrila yali karuwu manyamanyabiji. ‘Chew that up for the child to make it soft.’ manyan cv. lie down, sleep. = makina, mukuna. See p. 424 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu.

manyan kayini sleep, lie down.  Jubu-marna manyan kayini. Lanba barna. ‘I am just lying down. I’m awake.’ manyan wandiyini fall asleep.  Kurdi barna manyan wandi. ‘I will fall asleep.’  Barna manyan wandiyarru lurrbu. ‘I’m going back to fall sleep.’ manyan kurnini put to sleep, lie someone down.  Manyan kuya yali karu! Kurrulalawanya. ‘Put that child to sleep! It’s getting late.’  Barna manyan kuyarru kanju. ‘I will go and put that child down inside (to sleep).’ manyan yuwarnini put to sleep, lie someone down.  Minya barna karu manyan yuwarru. ‘I will put this child down to sleep.’  Barna manyan yuwarruru kanju. ‘I will go and lie that child down inside to sleep.’ manyan yanini go and sleep.  Barna manyan yandurru. ‘I’m going to sleep.’ manyanngarna sleepy one, one who always sleeps.  Minya-ma Jambijina-ma manyanngarna karrinyarra kambarra-ma. ‘This Jambijina used to always sleep.’ manyangarna n. spinifex. = warrba. Triodia bitextura. Soft spinifex is used to treat diarrhoea. It is collected along with termite mound. The termite mound is heated up and mixed with water and then the raw leaves are added. This is then used as medicine to treat diarrhoea or runny tummy. ‘Kirnima’ (wax from spinifex) is collected, melted and pounded a number of times to create a strong glue used with kangaroo tendons to bind spear or axe heads to their shafts and to fix hooks to spear-thrower shafts. Spinifex leaves or wax can also be burnt to chase away ‘bangkula’ or ‘kanamurrmurra’ (mosquitoes). They work like mosquito coils bought from the

shop. ‘Nyili’ is the spiky leaves of spinifex; this term can also be used for porcupine (echidna) spines or other prickles. manyanyi n. bush Vicks. = warnamburrngu. Sphaeranthus indica, Pterocaulon serrulatum, Streptoglossa odora, Streptoglossa bubakii, Blumea axillaris, Pterocaulon sphacelatum. The different varieties have a strong smell, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. All are a very good medicine. The vapours from the crushed leaves and stems are inhaled to clear a blocked nose and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). Some of the crushed leaves can be put directly into the nose. The leaves can also be boiled in water and the cooled liquid used as a wash to treat colds. Small amounts can be sipped as well to help heal a sore throat. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. manyingila n. gutta-percha, milk tree. = marrija. Excoecaria parvifolia. This tree has small leaves and white sap. It grows on plains and along creek lines. The red inner bark and leaves are boiled in water until the water becomes red-coloured. This liquid is used as wash a couple of times a day to treat head sores, scabies and ‘jangawurru’ (chickenpox) and ‘juwuda’, ‘mubunjini’ or ‘yingkila’ (nits). It can also be used as a body wash to alleviate weakness and fatigue. The wood can be burnt on a fire and the smoke, which has a nice smell, keeps away ‘bangkula’ or ‘kanamurrmurra’ (mosquitoes). The wood can be used to make souvenir ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuwarri’ (shields), but it is a bit soft for real ones. It can also be used to make whip handles. The white milk-like sap can cause blindness if it gets in your eye. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native beehives) can sometimes be found in this tree. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 205

m

manyku

M

USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. manyku n. skin group, skin name (generic term), subsection. = ngurnanga.  Ngayinya kaku, ngayu balya manyku-ma nyangarlu, Jimija. ‘My paternal grandfather and I have the same skin, Jimija.’  Ngadarra yali-ma manyku-ma? Jimija yali-ma. ‘What skin is that fellow? He is Jimija.’ — Mudburra society is divided into eight ‘manyku’ or ‘ngurnanga’ (subsections, also called skin groups). Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. mara n. lap.  Marangka dak wandiya-yi. ‘Sit down on my lap.’  Kankulu dak wandiyala marangkurra. ‘Sit down on my lap.’ mardardban n. flat rocky outcrop (usually round). Mardardban n. 1 • ridge south-west of Murranji.  Murranjayingurlu Mardardbanngkurra, karndi nyangarlu warlakarri kujarra, yaningkala buwalaju change kalinyarra, wundakarr-wanya, karlarra walya yini janda bunyanyi. ‘From Murranji to Mardardban, to one tree the two of them came, they changed there, and then flew off west.’ — This place is associated with two snakes, who travelled from Murranji and changed into birds at Mardardban before going west. 2 • Union Camp at Marlinja (also called Bottom Camp). ALSO: Mirdirdbi. = Naranaraja.  Barnali union strike karlunirra kambambarra marlarlukaru ngayi-ja barnali Mardardbanngkurra dumarnirra. ‘During the union strike long ago the old people and me too, we went

to Union Camp.’ SEE: Marlinja. Bottom camp, now abandoned, outside Marlinja community gate. This was the site of the labour camp during the Newcastle Waters walk-off. There were people living there on and off until the very end of the twentieth century. USAGE: Mardardban is the Mudburra name, Mirdirdbi is Jingulu. Mardbangka n. Montejinnie.  Ngayinya jawiji, ngayinya kirda, ngayinya kaku — kirdawu barla ngayinyawu, kirda barla — yali-rni Mardbangka-rni. ‘My maternal grandfather, my father, my paternal grandfather — my father’s father — (all) lived right there at Montejinnie.’ mardilyi n. lame, crippled. ALSO: mardardilyi. = marlumarlu, mularda, mulurrumulurru.  Mardilyi yali-ma karrila. ‘He’s crippled, leave him alone.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. mardkarra cv. scan the surroundings, look around, poke head up and look.  Kadi barna nyangana walanja, mardkarrangkurra. Warlakudarraliwanya bali kirdi marnini. ‘I saw that goanna, poking its head up (and) scanning the surroundings. There are a lot of dogs chasing it.’ mardkarra kayini poke head up, scan surroundings.  Kadi walanja mardkarra kayini. ‘That goanna has his head up.’ mardkarra nyanganini poke head up and look, scan surroundings.  Kadili bayi mardkarra nyangana nyambawu? ‘Why did he put his head up and look at me?’ marduju n. round (of shape). = wankijbari.  Minya-ma-rna yuwarnini marduju. ‘I’m making it round.’ mardukuja n. female, girl (person or animal).  Nyamba yali warlaku-ma-yin nyunganini, madju or mardukuja? ‘What’s this dog you’re giving me, male or female?’  Yalili kirrili karluna might be mardukuja

206 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

marlirrawurru or might be madju, abala barla dibij kayina kirdanyanku minmina. ‘That woman gave birth to either a girl or a boy, the (baby) whose pregnancy omen appeared for his or her father.’ SEE: madju. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mardardukuja lots of females.  Mardardukuja bali wajkarra kayini. ‘The girls are playing.’ mardumardu n. termite mound, antbed. = barlanji, kindijku, wanbuni. Amitermes. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘cooking’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. It is placed over a fire and the baby is held in the smoke and steam, then washed all over with the warm mud. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are also sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in the wet season. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra, Bilinarra and Ngarinyman word. marlangayi n. freshwater mussel. = dugu, kurdijalaka. Velesunio wilsonii. In the big wet seasons, mussels can be found in large numbers in waterholes and lakes and can be collected from the mud at the bottom. The meat inside the shell is eaten after lightly cooking on hot coals or in a small grass fire. As it burns, it lightly cooks the meat. The shells open up when the meat is cooked. It is really good tasting and nice to eat, like eating

at a restaurant. The meat is also used to treat ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, mucus). The hard shell can be used as a spoon, and the sharpened edge was used as a knife in the past. Shards of broken mussel shell are sharp and can cut your foot if you walk on them. marlibi n. woman with lots of children; female animal with lots of offspring.  Marlibidarra warlakudarra bayili manyan kayini. Karuwurrudarra-wanya bali. ‘My old mummy dogs are all sleeping. They are with all their pups now.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. marlimarli n. butterfly, moth. Lepidoptera, many taxa. SEE: kungmarna. There are many different types of butterflies and moths in various colours and sizes. They have no particular use, but some are pretty. The chrysalis that turns into a butterfly or moth is called ‘kungmarna’. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. marlinbungu n. tropical cyclone, strong wind.  Nginya nguku marlinbunguwurru yananjarnani. ‘Rain is coming up with a strong wind.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Marlinja n. this area includes Newcastle Waters, the sand-ridge country around Newcastle Waters, and Marlinja, a community west of Newcastle Waters.  Barlawa ngurrangka-ma kayinykayini nginyangka-ma yuwulungka, Marlinja. ‘This is our home, this land, Marlinja.’ USAGE: Originally the sand-ridge country between the Redmond Causeway (where Stuart Highway meets Newcastle Creek) and just north of Elliott. marlirrawurru n. everlasting flower. Gomphrena canescens. This small plant has pretty pink flowers that last for a long time. It grows in the wet season and flowers in the late wet and early dry seasons. The flowers fade to white and begin to look like cotton wool as they get older. They can be used with white paint and glue as body decoration for ceremony. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 207

m

marliyana

M

marliyana n. turkey bush. = lilimbi. Calytrix exstipulata. This small bush has pretty pink flowers in the cold part of the dry season. The branches can be used as a bush broom to clear leaves away from camping areas. marluka n. old man.  Kambabarrajbunga ngarrka, marlurluka, jababaka, bali karrinyarra bardardakurru. ‘The people from the old days, the old men and old women, were good people.’ USAGE: This is a widespread word, found in Gurindji, Jingulu, Mangarrayi and other languages of the region. marlarluka lots of old men, people in the olden days.  Bali yanini marlarlukama duwani yanaka mirlarrangjaru kurrubarduyaru. ‘Olden-days people would go hunting with spears and boomerangs.’ marlukbirra two old people.  Birrka ma-yili mangarri kadi kujarrawu marlukbirrawu. ‘Make some food for those two old people.’ marlumarlu n. lame, crippled. = mardilyi, mularda, mulurrumulurru.  Yali-ma marlumarlu dimananginyi — dimanali lamana. ‘He’s crippled because of his horse — his horse fell on him.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. marlungkarru n. emu plum, quinine tree. Petalostigma pubescens. The round orange fruits are eaten by ‘karnanganja’ (emus) but not by people. The fruit can also be used to play marbles. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native beehives containing honey, wax and pollen) are sometimes found in large trees. The timber can also be used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). marn- v. many words beginning with ‘marn’ are forms of the verb ‘say’. SEE: marnini.

marnababurni n. crab. = ngardarda. Holthuisana transversa. This crab lives under the ground in the dry times and comes out when the ground is wet and there is lots of water around. In big wet seasons they are common and mostly active at night when they hunt for a feed. The meat inside the shell is good to eat after roasting on hot coals. Many waterbirds also eat them. -marnany suf. your. This ending is used on words for family meaning the person it is referring to is your family member. = nyununya, bangku. ALSO: -marnanya.  Kadi jawaranya warndarra-ngali barnaramarnanykurra. Barli ngalu lalija. ‘Go over to your father (or father’s sibling) and get the billycan for you and me. You and I will drink tea.’ marndaj interj. okay, all right, correct, finished, hello, goodbye, thanks.  Marndaj? Marndaj, yuwayi, kuwala now. ‘Okay? Okay, yes, like that now.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. marndaja adv. later, later on.  Kurdi-rni mangarringurlu marndaja bulawa ngarru. ‘Wait now, we’ll do that later, after we’ve eaten.’ marndamarnda n. fingers, hand, thumb, forearm, sign language. = nungkuru.  Marndamarnda banyanu barnini. ‘He’s clapping his hands.’  Mardilya yali-ma, marndamarndawangka. ‘That guy is crippled, he’s missing an arm.’ — See p. 423 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. marndamarndali by hand.  Marndamarndali juku. ‘Do it up by hand.’ Marndara n. place name. ALSO: Marndaramarndara.  Kuwajajangurlu yanirra Marndara. ‘From Kuwajaja it went to Marndara.’ — This place is associated with ‘mulyukuna’ (blackheaded python). marndara n. sore. = janga. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu.

208 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

marri marndaraji n. big military dragon, big ta-ta lizard with white stripes on his face. ALSO: marndaaji. = yibijirrina, wijina, kaburi. Amphibolurus spp. These lizards often wave one of their front legs in the air. When they do this, it means the rain will stop soon. They are not eaten because of this, and also because they are quite small. They have the skin name Jambijina. See p. 411 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is similar to a Gurindji word ‘mantarlji’. marndarlngarra n. ironwood. Erythrophleum chlorostachys. The timber is very hard, long-lasting and strong. It can be used to make ‘karnbaj’ or ‘kurndarnnga’ (clapsticks), ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and spearheads. It can also be used to make fence posts to build stockyards. It makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood) as it burns well and the coals remain hot for a long time. The leaves and inner bark can be boiled in water and the cooled liquid used as medicine to treat scabies and ‘jangawurru’ (skin sores). This medicine is strong and should not be used too much. marndayanga n. pear tree. Terminalia platyphylla. This large tree grows in creeks and river beds in Western Mudburra country only. It does not occur on Jingili country. It is an excellent shade tree. The gum that exudes from damaged trunks and branches is very good to eat. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marnina n. chatterbox, chatty person, talkative person.  Nyundu-ma karri, marnina ban. ‘You stay, you always talk too much.’ SEE: marnini. marnini v. say, talk, do.  Marndaj

ban marnini bardawunykarra. ‘You are saying it correctly.’  Yurrwa barnangku marnini. ‘I am speaking language to you.’ — See p. 422 for the hand sign. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. marnini is saying, says. marnana has said. marru will say, wants to say. marra say it! marninja n. someone who has been spoken to.  Karrila yali-ma, marndaj barlirla marnana, marninja kayinykayini. ‘Leave that one, he’s alright, we’ve talked to him, he’s been spoken to.’ SEE: marnini. marnkuwana n. saltwater, springwater. marnngilija n. poison, poison bait, strychnine, 1080.  Yali-ma warlakudarra-nbali karrila, kardibadarrali wangkuna marnngilija murlungka-ma. ‘Leave those dogs alone, the white folks gave them poison around this place.’ SEE: lungkarda. marr- v. many words beginning with ‘marr’ are forms of the verb ‘say’. ALSO: ma. SEE: marnini. marrababirni n. bronzewing pigeon, plains pigeon. ALSO: marababirni. = wandarrkurrini. Phaps histrionica. marrabarla n. holly-leaf grevillea. = bijalaba. Grevillea wickhamii. This small shrub has greyish, prickly leaves. It is common around Elliott and in sandy country. Native bees visit the red flowers to get pollen and nectar. You can suck the flowers to get the sweet nectar, which tastes like honey. ‘Kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys) also like to eat the gum. marramarra n. wing of a bird. = liyimbu, binkirr, mayamaya. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marrangan n. wind side, upwind.  Ya, wanya karu kangan wunyu, jungkarnangkurra marrangan durd ma. ‘Get that little baby and hold it wind side of the smoke.’ marri part. well, well then, but, what about, however.  Marri lurrku ma warlu. ‘Well, Ngarinyman to English dictionary 209

m

marrija

M

you’d better make a fire.’  Marri nyununyama? Wayi bangku nyununya-ma blanketma? ‘What about yours? Is this blanket yours?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. marrija n. gutta-percha, milk tree. = manyingila. Excoecaria parvifolia. This tree has small leaves and white sap. It grows on plains and along creek lines. The red inner bark and leaves are boiled in water until the water becomes redcoloured. This liquid is used as wash a couple of times a day to treat head sores, scabies, ‘jangawurru’ (chicken-pox) and ‘juwuda’, ‘mubunjini’ or ‘yingkila’ (nits). It can also be used as a body wash to alleviate weakness and fatigue. The wood can be burnt on a fire and the smoke, which has a nice smell, keeps away ‘bangkula’ or ‘kanamurrmurra’ (mosquitoes). The wood can be used to make souvenir ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuwarri’ (shields), but it is a bit soft for real ones. It can also be used to make whip handles. The white milk-like sap can cause blindness if it gets in your eye. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can sometimes be found in this tree. marrimarri n. 1 • spicy, sharp, ‘cheeky’ in Kriol.  Yali-ma karrila, marrimarri! ‘Leave that, it’s spicy!’ USAGE: This is like Jingulu ‘marrimarra’. 2 • razor blade, straight razor, cutthroat razor.  Yali marrimarri wandayi, biyanganina, barna jama. ‘Give me that straight razor, I’ll sharpen it.’ SEE: binymala. USAGE: In Gurindji, this word means ‘strong’. Marrini n. Elliott town rubbish dump, seasonal swamp. marrinkili n. kingfisher, little kookaburra, kookaburra. Todiramphus spp. SEE: jalkururru. Kingfishers are generally referred to as kookaburras. They are not common or well known on Jingili and

Mudburra country. They are often said to be strangers coming from the Mataranka area and from further north. marriya interj. be quiet, shut up. SEE: yamaka. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. marrkirri n. skin. = kurrunyu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marru n. house.  Nyayinyali jajulu jawijili bayiwulayi mirrarda manirra yuwayinuwu wunyubakawu marruma karnawunangurlu kurrnyu bawula wandanirra ngurra-wu-ma bayiwula mirrarda marnirra jawiliji jajulu ngayi-ma. ‘My grandfather and my grandmother taught me how to make a little house from lancewood bark. It was my grandmother and grandfather who taught me.’ — See p. 418 for the hand sign.

marruk cv. hide behind lies, cover yourself by telling lies. = wukuk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word but it just means ‘hide’. marruk marnini lie to cover oneself.  Ngulyu marnini yali-ma marruk marnini banyanu. ‘He’s telling lies to cover up for himself.’ Marrulu n. stretch of creek at Longreach.  Kula barli yana Marrulungkurra-ma darukarduwu-ma — Minku-yi barli darukardadarra. ‘We don’t go to Marrulu to swim — Minku is much better to swim in.’ — This is the stretch between Ijibarda or Minku and Jawurdi. maru n. hip, hip joint. = jakabirdi.  Banyanu durd bala maru. ‘He’s grabbing hold of his hip.’ mawukala n. ripe fruit of bush orange. SEE: bunayingmi; kurlinyaka; bambilyi. The fruit are eaten when they are ripe, green with a slightly orange-yellow colour. They are sweet and very tasty. The unripe fruit can be buried in the sand to help them

210 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

mayiwurru ripen. Sometimes this might take as long as two weeks. When the fruit are fully ripe they are called ‘mawukala’. They have a very strong, pleasant smell, which can be noticed a long way from the plant. The wood is used as firewood as it lights quickly and easily. ‘Lirralirraka’ (red-tailed black-cockatoos) also like to eat the seed of the fruit. The inner bark or cleaned roots can also be used as medicine. It is chipped into small pieces and boiled in water until the water becomes red. This liquid is used as a wash applied frequently to treat ‘wukurliji’ (boils), skin sores, chicken pox and ‘jangawurru’ (scabies). If the liquid is boiled longer, it turns into a liniment that can be used for pains in the chest, muscles and joints. You must not get this medicine near your eyes. When the large flooding rains of the full wet season are coming, this plant can be used to chase the rains away. The leaves are placed on a fire to make smoke, and this is waved towards the rain clouds to make them go away. mawurumi n. seed from blue wire grass or pokey grass. SEE: burruru. This grass has sharp, three-pronged seeds that can poke through your trousers into your leg as you walk through it. The pointy seeds can be used to clean your ear. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. mayamaya n. hand, fingers, arm, wing, branch (of tree). = marndamarnda, marramarra.  Mayamaya bangku yali-ma kanamurrmurrali birninbirnini. ‘Mosquitos are going to bite you on the hand.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. mayamba n. willy-willy, whirlwind. ALSO: mayaamba.  Minya-ma mayambama dija yanarn janani. ‘A willy-willy is coming towards us.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word.

mayi n. body. ALSO: miyi. = mayi marrimarri.  Mayi-ma nyanunyaka dika — dika-ma karrila ngarningurlu. ‘That body of yours has too much fat on it — lay off eating fatty foods.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mayiwurru fat (of person or animal). = dikawurru.  Yanarni ngurrangkurra mayiwurru-wanya. ‘Now he’s come home fat.’ mayiwangka skinny.  Yanarra karlarra mayi-wangka. ‘He went off to the west skinny.’ mayi marrimarri tough (person), built for fighting.  Marrimarri mayiwurru yali-ma. ‘That one’s got a body for fighting.’ mayibi n. needle-leaf wattle. Acacia orthocarpa. The fine leaves of this shrub have a strong smell. When men hunt kangaroos, they often rub their bodies with the leaves to hide their body odour, so they can get close to the game. The leaves can be boiled in water and cooled; This liquid can then be used as a wash to treat congestion and skin sores. This treatment works best if used daily, and is good for babies. Mayilakurru n. creek near Marlinja, south and slightly west of the homestead.  Mayilakurru-ma kurlarra Marlinjangurluma, yalingkurra ngayinya kalaja-ma ngaruk wandi-wanya kambarra-ma. ‘Mayilakurru is south of Marlinja, that’s where my sister drowned a long time ago.’ mayingka n. axe, stone axe, tomahawk, axe head. = dawurdawu.  Kurdi wandayi yali mayingka barna abala barna barru minya ngarlu kangkurlu karndingkurra. ‘Wait, give me that axe, I’ll cut this sugarbag from that tree.’ — See p. 417 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also also a Gurindji word. mayiwangka n. skinny, thin, someone or something who is skinny. = dikawangka, kardakarda, kudbari. SEE: mayi. mayiwurru n. fat. = bardbaka, dikawurru. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 211

m

mibirri

M

SEE: mayi. mibirri n. freshwater mullet. Liza alata. This fish occurs in the larger river, creek and billabong systems that are found in western Mudburra country, but not in the more central areas of Mudburra and Jingili country. These central areas do not have much perennial surface water and are much drier in general. midilyi n. flea, tick. = bidara. Siphonaptera. These small insects are often found on dogs and cats. They cause itching. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. miji n. bottom, sitting bones, bum, buttocks. = wanjalmarni.  Kurdi barna miji dakarndi chairngkurra. ‘Wait up, I’m going to rest my bum in a chair.’ SEE: wanjalmarni. mijikungarna n. bush cockroach. Blattodea, Cosmozosteria spp. Bush cockroaches arch their back and squirt a smelly liquid when disturbed; if it gets in your eyes it can cause temporary blindness and pain. They are left alone because they stink. If you are bitten by a spider, you can squeeze the guts out of a cockroach onto the bite, and it will ease the pain. mijinykurra n. youngest child in the family, last-born child.  Birdibirdingarnali lamarni mijinykurra now, barrangarnarra. ‘Then the single girl squashed the youngest one, the boy.’  Minya-karda bangku karlaja-ma mijinykurra-ma. ‘This one is your youngest sibling.’ SEE: burlkunga. mijuku n. urine, piss. = kumbu.  Warlakuwinyi yali mijuku. ‘That’s dog’s wee.’  Kurdi barna mijuku yandurru. ‘I’ve gotta go and pee first.’ SEE: ngundu. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. mikalinbi n. bush cucumber. = kawujin. Cucumis melo. The fruit of this plant is light green with a strong, sweet, fruity smell when fully ripe. The fruit may be eaten at this time; it has a sweet taste and crisp texture. It is very good food, tasting similar to the commercial cucumber you can buy in shops. The fruit must be rubbed before

eating, however, to remove any short hairs from the outside. If these are not removed, they can hurt your lips and tongue. If you eat too much of this fruit, you will get a sore mouth, sore throat and a headache. mila n. eye. = ngabanju. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. milabubu bung-eye. ALSO: bubu. milawangka blind (permanently or temporarily). ALSO: kamamurru. milakurr n. black-soil yam. ALSO: milakurru. Ipomoea aquatica. SEE: kamara. This yam grows in black-soil country and has white flowers in the wet season. It has trailing stems, and the yams grow under the stems. It is similar to ‘kamara’. The yams can be eaten after they have been roasted in a ground oven with both wet coals and hot coals. The skin is scraped off after cooking. The big ones are a little bitter in taste, and not that good to eat. Kangaroos and wallabies also dig up these yams and eat these. milawangka n. blind. SEE: mila. milij cv. show. milij kurnini show.  Barlawangulu milij kuyarru darduwu kirridarrawu. ‘We will all go and show (the potato) to all the children.’ milinji n. fingernail, toenail, claw. = ngardjida.  Milinjingka marra yuwulu. ‘I’ve got dirt under my nails.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. milirru n. walking stick or stick for leading blind people.  Yali marluka andi jana milirruwurru. ‘That old man walks with a stick.’ Gurindji has a similar word ‘milirri’.

212 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

minmini milki n. breast, milk, breast milk. = ngabulu.  Yali karu nyungka milki. ‘Feed that child some milk.’ USAGE: This word comes from English ‘milk’. milyangarriny n. eyebrow. = yibijibiji. USAGE: This is very similar to the Gurindji word ‘milyjangarriny’. milyarra cv. kind, feel sorry for someone and give them something, compassionate. milyarra kayini kind.  Milyarra bayin kayina. ‘You’ve been kind.’ mimi n. mother’s father (maternal grandfather) and his siblings; man’s daughter’s child, brother’s daughter’s child (for a woman or man). = jawiji. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. minanga n. scraping tool (small).  Ayi karu, wandayi yali juna barna mirrka ma kurrubardu, yali wurrini minanga wurruni. ‘Hey kid, give me the big scraper, I’m making a boomerang, and the little scraper.’ SEE: juna. minburu n. smoke tree. = bularraku. Eucalyptus pruinosa. Branches that have been hollowed by termites and are of the appropriate diameter can be made into ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos). The timber can also be used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in this tree. The bark can also be burnt to ‘buna’ (fine white ash) to mix with ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). mindirr cv. cover self with dirt (goanna), burrow. mindirr kayini covered up with dirt (goanna).  Minya walanja mindirr kayini. ‘That goanna’s covered up.’ mindirrwari burrow of a goanna;

burrowed in. mininmi n. acacia bush. ALSO: minilmi. Acacia victoriae. The seeds can be eaten after roasting in hot coals. The gum is also edible. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) can be found in the roots. The straight stems of larger plants can be used for spear shafts. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. minja- v. many words beginning with ‘minja-’ are forms of the verb ‘be cold’. SEE: minjanini. minjanina n. someone who gets cold. = warrajkalungarna. SEE: minjanini. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjanina n. someone who gets cold. = warrajkalungarna. SEE: minjanini. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjanini v. be cold.  Minjanini ban. ‘You are cold.’  Bayi minjanini. ‘It’s cold for me.’  Minya barna minjanini. ‘I’m cold.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. minjanini is cold. minjana was cold. minjarru will be cold, wants to be cold. minjarra make it cold! minjaninja n. someone who has been cold. SEE: minjanini. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minji n. bed, blanket. = minjuru.  Minji kuya! Minji yuwarra! ‘Make a bed! Make a bed!’ minjuru n. bed, blanket. = minji.  Minjuru yuwarrarla! ‘Make the bed!’ SEE: barlkina; jalyu. This is also a Gurindji word. Minku n. place just north of main waterhole (Ijibarda) at Longreach.  Barlawa ngarnirra marlangayi yaninjarra-ma Minkungkama balya wandanirra wunyubaka banbili jakardili karlu Nimarra. ‘A long time ago we ate freshwater mussels at Minku; we went and got them and my little mum Nimarra found some too.’ minmiji n. straight (appropriate) for marriage. = linba, kurrbari, yamarak. minmini cv. fold arms, embrace.  Yali banyana marndamarndali minmini kayini warrajkalu barra. ‘He’s standing with his Ngarinyman to English dictionary 213

m

minganya

M

arms folded, he must be cold.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. minganya n. mud, wet clay. = binganya.  Hey karu, yandurru yali minyangkurra walykaba karri! ‘Hey kid, go play in that mud!’ USAGE:This is the Eastern Mudburra word, and ‘binganya’ is the Western word. mingirridbi n. kneecap. = mangarrad.  Bulikilima karlula mingirridbi-ma ngurlaka jarrumulu kujarranda dikarringka. ‘A cow only has kneecaps on its two back legs.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. mingkiyini n. white top of black storm clouds. minya dem. this, here. = nginya.  Minyama karndi-ma wurruja-wanya. ‘This tree is dried up now.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minyangurlu from now on, from here, then.  Yurrwa bangalawa marrunymarru, amba minyangurlu bali marninymarnini, jalya. ‘Today he will speak our language, so that from now they will speak it.’ minyakujarra those two.  Barnayili bud bungku minyakujarra-ma Katherinekurra. Nyambawu bayilin bud bunganjinganini? Kirdanyankurra-nya? ‘I will send these two to Katherine. Why are you sending them away? To go to (see) their father, right?’ minyangkurra to here, to this one.  Hey barnkurdi, yali warnda-ngali jalardu amba barli darndarn wandi minyangkurra bidbulungkurra, amba barli nguku warndu. ‘Hey cousin, go get that rope/vine so we can get water out of that rock hole.’ minyangka here.  Minyangka ngurrangka-ma bilyingbilyinga yuwulu Kurungungka-ma, Kurungungka-ma. ‘Here in this country there’s red ground, at Gurungu, at Gurungu.’ minyali this one did it. minya-karda this very one.  Minya-karda

barna darumi kayina. ‘This is the one I was looking for.’ minyarra this mob.  Minyarra-barra ngananganju? ‘ Whose mob is this?’  Minyarra murrkuna ngarrka-walija barnayina kangkurru wajkarrawu. ‘I’m taking these three men to play (football).’  Dardu banda yanarni kanju bali yanarra minyarra-ma biyinanngulu barnarra. ‘You mob came up and they all went inside because you might attack them.’ mirda n. shield. = kuwarri, kurduju.  Kurdi barna yali, karnawuna warndu mirda mirrka ma. ‘I’m going to go get lancewood to make a shield.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mirimi n. hip, hip joint, upper buttocks. = bandimi.  Nganyi kirda barri karrinyarra wangi mirimi. ‘My dad has bad hips.’ SEE: nyinji. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. miringmi n. edible gum from ‘jingi’ (bauhina), ‘wurumburru’ (sandalwood), ‘kambulumi’ (yellow-jacket). = kuramarna.  Barlunbarlungmiyinyi miringmi barra dardu-wanya jalya-ma. ‘There might be lots of gum on the native willow trees now.’ SEE: jingi; wurumburru; kambulumi. This gum can be eaten raw like toffee, or mixed with water to make a syrup or drink. See p. 413 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. mirlarrang n. spear, spear shaft. = birlkurung, bankili.  Minya barna birrka bardini ngayinya mirlarrang wardabamnarrawu. ‘I’m going to make a spear for kangaroos.’ — See p. 417 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

mirlirdi n. hook on spear-thrower. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mirndiwirri n. boomerang tree. = bilyilyungku. Hakea arborescens. The hard wood of this tree is especially good for making ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). The fruit and bark are scraped and the scrapings are mixed with water to make a medicine that is applied to small children. It makes them strong and helps them start walking. The fruit are also boiled in water, and babies are sat in the liquid once it has cooled down.

214 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

miyakakarra This practice also strengthens their legs and hips to help them start walking. The leaves and wood may be burnt to ash and mixed with water and this is used to treat broken bones, sore joints and bruising in adults. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Bilinarra word. mirniyirri n. spinifex snake-lizard, angle head dragon. Delma borea. This little lizard lives in grassy country. It looks like a snake as it has no legs. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mirnjirnirriny n. antlion. Myrmeleontidae. These small insects have horns like a buffalo; they catch other insects and ants in the sand-hole traps they dig in the ground. They sit in the bottom of the trap and flick their tails up to attract prey. -mirra suf. topic marker. = -ma. USAGE: This is a Karranga ending. Mudburra speakers use ‘-ma’. mirrarda cv. teach, instruct. = binarrik. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. mirrarda marnini teach.  Yali mirrarda ma karu yurrwawu! ‘Teach that child language!’  Nganali bangku mirrarda marna kurrubardiwu-ma mirrka marniwuma? Ngayinyali ngamirnili. ‘Who taught you to make boomerangs? My uncle did.’ mirrarda warndanini teach. mirrardamirrarda teach well. Mirrinymirrirda n. Seven Sisters constellation (the Pleiades). ALSO: mirrinymirrinya.  Minya-ma mirrinymirrirda-ma kuwarnima karri warrajkalu-wanya. ‘When you see the Seven Sisters on their side like that, it’s cold weather time.’ USAGE: This is almost the same as the Jingulu word, ‘Mirrinmirrirdi’. mirrirribini n. koel, rainbird. Eudynamys orientalis. This bird has red eyes. The female has quite different plumage from the male. The female is also lighter coloured than the male which is black. It likes to sit in a shady tree and call to the rain to come up. It can call all day, ‘durruk . . . durruk . . . durruk’, until the rain clouds

form and the rain begins. It likes to eat leeches and tadpoles and is often seen near ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks). It called a lot in mid-December 2015 just before the rains started and the floodwater cut off Marlinja. These birds have the skin name Jurla or Nawurla. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. mirrka cv. make, fix, build. = birrka. mirrka marnini make, fix, build.  Bangalin mirrka ma lalija-ma? ‘Can you make some tea for you and me?’  Ngayu-ma-rna kurdi bukurdi barna mirrka marnini. ‘Wait up, I’ll make a headdress for the ceremony.’ mirrkabalyi n. blue-tongue mate, Hosmer’s skink. This skink has a spike on its back and lives in the desert. Egernia hosmeri. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. miyaka n. wild curry kurrajong. = yimiyaka. Brachychiton multicaulis. SEE: wanyanda; kinjirrka. This type of kurrajong is a small multi-stemmed shrub. It grows around Elliott and Lake Woods and is common in the western areas. The large yellow seeds inside the pod can be eaten, but the hairs are dangerous and need to be removed first. The seeds are taken out of the large pod, then pounded and winnowed out in a ‘kawarla’ (coolamon) or burnt to get rid of the fine hairs. Finally, they are crushed, eaten raw or made into johnny cakes. The seeds are ready to eat in October. There are lots growing at Dunmarra in sandy country. The young plants have ‘wanyanda’ (an edible yam) below them. The skin of the inner pod of the fruit can be rubbed on a person’s skin to make it lighter. The inner bark can be used to make string. When the sun sets in the mid dry season and turns red (like the colour of the flowers) and streaky, it indicates that the pods are ready to be collected. See p. 415 for the hand sign. miyakakarra n. orange-naped snake. = miyakakarra, jarlmurunymuruny. Furina ornata. This snake often sits under the bush orange tree. It has a pretty face with nice colours. The girl snake is aggressive when she has laid eggs. She will chase you but generally only acts like she is going to bite without Ngarinyman to English dictionary 215

m

miyard

M

actually striking. These snakes are venomous and can bite, though, so you must be careful. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. miyard n. full man, initiated man. = ngarrka. See also p. 398 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. miyi interj. here you go (said when giving something to someone).  Miyi, minya bangku nyununya-ma. ‘Here, this is yours.’  Marndaj nyungka-rla marndamarndali kujarrali nguku-ma maliwu-ma, ‘miyi’ marra-rla. ‘Give water appropriately to your mother-in-law with two hands, and say ‘miyi’ to her.’ SEE: wardidi. Passing an item to your mother-in-law is normally considered inappropriate. If you must do so, you should use two hands and say ‘wardidi’ (in Western Mudburra) or ‘miyi’ (in Eastern Mudburra). Your mother-in-law should also use two hands when taking the item from you. mubunjini n. nits, head lice, louse. = juwuda, yingkila, wurdu. Phthiraptera, Pediculus capitis. These small insects live on humans. They cause severe itching in the hair and elsewhere on the body where they live. Some bush medicine plants, such as gutta-percha, can be used to treat lice and nits. Mudburra n. Mudburra people and language.  Marndaj bangalawa Jimija, mirrarda marniwu Mudburrawu-ma, amba bayi ngayu-ja mirrarda marna. ‘That Jimija is ready to teach us Mudburra: the one who taught me too.’ SEE: Kuwaarrangu; Kuwirrinji. Speakers of Mudburra commonly recognise two dialects of their language: Eastern Mudburra (also called Kuwaarrangu) and Western Mudburra (also called Kuwirrinji). Eastern Mudburra is spoken in the area around Marlinja and Kulumindini (Elliott). Mudburra and Jingili people have lived together in this area for a long time, and as a result their cultures

and languages share many features. These shared features represent the main difference between Eastern Mudburra and Western Mudburra. Western Mudburra is spoken in the area around Yingawunarri (Top Springs), where it has had more contact with and influence from Gurindji. Mudbudburra Mudburra people. mudu SEE: murdu. mujkiyi cv. forget, lose. = kawarraj, kawaj. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. mujkiyi kayini forget, lose.  Lurrbu wani yali-ma nyamba warra banyanu mujkiyi kayina. ‘He’s come back because he forgot something of his.’ -muju suf. pair. This ending attaches to the older person or male in a pair of two related people when talking about both people (dyad). = -rla, -rra, -kula.  Nginya barna marnini. Jawardila-ma-rna durd ma ngabamujulu. ‘Now I’m talking. Tomorrow I will grab him, my brother and I.’ SEE: -rla. USAGE: This is an Eastern Mudburra ending. muju adv. together, one mob. = wanjirr.  Muju-bala yinbayi ngina yali Kujika. ‘We’re going to sing that ceremony together.’ mujurni adv. just when, just then.  Minya nguku balya yanarni mujurni. ‘It started raining right then.’ muk cv. draw out, suck out, syphon (e.g. get petrol out with a hose). USAGE: There is a similar word in Gurindji, ‘nyuk’. muk warndanini suck out.  Barla muk warndana kungulu. ‘He drew blood out of him.’ mukula SEE: mukurla. mukuna cv. sleep, lie down. = manyan, makina. SEE: balb. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word and Jaminjung has a similar word, ‘mukun’.

mukuna kayini lie down. mukurla n. father’s sister, aunty.  Mukurla bayi marnana, bayi nyangana ngayinya barnara. ‘My aunty said that she saw my father.’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mularda n. cripple, lame. = mardilyi, mulurrumulurru, marlumarlu.

216 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

mulywari  Kumungku wangi yali-ma yaninjanini bayi mularda. ‘He’s got a bad back so he limps around on me.’ mulb cv. go away. ALSO: murrb. mulb kayini  Mulb bali kayina. ‘They went away.’ mulb yanini  Bali-wanya mulb yananjanarra. ‘They got up and left.’ mulb dumarnini  Kadiya marlarluka bali mulb dumarna. Lurrbu-wanya bali yananjanarra ngurrangkurra. ‘Those old men got up to go. And then they went home.’ mulku SEE: murlku. mulngu SEE: murrngu. -mulu suf. don’t, stop. This ending is used to tell someone not to do something (prohibitive).  Wan kunumulu bangamulu! ‘Don’t spit!’  Karrila-li yali-ma karu! Darldarlmulu! ‘Leave that alone, kids! Stop making that noise!’  Karukujarra, karriwula wajkarramulu! ‘You two kids, don’t play around!’ mulungu cv. sneak up. = nanganangaj. mulungu yanini  Barna mulungu yandurru. ‘I gotta go sneak up.’ mulura n. maggot.  Mulura-ma-bula karu dijawu kunangawu blue-oneku. ‘Maggots are the young of big blowflies.’ SEE: kungurlurla. ‘Kungurlurla’ (large, dark blowflies) are attracted to meat, where they lay eggs. These eggs will hatch into maggots that eat the meat. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. muluriyi n. wife’s uncle, mother-in-law’s brother. mulurrmi n. 1 • turpentine wattle. = mungkurrja. Acacia lysiphloia. This plant is very good medicine. The leaves are sticky and have a strong smell. The twigs are boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat many illnesses,

but is especially good for ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). The young leaves can also be warmed on a fire and held against sore muscles and joints to relieve pain. The heated leafy twigs and branches can also be held against the head to relieve headaches. Leaves may be placed on hot coals so that they produce smoke, which is allowed to waft around the body to treat the same symptoms. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) are often found in the roots and at the base of the stems. In the hot weather this plant has a good smell, like medicine. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. 2 • red turpentine wattle. This type of wattle is similar to the turpentine wattle, but it does not smell as strongly and is not used for medicine. It has red, curly bark. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) are often found in the roots and at the base of the stems. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mulurrumulurru n. crippled person, lame person. = mardilyi, mularda, marlumarlu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mulwa n. word. = yurrwa, jaru. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mulyukuna n. black-headed python, piebald snake. Aspidites melanocephalus. See p. 412 for the hand sign. This python has a distinctive, black, shiny head and pretty stripes on its body. It is a quiet snake. In the past the old people used to eat them, but they are not eaten now. They would be gutted and sliced right along the middle, then coiled up and cooked in a round hole with a fire and hot stones. The meat was very good to eat. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mulyurrbkarra cv. dance by clapping thighs together (only by women). SEE: dumdum; jarra; jujirrki; milymily; murdu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. mulywari n. holey, have holes.  Nginya jawaranya-ma karri mulywari karlunini dardu. ‘This billycan has lots of holes.’ mulymulywari full of holes, hole-ridden. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 217

m

mum  Mulymulywari dardu mulywari karlunini.

M

‘It’s hole-ridden — has lots of holes in it.’ mum cv. dark, night time. = kamuru. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. mum wandiyini  Mum-wanya wandiyana. ‘It’s got dark now.’ mumbari n. darkness.  Mumbarila, kula barna nyangana. ‘In the darkness I couldn’t see.’ munarri n. finger. = ngunaru. SEE: marndamarnda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Eastern Mudburra uses ‘marndamarnda’ (hand) for ‘fingers’. munba n. kurdaitcha man, devil-killer, shape-shifter.  Karri nyundu-ma kurrulalawanya, munbawirri! ‘Stay put at night time so you don’t meet with a devil-killer!’  Munbali bayi mangarl yuwarna. ‘The devil-killer made me jump with fright.’ — Munba are evil and murderous. A human can change into a ‘munba’ in order to kill someone, and then change back into a human afterwards. Munba also sometimes try to influence people, persuading them to do something evil. Munba look normal in the daytime but at night their face changes into something demonic, they have no clothes and give off a bad smell of rotting flesh. They may work alone or in groups. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. munba n. spitfire grub, itchy grub. = juju. Lepidoptera, Ochrogaster spp. These grubs occur in large silken bags they weave at the end of the wet season. Their hairs are dangerous and cause pain and swelling if they touch you. They are like woolly caterpillars and sometimes they crawl in a long line, head to tail. munbalak cv. dry out. = warrard, balarr. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munbalak yuwarnini hang out to dry.

munbalak kanganini dry out. mundarla n. scorpion. Arachnida, Scorpiones. Scorpions have a painful sting in their tail and therefore are avoided. There is a special song that is sung to stop the pain. A hot stone placed on the bite also reduces the pain. The large black ones have the most painful sting. USAGE: This mundiri n. string. = duwany, yibungu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mundubarli n. wild onion yam. = karrngayi. Eleocharis brassii. This small yam grows near water. It is spicy and needs to be soaked in water before it can be cooked and eaten. ‘Kurrarndala’ (brolgas) also like to eat it. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munjuna n. elbow. = jungbirri.  Barnanyanu darlukurruna munjuna. ‘I just hurt my elbow.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. munkuna n. termites, white ants. ALSO: minkina. = jakirri. Isoptera, Macrotermes spp. Termites eat the wood inside trees. ‘Kulumbu’ (didgeridoos) can be made from like wild rice. They were collected from antbeds (termite mounds) and then winnowed in ‘kawarla’ (coolamons) to remove dust and grass seeds. The eggs were then eaten raw or lightly roasted on hot ashes and sand. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Munmaku n. Number 9 Bore, ceremonial ring at Number 9 Bore.  Kulaja, kirdama-rna yini-ma bulawa Munmaku nyangarlurni Kulajawu. ‘Kulaja, my father called it, Munmaku is one part of Kulaja.’ SEE: Jirrarnku; Kulaja. This place is just around the bend from Kulaja (North Hole). Munmulka n. swamp on Murranji station.  Munmulkarra murramula yalingkadarra wayaka kali ngarra. ‘They came up to all sorts of places around Munmulka.’ — This place is associated with the ‘kurrakurraka’ (storm bird). munmundurrunga n. one-armed. USAGE: This

218 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

munyinyi is very similar to the Jingulu words ‘munmunji’ and ‘munmurdi’. munungku SEE: murnungku. mungarra cv. black, dark, Aboriginal.  Biya jankiyanarra mungarrayili. ‘It might get burned and turn black.’  Wajurra-ma mungarra kayina madayi-ma ngukuwurru. ‘Yesterday there were black clouds full of rain.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. mungarrabiji cv. blacken.  Mungarrabiji bayi jankiyanarra nyangka. ‘Watch it so it doesn’t burn black.’ mungarrangarna n. blackfella, Aboriginal person, anything black or dark.  Yali-ma linyarda mungarrangarna. ‘Charcoal is black.’  Ngayu-ma-rna mungarrangarna. ‘I’m dark-skinned.’ — This word can be used to describe weather as well as objects and people. mungkaja n. wife, brother’s wife (for woman or man).  Banyanu ngardangana mungkaja-ma yalilima ngarrkali-ma. ‘That man abandoned his own wife.’ SEE: ngajala. See p. 402 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘mungkaj’ in Gurindji. mungkajkula pair of sisters-in-law; straight skin (appropriate for marriage).  Nangala, Namija balya mungkajkula. ‘We two, Nangala and Namija, are sisters-in-law.’  Marndaj bawurna nginya-ma barn bungana, mungkajkulali. ‘They’re okay to choose each other, they’re straight for marriage.’ mungkurrja n. 1 • turpentine wattle. = mulurrmi. Acacia lysiphloia. This plant is very good medicine. The leaves are sticky and have a strong smell. The twigs are boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat many illnesses, but is especially good

for ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). The young leaves can also be warmed on a fire and held against sore muscles and joints to relieve pain. The heated leafy twigs and branches can also be held against the head to relieve headaches. Leaves may be placed on hot coals so that they produce smoke, which is allowed to waft around the body to treat the same symptoms. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) are often found in the roots and at the base of the stems. In the hot weather this plant has a good smell, like medicine. 2 • red turpentine wattle. This type of wattle is similar to the turpentine wattle, but it does not smell as strongly and is not used for medicine. It has red, curly bark. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) are often found in the roots and at the base of the stems. mungurlu adv. hence, from here.  Mungurlu-ma barna yandurru ngurrakaringkurra. ‘I’m going to move out of here to another town.’ munyangan- v. many words beginning with ‘munyangan’ are forms of the verb ‘avoid’. SEE: munyanganini. munyanganini v. avoid, refrain, ignore.  Barna-wanya yali-ma munyangana. ‘I then avoided that one.’  Bayi munyanganjinganini. ‘She keeps avoiding me.’  Jangarili na banganda munyangana Ngunngayarrili. ‘Jangari Ngunngayarri then avoided us.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. munyanganini is avoiding. munyangana has avoided. munyangku will avoid, wants to avoid. munyangka avoid it! munyangk- v. many words beginning with ‘munyangk’ are forms of the verb ‘avoid’. SEE: munyanganini. munybari n. frightened to say anything, not talking, keeping something secret through fear. munyinyi n. introduced mice and rats. Pseudoantechinus ssp. The introduced mice and rats are called by the same names as a number of small native mice. These introduced Ngarinyman to English dictionary 219

m

munymunykarra

M

species live in houses and camps, however, but not in the bush. See p. 406 for the hand sign. munymunykarra cv. mix up, mess up, frightened (of supernatural). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munyumi cv. chew. munyumi kayini soften.  Minya munyumi karrila yali karuwu manyamanyabiji. ‘Chew that up for the child to make it soft.’ murakarna cv. make dinner camp.  Murlangka-rni ngandayila balawa murakarna karri. ‘We’ll make our dinner camp here in the shade.’ murdika n. car, vehicle. = kayang barnina, kurrurrij, karrakarrangarna.  Ngayima-rna sabibala murdika-wu-ma drive-im-kuma ngayi nyali kirdali bayi mirrarda marni. ‘I know how to drive a car because my father taught me.’ — See p. 419 for the hand sign. USAGE: Originally a Kriol word (from English ‘motor car’). murdu cv. dance by clapping thighs together (only by women). SEE: dumdum; jarra; jujirrki; milymily; mulyurrbkarra. murdu barnini dance by clapping thighs together.  Murdu bali barnini. ‘They are dancing by clapping their thighs together.’ murla- dem. here. = nginya, minya. ALSO: murlu-. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Only occurs with suffixes as shown below. murlangka here.  Kula-bun-ma-rna yandurru lurrija-rni. Murlangka-rni-bun barna karri. ‘I might not go away just yet. I will keep staying right here.’ murlangkurra towards here, towards this, this way.  Yalikujarra karukujarra bawurna durrbkarra langanini. Jindaba barna warndu, murlungkurra barna yuwarru. ‘Those two kids are poking each other. I will get one of them, and I will put him over here.’ murlangurlu from here, from this, after this.  Murlungurlu-ma dumanya lurrbu ngurrangkurra. ‘Go away from here and return home.’

murlku n. shoulder, shoulder joint, shoulder blade. = birimilyi, ngabikilyi.  Murlku-ma-rna lilinkarra kayini barna heavyonedarra wird karra warndanaku. ‘My shoulder is sore from having lifted heavy things.’ USAGE: This is the word for ‘upper arm’ in Gurindji. murlu- dem. this, this one, here, now. ALSO: mulu. = murla-, nginya.  Ngalajajama kuwanjala-rni Yingawunarringurlu-ma — barli yana murlu-maaaaaa, barla yanaaa, jumbubngurlu karrawarrakarra yanini Ngalajaja-ma. ‘Ngalajaja is this way from Top Springs — we go this way a while, we go this way, and just east from the jump-up is Ngalajaja.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. murlulu this one (did it).  Murlulu kardak dij warndana bangku. ‘This person broke your cup.’ murlungka here.  Bali karna murlungka wayi-n kujarra-ma bingali durum karnani karlujama ngayinya-ma. ‘We should stay here in case she comes back looking for you and me.’ murlungka-rni right here.  Murlungkarni karri. ‘Stay right here.’  Marndaj yandarra! Ngayu-ma balyangku yardi karri murlungka-rni kambarra. ‘You go, it’s fine! She and I will stay right here in front of you.’ murlungkurra towards here, towards this, this way.  Murlungkurra yana barnangku nyungku mangarri. ‘Come over here so I can give you food.’ murlungurlu from here, from this, after this.  Murlungurlu-ma dumanya lurrbu ngurrangkurra. ‘Go away from here and return home.’ murlunymawu belonging to this place, from this place, traditional owner.  Ngayuma-rna murlunymawu, ngurra-ma-rla. ‘I belong to this place; I am a traditional owner.’ — Used for the place you was born or places you have traditional rights over — ‘ngurramala’ (owner) or ‘jungkayi’ or ‘kulyungkulyungbi’ (policeman) — not the place you live. murlurra these, these ones. ALSO: murluya.

220 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

murruurru USAGE: These words ‘murlurra’ and ‘murluya’

are only used in Western Mudburra. murluwu to this one, for this one.  Murluwu barnarla wuj bungana. ‘I’ve been looking for this one.’  Kawarla barna mirrka ma murluwu karuwu manjalawu. ‘I’ll make a coolamon for a baby child.’ murnungku n. police officer. ALSO: murnungkuwurru. = yibunguwurru, ngarrambalyaka, jikalawurru. See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. murrb cv. break open, crack open, poke around. = dil, jalkaj. murrb barnini crack open.  Murrb barnana damangkangka. ‘He cracked his head open.’ murrb langanini poke around.  Minya banyanu mindirr yuwarna. Murrbkarra langka-rla crowbaryaru. ‘It buried itself here. Poke around for it with the crowbar.’ murrbkarra cracking open, poking around. murrijkarra cv. sick, start feeling sick. = janga. murrijkarra kayini start feeling sick. Murrinjangalu n. New Murranji Oustation. = Liyardu.  Murrinjangalu kujarra yini-ma karlunini Liyardulu-ma: Murrinjangalu, Liyardu. ‘New Murranji Outstation has two names: Murrinjangalu and Liyardu.’ murrkardi n. hat.  Murrkardi ngarda ngarna murdikangka. ‘She lost her hat in the car.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. murrkuna n. three. = yukardu.  Nginya bayi nyungana kujarra, murrkuna ngabarna-ma dilikarnana. ‘You only gave me two, but I asked for three.’ — See p. 433 for the hand

sign. USAGE: In Gurindji this is ‘murrkun’, and in Jingulu ‘murrkulu’ or ‘murrkunbala’. murrkuna-murrkuna three-by-three. murruba n. hail. = barrawurda. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. murrubala n. bottle.  Ayi kaku, warnda yali murrubala amba ban nguku warndu. ‘Hey kid, get that bottle so you can put water in it.’ Murrunjayi n. Murranji Station, Number 10 Government Bore (on Murranji Station).  Ngayinya bayi ngurra, Murranjayi-ma. ‘That’s my home, Murranji.’ murrungu n. tree trunk. ALSO: mulngu.  Murrngungka birna wirri murrngungka. ‘I might lean against this tree trunk.’  Yali laju-ma murrungungka larlarla, barrawanya mayingayaru. ‘There are witchetty grubs hiding in the tree roots, hit them with an axe.’ SEE: kinjaka; karndi. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word murrurru n. scar, cicatrice, stripe, ceremonial scar, wrinkle. = barduru.  Balika luwarnina marlarlukali-ma murrurru, kujarra, murrkuna, but jalya-ma wakurniwanya. ‘The old people would cut scars, two maybe three, but these days they don’t do it.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word, ‘murrurru’. murrurrumurrurru stripy.  Yali-ma bujikardi-ma murrurrumurrurruwurru bangku. ‘That cat is all stripy.’

Ngarinyman to English dictionary 221

m

-n

Nn

N

-n pro. you. SEE: ban. najbin n. men’s dance at initiation ceremony called Kujika. SEE: Kujika. Nalyirri n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jimija and Nangala, mother of Jurla and Nawurla.  Jalyirri, Nalyirriwu bayili kirda-ma Jimija. ‘Jimija is the father of Jalyirri and Nalyirri.’ SEE: Jalyirri. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. This is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Nalyirringinju’ in Jingulu. Nalyalyirri lots of Nalyirri women.  Ngayinya jakardidarra bayilii Nalyalyirrima. ‘My mothers are all Nalyirris.’ Nambijina n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jangala and Namija, mother of Janama and Nanaku. ALSO: Nambijinba.  Namijawurla juka-ma Nambijina. Nambijinawu barla kirda-ma Jangala. ‘Nambijina is Namija’s child. Jangala is Namibijina’s father.’ SEE: Jambijina. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with

J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. This is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Nabijinnginju’ in Jingulu. Nambabijina lots of Nambijina women.  Jukadarra bayili dardu Nambabijina-ma. ‘My nieces are all Nambijinas.’ nambula n. rock fig. Ficus platypoda. This tree grows on rocky outcrops and in stony country. There are a lot at OT Downs. The fruit are eaten when they turn red. They are very tasty, and are similar in taste to the commercial apricot. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. Namija n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jalyirri and Nimarra, mother of Jambijina and Nambijina.  Namijawu-rla juka-ma Nambijina. Nambijinawu barla kirdama Jangala. ‘Nambijina is Namija’s child. Jangala is Namibijina’s father.’  Nangala, Namija balya mungkajkula. ‘We two, Nangala and Namija, are sisters-in-law.’ SEE: Jimija. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Nimingjinu’ in Jingulu. Namamija lots of Namija women.

222 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Nangala  Namamija bayili dardu ngayinya jawijidarra. ‘Namijas are all my granddaughters.’ Namirini n. waterhole and community north of Muckety Station.  Namirini-ma kula barla kari kayirnikayirni Manuwunguwuma. ‘Namirini is not far north from Muckety.’ Nanaku n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jangari and Nambijina, mother of Jabarda and Nimarra. ALSO: Nana. = Ngamana.  Nambijinawuma-rla juka-ma Nana. ‘Nana is the child of Nambijina.’ SEE: Janama. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Eastern Mudburra typically uses Nana or Ngamana, while Nanaku is Western Mudburra. Nanakudarra lots of Nanaku women.  Nanakudarra ngayinya bayili ngajaladarra. ‘Nanakus are my sisters-inlaw.’ nanbari n. vegetable food, tucker. = mangarri. SEE: bundundurra; dinngarrwari. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nanikud n. nanny goat. = jirrmiriny. Capra hircus. SEE: bilikud. This is a Kriol word. In the past, goats were kept on stations and at missions for their meat and milk. Both of these are very tasty. nanjarrnga n. sugarleaf, lerps found on a variety of trees including ‘bidbidarra’ (coolabah), ‘darralyaka’ (ghost gum) and ‘kunduwa’ (bloodwood). = wandala, bijardku.

USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and

Gurindji word. nanji n. shelter made from paperbark called ‘narlinarli’, lancewood bark called ‘manjana’ or spinifex grass called ‘liwiji’.  Kurdi barna mirrka ma nanji barnanyanu. ‘Wait up, I’ll make a shelter.’ SEE: dumuru. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nankuna n. 1 • cave. = jarriny, bidbulu.  Kurdi yandarra, dandan wandi yalingkurra nankunangkurra nyangka nyinawurdawu. ‘Wait up, go into that cave and look for echidnas.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. 2 • ground soakage, spring, jump-up, cave with water.  Yalingka nankuna kurdi nyangkarri yali nankuna nguku ban barra banbungku. ‘In that cave, if you look you might find water.’ SEE: kuyuwa. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. nangaj cv. sneak, go slowly. ALSO: nanganangaj. = karrajkarraj. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nanganangaj yanini sneak along.  Nyambawu-ma nanganangaj yaninjanini? ‘Why is he sneaking around?’ nanganangaj karlamarnini sneak up on.  Kurdi barna minya kurrkabadi nanganangaj karlama kurrubarduyaru. ‘I will sneak up to that bush turkey with a boomerang.’ nangajkarra sneaking.  Nangajkarra bayina kalu marnini nyambawu? ‘Why is he always sneaking around talking to people?’ Nangala n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jambijina and Nangari, mother of Jalyirri and Nalyirri.  Ngayu-ma-rna Jimija. Nangala barna karlunini. ‘I am Jimija. I take Nangala [as a wife].’  Nangala, Namija balya mungkajkula. ‘We two, Nangala and Namija, are sisters-in-law.’ SEE: Jangala. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each Ngarinyman to English dictionary 223

n

Nangari

N

of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Nangalinginju’ in Jingulu. Nangangala lots of Nangala women.  Nangangala bayili ngabuju ngayinyama. ‘Nangalas are my sister’s grandkids.’ Nangari n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Janama and Nawurla, mother of Jangala and Nangala.  Nangariwu-ma barla kirdama Janama. ‘Janama is the father of Nangari.’  Ngayinya karlajali Nangarima dal barnini ‘kurndaja’. ‘My younger sister (Namija) calls Nangari ‘kurndaja’.’ SEE: Jangari. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Nangaringinju’ in Jingulu. Nangangari lots of Nangari women.  Nangangari-ma bali dardu mali bayili. ‘All of the Nangaris are my mothers-in-law.’ nangkalinya n. ground sugarbag, bee hive in the ground or rock. SEE: ngalyawurru; ngarlu. ‘Ngarlu’ (native bee-hives or ‘sugarbag’ in Kriol) contain sweet, dark honey that is very tasty and much sought after. The hives also contain wax, pollen and eggs. ‘Kunanga’ (the bees) are small, have no sting and are harmless. Sugarbag occurs in three main areas: in hollows in trees, in the ground and in termite mounds. ‘Nangkalinya’ is ground sugarbag and ‘ngalyawurru’ is tree sugarbag. ‘Kundarri’ or ‘kurla’ is the yellow eggs and pollen in the hive. ‘Jikala’ is the wax at the top of the

hive, and ‘barnmi’ is the wax at the bottom. You can’t eat this because it will burn your mouth. It is used with ‘nganju’ (kangaroo tendon) to bond spearheads to their shafts. ‘Kura’ is the bee droppings or shit. It is seen on the ground, below the hive entrance hole. It is one way you can spot hives. When you can’t chop open a tree to get at a tree hive, you can use a ‘junji’ (small brush) to get the honey out of the hive instead. If you see lots of native bees caught in a spider web, it tells you that there is a hive nearby and you should hunt for it. naraja n. ridge (rocky or sandy).  Barlawa yana narajangkurra diyijangkurra jakardini-rni ngurra yali-ma bayili. ‘(Yesterday) we went to the sandhill that’s my mother’s country.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. Naranaraja n. Union Camp at Marlinja. = Mardardban. SEE: Marlinja. This place is Bottom Camp, now abandoned, outside Marlinja community gate. In the Stormbird Dreaming, this is where the old man stormbird scared two young girls, who went to Longreach (Ijibarda) thereafter, where they created a ceremonial ground. USAGE: This is the Jingulu name, also used in Mudburra since the people who lived here at the camp were Mudburra and Jingili. nardburrunjini n. little black cormorant. = narli. Phalacrocorax sulcirostris. This bird can swim underwater for long distances, chasing ‘kakuwi’ (fish) to eat. The meat can be eaten after roasting on hot coals and ashes. narli n. little black cormorant. = nardburrunjini. Phalacrocorax sulcirostris. This bird can swim underwater for long distances, chasing ‘kakuwi’ (fish) to eat. The meat can be eaten after roasting on hot coals and ashes. This bird is countryman for ‘kiwinji’, but is darker in colour. narranjarna n. windbreak. = dumuru, nijiniji.  Marlarlukali bali birrka marninymarnirra narranjarna kambambarra-ma. ‘In the old days people used to make windbreaks.’ — See p. 418 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. Narrwan n. waterhole on Murranji Station.

224 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Ninibi  Kirda bayini-ma Mudburra-ma Narrwan. ‘My Mudburra father’s country is Narrwan.’ Nawurla n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jabarda and Nalyirri, mother of Jangari and Nangari.  Jurlawu, Nawurlawu kirda-ma-yili Jabarda. ‘Jabarda is the father of Jurla and Nawurla.’ SEE: Jurla. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Nawurlajban lots of Nawurla women.  Nawurlajban bali dardu yananjanarni. ‘Many Nawurlas are coming this way.’ -nbula pro. you two, the two of you. SEE: banbula.  Marndaj banbula kayini ngayinyangka-wanya. ‘Now you two are here with me.’ -nbularla pro. you two do it for her/him/it, you two do it to hers/his/its. SEE: banbularla.  Banbularla nyana jawaranya-ma kardi Nawurlawu-ma? ‘Did you two take that billycan to Nawurla?’ -nburnan pro. you two do it to yourselves/ each other, you two do it for yourselves/ each other, you to do it to your own/each other’s. SEE: banburnan.  Nyambawu banburnan junini-ma? ‘Why are you two annoyed at each other?’ -nda pro. you lot, you mob. SEE: banda.  Banda nyanganini? ‘Can you mob see it?’ -ndarla pro. you mob do it for her/him/it, you mob do it to hers/his/its. SEE: bandarla.  Bandarla kangana wumara yali dija-ma karrinyiwu-ma, dak karrinyiwu-ma? ‘Did you mob take that big rock for her to sit on, to sit down on?’ -ndarnan pro. you mob do it to yourselves/ each other, you mob do it for yourselves/ each other, you mob do it to your own/

each other. SEE: bandarnan.  Bandarnan warndana wumara-ma dak karrinyuwuma? ‘Did you mob bring rocks for yourselves, to sit on?’ USAGE: Western Mudburra uses this word while Eastern Mudburra generally uses ‘-ndarna’. Nijburru n. Pigeon Hole.  Nijburru karda ngurra-ma Pigeon Hole-side yali-ma na karlakakinyu-wanya. ‘Nitjburru is the home for the westerners over Pigeon Hole way.’ nijiniji n. trench to catch fish, dam, windbreak, breakwind with clean ground. = dumuru, narranjarna.  Kurdi barna mirrka ma nijiniji kakuyiwu. ‘I’m building a trench to catch fish.’ nikuru n. bush coconuts, insect galls. = nyikirrurru, kulindirnda, nyikirriri. Sternorrhyncha. USAGE: A similar word is found in Gurindji, ‘nyikirriri’. Nimarra n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jurla and Nanaku, mother of Jimija and Namija.  Nimarrawu, Jabardawu kirda-ma-yili Jurla. ‘Jurla is the father of Nimarra and Jabarda.’ SEE: Jabarda; Jimarra. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘Namirringinju’ in Jingulu. Nimamarra lots of Nimarra women.  Nimamarra bayi bayibala ngayinyama ngalinya-ma. ‘These Nimarras are my children.’ Ninibi n. one of the ‘ngurlu’ (matrilineal clan groups) into which Mudburra society is organised. Named after a type of Ngarinyman to English dictionary 225

n

Nirrina

N

grass. SEE: Burruburrurda; Buwarraja; Kalanybuka; Wilarrka; Yuwangka. Nirrina n. place near Ngabulu.  Nirrina bakayi-wanya Ngabula one side. ‘Nirrina is next to Ngabulu.’ nirrungarna n. cicada. Cicadidae. These insects sit on the trunks and branches of trees and call very loudly during the hot weather of the build-up. They call out ‘nirru . . . nirru . . . nirru’. When mature, the adult insect emerges from a hard skin case, leaving this case behind on the trunk of the tree. niruminji n. insect which lives in desert country (like at Murranji) and makes a humming noise. = burrmurumura. -njala suf. towards, this way, hither. This ending is used with the word ‘kuya’ to mean towards the person talking (hither).  Ngana kadi-ma dimirl kayinykayini? Bangalawarna nyanganjinganini kuyanjala dimirlwaringurlu. ‘Who is that in the fork of the tree? He is looking this way at us from the fork of the tree.’  Yali football wan kuyanda-yi kuyanjala! ‘Throw that football to me!’ -njurra pro. you mob, you lot, to you mob, for you mob, you mob’s. SEE: banjurra.  Ngayu-ma-rnanjurra banbiya-ma, nyangarlu-wanya. ‘I am an older relative for all of you, the only one left.’ -njurrangulu pro. they do it to you mob, they do it for you mob, they do it to you mob’s. SEE: banjurrangulu.  Marndaj banjurrangulu warndana wumara-ma dijadija dak wandiyinarnku - dakku-ma. ‘It’s good, they’ve brought you mob these big rocks to sit on.’ -nkurla pro. you do it for her/him/it, you do it to hers/his/its. SEE: bankurla.  Bankurla wij bungana yaluwu-ma balybaly marninawu-ma Karranga-ma. ‘You are looking for Karranga language to write down.’ -nnyanun pro. you do it to yourself, you do it for yourself, you do it to your own. SEE: bannyanun.  Nyununya-ma karndima bannyanun kunjanjarra? Yuwu, barnanyanu kunjanjarra ngayinya karndi-

ma. ‘Do you always water your tree? Yes, I always water my tree.’ nulka n. sand. = nuya. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Nungaliwurru n. Nungali people and language. ALSO: Nungali.  Wardamandi barla wujuk barnirra Nungaliwurruwu. ‘The Wardaman used to send word to the Nungaliwurru.’ — Nungali people live in the Timber Creek area. nungkuru n. hand, finger, forearm, thumb, little finger, first finger. = marndamarnda. SEE: kardawurra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word, and is the Gurindji word for elbow or forearm. nungulyu cv. rotten (of food), stinking. = lungulyu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nungulyu kayini stink.  Nungulyu ngabukarra kayini. ‘There’s a bad smell around, something’s rotten!’ nungulyu wandiyini stink.  Yali-ma mangarri-ma nungulyu-wanya. ‘That food is stinky now.’ nunyku cv. hungry. = balika, jamandarra. See p. 429 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. In Gurindji, the word is similar, ‘nunykuwarra’. nurd cv. knock down, weigh down. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nurd lamarnini knock down.  Nurd lamarnarra karu. ‘Somebody might knock the baby down.’ nurd kanganini weigh down.  Bambayi burriyibdi biya kanganarra, nurd kangka! ‘Weigh it down, in case the wind carries it away!’ nurnurnuminji n. paper wasp. Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Delta spp. SEE: burrmurumura. These large black and yellow wasps make their

226 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngabanju nests from mud collected at the edges of puddles, creeks and waterholes. They often build these nests on the outsides of people’s houses. They are aggressive and can sting you. These wasps are only seen by themselves, not in swarms. nuya n. sand, soft ground. = buyuda, nulka.  Nuyanuya nginya yuwulu-ma, bayi yunba jankini. ‘The ground here is sand, it might burn your feet.’ USAGE: There is also a similar word in Jingulu, ‘nuyanuya’. This word means ‘soft’ in Gurindji. nuyanuya soft, fine (like a powder), sand.

NG ng ngaa interj. well.  Ah kuya kuya, ngaa barla buwarraja-ma kirdawu-ma. ‘That’s the way, that’s my father’s Dreaming.’  Bangku marnana, ngaa? ‘He talked to you, right?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngab cv. miss target, fail to hit. = warrarra. ngab barnini fail to hit, miss.  Barna ngab barnana kurrkabadi kurrubarduyaru. ‘I missed hitting that bush turkey with the boomerang.’ ngab warndanini miss target.  Ngab warndana wumarayaru. ‘He missed it with the stone.’  Barna kadi ngab warndana mirlarrangjaru. ‘I missed him with a spear.’ ngaba n. older brother, older ‘cousin-brother’ (mother’s sister’s son or father’s brother’s son; older male parallel cousin). = baba.  Ngayu barnayina ngaba burlkunga. ‘I am their eldest brother.’  Yaliya-ma bangkulu ngabadarra Jurlajurla-ma nyununyawuma. ‘Those Jurlas are older brothers for you.’ — After a young man is initiated, he and his ‘full’ (i.e. biological) sisters can no longer say each other’s names out loud. Instead, they might say ‘so-and-so’, use each other’s initials, or use a nickname like ‘bro’ or ‘sis’. Additionally, for the first few years after the initiation, the young man’s sisters and female cousins can refer to him as ‘yirrimaka’. Some people also follow these same restrictions with their classificatory siblings — that is, with everyone who is of the right skin group regardless of any biological relationship. See p. 403 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngabamuju older brother and his younger sibling.  Nginya barna marnini, jawardilama-rna durd ma, ngabamujulu. ‘Here I’m saying, tomorrow I will grab him, my brother and I.’ ngabanju n. eye. ALSO: ngabanji. = mila.  Kurrajwarri ngabanju. ‘She has green eyes.’ SEE: mungarrangarna. USAGE: This word is also in Jingulu. ngabanjuwangka blind (permanently or Ngarinyman to English dictionary 227

ng

ngarbarlngabarl

Ng

temporarily).  Kamamurra yali-ma, ngabanjuwangka. ‘He’s blind, can’t see.’ ngabarlngabarl n. saltwater. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngabarn n. shoulder, top of the shoulder where kids sit. = labarn.  Yali karu ngabarnda yuwarrayi. ‘Carry the kid on your shoulders.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngabarurru n. blood. = kungulu. USAGE: There is a similar Jingulu word, ‘ngabarrangkurru’. ngabijimi n. millet, short rice grass. Eragrostis spp. This grass grows in plains and bluebush country. The green seeds can be eaten. Ants also collect the seeds and take them to their nests. Cattle like to eat the leaves of this grass. ngabikilyi n. shoulder blade. = birimilyi, kurdujukurduju.  Ngabikilyi-ma bardakurru bulikinginyi-ma. ‘The shoulder blade of a cow is good (to eat).’ SEE: murlku. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngabilibili n. bauhinia seed. SEE: wanyarri; jingi; banjibanji. ngabilyi n. young yellow yam on ‘babirda’ or ‘jikarrambini’. Ipomoea costata. SEE: babirda; jikarrambini. ngabu cv. smell (good or bad), stink. ALSO: ngabuk; ngabub. = ngunanga. USAGE: This is also a similar Gurindji word, ‘ngapuk’. ngabu nyanganini smell someone or something.  Barnangku ngabu nyanganini. ‘I can smell you.’  Ngabu nyanganini barna buliki. ‘I’m smelling cattle.’ ngabu kayini smell of something.  Nginya ngarrka bayi birrk yanarra. Ngabukarra kayina bardakurru. Spraywurru-barra. ‘This man walked past me. He smelt good. He might have some spray on.’ USAGE: Eastern Mudburra uses ‘ngabukarra kayini’ while Western Mudburra uses ‘ngabu kayini’. ngabukarra smelling, stinking.  Nungulyu ngabukarra kayini. ‘There’s a rotten smell around.’  Bardakurru ban ngabukarra kayini, spraywurru-barra. ‘You smell really

good, with the spray perhaps.’ ngabuju n. father’s mother (paternal grandmother) and her siblings; woman’s son’s child, sister’s son’s child (for a woman or man).  Kirdali, ngamirnili, kakulu, ngabujulu, ngunyarrili bali mirrka mala ngarranyana-ma. ‘The fathers, uncles, paternal grandfathers, great-uncles (paternal grandmothers’ brothers), and first cousins once removed (paternal grandmothers’ brothers’ sons) always make the ring place.’ — See p. 401 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. ngabukarrangarna n. stink-bug. = juju. Pentatomoidea. These grubs occur in large bags at the end of the wet season. Their hairs are dangerous and cause pain and swelling if they touch you. They are like woolly caterpillars and sometimes they crawl in a long line, head to tail. ngabulkulyu n. opilia vine. Opilia amentacea. This vine produces fruit in the rains of the wet season. The fruit turn yellow-brown as they ripen, becoming sweet and tasty. If the fruit are not fully ripe, or if are overripe, they can cause intense thirst and burn your mouth, irritating your lips and tongue. This means you need to be careful when selecting and eating them. They are eaten in large quantities by ‘kardajala’ (bush women). Ngabulu n. place near Nirrina. ALSO: Ngabula.  Nirrina bakayi-wanya Ngabula one side. ‘Nirrina is next to Ngabulu.’ ngabulu n. breast, milk, breast milk. = milki.  Yali nyungka karu ngabulu. ‘Give that child some milk.’ — See p. 405 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is in many languages of the region. Ngaburr n. place beyond Pigeon Hole.  Ngaburrngurlu yanirra — yanirra nyambala-ma — mulyukuna-ma. ‘It came from Ngaburr — that whatsit — blackheaded python.’ — The Mulyukuna (Blackheaded Python) Dreaming starts here, then travels through (among other places) Barnjak, Warlamarnda, Murranji (where he had a child who died), Liyardu, Kraala and

228 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngajarl Karrinjini. ngaburrayimi n. white plum, white currant. = juwurlana. Flueggea virosa. The white fruit are eaten when they are ripe. They are very sweet and tasty. The trees produce fruit in the middle of the wet season. The straight, dry stems are used for making ‘mirlirdi’ (spear-thrower hooks). They are also used to make firesticks or bush matches for lighting fires using ‘binyinyib’ (traditional drilling or friction method). In the old days, these firesticks were carried everywhere and could be used many times. In the wet season they were wrapped in paperbark to keep them dry. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Jingulu word. ngadarra quest. which, which way (how to do it), how, how much, what kind, what, which way.  Ngadarra barna kambu ngarina? ‘How do I cook that beef?’  Ngadarra? Marndaj, dimbak kayini. ‘How much (water is there)? It’s okay, it’s full.’  Ngadarra marnini? ‘What’s he saying?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngadarra-ngadarra confused.  Ngadarra-ngadarra bayi marnana yali ngarrka-ma. ‘That man left me confused.’ ngadarrarla quest. why? for what reason? = nyambawu.  Ngadayini yali-ma ngadarrarla? ‘What is he doing and why?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngadaru n. sulphur-crested cockatoo. = bangarra. Cacatua galerita. ngaday- v. many words beginning with ‘ngaday’ are forms of the verb ‘do what’. SEE: ngadayini. ngadayini v. do what, do something, happen to.  Ngadayini yali marluka-ma? ‘What is that old man doing?’  Ngadayina bangkulu? ‘What happened to you?’  Yali ngarrka kayang bajibarnarni kuyanjala bayi ngayinyangkurra. Ngadayinabarra balirla. ‘That man is sprinting this way, towards me. Something must have happened to him.’  Ngadayini yarri barlawa jardila-ma? ‘What are we doing tomorrow?’ ALSO: ngadayini. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are

listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. ngadayini is doing what. ngadayina has done what. ngadayarri will do what, wants to do what. ngadayarri do what! ngadik adv. forever. ALSO: ngajibarni. = jandak, kardarlu, ngajikba. ngadjana cv. nervous, worried, reluctant. ALSO: ngadjani.  Banyanu ngadjani-rni yali karulu-ma needlengurlu-ma. ‘That child is nervous about getting a needle.’ ngadjanga quest. how many, how much. ALSO: ngajajanga.  Ngadjanga ban karuma karlunini? ‘How many children do you have?’  Ngajajanga bali yananginyi? ‘How many people are coming?’ ngadjangku adv. fast, quickly. ALSO: ngajangku. = lurrija.  Duwajduwaj karri ngadjangku. ‘Climb up quick.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngajakurra n. barn owl, whitefaced owl. = kuyarru. Tyto alba. This owl has a pretty, round, white face. It only comes out at night. ngajala n. sister-in-law (brother’s wife or husband’s sister). SEE: mungkaja. As with ‘banji’ (brothers-in-law), one should never touch, give anything to or receive anything from a sister-in-law with only one hand. The free hand should be in contact with the touching, giving or receiving hand. See p. 402 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngajalkula pair of sisters-in-law.  Ngajalkula bawula yaninjanirra kadi. ‘There’s two sisters-in-law walking along.’ ngajalakurru n. mouth. = lirra. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngajarl cv. across water, cross water, swim across. = jakarajbi. ngajarl kayini swim across.  Malyaku kurdi barna ngajarl karri malyaku. ‘The far side, I’ll swim over to the other side.’ ngajarl yanini swim across.  Barna kurdi ngajal yandurru. ‘Hang on, I’ll swim across.’ Ngarinyman to English dictionary 229

ng

ngajarra

Ng

ngajarl kanganini take across while swimming.  Nginya barna kurdi ngajal kangkurru kurlundurru. ‘Wait, I’ll swim the hollow log across.’ ngajarra n. calf muscle, the muscle at the back of the lower leg. = ngilyikbi.  Ngajarra barna lilingkarra kayini, barna winymi kanarra wajurra-ma. ‘My calves hurt, I must’ve walked too much yesterday.’ ngajikba adv. forever. ALSO: ngadik; ngajikbarni. = jandak, kardarlu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngajkula n. diarrhoea, the runs. ALSO: ngajkulu.  Ngajkulawurru. ‘He’s got the runs.’ ngajurrujurru n. navel, bellybutton, umbilical cord. ALSO: ngajurru; ngajurrujurrubi. = julu. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. ngakaj n. backbone. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. ngakalyarra cv. skin off, skinned. = buyurr, wabalyu. ngakalyarra kayini skinned.  Ngakalyarra kayini, kungulu wandiyini. ‘He’s got skin off, he’s bleeding.’ ngakijbi cv. not want to go. = nyukunyuku, ngadjana. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngakijbi kayini not want to go.  Ngakijbi banyanu kayina. ‘He doesn’t want to go.’ ngakuny interj. exclamation when you witness your brother-in-law or sister-in-law being sworn at. SEE: warri. Spoken as an expression of pity or shame. If someone in the patrimoiety opposite yours is sworn at, you should say ‘kabarani’ or (if they are your brother-in-law or sister-in-law) ‘ngakuny’. If someone in your same patrimoiety is sworn at, you should say ‘warri’. If someone swears at your mother-in-law, you should say nothing, but make a sharp ‘raspberry’ sound by blowing air energetically between your pursed lips. ngal- v. many words beginning with ‘ngal’ are forms of the verb ‘eat’. SEE: ngarnini. Ngalajaja n. place just east of Top Springs.  Ngalajaja-ma kuwanjalarni Yingawunarringurlu-ma — barli yana murlu-maaaaaa, barla yanaaa, jump-upngurlu karrawarrakarra yanini

Ngalajaja-ma. ‘Ngalajaja is this way from Top Springs — we go this way a while, we go this way, and just east from the jump-up is Ngalajaja.’ Ngalangkayini n. place just south of North Hole (Kulaja).  Yili-ma karda kiwarlija yanirra, Ngalangkayiningurluma Warrangankungkurra-nayi likarda bambiwurru. ‘The snake went that way from Ngalangkayini to Beetaloo.’ — This place is associated with ‘kiwarlija’. -ngalawa pro. us (including you), to us (including you), for us (including you), ours (including yours). SEE: bangalawa. ALSO: -ngalawarna.  Yali ngarina luwangalawa, amba barlawa ngalu. ‘Shoot that animal for us, so that we can eat it.’ -ngalawan pro. you do it for us (including you), you do it to ours (us including you). SEE: bangalawan. -ngalawangulu pro. they do it to us (including you), they do it for us (including you), they do it to ours (including you). SEE: bangalawangulu.  Ngarina lab warnda-ngalawangulu! Kanganba-li! ‘You mob pick up some meat for us! You mob bring it here!’ ngalawuny n. man’s child, child of brother (niece or nephew). SEE: ngalinya. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngalbaya n. desert bluetongue lizard. = lungkura, mabaya. Tiliqua multifasciata. See p. 411 for the hand sign. The desert bluetongue lizard is considered to be female and is generally smaller than northern blue-tongues. It has orange skin on its back and a black mask on its face near its eyes. The meat from this lizard is good to eat after roasting on hot coals and ashes. The skin needs to be scraped off before eating as it is quite scaly and sticks to the meat. These lizards are easy to catch as they cannot run very fast. You can easily knock them on the head with a stick. They can bite hard, though, so you need to be careful with them. They are fattest in the hot weather season, so this is the best time to eat them. -ngali pro. you and me, us two, two of us, to us two (you and me), for us two (you and

230 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngalyawurru me), ours (yours and mine). SEE: bangali. ALSO: -ngalinju.  Mangarri-ma kangkangalinju. ‘Bring food for you and me.’ ngalijirri n. 1 • female red kangaroo, desert kangaroo. = wawirri, yunumburrku, kanjarlawirri, wakwara, junumburrku. Osphranter rufus. This is the largest kangaroo and the ‘kajangarna’ (adult males) can be very tall and muscular. The meat is eaten after roasting and is very tasty. Some people think this is the best kangaroo meat. They are most commonly seen in the southern areas, but they live everywhere. They are common in the Elliott area and other places like Marlinja and Beetaloo. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘kajangarna’ (or ‘kajangarnarra for a group of them’). This name means bush-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in bush areas. See p. 405 for the hand sign. 2 • female hill kangaroo, rock kangaroo, wallaroo. Osphranter robustus. SEE: wardabarnmarra. These kangaroos are good to eat after roasting. They often have long, shaggy fur and can range in colour from dark grey to light grey to a bit reddish. The large males are quite heavily built and often a reddish colour. These kangaroos are often seen in hilly parts of the country, like in the area around Powell Creek. They rest in the hills during the heat of the day and come down to the slopes and plains to feed when it gets cool at dusk and during the night. They are only seen by themselves; they do not live in groups. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘wumarangarna’ in Mudburra (or ‘wumarangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means rock-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in rocky areas. -ngalin pro. you do it for you and me, you do it to ours (yours and mine). SEE: bangalin. -ngaliny suf. our, yours and mine. This ending is used on words for family meaning that the family member belongs to you and me. = ngayinya, bangali.  Kadi jawaranya warndarra-ngali barnaramarnanykurra. Barli ngalu lalija. ‘Go over to your father (or father’s sibling) and get the billycan for you and me. You and I will drink tea.’ USAGE: The is a Western Mudburra word ending.

ngalinya n. man’s child, brother’s child (for a woman or man).  Ngayinya bayi lambarra karrinyarra. Ngalinya barnarla karlunirra ngayulu-ma. ‘He was my father-in-law. I had his daughter (as a wife).’  Minya-karda barnayina nyunganini buwarraja-ma ngayinya ngalinyadarrawu-ma, amba bali karluya kakunyannginyi-ma. ‘I am giving this Dreaming to my sons so they can keep it, all the way from their paternal grandfather.’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. -ngaliya pro. her/him and me, us two, the two of us, to us two (her/him and me), for us two (her/him and me), ours (hers/his and mine). SEE: bangaliya. ALSO: -ngaliyany. -ngaliyan pro. you do it to her/him and me, you do it for her/him and me, you do it to ours (hers/his and mine). SEE: bangaliyan. ngaluba n. shade. = ngandayi.  Kurdi barna ngalubangka karri. ‘Wait up, I’m going to sit in the shade.’ — See p. 418 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. ngalurrunga n. countryman, neighbour, relative, someone with whom you have family or cultural ties. = ngarlina.  Nginyama barlawa ngalurrunga; nyanganimurlu! ‘We’re all countrymen; don’t stare!’  Ah, wanjuwarrangarnarra bali yaliya-ma? Ah, ngayinya-rni bangalawangulu ngalurrungadarra.” ‘Hey, where is that mob from? Ah, they’re countrymen for all of us.’ SEE: warnayaka. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngalurrungalurru n. early, first light, before dawn.  Marndaj nyana jabaka-ma bayinama dumarni ngalurrungalurru kamirinji dija dumarni ngurrangurlu-ma kawankardma dumarnira. ‘Okay, this old woman, big morning star, rose at daybreak, rose wandering from camp.’ ngalyawurru n. tree sugarbag, bee hive in a tree. SEE: nangkalinya; ngarlu. ‘Ngarlu’ (native bee-hives or ‘sugarbag’ in Kriol) contain sweet, dark honey that is very tasty Ngarinyman to English dictionary 231

ng

Ngamana

Ng

and much sought after. The hives also contain wax, pollen and eggs. ‘Kunanga’ (the bees) are small, have no sting and are harmless. Sugarbag occurs in three main areas: in hollows in trees, in the ground and in termite mounds. ‘Nangkalinya’ is ground sugarbag and ‘ngalyawurru’ is tree sugarbag. ‘Kundarri’ or ‘kurla’ is the yellow eggs and pollen in the hive. ‘Jikala’ is the wax at the top of the hive and ‘barnmi’ is the wax at the bottom. You can’t eat this because it will burn your mouth. It is used with ‘nganju’ (kangaroo tendon) to bond spearheads to their shafts. ‘Kura’ is the bee droppings or shit. It is seen on the ground, below the hive entrance hole. It is one way you can spot hives. When you can’t chop open a tree to get at a tree hive, you can use a ‘junji’ (small brush) to get the honey out of the hive instead. If you see lots of native bees caught in a spider web, it tells you that there is a hive nearby and you should hunt for it. Ngamana n. one of the eight skin names for women and girls. Daughter of Jangari and Nambijina, mother of Jabarda and Nimarra. = Nanaku.  Nanali-ma bali karlala kujarra manyku: Ngamana, Nana. ‘The Nanas have two skin names: Ngamana and Nana.’ SEE: Janama. Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. USAGE: This is also a word in Warumungu, and is not used in Western Mudburra. ngamanburru n. conkerberry. = baka. Carissa spinarum. This shrub produces

fruit in the wet season. They are sweet and very tasty, and are eaten when they are black. When the fireflies are active at night, with their lights blinking on and off, the fruit are ripe and ready to eat. Many different birds also eat the fruit, including ‘karnanganja’ (emus) and ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys). The roots are used to cure toothaches. They are dug up and the inner, bright orange wood is scraped off in fine shavings. This can be pushed into the hole of a rotten tooth to stop the pain. The roots of large plants can be used to make small come-back boomerangs. See p. 415 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. ngamari n. mistletoe. Amyema spp. This plant grows on trees, especially bloodwoods and bauhinia trees. Children like to eat the fruit, which are sweet and sticky like chewing gum. When Shannon Dixon and Pompey Raymond were kids they ate them all the time. Birds also eat this fruit. The flower buds can be used as toy eyeglasses by children. ngambungambu n. replacement name used when you don’t know someone’s real name or can’t say it for cultural reasons, ‘so-and-so’.  Barla nyungana danku yali kayangarnawu-ma, barniwu-ma ngambungambuwu-ma. ‘He gave gear to that devil-killer so he would kill that soand-so.’  ‘Ngambungambu’ marra-rla. Yini-ma karrila! ‘Say ‘ngambungambu’ for him. Leave his name (i.e. don’t say it)!’  Yali-ma ngambungambu, kula barnarla bina-wanya yiniwu-ma. Kula barnarla jalya kawaj marnirra yiniwu-ma. ‘That so-andso, I don’t know his name anymore. I forgot his name a long time ago.’ SEE: jalkandarra. You should avoid saying a person’s name if, for example, they have already passed

232 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngandirr away, or if they have the same name as someone who has passed away. You should call them ‘ngambungambu’ instead. ‘Ngambungambu’ is like the Central Australian word ‘kumanjayi,’ though not as widespread or as frequently used. USAGE: This is also a Warumungu word. ngamirni n. uncle, mother’s brother.  Ngayinya-ma bayi burlkunga ngabujuma ngayinya kirdawu barla burlkunga ngamirni. ‘My eldest ‘ngabuju’ (great-uncle) is my father’s eldest uncle.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngamu interj. I don’t know.  Nyamba yalima marnini kardiba-ma? Ngamu. ‘What are those whitefellas saying? I don’t know.’  Jingulu barla, ngamu. ‘He might be Jingili, I don’t know.’ ngamurrumurru cv. in someone’s arms (not having a coolamon, etc.) = juluj. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngana quest. who, someone. ALSO: nganda. = nyamba.  Ngana yali kija yananjanarni? ‘Who that coming up?’  Nganali bangku jiliki ngana? ‘Who questioned you?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngananganju which mob, who (large group of people).  Ngananganju barla kadi-ma? ‘Who is that mob?’ nganangka where. = wanjuwarra.  Nganangka ngurrangka-ma ? ‘What is this place?’ — Used to ask ‘what place’ to seek identification, not ‘where’ as in ‘which path’. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nganayila what’s-hisname, what’s-its-name.  Nganayila yalima, barna mujikarrinyi yini marrila. ‘Here’s what’s-his-name, I’ve forgotten his name.’ nganawurru who’s that with you? This word is used if you can’t remember someone or something’s name. It is not used as a name replacement when you can’t say someone’s name for cultural reasons — in that case use ‘ngambungambu’. nganabarru n. buffalo. = babalu,

manburrwari. Bubalus bubalis. Wild buffalo are still occasionally seen, but most were killed during the brucellosis and tuberculosis (BTEC) eradication scheme in the 1980s and 1990s. Buffalo meat is good to eat, especially from young ones. It has a strong taste. Buffalo are cranky and dangerous in the bush. -nganda pro. us (not you), to us (not you), for us (not you), ours (not yours). SEE: banganda.  Ngayinya-ma-nganda jakardi-ma Marlinjangurlu darduwu-rni. ‘Our mother was from Marlinja.’ nganda cv. surround. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nganda yanini surround. -ngandan pro. you do it to us, you do it for us (not for yourself), you do it to ours (not yours). SEE: bangandan. -ngandanngulu pro. you mob do it to us, you mob do it for us, you mob do it to ours. SEE: bangandanngulu. -ngandangulu pro. they do it to us (not you), they do it for us (not you), they do it to ours (not yours). SEE: bangandangulu.  Kangan-ngandangulu ngarina-ma ngajangkungajangku! ‘You mob bring us the meat quickly!’ ngandayi n. shadow, shade, reflection, image (e.g. photograph). ALSO: ngandawi. = ngaluba.  Yali wanyarri bardakurru ngandayiwurru barlawa dak wandi. ‘The bauhinea tree has good shade to sit in.’ — See p. 418 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word, and similar to the Gurindji word. ngandilwari n. bow-legged.  Yali-ma kayini ngandilwari ngarrka-ma. ‘That man is bowlegged.’ ngandirdi n. honey grass. Poeceae. The stems of this large grass are used to extract honey out of ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag). You can also use them as sponges to soak up honey. Then you can suck and chew them. This grass grows on plains country. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngandirr cv. have bent legs, bow-legged. ngandirr kayini stand with legs bent.  Yali nyangka kardiba! Ngandirr kurdij Ngarinyman to English dictionary 233

ng

nganj-

Ng

kayinykayini. ‘Look at that white man! He’s standing up with his legs bent.’ ngandirrngandirr yanini walk with legs bent.  Kadi-wanya nyana-ma ngandirrngandirr yananjanarra. ‘There is that one who goes along with bent legs.’ ngandirrwari someone with bent legs.  Ngandirrwari yali-ma, ngandirr kurdij kayinkayini. ‘He’s bow-legged, always standing with bent legs.’ nganj- v. many words beginning with ‘nganj’ are forms of the verb ‘eat’. SEE: ngarnini. nganju n. tendon. = yaningkirra.  Barli ngini-ma marlarlukali-ma-li nganju yawurru dik marnirra nyambala shovelma mirlarrangku nyana mirrka marnirra, marlurlukali-ma nganju yarrurru dik manirra. ‘In the old days people would use tendons to put together shovels and spears and things, to make them.’ — This tendon comes from kangaroos or wallabies and was used to fix spear or axe heads to shafts, often with spinifex or sugarbag wax. USAGE: This is also a word in Jaminjung and Jaru, but not Gurindji or Jingulu. nganju cv. hurt someone’s feelings or offend someone. = majula barnini. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -nganju suf. group of related things or people, mob, ‘so-and-so mob’. This ending attaches to a word to mean a group of people associated with a person or place (group). USAGE: This is also a Gurindji ending.  Dikirrijnginyi-ma-wanya, kula bayili bina karrinyarra, kadi-ma kardibanganjuma ngumbinanganju-ma. ‘After having almost died, none of them knew about me, none of the non-Indigenous or the Indigenous people.’  Nginya barnali Raymondnganju-wanya turnoff kayina Causeway Borengkurra-wanya. ‘Here with Raymond’s mob now, we turned off towards the Causeway Bore.’  Yaliyanganju-karda barnanyanu warndana — abaaba bibibari. ‘I got that stuff, and other related things, for myself — those warm clothes (and so on).’ ngangaj cv. think. = barnbungku. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngangaj kayini think. ngangayarra cv. short of wind, out of breath, puffed, panting. SEE: ngard.

ngangayarra kayini panting, puffing, out of breath.  Kurdi barna wayabi karri ngangayarra barna kayini. ‘Wait up, I’m tired and I’m panting.’ ngangbarra cv. deep. ALSO: ngangkurra.  Darlukurru ngangbarra kayini, kula kajubari. ‘The hole is deep, not shallow.’ ngangbarra kayini gape, yawn.  Lirra barna kurdi ngangbarra kayini. ‘I’m yawning.’ ngangkurra SEE: ngangbarra. ngany cv. not recognise, incorrectly identify. ngany bunganini not recognise.  Barnangku ngany bungana. Barrarnayi ban jindaba. ‘I didn’t recognise you. I wrongly thought you were someone else.’ nganya n. fur, body hair (not head hair) of humans, animals. = kaarri, yinjalmarri, winjalma.  Yali warlakulu nganyali ngarda ngarnini, nganyawangka-wanya. ‘That dog’s fur fell out and now its furless.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. nganyawurru furry.  Nginya warlaku kari-ma nganyawurru — yali jindaba-ma wakurni bidbida. ‘That dog over there is furry — this other one is clean.’ ngararra cv. play, dance, corroboree. = wajkarra.  Karudarrakari ngararra kayili. ‘Go play, you other kids.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngard cv. breathe, sigh. = ngayib. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. ngard kurnini breathe.  Wangi wangi barna, kula barna ngard kurnini bardakurru. ‘I’m doing poorly, I can’t breathe well.’ ngardang- v. many words beginning with ‘ngardang’ are forms of the verb ‘leave’. SEE: ngardanganini. ngardanganina n. someone who leaves (person, place, or leaves things behind). = wanjanina.  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma, yali-ma kirri-ma ngarrkali-ma yalili-ma ngardangkala, ngardanganina. ‘That man, that man’s always leaving that woman, he’s a leaver.’  Marrili-rla ngardangala banyana danku-ma — ngardanganina yali-ma. ‘Tell

234 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Ngarinymanburru him he’s left his swag — he’s always leaving things behind.’ SEE: ngardanganini. ngardanganini v. leave, abandon, surrender, give up.  Marndaj karliya-wanya. Barnangku ngardanganini. Dardalya bayin kayina. ‘Okay, you can keep it then. I’ll leave you alone. You have been stronger than I.’  Bayi ngardanganini. ‘He is leaving me.’ SEE: wanjanini. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. ngardanganini is leaving, leaves. ngardangana has left. ngardangku will leave, wants to leave. ngardangka leave! ngardanganinja n. someone or something that has been left, abandoned.  Yali warnda ngardanganinja. ‘Get that stuff he left behind.’ SEE: ngardanganini. ngardarda n. crab. = marnababurni. Holthuisana transversa. This crab lives under the ground in the dry times and comes out when the ground is wet and there is lots of water around. In big wet seasons they are common and are mostly active at night when they hunt for a feed. The meat inside the shell is good to eat after roasting on hot coals. Many waterbirds also eat them. ngardikarra cv. moan. = nguyarra, nguwarra. ngardikarra kayini moan.  Nyambawu ngardikarra kayini yali-ma janga kayininya? ‘Why is he moaning. Is he hurt?’ ngardjanini v. want to keep something for yourself, not want to give it away.  Nginyama-rna ngardjarru, ngayinya bayi. ‘I’m keeping this to myself, it’s mine.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. ngardjarru will keep for oneself, want to keep for oneself. ngardjanini keep for oneself. ngardjida n. nail (as fingernail, toenail). ALSO: ngaljida; ngaljirda. = milinji. USAGE: This is a Western

Mudburra word. ngarimi cv. war, fight. = bunba.  Bunbali balirna barnina yalima jindabali-ma luwarndana ngarimiwanya. ‘They were fighting then that guy shot someone and now it’s war.’ — This is not for a fight between two or a small number of people, but a fight for a lot of people. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. ngarina n. meat, game, muscle, flesh, animal, ‘beef’ in Kriol. = kanyburru.  Ngarina-rni bali barnana. ‘They killed only that beef.’  Yili nyaka ngarka ngarina, ngarinawurru, ngarina diyija, darduni. ‘That man’s muscly, he’s got lots of big muscles.’ — See p. 404 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngarinabijirni only meat or beef (and, e.g. no bread). ngarinangarna stockman, butcher, hunter, someone who eats lots of meat.  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma ngarinangarna. Biyangkala ngarina. ‘That man is a butcher. He always cuts up beef.’  Yaliya-ma bali mungarrangarna-ma ngarinangarna. Bali warangali karra. ‘Those Aboriginal people are stockmen. They work (as stockmen).’  Ngayinya warlaku bayi dikirrij kayina. Ngarinangarna. ‘My dog died. He was a good hunter.’ Ngarinyman n. Ngarinyman language and people.  Ngaliwurrulu, Ngarinymandi, Bilinarrali ngarrkali-ma, Mudburrali wujuk barnirra karu Wardamanjirri, Karrangangkurra. ‘The Ngaliwurru, Ngarinyman, Bilinarra, and Mudburra men sent the boys to the Wardaman and Karranga.’ Ngarinymanburru n. Ngarinyman people.  Barla Bilinarrali wujuk banirra yurrwa Ngarinymanburruwu. Kankarra banyanu karlamarnirra binkaka yali Humbertnginyila binkaka kankarra Ngarinymanburrulu-ma. ‘The Bilinarra would send word to the Ngarinyman. The Ngarinyman would meet up upstream on the Humbert River.’ USAGE: This is a Western Ngarinyman to English dictionary 235

ng

ngarla

Ng

Mudburra word. ngarla conj. but, what about, however.  Ngarla nyundu? Nganali bangku mirrarda marni Jinguluwu-ma? Jalyirrili, ngayinyali ngamirnili. ‘What about you? Who taught you about Jingulu? Jalyirri, my uncle, did.’  Ngarla ngadarra bangku marnana ngarrambalyaka-ma nyununyawu-ma? ‘But what did the police say to you?’ ngarla cv. get up, stand up.  Ngarla yandarra. ‘Get up and go now.’ ngarlaardku n. scraping stick, chisel. = juna, minanga.  Kurdi barna ngarlaardku warndu, barna nyana mirrka ma kurrubardu. ‘I’ll get that scraping stick so I can make a boomerang.’ SEE: binymala; langanirra. A curved scraping stick with a sharp tip used for shaping a boomerang. The tip is sometimes of stone or metal. Means ‘chisel’ by extension. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. ngarlaka n. head, hill. = kurlaka, damangka, walu, kalirrungu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngarlaminymirna n. small bats (including longeared bat). ALSO: ngarlamanymanya. Nyctophilus geoffroyi. This bat has large ears and roosts in any little hole it can find. It hunts at night. ngarlangbalangku n. wave, ripple.  Bub marnini wunba-ma ngarlangbalangku yuwarnini. ‘The wind is blowing and making a wave.’ — This word typically refers to ripples or waves made by wind on water. ngarlika n. spear-thrower. = jirrk, warlmayi, jalkaji. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngarlina n. countryman, family member, neighbour, relative, someone with whom you have family or cultural ties. = ngalurrunga.  Nginya yanarni ngarlina-ma lurrbu-rni. ‘This countryman has just come

back.’  Kirrawarra, kurlarra, karlarra: ngarlina-ma-ngalawangulu. ‘In the north, the south, the west: these are our countrymen.’ SEE: warnayaka. ngarlingarli n. paperbark, tea-tree, paperbark. = bakarli. Melaleuca lasiandra, Melaleuca nervosa, Melaleuca viridiflora. The papery bark from these trees has multiple uses such as making coolamons by tying the ends together with bush string and wrapping food before cooking in ashes or in a ground oven. Large sheets of this bark can be used to make wet-season shelters to keep the rain off, or dry-season shelters to keep the sun off. The bark is good to put inside ‘kawarla’ (wooden coolamons) to create a soft padding for a baby to lie on. It can be used to make a pouch to carry stone knives and stone spearheads so they remain sharp and do not get damaged. See p. 415 for the hand sign. ngarlu n. sugarbag, native honey, sugar, jam. SEE: nangkalinya; ngalyawurru. ‘Ngarlu’ (native bee-hives or ‘sugarbag’ in Kriol) contain sweet, dark honey that is very tasty and much sought after. The hives also contain wax, pollen and eggs. ‘Kunanga’ (the bees) are small, have no sting and are harmless. Sugarbag occurs in three main areas. One is found in hollows in trees, one occurs in the ground and the other in termite mounds. ‘Nangkalinya’ is ground sugarbag and ‘ngalyawurru’ is tree sugarbag. ‘Kundarri’ or ‘kurla’ is the yellow eggs and pollen in the hive. ‘Jikala’ is the wax at the top of the hive and ‘barnmi’ is the wax at the bottom. You can’t eat this because it will burn your mouth. It is used with ‘nganju’ (kangaroo

236 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngarramili tendon) to bond spearheads to their shafts. ‘Kura’ is the bee droppings or shit. It is seen on the ground, below the hive entrance hole. It is one way you can spot hives. When you can’t chop open a tree to get at a tree hive, you can use a ‘junji’ (small brush) to get the honey out of the hive instead. If you see lots of native bees caught in a spider web, it tells you that there is a hive nearby and you should hunt for it. See p. 405 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngarn- v. many words beginning with ‘ngarn’ are forms of the verb ‘eat’. SEE: ngarnini. -ngarna suf. This ending is used for people or things associated with a place or sometimes a more abstract property (denizen). ALSO: -ngarnarra.  Kirrawarrangarnarra barla marnirra malywa, ‘Marndaj nyundu ban dardalya-ma.’ ‘The north wind said to him, ‘Fine, you are stronger’.’  Yali-ma karu-ma bangku winymingarna-wanyanya? ‘That child of yours is a walker now, isn’t it?’  Dardu barna barnana ngarina nginya barna warlaku kanganarra bardakurru walanjangarna. ‘I killed lots of meat hunting because I brought my excellent goanna dog.’ ngarnina n. glutton, someone who likes to eat.  Ngarnina yali mangarriwu-ma — nganjala. ‘He’s a big eater of food — he’ll eat.’ SEE: ngarnini. ngarnini v. eat, drink.  Minya barna kandirri ngarnini

dardalya wangkunginyi. ‘I am eating this hard bread that has been in the sun.’  Ngarrkali ngarina ngarnini. ‘The man is eating meat.’  Nguku barna ngalu. ‘I’ll drink the water.’ SEE: birnini. See p. 422 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of possible forms of this verb, see Section 9.

ngarnini is eating. ngarnana has eaten. ngalu will eat, wants to eat. nganja eat it! ngarninja n. something that has been eaten.  Minya mangarri-ma ngarninja. ‘That food’s been eaten.’ SEE: ngarnini. ngarnka n. beard, chin.  Yali wanyanu biyarnana ngarnka, kliinbala-wanya. ‘That man has cut his beard, he’s now cleanshaven.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngarrab cv. hot, really hot, burning. ALSO: ngarra; ngarr; ngarrangarra. = wululu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngarrab kayini hot.  Barna ngarrabkarra kayini majula. ‘I’m feeling hot.’  Ngarrab kayini yulu. ‘That ground is hot.’  Ngarrab kayina warlu, jaly kayini, marndaj. ‘He had a high temperature, he’s cooled down now, he’s okay.’ ngarrab jankiyini burn.  Ngarrangarra jankiyini. ‘It’s burning (inside).’ ngarrabkarra burning. ngarrajaja n. owlet nightjar. = jirrikik. Aegotheles cristatus. SEE: judjudngarna. This small owl lives in hollow logs in the day and comes out at night to hunt for little insects. It calls loudly at night and can be heard for a long distance. ngarramal cv. shining, light everywhere, especially at dawn or daybreak.  Badangkarra bayi ngarramal kayini. ‘That moon is shining.’ ngarrambalyaka n. police officer. = jikalawurru, murnungku, yibunguwurru.  Kayang bajibarra nyundu-ma ngarrambalyakawirri kamurungka-rni! ‘Keep running away from the police (every morning) while it’s still dark!’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngarramili n. white gum, cabbage gum. = ngurlkuku, wubala. Corymbia grandifolia. The hollow branches of this tree can be used to make ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos). The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). Ngarinyman to English dictionary 237

ng

ngarrijkarra

Ng

‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) may be found in this tree. ‘Kurrunyu’ (the bark) can be used to make ‘buna’ (ashes) for ‘warnu’ (tobacco). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. ngarrijkarra cv. start, begin. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngarrka n. fully grown and initiated Aboriginal man. = miyard.  Ngarrkawuma, kula bali nyangku kirrili-ma. ‘The women can’t look at the men (during certain ceremonies).’  Yali-karda ngabarlngabarldi-ma ngarrka-ma duwarduwajkarra kurnirra wumarangkurra. ‘That salt water pushed the Aboriginal people up onto the high rocks.’ — ‘Ngarrka’ refers to a man who has completed the initiation ceremony and is a fully-grown adult (about 20 years of age or older). Before this, when he is newly-initiated and still young (in his mid or late teens, perhaps), he is called ‘yaba’ instead. ‘Ngarrka’ can also sometimes refer to Aboriginal people in general (not just men), in the same way that the English word ‘mankind’ has sometimes been used to mean all people. See p. 398 for the hand sign. ngarrka cv. recognise, know a person, identify a person, know a language. = bina, jangkijbiyi. ngarrka marnini recognise.  Kadi ban ngarrka marnini? ‘Do you know him?’  Ban ngarrka marnini yurrwa? ‘Do you know language?’ ngaruk cv. dive. = darab. ngaruk barnini dive.  Ngaruk bandi marlangayi wanda. ‘Dive down and get mussels.’ ngaruk wandiyini drown.  Mayilakurruma kurlarra Marlinjangurlu-ma, yalingkurra ngayinya kalaja-ma ngaruk wandiwanya kambarra-ma. ‘Mayilakurru is south of Marlinja, that’s where my sister drowned

a long time ago.’ ngawayi part. yes. = yuwayi, yuu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngawurra n. hot sand.  Kurdi, warnda yali karndidarra and linyarda. Barlawa warndu ngawurra yali-karda. ‘Wait, get the firewood and charcoal (out of the way). We are going to get that hot sand (in order to ‘burn’ a baby).’  Karndiku barnalirla barnini wumaralu, kinyiwurrawu. Barnali kambarnini ngawurrali. ‘We hit at (the ground) with a stick and a rock, looking for wild onions. We cook (the onions) in hot sand.’ — Used on a new-born baby and its mother to ‘burn’ them. This is separate from the burning or smoking done with antbeds. ngayab cv. jump out. = bij. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngayab warndanini jump out. ngayi pro. I, me. ALSO: ngayu.  Barna warakngali ngayi nyarra Lirrimbingkama kambambarra-ma. ‘I used to work at Lirrimbi in the old days.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. ngayib cv. breathe. = ngard. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngayib kurnini breathe. ngayibngayib kayini breathing. ngayikngayikbarn n. young rainbow serpent. SEE: ngurrkbana. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngayiliji n. western brown snake. Pseudonaja nuchalis. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngayinya pro. my, mine, to me, for me.  Ngayu-ma-rna marndaj dimirl yuwarna ngayinya-ma danku-ma. ‘I have already put my swag in the fork of a tree.’ ngayu pro. I, me. ALSO: ngayi.  Ngayuma-rna bina jurlakadarrawu-ma, amba barlawa marrarnku wajurra-ma. ‘I know about lots of birds, like the ones we were talking about yesterday.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Gurindji. ngayukujarra pro. we two, us two. = barli, bangali, balya, bangaliya. ALSO: ngayikujarra.  Ngayukujarrali barli barnana. ‘You and I hit him.’ ngayuwalija pro. we, us. = barlawa, bangalawa, barnali, banganda.  Ngayuwalijali barlawa barnana. ‘We

238 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

-nginyi hit him.’ ngidji cv. worry about, care about, careful of, concerned for someone’s welfare. = didikarra, nguran. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngidji kayini care about. ngidjingidji care about lots of things or people. ngilyiburr cv. drown, submerge. = nyiny, nginy. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngilyiburr ngarnini submerge. ngilyikbi n. calf muscle, the muscle at the back of the lower leg. = ngajarra.  Nyabarna kardakarda, yinangurlu kumarna karlunini ngilyikbi. ‘This is the (shin) bone, and around here is the calf.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. ngimbija n. coolamon tree, helicopter tree, shitwood. = kulunjurru. Gyrocarpus americanus. The bark is silvergold and is easy to spot from a distance. The soft wood is used to make ‘kawarla’ (coolamons). It is the best wood for coolamons as it is easy to carve but strong, light and long-lasting. It is especially good for making coolamons for carrying babies. The lumps on the trunks and branches can be chopped open to get water from inside. The two-winged fruit are used as toy helicopters by children, who like to throw them in the air and play with them as they twirl down. ngimirrikimi n. old fruit of ‘kilibi’ (bush banana). Marsdenia viridiflora. SEE: kilibi. These older fruit are hard and chewy, though they may be softened by lightly roasting them on hot coals. They can also be cooked in a ground oven with water to steam them, making them softer and nicer to eat. nginja n. seed. = jilwi. See p. 413 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is really a Jingulu word.

nginji SEE: nyinji. nginginji n. red-legged stilt. Himantopus himantopus. These birds have long, red legs. They hunt for food around the edge of water. In the wet season there are lots of them. nginy cv. smile. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nginy marnini smile. nginya dem. this, this one, here, now. ALSO: ngina; nginyi. = minya, murlu-, murla-.  Karndi-ma karri nginya warnda ludba. ‘Get this wood that’s closer to us.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nginyakujarra these two. = murlukujarra. ALSO: minyakujarra. nginyali this one (did it). = murlulu. ALSO: minyali. nginyangka here. = murlungka, murlangka, minyangka.  Nginyangka-ma ngurrangka-ma barlawa karra barlawa yurruwa marra. ‘We are here in camp talking language.’ nginyangkurra towards here, towards this, this way. = murlungkurra, murlangkurra, minyangkurra.  Yarra nginyangkurra barnangku marru. ‘Come over here, I want to talk to you.’ nginyangurlu from here, from this, after this. = murlungurlu, murlangurlu, minyangurlu.  Nginyangurlu-ma duma barna manyan karri, barna manyan warndi. ‘Go from here now, I want to sleep, I want to fall asleep.’ nginyarra these, these ones. = murlurra, minyarra.  Nginyarra kankulu jurlakadarra bali dim yananjanarni kuyanjala bangalawangulu. Kari-wanya bali dim kayinarra. ‘These birds were flying this way above us. They have already flown far away now.’ nginyawu to this one, for this one. = murluwu, minyawu.  Nginyawu barnarla mirrka marnini. ‘I’m doing it for him.’ -nginyi suf. of, belonging to, from. This ending is used when an object is owned by someone, or if the object is related to another thing (source).  Minya barna kandirri ngarnini dardalya wangkunginyi. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 239

ng

nginying

Ng

‘I am eating this bread that’s hard from being in the sun.’  Kurdi barna ngayinya yunbanginyi yilyily yuwarru nginya karndingkurra. ‘I will hang my shoes up in the tree.’ nginying cv. swallow. = kunyki. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nginying kurnini swallow. nginyingkarra kurnini swallowing. nginyingkarra cv. argue. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nginymarna n. face. = jidji, nyujujka. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngirlkirri n. throat, neck. = ngujbi, mankujbi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngirnina n. pooer, one who poos.  Jirdiwu nginirna yali jurlakadarra-ma-li. ‘Those birds are pooers.’ ngirninja n. something that has been pooed, poo, faeces.  Marndaj barna warndana ngirninjangka. ‘Good, I’ve found it in the poo (it was pooed out).’ ngirnngirda n. baby catfish, catfish. Neosilurus hyrtlii. SEE: kirirni; jalarlka. Eel-tail catfish are good to eat, with soft, tender flesh and very few bones. They are cooked by roasting on hot coals and ashes. They can get quite big, up to 25 cm long. They have nails or prickles in their fins, and, if these poke you, the wound will swell and be very painful for a long time. You can ease the pain by poking that same area with the same prickle again. In the mid to late wet season when the floodwaters are starting to form, there are often schools of ‘ngirnngirda’ (baby nailfish) in the grassy water edges. These can be collected in large numbers and all cooked together and then eaten. They taste good and are too small to have dangerous spines. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -ngka case. at, on, in. This ending marks where something is located, a time period, or a simultaneous action performed by the same person as the first action (locative). = -la, -ka, -kula, -kulala.  Yali karu jub warnda, biya ngaruk wandiyinarra ngukungka. ‘Grab that child, in case he drowns in the water.’  Rarrbkarra bali

wandiyini, yanungka-ma. ‘They bump into everything, while walking along.’ -ngku pro. you, to you, for you, your, yours. SEE: bangku.  Karri minyangka-rni karu! Yalili marlukali-ma-ngku wak barnarra. ‘Stay right here, kid! That old man might whack you.’ -ngkulu pro. they do it to you, they do it for you, they do it to yours. SEE: bangkulu. -ngkurra case. to, towards (allative). This ending is used to mark goals (though it’s not always used on place names). It can also mark a simultaneous action performed by a different person from the one who did the first action. = -kurra, -yirri, -jirri.  Wuj bungkarlarra nyununyawu bardardawu. Lurrbu kangan ngurrangkurra! ‘Go and look for your younger brother! Bring him back home.’  Kurru nyanganini ban, marnungkurra? ‘Can you hear him talking?’ -ngkuwula pro. those two do it to you, those two do it for you, those two do it to yours. SEE: bangkuwula.  Barnangkuwula nyangana barnaramarnanybirra. ‘I saw your two fathers.’ -ngkuwurna pro. you two, two of you, to you two, for you two, yours (two of you). SEE: bangkuwurna.  Bangkuwurna nyungani wumara-ma, Nangarili-ma? ‘Did Nangari give you two the money.’ ngu cv. humming (of engine). = ngurdudarra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngu kayini humming (of engine). nguj cv. cause trouble for someone, give payback, cast a sickness spell. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nguj kurnini cause trouble for someone, give payback, cast a sickness spell.  Nguj kurnana ban nyundulu-karda. ‘You troubled him.’  Nginya ngana-warla, Karakaralarni, wangiwangi ngurra yalima. Marlarluka-ma nguj kurnirra kurnirra kambarra-ma. ‘This whosit, Karakaralarni, is bad country. It cast a sickness spell on the old men long ago.’ ngujbi n. throat, uvula, front of neck (for some people), neck, side of neck (for other people). = ngirlkirri, mankujbi.  Kadi kardaj marnini ngarinali ngujbingka. ‘There, he’s choking on that beef in his throat.’  Janga barna ngujbi. ‘My throat is

240 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngunjungunju sore.’ SEE: jikirdikirdi. ngujku n. voice.  Kadi wayarra karri ngayi-ma-rna ngujku wangi. ‘Sing out to him, I’ve got a weak voice.’ SEE: ngujbi. nguknguk n. magpie goose, also maybe a mopoke-like bird. = warlidaji. Anseranas semipalmata. These birds are only seen in big wet seasons, when they come down from the north. The meat is very good to eat after roasting on hot coals. Their eggs are also good to eat, but nests are rarely found on Mudburra country. Their wings can be broken off and used as fans to keep cool or to fan a fire to make it start. It has the skin name Jimija or Namija. nguku n. water, rain.  Bardakurru minya-ma nguku-ma wandiyini. ‘Good rain is falling.’ — See p. 404 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngukungarna water dweller.  Jibilyaku jurlaka ngukungarna. ‘The whistling duck is a water creature.’ nguku liwakarra white cloud, white rain. ngukuburu wet season.  Ngukuburuwanya minya-ma yuka-ma dumarniniwanya. ‘In the wet season the grass comes up.’ ngulyi cv. lie, tell lies. = wabarl. ngulyi marnini tell lies.  Yali marnini ngulyi. ‘That one is lying.’ ngulyingarna liar, lying one.  Yali-ma ngulyingarna, kardarda malangku ngulyuma. ‘That one’s a liar, he’ll always tell you lies.’ — See p. 427 for the hand sign. ngumbarna n. husband, man’s brotherin-law (sister’s husband or wife’s brother).  Yali-ma kirri-ma wangu. Ngumbarnalima ngardangani. ‘That woman is a widow. (Her) husband left (passed away).’  Wijuk warndana jardukurru ngayinya ngumbarnali-ma. ‘My brother-in-law took my hairbelt off me (after I had worn

it for a sufficient amount of time after my initiation).’ SEE: banji. See p. 402 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngumbarnarra husband and wife pair.  Wanjuwarra banbula yanarra ngumbarnarra? ‘Where did you two go, as husband and wife?’ — See p. 402 for the hand sign. ngumbina n. person, Aboriginal person.  Yaliya-ma karlakinyi bali mala “ngumbina”. ‘Those people from the west always say “ngumbina”.’  Kardibawangkala-rni kardibali warndanirra ngumbina-ma. ‘The whitefella grabbed Aboriginal people in the time of contact with Europeans.’ SEE: ngarrka. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngunaru n. finger. = munarri. SEE: marndamarnda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Eastern Mudburra uses ‘marndamarnda’ (hand) for fingers. ngundu n. urine, piss. = kumbu, mijuku.  Yali ngundu ngardangana warlakulu. ‘A dog left urine there.’ ngundu cv. urinate, piss. = kumbu. ngundu bunganini urinate, piss.  Ngundu bunganini wunyulu karulu. ‘The little kid is peeing.’ SEE: mijuku.  Kurdi barna ngundu bungku. ‘Wait a tic, I’ve got to pee.’ ngunju n. yellow honey. ALSO: ngunjunga. = ngarlu. Native bee-hives contain sweet, dark honey that is very tasty and much sought after. ‘Ngunju’ and ‘ngunjunga’ can also refer to commercial sugar and commercial honey. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngunjungunju n. white or silver stone for painting, white or silver marking for corroboree, white or silver body paint. = bilirdbi, liwakbari, yadu. USAGE: This Ngarinyman to English dictionary 241

ng

ngunungunu

Ng

word is found in most languages of the region. ngunungunu n. cattle bush. Trichodesma zeylanica. Cattle eat this plant when grass is running out. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngungungmarna n. nail-tail kangaroo, left-hand kangaroo. ALSO: junguwarn. = jambukarra, junma. Onychogalea unguifera. This kangaroo has a ‘milinji’ (nail) in the end of its tail. It often makes an ‘oo . . . oo . . . oo’ or ‘ngung . . . ngung’ noise while hopping. The name ‘ngungungmarna’ refers to this sound. It holds its left arm up to its chest when hopping, and is sometimes called ‘Left-hand Charlie’ because of this habit. Some of its language names refer to its left-handedness. These kangaroos sometimes have a distinctive humped back. They are only seen by themselves, not in groups. They often live in lancewood and bulwaddy country. The flesh can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven, but it does not taste very good and is rarely eaten. It is good to make soup from it. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngunyarri n. great-uncle, paternal grandmother’s brother, father’s mother’s brother.  Yaliya Jambabijina bayili ngunyarri lambarra. ‘Those Jambijinas are my great-uncles and fathers-in-law.’ ngunyi cv. hunt.  Jardila-ma barli duma ngunyi? ‘Shall we go hunting tomorrow?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngunyi yanini go hunting.  Wajurra bawula nyambangka-ma wirdarra-ma? ‘Those two over there went hunting.’ ngunyunyu n. emu chick. Dromaius novaehollandiae. SEE: yibarrardu. Emu chicks have stripes. ‘Kirdba’ or ‘kambij’ (emu eggs) are very large and green. These are

the same words that are used for all kinds of eggs. Emu eggs are good to eat after they are boiled or cooked beside a fire. A big emu has lots of meat on it that is very dark and good to eat. It is often cooked in a ground oven. Emu fat, which is yellow, is also nice to eat. ‘Durlngu’ are the loincloths made from hairy emu feathers and the feathers are also used as body decoration during ceremonies. Emus are large, strong animals and have a strong kick, you need to careful when hunting them. They have the skin name Janama or Nanaku. nguran cv. homesick for, worry about, long for, think about someone far away or deceased, ‘got sorry’ (in Kriol). = ngidji. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nguran kayini concerned for.  Barnarla nguran kayini. ‘I’m worrying for him.’ ngurdudarra cv. make noise (of car engine). = ngu. ngurdudarra kayini make noise (of car engine). ngurlaka adv. behind, last, backwards, after. ALSO: ngurlak. SEE: yangkarra.  Ngurlakarni yandarlarra. ‘Get behind him.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngurlakangurlaka from behind, sneaking from behind.  Nyamba bayi ngurlakangurlaka mayaninjanarni? ‘Who is that coming up behind me?’ ngurlakanginyi back one, of the back, of the future. ngurlakangurlu from behind, from after.  Ngurlakangurlu bayin nyambawu nyanganini? ‘Why are you looking at me from back there?’ ngurlakanybunga follower, back one, one from the back, one from the future.  Ngana yali ngurlakanybunga-ma? ‘Who’s that one up the back there?’ ngurlaka wandila get behind.  Ngurlaka wandila nyundu-ma! ‘You, get behind him!’ ngurlkuku n. white gum, cabbage gum. = ngarramili, wubala. Corymbia grandifolia. The hollow branches of this tree can be

242 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ngurrakina used to make ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos). The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) may be found in this tree. ‘Kurrunyu’ (the bark) can be used to make ‘buna’ (ashes) for ‘warnu’ (tobacco). ngurlkuna n. 1 • green tree frog. Litoria caerulea. This frog can be used as bait when fishing with a handline. They often hang around toilets, showers and laundries in houses. 2 • rocket frog. Litoria nasuta. These frogs occur commonly during flood times and when it is raining a lot. They are small but have long legs and can jump a long way in one hop. They make good bait for catching spangled perch on a handline. -ngurlu case. from, out of, by, after (ablative).  Yali karu wandiyina kankulungurlu karndingurlu, barla kird kayina. ‘That child fell from the top of the tree. It broke on him.’  Dumarna-barra manyanngurlu. ‘He must have got up after sleeping.’ ngurlu n. traditional clan group inherited through the mother’s side; matrilineal social totem.  Ngana ban nyundu ngurlu-ma? ‘What clan are you?’ SEE: Burruburrurda; Ninibi; Buwarraja; Kalanybuka; Wilarrka; Yuwangka. ngurnanga n. 1 • sweat.  Ngurnanga ngabu karrili yali, wanykungurlu. ‘That one smells of sweat from his armpits.’  Ngurnanga wangi ngabukarra kayini. ‘There’s a bad smell.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word 2 • skin group, skin name (generic term), subsection. = manyku.  Nyamba ban ngurnanga-ma? ‘What is your skin?’  Nganakujarra banbula nyundukujarrama ngurnanga-ma? ‘You two, what are your skins?’ — Mudburra society is divided into eight ‘manyku’ or ‘ngurnanga’ (subsections, also called skin groups). Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership plays a big role in their life. It influences who they can marry, what their obligations within their community are, etc. Each of the eight skin groups has two

names associated with it: one for the men in that group and one for the women. All the male skin names start with J, while all the female ones begin with N. ngurr cv. 1 • jealous, accuse, blame. SEE: nguwajkarra. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word meaning ‘growl’. ngurr nyanganini jealous. ngurrku barnini jealous. ngurrkungurrku jealous. ngurrnguji jealous one.  Yalili bayi ngurrnguji kayina. ‘That one is jealous of me.’ 2 • growl, threaten. ngurr nyanganini look threatening or aggressive, menace. ngurra n. camp, home, country. = marru.  Ngayinya bayi ngurra-ma Murranjayi. Kirdanginyi, kakunginyi ngayinya-ma bayi ngurra-ma. ‘My home is Murranji. My father and grandfather’s country is my home.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word and is commonly used in Central Australia.

ngurrangarna someone who always stays home, homebody.  Kadi-ma ngurrangarna ngurrangka karra kardarda. ‘That person is a bit of a homebody and always stays at home.’ ngurrangarnarra homebodies. ngurrakina n. dingo. = yiminji, winkuwarnu, wurrakina, jurruwuji. Canis familiaris dingo. In the past, dingo scalps were collected and sold to the police at Newcastle Waters and Elliott as part of a control program. Dingoes were eaten in the past when other meat was scarce. The pups were most tender and were good to eat. The meat tasted similar to meat from a cat. Dingoes have not been eaten for a long time. People in the old days used to keep them as pets and for hunting kangaroos, goannas and lizards. They were very good at finding game and were sometimes called ‘goanna dogs’. They were not good pets, Ngarinyman to English dictionary 243

ng

ngurramala

Ng

though, because they would kill animals at stations such as chickens and goats. Dingoes breed in the cold-weather time of the dry season, when they are often heard howling at night. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngurramala n. owner of country, boss for the land, traditional owner.  Ngayu-ma-rna murlunymawu; ngurramala. ‘I belong to this place; I am a traditional owner.’  Ngayu barna ngurramala Murranjayinginyi. ‘I am traditional owner for Murranji.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. ngurrij cv. shorten, make short, trim. SEE: dunkuja. ngurrij barnini cut short, make shorter, trim.  Yali-ma ngurrij barra karndi-ma, dunkuja-yili. ‘Shorten this stick, make it short for me.’ Ngurrkbana n. Rainbow Serpent. = janginyina, Yirrarndarna.  Ngurrkbana kaka yani-wanya Jikayangkurra, kambarrama kayina yali Ijibardangka. ‘The Rainbow Serpent has gone to Lake Woods now, but before that it was at Longreach.’ SEE: ngayikngayikbarn. One was at Longreach, but moved out to Lake Woods, where they probably still are. ngurrkiyi cv. envious, covetous. ngurrkiyi kayini covet, desire something of someone else’s, envy someone.  Ban ngurrkiyi kayini nginya shirt-ma-wanya? ‘You really wish you had this shirt, don’t you?’ ngurrkiyi nyanganini look with envy.  Ngurrkiyi ban nyanganini nginya shirtma-wanya. ‘You’re looking enviously at this shirt.’ ngurrkiyingarna envious, covetous, always wanting what other people have. ngurrkudi n. brush-tailed possum. = jangana, jakulaji. Trichosurus vulpecula. Possum meat can be eaten after roasting in a ground oven with paperbark; it is very tasty and quite tender. Sometimes possums sleep in the forks of trees, but more often they prefer to live in hollow parts of large trees. They often live together in groups; sometimes there are several, maybe four, inside one large hollow tree. You can see their climbing tracks on the trunks of trees

that they live in. When you find a tree they are in, you throw a stone down the hole, and they will run out. When you catch a possum, you have to be careful, as they have sharp claws and can scratch you. They like hollow snappy gums, bloodwoods, coolabahs and river red gums. They sleep all day in these hollow trees and hunt around for food in the night. They don’t like the sunshine. They really like to eat ‘wandala’ or ‘nanjarrnga’ (sugar-leaf, lerps) and ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives). They also eat flowers and ripe fruit. There were lots at Longreach, Beetaloo Station and Murranji in the past, but now there are very few. There are still some at Daly Waters, but in recent times none have been seen around Elliott. ngurrmana n. hair belt, string (e.g. made from ‘miyaka’), telephone, wire, fence. = wilmurr, jardukurru, wirrkala.  Ngurrmana barna bud bungku barnarla ngarrkawu. ‘I want to ring up that man on the phone.’ See p. 421 for the hand sign. ngurrngurrngarna n. pig. = bikibiki. Sus scrofa. The flesh from pigs can be eaten after roasting. It is very good meat and tastes nice. Pigs do a lot of damage near rivers and creeks where they dig up yams. There used to be some feral pigs on Jingili and Mudburra country, but they all got hunted. They make a ‘ngurr . . . ngurr’ noise and this is what the Mudburra name refers to. ngurrujuruka n. hardhead duck, pink-eared duck. = jurluwardbini. Aythya australis. This duck has a large, flat beak. The meat is good to eat after roasting on hot coals. nguruwaji n. budgerigar. = wujuwujurna.

244 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

nyamba Melopsittacus undulatus. SEE: kumbulyurra. These small, pretty, green birds are often found in very large flocks, especially following a good wet season. They are good to eat after roasting in hot coals. The young ones are especially good, as they are tender and tasty. They nest in hollow logs, and the young birds that climb out and fall to the ground are easily caught. The adults are caught as they fly by throwing a piece of bent wire into the flock. They have the skin name Jalyirri or Nalyirri. nguwajkarra n. jealous.  Nguwajkarra yali-ma kirri-ma ngarrkawu. ‘That woman is jealous for her husband.’  Ngayu-marnarla nguwajkarra kayini yali jimarriwuma. Wumara dija karlunini. ‘I am jealous of that friend of mine. He has a lot of money.’ SEE: ngurr. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji and Jingulu word. nguwajkarrangarna jealous person.  Nguwajkarrangarna yali ngarrka-ma. ‘That man is jealous.’ = dinykarrangarna. nguwarra cv. moan. ALSO: nguyarra. = ngardikarra. nguwarra kayini moan.  Yali karda nguwarra kayinykayini, janga barla kayina. ‘That person’s moaning, he’s sick.’ nguyarra cv. moan. ALSO: nguwarra. = ngardikarra. nguyarra kayini moan.

NY ny -nya suf. isn’t it, didn’t it, right.  Barnali yandurru Marlinjangkurra Mudburrawurni-nya? ‘We will all go to Marlinja for some Mudburra, right?’  Kula bangkulu warndanarni-nya? ‘They haven’t come and picked you up, have they?’ -nya suf. of, belonging to. This ending is used when an object is owned by someone, or if the object is related to another thing (genitive). = -inyi.  Marndaj yandarra! Ngayinya-ma karu-ma-rna yardi yuwarna. ‘It’s fine, you go! I will make my child stay.’ nyadarra quest. which way? SEE: ngadarra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyali aux. they might. SEE: bali. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyalirla aux. they might do it for her/him/it, they might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: balirla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyalirna aux. they might do it to themselves/ each other, they might do it for themselves/ each other, they might do it to their own/ each other. SEE: balirna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyalya aux. he/she and I might, we two might, two of us might. SEE: balya. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyalyangku aux. she/he and I might do it to you, she/he and I might do it for you, she/he and I might do it to yours. SEE: balyangku. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyalyarla aux. she/he and I might do it for her/him/it, she/he and I might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: balyarla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyalyarna aux. she/he and I might do it to ourselves, she/he and I might do it for ourselves, she/he and I might do it to our own. SEE: balyarna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyamba quest. what? what kind? what’shis-name, something.  Jidji banyanu nyangana karu. Nyamba? Madju karu. ‘That baby been born. What is it? A boy.’  Yali-ma barik karila ngarrka-ma. Kula bardakurru wangi — marrimarri. Nyambangarna? Barnina. ‘Leave him Ngarinyman to English dictionary 245

ny

nyambala

Ny

behind, that blackfella. He’s no good — he’s violent. What kind of man is he? He’s a killer.’ — See p. 431 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu, as well as other languages of the area. nyambala n. what’s-its-name, whatsit.  Nyambala wandayi yali. ‘Get that whatsit.’ nyambalanyambala n. firestick tree. = kungkulimi. Clerodendrum floribundum. The smooth, straight stems and branches are used to make firesticks or bush matches for lighting fires using ‘binyinyib’ (the traditional drilling or friction method). The pale, light timber can also be used to make the shaft of a ‘jalkaji’ (spear-thrower). nyambali quest. who did it?, what did it?  Nyambali bayi durd marra? ‘What just touched me?’ nyambanginyi quest. why? with what purpose? because of what? = nyambangurlu. nyambangurlu quest. why? with what purpose? because of what? = nyambanginyi. nyambawu quest. why? what for?  Kuyani bali yandurru kanimbarra. Nyambawu? Mangarriwu. ‘They’re going this way — west. What for? For food.’  Nyambawu bun kuwayila makina? ‘Why did you do that?’ nyan n. stuck together, glued, fastened. = jarlarr, jardarr, wurruwanji.  Nginya-ma nyan kayini jikalawurru. ‘This one is stuck on with wax.’ nyan aux. you might do it. SEE: ban.  Karndima yali-ma durd marra-yi! Marndaja bayi nyungannginyi nyan-baa burrb karri. ‘Hold on to that stick of mine. Come and give it to me when you finish.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyana dem. she, he, it, her, him, that (which we both know). VARIANT: nyani = nyanirni. Wanjuwarra nyana-ma? ‘Where is he?’ USAGE: ‘Nyani’ is a Western Mudburra word. nyanadarra they, them, those (that we both know). = nyanirnidarra.  Karudarrali nyanadarrali bali lamarna minya kardakma. ‘Those children squashed this cup.’ nyanakujarra those two (who we both know). = nyanirnikujarra.  Nyanakujarrarni barnayili nyangana Matarankangka

minya-wanya bawula. ‘I saw those two at Mataranka and now they are here.’ nyanali she, he, it (did it), that one (did it) (who we both know). = nyanirnili. nyanangka on her, on him, on it, on that (which we both know). = nyanirningka.  Nyanangka-wanya marrungka jurlakali karlunini juwuru. ‘A bird built a nest on that same house there.’ nyanangkurra towards her, towards him, towards it, towards that (which we both know). = nyanirningkurra.  Nyanangkurra-rni yandurru yalingka ban ban bungku. ‘Go to that very same house, you’ll find him there.’ nyanangurlu from her, from him, from it, from that (which we both know). = nyanirningurlu.  Nyanangurlu ban yanarni? ‘Did you come from that same place?’ nyanawu to her, to him, to it, to that, for her, for him, for it, for that (which we both know). = nyanirniwu.  Nyanawu kirrawu nyungkardayili lalija. ‘Give tea to that very woman.’ nyaninyani he himself, she herself, it itself (that we both know). -nyana suf. his, her. This ending is used on words for family, meaning that the family member belongs to someone else. = nyanunya, barla. ALSO: -nyan.  Marndaj, banyanu ban bungana ngabanyanama. ‘It’s okay, he found his older brother.’  Kadili barnanybarnarra jimarrinyana barla. ‘That one is going away hitting the mate of his.’ nyanbula aux. you two might do it. SEE: banbula. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyanbularla aux. you two might do it for her/ him/it, you two might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: banbularla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyanburnan aux. you two might do it to yourselves/each other, you two might do it for yourselves/each other, you to might do it to your own/each other’s. SEE: banburnan. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyanda aux. you mob might do it. SEE: banda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyandarla aux. you mob might do it for her/

246 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

nyangaliyan him/it, you mob might do it to hers/his/ its. SEE: bandarla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyandarnan aux. you mob might do it to yourselves, you mob might do it for yourselves, you mob might do it to your own. SEE: bandarnan. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyani SEE: nyana. nyanirni dem. she, her, he, him, it, that (which we both know). = nyana.  Minya barna ngayu-ma kurdij kayini nyanirni rockholeka-ma ngukuwurru. Barnayina wujunganini, Nawurlakujarrawu ngayinya kakuwu karuwu. ‘Here I’m standing at that rockhole full of water. I’m showing it to the two Nawurlas and my grandson.’ nyanirnidarra dem. they, them, those (which we both know). = nyanadarra. nyanirnikujarra two of them (who we both know). = nyanakujarra. nyanirnili she/he/it did it, that one did it (that we both know). = nyanali. nyanirningka on her, on him, on it, on that (which we both know). = nyanangka.  Nyanirningka-rni kayini. ‘This is that same place.’ nyanirningkurra towards her, towards him, towards it, towards there, towards that (which we both know). = nyanangkurra.  Kadi-ma bawula nyanirningkurra-rni. ‘Those two are going to that same place again.’ nyanirningurlu from her, from him, from it, from there, from that (which we both know). nyanirniwu to her, to him, to it, to that, for him, for her, for it, for that (which we both know). = nyanawu.  Nyanirniwu-rni nyungkurru. ‘Go and give it to that same one.’ nyanjurra aux. it might happen to you mob, it might happen for you mob. SEE: banjurra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyanjurrangulu aux. they might do it to you mob, they might do it for you mob, they might do it to yours (you mob). SEE: banjurrangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyankurla aux. you might do it for her/ him/it, you might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: bankurla. USAGE: This is a Western

Mudburra word. nyannyanun aux. you might do it to yourself, you might do it for yourself, you might do it to your own. SEE: bannyanun. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -nyanu pro. herself, himself, itself, her own, his own, its own. SEE: banyanu.  Jabungkanyanu! Ngarnka ban dija. ‘Give yourself a trim! Your beard is too big.’ nyanunya pro. her, hers, his, its, to her, to him, to it. SEE: barla.  Yalili banyanu karu nyanunya wirlarnwirlarnkarra kanganjinganarra. Nyamba-barra nyangana. ‘He is carrying his child away, frightened. He saw something.’ nyang- v. many words beginning with ‘nyang’ are forms of the verb ‘look, see’. SEE: nyanganini. nyangalawa aux. it might happen to us (including you), it might happen for us (including you), it might happen to ours (including yours). SEE: bangalawa. ALSO: nyangalawarna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangalawan aux. you might do it for us (including you), you might do it to ours (us including you). SEE: bangalawan. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangalawangulu aux. they might do it to us (including you), they might do it for us (including you), they might do it to ours (including you). SEE: bangalawangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangali aux. it might happen for us two (you and me), it might happen to ours (yours and mine). SEE: bangali. ALSO: nyangalinju. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangalin aux. you might do it for you and me, you might do it to ours (yours and mine). SEE: bangalin. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangaliya aux. it might happen to us (her/him and me), it might happen for us (her/him and me), it might happen to ours (hers/his and mine). SEE: bangaliya. ALSO: nyangaliyany. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangaliyan aux. you might do it to her/him and me, you might do it for her/him and me, you might do it to ours (hers/his and mine). SEE: bangaliyan. USAGE: This is a Western Ngarinyman to English dictionary 247

ny

nyanganda

Ny

Mudburra word. nyanganda aux. it might happen to us (not you), it might happen for us (not you), it might happen to ours (not yours). SEE: banganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangandan aux. you might do it to us (not you), you might do it for us (not for yourself), you might do it to ours (not yours). SEE: bangandan. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangandanngulu aux. you mob might do it to us, you mob might do it for us, you mob might do it to ours. SEE: bangandanngulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangandangulu aux. they might do it to us (not you), they might do it for us (not you), they might do it to ours (not yours). SEE: bangandangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyanganina n. looker, checker, inspector, someone who looks or inspects, someone who stares.  Yali karda ngarrka warnda — yali karda ngarrka warnda nyanganina-ma, bardakurru. ‘Get that inspector — get that man, it will be fine.’ SEE: nyanganini. nyanganini v. look, look for, see, perceive, blame.  Barnanyanu nyanganini. ‘I’m looking at myself.’  Barnalirla nyanganini jurrulanawu. ‘We are looking for white plums.’  Yaliyali-karda karudarrali bayili warndana mangarri. Barnayina nyanganini. ‘Those children there took the food from me. I saw them.’ — See p. 422 for the hand sign. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. nyanganini is looking, looks. nyangana has looked. nyangku will look, wants to look. nyangka look at it! nyanganinja n. someone who has been looked or stared at.  Barlawa nyanganinja barlawa kayam bala jindaba wurra-wanya. ‘We were getting stared at so we quickly went off a different way.’ SEE: nyanganini. nyangarlu n. one, alone. ALSO: yangarlu. = jindaku.  Nyungkayi yali nyangarlu. ‘Give me one of those.’  Yaliya wurrubarra nyangarlu warndayili ngulu-ma. ‘Keep that

one separate, on its own.’ — See p. 433 for the hand sign. nyangarlu-nyangarlu one-by-one. nyangku aux. it might happen to you, it might happen for you, it might happen to yours. SEE: bangku. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkulu aux. they might do it to you, they might do it for you, they might do it to yours. SEE: bangkulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkuwula aux. those two might do it to you, those two might do it for you, those two might do it to yours. SEE: bangkuwula. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkuwurna aux. it might happen to you two, it might happen for you two, it might happen to yours. SEE: bangkuwurna. ALSO: nyangkuwula. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangurla quest. when, what time.  Nyangurla bangku ngardanganirra nyundu-ma? ‘When did he leave you?’  Nyangurla yananyinyi. ‘What time is he going to come up?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nyanyambi cv. chew. = jabardkarra. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. nyanyambi ngarnini chew.  Nyamba yali-ma nyanyambi ngarnini? ‘What is he chewing?’ nyanyanu aux. he/she/it might do it to herself/himself/itself. SEE: banyanu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarla aux. it might happen for her/him/it, it might happen to hers/his/its. SEE: barla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarlawa aux. we (including you) might do it. SEE: barlawa.  Balya wandidku, ngalinyali bangaliya nyambayala-ma warndadku, kankuluka-wanya nyarlawa dikikirrij-ma karrirnku. ‘We’ll die eventually, and our sons will inherit from us owners, when we die.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarlawangulu aux. we (including you) might do it to them, we (including you) might do it for them, we (including you) might do it to theirs. SEE: barlawangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarlawarla aux. we (including you) might do it for her/him/it, we (including you)

248 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

nyawurna might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: barlawarla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarlawarna aux. we (including you) might do it to ourselves/each other, we (including you) might do it for ourselves/each other, we (including you) might do it to our own/ each other’s. SEE: barlawarna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarli aux. you and I might do it. SEE: barli. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarlirla aux. you and I might do it for her/ him/it, you and I might do it to hers/his/ its. SEE: barlirla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarlirna aux. you and I might do it to ourselves/each other, you and I might do it for ourselves/each other, you and I might do it to our own/each other’s. SEE: barlirna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarna aux. I might do it. SEE: barna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnali aux. we (but not you) might do it. SEE: barnali. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnalirla aux. we (not you) might do it for her/him/it, we (not you) might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: barnalirla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnalirna aux. we (not you) might do it for ourselves, we (not you) might do it to our own. SEE: barnalirna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnanjurra aux. I might do it to you mob, I might do it for you mob, I might do it to yours (you mob). SEE: barnanjurra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnanjurrangulu aux. we might do it to you mob, we might do it for you mob, we might do it to yours (you mob). SEE: barnanjurrangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnangalawa aux. I might do it for us (including you), I might do it to ours (us including you). SEE: barnangalawa. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnangali aux. I might do it for you and me, I might do it to ours (yours and mine). SEE: barnangali. ALSO: nyarnangalinju. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnangaliya aux. I might do it for him/her and me, I might do it to ours (his/hers and

mine). SEE: barnangaliya. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnanganda aux. I might do it for us (not you), I might do it to ours (not yours). SEE: barnanganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnangku aux. I might do it to you, I might do it for you, I might do it to yours. SEE: barnangku. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnangkulu aux. we might do it to you, we might do it for you, we might do it to yours. SEE: barnangkulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnangkuwurna aux. I might do it to you two, I might do it for you two, I might do it to yours (you two). SEE: barnangkuwurna. ALSO: nyarnangkuwula. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnanyanu aux. I might do it to myself, I might do it for myself, I might do it to mine. SEE: barnanyanu. ALSO: nyarnayi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnarla aux. I might do it for her/him/it, I might do it to hers/his/its. SEE: barnarla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnayili aux. I might do it to those two, I might do it for those two, I might do it to theirs (those two). SEE: barnayili. ALSO: nyarnawuli. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnayina aux. I might do it to them, I might do it for them, I might do it to theirs. SEE: barnayina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyarnayinangulu aux. we might do it to them, we might do it for them, we might do it to theirs. SEE: barnayinangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyawula aux. the two of them might. SEE: bawula. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyawularla aux. those two might do it for her/ him/it, those two might do it to hers/his/ its. SEE: bawularla. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyawurna aux. those two might do it to themselves/each other, those two might do it for themselves/each other, those two might do it to their own/each other’s. SEE: bawurna. USAGE: This is a Western Ngarinyman to English dictionary 249

ny

nyayi

Ny

Mudburra word. nyayi aux. it might happen to me, it might happen for me, it might happen to mine. SEE: bayi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayili aux. 1 • they might do it to me, they might do it for me, they might do it to mine. SEE: bayili. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. 2 • it might happen to those two, it might happen for those two, it might happen to theirs (the two of them). SEE: bayili. ALSO: nyawuli. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayilin aux. you might do it to those two, you might do it for those two, you might do it to theirs (those two). SEE: bayilin. ALSO: nyanbulin. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayin aux. you might do it to me, you might do it for me, you might do it to mine. SEE: bayin. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayina aux. it might happen to them, it might happen for them, it might happen to theirs. SEE: bayina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayinan aux. you might do it to them, you might do it for them, you might do it to theirs. SEE: bayinan. ALSO: nyanjinan. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayinanngulu aux. 1 • you mob might do it to them, you mob might do it for them, you mob might do it to theirs. SEE: bayinanngulu. ALSO: nyanjinanngulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. 2 • they might do it to those other ones, they might do it for those other ones, they might do it to theirs (the other ones). SEE: bayinangulu. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayinbula aux. you two might do it to me, you two might do it for me, you two might do it to mine. SEE: bayinbula. ALSO: nyayinbulayin. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayinda aux. you mob might do it to me, you mob might do it for me, you mob might do it to mine. SEE: bayindan. ALSO: nyayindan.  Nyayinda jawurra wardannginyi. ‘You mob might come and steal from me.’

USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyayiwula aux. those two might do it to me, those two might do it for me, those two might do it to mine. SEE: bayiwulayi. ALSO: nyayiwulayi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -nybunga suf. This ending is used with location words meaning that something is associated with the location (associative). = -jbunga.  Yali Jimija barla yananjanarra yali Nawurlawu kirrawarranybungawu. ‘That Jimija is going towards that Nawurla on the north.’ SEE: -jbunga. nyijilirrinya n. snot, mucus. = kudkulya, kulykulya. USAGE: This is very similar to the Gurindji word ‘nyitjira’. nyikirriri n. bush coconuts, insect galls. = nikuru, nyikirrurru, kulindirnda. Sternorrhyncha.  Barnali ngarnini nyikirriri, abala kayini jardburrula. ‘We are eating that bush coconut, which is on the bloodwood tree.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nyikirrurru n. bush coconuts, insect galls. ALSO: nyikurruyurru. = nikuru, nyikirriri, kulindirnda. Sternorrhyncha. USAGE: Gurindji has a similar word, ‘nyikirriri’. nyili n. 1 • spine (of spinifex, echidna), spike (of fish), prickle, burr, thorn. = nyiliwurru.  Ngayi nginyi-ma nyiliwangka, kakuyima, bardakurru. ‘Now this one has no spines, this fish, it’s fine.’ 2 • bindi-eye. = darladarla, wurlurnmi. Tribulus terrestris. This plant has yellow flowers and grows flat along the ground. It has very prickly fruit that must be avoided when walking. They can poke right into your foot, which is very painful. 3 • needlebush. = kiyilmi. Dichrostachys spicata. The timber can be used to make ‘warrirdila’ (number 7 boomerangs). The prickles can scratch you. They can be used to kill scabies by poking the spine into the infected area; this makes the mite go away. They can also be used to lance ‘wukurliji’ (boils) and blisters, as they are very sharp. nyiliwurru n. fin or spine of a fish.  Nyiliwurru kurda kirirni. ‘Catfish have

250 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

nyiny spines.’ SEE: nyili. nyimung cv. startled. SEE: malngarl. nyimung kayini startled. nyimung yuwarnini startle.  Bayi nyambawu nyimung yuwarna? ‘Why did he startle me?’ nyimung marnini get a fright, be startled. nyinawurda n. echidna, porcupine. Tachyglossus aculeatus. The flesh of the porcupine (echidna) is tasty and can be eaten after roasting or cooking in a ground oven. The meat has a lot of white-yellow coloured fat that is also good to eat especially with salt and damper or johnny cakes. The prickles and feet are chopped off with an axe or large knife prior to cooking the whole body. The prickles can be softened by placing them on hot coals for a short time or by placing them in a bucket of very hot water. Porcupines often live in rocky country, where they hide in crevasses and cracks. They can be pulled out with wire hooks or hooked branches. They are much more commonly seen at night than during the day, as they walk around at night looking for food. Porcupines are most active during full moon periods in the cold weather of the dry season. When they walk they leave a little track where the prickles drag along the ground. If you follow these tracks, they often lead to antbeds where the porcupines are looking for ants and termites to eat. When caught, porcupines hold tight to the ground or a nearby tree trunk. When there is a grass fire they often walk on the road, where they get hit by cars and trucks. They have the skin name Jangari or Nangari. See p. 406 for the hand sign. nyindijku n. termite mound, antbed. = barlanji, kindijku, mardumardu, wanbuni. Amitermes. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that

the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘cooking’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. It is placed over a fire and the baby is held in the smoke and steam, then washed all over with the warm mud. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are also sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in the wet season. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyinji n. hip, lower back, where you carry a baby or a coolamon, ALSO: nginji. = bandimi, mirimi.  Barnali yurru-ma marlany kujarra: nyinji, mirinmi. ‘We have two words for it: ‘nyinji’ and ‘mirinmi’.’ SEE: mirimi. nyinmi n. wild carrot, little yam. Portulaca pilosa. This small yam is shaped like a baby carrot. It is very easy to pull out of the ground, especially during the late wet season. It grows in open country and is easy to find and harvest. These yams are lightly roasted beside a fire and then eaten. They taste good, similar to ‘milakurr’ (the blacksoil yam). nyingin cv. move something, shake a tree to make something fall down. ALSO: yingin. = wurrungkarra. nyingin kurnini move something. nyiny cv. scrunch up nose, blow nose. = bub.  Yalili bayi nyambawu nyiny nyanganjinganini? ‘Why is that person scrunching up his nose (while) looking at me?’ nyinykarra kayini scrunch up nose, make faces.  Yali kardiba bayi nyinykarra kayinykayini. ‘That whitefella is scrunching up his nose at me.’ nyiny kurnini blow nose. nyinyiny scrunching noses.  Nyamba banburnan nyinyiny karri nyanganini nyundu kujarrali-ma? ‘Why are you two Ngarinyman to English dictionary 251

ny

nyinybuk

Ny

scrunching up your noses at each other and smiling?’ nyinybuk cv. go underwater, dive down, drown. ALSO: nyinbuk. = jirrbu. See p. 424 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nyinybuk wandiyini dive down, drown.  Kadi nyamba nyinybuk wandina? ‘Who was that who dived in?’  Nyinybuk wandinyarra bayi ngayinya kalaja jabakali nyangarlulu wird wandanirra lurrbu-rni. ‘My little sister drowned and the old woman found her and brought her back.’ nyiny ngarnini drown.  Barnalirla didikarra nyanganirra-barra, ngukulu ngarnirra nyiny nyanina jarlkarndarra-ma. ‘We waited anxiously looking for him, to see if the water had swallowed him up.’ nyinyinbari n. shallow. = kalyja.  Yali binkangka yali nguku nyinyinbari kayini, winymi karri. ‘The water in that river is shallow, you can walk there.’ SEE: darrajbi. nyinykarra cv. immobilised, dead asleep, can’t move, drown. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. nyinykarra kayini immobilised, dead asleep, not be able to move.  Ngayi-marna wajurra-ma nyinykarra kayina. ‘I just couldn’t get up yesterday.’ nyinykarrangarna n. sleepyhead, someone who sleeps all the time.  Yalima nyinykarrangarna. ‘That one’s a sleepyhead.’ nyinywari n. thin-faced, bony (of face), snarling, sneering. ALSO: nyiny-nyiny. = larrkaja.  Kadi nyinywari yananjana. ‘That thin-faced one is going around.’  Nyinywari yali-ma warlaku-ma manyan kayini abaabangka. ‘That dog sleeping on the clothes is bony.’ nyirndij cv. pinch. = jidi. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyiyinyi n. finch. ALSO: nyiinyi. = nyunumi. Taeniopygia spp. There are many types of finches, all of which are small and often colourful. They often live in grassy areas near ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks) and hang around leaky taps or sprinklers looking for a drink. They can be followed to find water in times of dry, but this is a practice more commonly associated with Western

Mudburra speakers than with people around Elliott. Finches have the skin names Jurla or Nawurla and Jabarda or Nimarra. nyujujka n. face. = jidji. nyukunyuku n. naughty, unwilling. = ngadjana, ngakijbi.  Nyukunyuku yayini. ‘He doesn’t want to go.’  Nginyama karu-ma kayini nyukunyuku. ‘That child is naughty.’ nyundu pro. you. SEE: ban; bangku.  Ngadayarri ban nyundu-ma? ‘What are you going to do?’ nyundukujarra pro. you two, the two of you. SEE: banbula; -nbula; bangkuwurna.  Nyundukujarra banbula karri ngurrangka. ‘You two are going to stay home.’ nyunduya pro. you mob, you lot, you all. SEE: banda; banjurra.  Karudarra karri-li nyangarlungka, binjurra nyunduya-wanya durlk barnarra! ‘You kids stay in one place, otherwise he might shoot you next!’ nyunumi n. finch. ALSO: nyiinyi. = nyiyinyi. Taeniopygia spp. There are many types of finches, all of which are small and often colourful. They often live in grassy areas near ‘binka’ (rivers and creeks) and hang around leaky taps or sprinklers looking for a drink. They can be followed to find water in times of dry, but this is a practice more commonly associated with Western Mudburra speakers than with people around Elliott. They have the skin names Jurla or Nawurla and Jabarda or Nimarra. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. nyununya pro. your, yours, to you. SEE: bangku.  Barnangku baly ma marru nyununya-wanya jawardila-ma paintjaru. ‘I will paint your house tomorrow, then, with paint.’ nyung- v. many words beginning with ‘nyung’ are forms of the verb ‘give’. SEE: nyunganini. nyunganina n. someone who gives, giver, generous person.  Nyunganina bawula bardakurru kujarra. ‘Those two are generous.’ SEE: nyunganini. nyunganini v. give.  Barnangku nyunganini

252 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

nyurujminji nginya-karda. ‘I am giving you this right here.’  Yalili bayi nyungana wumara, wilmija-wanya barna nyungku. ‘That one gave me money, so I will pay him back.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. nyunganini is giving, gives it. nyungana has given it, gave it. nyungku will give it, wants to give it. nyungka give it! nyunganinja n. gift, present, donation.  Nginya-ma bayi ngayinya nyunganinja — bayi warndana. ‘That’s my present, hand it to me.’ SEE: nyunganini. nyunganiwangka n. greedy person, selfish person, not generous, won’t give you anything. = dilyika, yilyi.  Karrila yali-ma; dilyika. Nyunganiwangka wumarawu-ja. ‘Leave that one; he’s greedy. He’s selfish with money too.’ nyunganiwurru n. generous. ALSO: nyunganuwurru. = nyunganina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyungka cv. plait. = waamib. nyungka barnini plait.  Nyungka barrayi! ‘Plait my hair!’ nyungka yuwarnini plait. nyunyuja n. blunt. ALSO: nyunnyun; nyunnyunbari.  Nyunnyunbari yali binymala-ma, karrila, kula bardakurru. ‘That knife is blunt, leave it, it’s no good.’ nyunyuk cv. suck. = muk, bunybunyi.  Barna nginya ngarlu nyunyuk ma — nyunyuk ma — yali jikala nyungardayi barna ngarlu. ‘I can suck that sugarbag — suck it — and get wax.’ nyurijngarna n. oriole, rufous whistler. ALSO: nyurijminji. = yurijminji. Pachycephala rufiventris. When you hear this bird call, it is telling you that a visitor is coming. It sings out ‘nyurij . . . nyurij . . . nyurij’. This bird has the skin name Jimija or Namija. nyurnam n. cat, pussycat. = bujikard, manburrwari. Felis catus. In the past people used to eat cat meat after roasting it in a ground oven. It has a strong smell and a good taste, like possum meat. It was eaten up until recent times and it is still a favoured meat for many elders. ‘Nyurnam’ refers

to the round shape of their faces. Sometimes you can tease people by calling them ‘nyurnambari’, meaning ‘pussycat face’. Feral cats are good hunters and eat a lot of small native animals. The males, tom cats, can get very large and aggressive. See p. 407 for the hand sign. nyurrnguli n. swamp leech. These small worm-like animals live in water and wet areas. They attach to the skin and suck blood. When they are removed, the bleeding will not stop for a long period. ‘Kawula’ (nankeen night herons) like to eat leeches. They pick them out of the mud with their feet. nyurru cv. shed skin (of snake). SEE: kurrunyu; marriya. nyurujminji n. oriole, rufous whistler. ALSO: yurijminji. = nyurijngarna. Pachycephala rufiventris. When you hear this bird call, it is telling you that a visitor is coming. It sings out ‘nyurij . . . nyurij . . . nyurij’. This bird has the skin name Jimija or Namija.

ny

Ngarinyman to English dictionary 253

rarr

Rr

R

rarr cv. make string or rope, weave.  Yali kurrunyu barra-yi karnawuna barna duwany rarr warndu. ‘Chop me some lancewood bark so I can spin string from it.’ rarr warndanini make string, weave something into rope. rarrbkarra cv. bump into. rarrbkarra wandiyini bump.  Rarrbkarra bali wandiyini, yanungka-ma. ‘They bump into everything, while walking along.’ rawarra cv. grow up, get up, stand up. rawarra kayini grow up, get up, stand up.  Nyangka! Rawarra bali kayini. ‘Look! They are standing up (in one place).’ rawung cv. bark (of dog). ALSO: raw. = rung. USAGE: There is also a similar Gurindji word, ‘rungap’. rawung marnini bark (of dog).  Rawung marnina. ‘It barks a lot.’ rawungkarra bark (of dog). rawungkarrangarna barker, dog who barks all the time.  Yali warlaku rawungkarrangarna. ‘That dog’s a barker.’ -rla suf. pair of people (dyad). This ending attaches to the older person or male in a pair of two related people when talking about both people. = -rra, -kula, -muju.  Yali-ma bawula Nangala and Nawurla, jajurla. ‘Those two, Nangala and Nawurla, are a maternal grandmother and grandchild pair.’ -rla pro. to her/him/it, for her/him/it, her/hers/ his/its. SEE: barla.  Marndaj nyungkarla marndamarndali kujarrali nguku-ma maliwu-ma, ‘miyi’ marra-rla. ‘Give water appropriately to your mothers-in-law with two hands, and say ‘miyi’ to them.’ -rlawa pro. we (including you). SEE: barlawa.  Nginyarra-karda barli kayaya-ma-rlawa kurd kayini. ‘We stopped a while on our way at the graveyard.’ -rlawangulu pro. we (including you) do it to them, we (including you) do it for them, we (including you) do it to theirs.

SEE: barlawangulu. -rlawarla pro. we (including you) do it for her/ him/it, we (including you) do it to hers/his/ its. SEE: barlawarla. -rlawarna pro. we (including you) do it to ourselves/each other. SEE: barlawarna. -rli pro. you and I, the two of us. SEE: barli.  Jardila-ma-rli duma ngunyi? ‘Shall we go hunting tomorrow?’ -rlirla pro. you and I do it for her/him/it, you and I do it to hers/his/its. SEE: barlirla. -rlirna pro. you and I do it to ourselves/ each other, you and I do it for ourselves/ each other, you and I do it to our own/ each other’s. SEE: barlirna.  Barlina-birri kuyu ma, ngana dardalyawu, amba wijik warndawu abaaba-ma yalili-ma nganalija-barra. ‘You and I should try to test each other, (to see) who is the stronger, by making that other person remove his garment.’ -rna pro. I. SEE: barna.  Minya-ma-rna nyanganini Wandarri-ma. ‘I can see the Milky Way.’ -rnali pro. we (but not you). SEE: barnali.  Ngayu-ma-rnali Kuwaarrangu. Barnali karra Jingulumuju. ‘We are Eastern Mudburra. We stay together with the Jingili.’ -rnalina pro. I do it for us (not you), I do it to ours (not yours). = barnalina. -rnalirla pro. we (not you) do it for her/ him/it, we (not you) do it to hers/his/its. SEE: barnalirla.  Barnalirla wij bunyarrama. ‘We searched for him.’ -rnalirna pro. we (not you) do it to ourselves/ each other, we (not you) do it for ourselves/ each other, we (not you) do it to our own/ each other’s. SEE: barnalirna.  Kadiwu marra-rla, yanarnnginyi! Barnalirna dikal kuya. ‘Tell that one to come over here. (Then) we will talk.’ -rnanjurra pro. I do it to you mob, I do it for you mob, I do it to you mob’s. SEE: barnanjurra.  Ngayu-ma-rnanjurra kari diyaj karri. ‘I’m going to go far away from you mob on my own.’ -rnanjurrangulu pro. we do it to you mob, we do it for you mob, we do it to you mob’s. SEE: barnanjurrangulu.  Barnanjurrangulu jurlkuwarri kangannginyi karu. ‘We are going to bring your initand boys.’

254 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

ruwu -rnangalawa pro. I do it for us (including you), I do it to ours (including yours). SEE: barnangalawa.  Barnangalawa lalija barna mirrka ma barna bangalawa. ‘I’ll do it for us, I’ll make tea and it will be for us.’ -rnangali pro. I do it for you and me, I do it to yours and mine. SEE: barnangali. ALSO: -rnangalinju.  Barlkina barnangali yuwarnini. ‘I am putting out our (your and my) blanket.’ -rnangaliya pro. I do it for him/her and me, I do it to his/hers and mine. SEE: barnangaliya. -rnanganda pro. I do it for us (not you), I do it to ours (not yours). SEE: barnanganda.  Yibungu barnali — marndaj barnanganda kambambarra-ma karnawunangurlu. ‘Our string — I used to make good string for us from lancewoods in the old days.’ -rnangku pro. I do it to you, I do it for you, I do it to yours. SEE: barnangku.  Ngayu-marnangku Mudburra kaminjarra-ma. ‘I am your Mudburra grandchild.’ -rnangkulu pro. we do it to you, we do it for you, we do it to yours. SEE: barnangkulu.  Barnangkulu nyangana wajurra. ‘We saw you yesterday.’ -rnangkuwurna pro. I do it to you two, I do it for you two, I do it to you two’s. SEE: barnangkuwurna. ALSO: -rnangkuwula. -rnanyanu pro. I do it to myself, I do it for myself, I do it to mine. SEE: barnanyanu. ALSO: -rnayi.  Marndaj, barnanyanu banbili kayina warrirdila-ma. ‘It’s okay, I found my number 7 boomerang.’ -rnarla pro. I do it for her/him/it, I do it to hers/ his/its. SEE: barnarla.  Ngayu-ma-rnarla bawu warndanirra Kujika-ma ngayinyawuma kirdawu-ma. ‘I picked up the public ceremony songs from my father.’ -rnayili pro. I do it to those two, I do it for those two, I do it to those two’s. SEE: barnayili. ALSO: -rnawuli.  Barnangku ngany bungana. Barra-rnayili ban jindaba. ‘I didn’t recognise you two. I wrongly thought you were someone else.’ -rnayina pro. I do it to them, I do it for them, I do it to theirs. SEE: barnayina.  Kadiyawuwanya barnayina kamburru ngarina kurrkabadi-ma. ‘Now I’m going to go and

cook them some turkey meat.’ -rnayinangulu pro. we do it to them, we do it for them, we do it to theirs. SEE: barnayinangulu.  Kuya barnayinangulu kurru karrinyarra marlarluka-ma. ‘We used to listen to the old men talking about this.’ -rni suf. just, only, all the time, same (restrictive).  Kardibali-rni birnirra ngukuma marndaj. ‘White men used to drink grog all right.’  Nginyangka-ma nguku-rni karrinyarra kankulu. ‘In this country the water was high.’ -rra suf. 1 • lots, many, big mob. This ending is used with ‘nginya’ and ‘minya’ to mean many of them (plural). = -darra, -barra, -walija, -ya, -jban.  Kurdi barnayina warra nyangku minyarra karudarra, amba bali darukarra kayini. ‘I will look after these children while they are swimming.’ SEE: -darra. 2 • pair. This ending attaches to the older person or male in a pair of two related people when talking about both people (dyad). = -rla, -kula, -muju.  Wanjuwarra banbula yanarra ngumbarnarra? ‘Where did you two go, you husband and wife pair?’ SEE: -rla. rrawurru n. bamboo spear. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. rub cv. swell up. = lungbirri. rub kayini swell up.  Rub barna kayini nginya yunba. ‘My foot is swelling up.’ rung cv. bark (of dog). ALSO: wurung. = rawung. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. rung marnini bark (of dog). Rurdawurru n. place either on Newcastle station or southern part of Murranji.  Rurdawurrungka karda ngamu, coolamon biyi nanya barrbana. ‘At Rurdawurru, that’s where they made coolamons.’ ruwu cv. peel, take skin off, take bark off. ruwu warndanini peel, take skin off, take bark off.  Kurrunyukurrunyu ruwu warnda! ‘Take that bark (or skin) off!’

Ngarinyman to English dictionary 255

r

waakwaak

U

Uu

Ww

ubala SEE: wubala. uwarrajkala SEE: wuwarrajkala.

waakwaak n. crow. = wakalabala, wangkina, wangkurinya. Corvus orru. The crow has an important Dreamtime story and is a Dreaming or totem for some people. It has a distinctive, loud ‘waak . . . waak . . . waak’ call. This bird has the skin names Jangala or Nangala and Jambijina or Nambijina. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. waakwaak cv. caw (as of crow), squawk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. waakwaak marnini caw, squawk.  Yali wangkurinya waakwaak marninymarnini. ‘That crow is squawking.’ waamib cv. plait. = nyungka. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. waamib barnini plait. -waana suf. and others, and the rest, et cetera. This ending is used when referring to one of many things that are also being referred to (et cetera).  Barnali ngarnini waluwaana, janyburrawaana. Nungkuruwaana-marnali ngarnini. ‘We eat the head and all, the rib bones and all. Feet too, we eat it all.’  Birirdawaana, nungkuruwaana waluwaana barnali jalybukkarra barnini. ‘We smash the legs, the arms, the head, and all everything else too.’ wabaja cv. conceal, cover up, erase, heal. ALSO: abaja; wabajak.  Wabaja-ma barnanyanu yunba-ma karndiyaru barna karndiwurru jikalawurru-wu. ‘I’ll cover up my tracks using a stick, to avoid the police.’ wabaja kayini concealed, covered up, erased, healed.  Yali-ma wabaja kayina janga-ma nyan-ma kurnbarra-ma. Yali-ma karlunini barduru. ‘That cut has healed up. He’s got a scar now.’ wabaja kurnini conceal, cover up, erase, heal. wabaja marnini conceal, cover up, erase, heal.  Nginya bayina yunba wabaja marna. ‘You’re covering up their tracks.’ wabala part. when, then (relativiser).

256 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

waji ALSO: abala.  Wabala bayin marnina

wajura? ‘What did you say when you talked to me yesterday?’ wabalyu cv. scrape skin, take skin off in an accident, graze. = ngakalyarra, buyurr.  Dingarri barna wabalyu wandiyina. ‘I fell and skinned my knee.’ wabarl n. tell a lie. Wabarl bangku dikarl kunana. ‘Someone told you a lie.’ wabarl cv. tell a lie. = ngulyi. wabarl marnana lie.  Wabarl bangku marnana. ‘Someone told you a lie.’ wabilungu n. white gum tree. Eucalyptus victrix. The leafy branches of this tree are rubbed in goanna fat, lightly heated in ashes, then applied to itchy or sore skin. The gum can be eaten. ‘Laju’ (witchetty grubs) are found in the roots. The timber can be used for ‘warlu’ (firewood) and the bark burnt to make ‘buna’ (ashes). waburnda adv. by mistake, accidentally.  Ngayu-ma-rna burriyi kayinykayini, biya bayili barnarra ngayu-wanya waburndali. ‘I’m nervous that they might hit me then by mistake.’ waburr cv. interrupt, distract. ALSO: waburrmi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. waburr kayini distract, interrupt.  Barna kun marrila barna-wanya mujiyi kayina mulurr bayi waburrmi kayina. ‘I was telling you but now I’ve forgotten, he stuffed me up by interrupting me.’ waburr barnana interrupt.  Kurdi kurru karra-yi, bayin aburr barna. ‘Stop and listen to me, you keep interrupting me by talking.’ Wadaman SEE: Wardaman. wadiyid cv. screw up, turn, wring out, squeeze. wadiyid warndanini screw up, turn, wring out, squeeze.  Jirrbu kuya, wadiyid warnda. ‘Put it in (the water then) wring it out (of the clothes).’ wadiyidkarra screwing up, turning, wringing it out, squeezing. wajalkarra cv. strut, puffed up (person), act proud. = bundajbundaj. wajalkarra yanini strut.  Ngana kadima wajalkarra yananjanarra? ‘Who’s that person strutting around?’ wajarra cv. sing or dance corroboree. ALSO: walyarra. = wajkarra, bula.  Wajarra

bali yunbajibarnini ngarrkali yali karlarra. ‘The men are singing a corroboree there to the west.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wajarrakarra singing and dancing corroboree. wajarra bunganini dance a corroboree.  Ngayi barna bungana wajarra. ‘I danced a corroboree.’ wajarra yinbarnini sing a corroboree.  Nganayili kadi walyarra-ma yinbarni, marlukali nyangarlulu. ‘Whatsisname can still sing the corroboree songs, one old man can.’ waji n. 1 • colours in the air, shimmer.  Kambambarra bali nyanganirra marlarlukali-ma wangku-ma wajiwurru. ‘In the old days people saw the air shimmering with light.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word which means ‘rainbow’. 2 • wrong skin for marriage, wrongway (inappropriate) marriage partner. = karndikari.  Yalikujarra bawula waji. ‘Those two are wrong skin for marriage.’ — Mudburra society is divided into eight subsections, also called skin groups. Every person is born into one (or sometimes two) of these groups, with membership determined by which groups their parents are in. A person’s skin group membership influences many aspects of their life, including who they can marry. Appropriate (‘straight’) marriage partnerships are as follows: Janama–Nawurla, Jurla–Nanaku, Jabarda–Nalyirri, Jalyirri–Nimarra, Jimija– Nangala, Jangala–Namija, Jambijina– Nangari, Jangari–Nambijina. In the past, ‘wrong-way’ marriages (partnerships that did not comply with these skin group pairings) were sometimes punished harshly. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wajiwaji wrong-way (inappropriate) marriage partners.  Jarrarda bawula kayang barna wajiwajikujarra. ‘Those two wrong-way marriage partners ran off, eloping.’ wajingarna person who goes after wrong-way (inappropriate) marriage. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 257

w

wajilan  Wajingarna yali-ma, kirrikari warndala

W

waji. ‘That guy’s into wrong-way marriages, whichever wife he takes is the wrong skin.’ wajilan n. galah. = kilikilika, kilinykiliny, kilikilika. Cacatua roseicapilla. Galah feathers can be used as body decoration during ceremonies. In the past, people hunted large flocks of galahs with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). They ate the meat after roasting it on hot coals and ashes. There is an important Dreaming story about this bird. The galah is a Dreaming or totem for some people. These birds have the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wajirrki n. praying mantis, stick insect. Mantodea, Phasmatodea. = jalibi. These insects hold their front legs up like they are praying. They also sometimes look like sticks in colour and shape. If one flies into your head it will cause a headache. You can stop the headache, though, by catching the insect and gently running it around in circles on the top of your head several times, then carefully letting it go. The term ‘wajirrki’ is also used to refer to helicopters and a very bad flu that could kill you in station days. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wajkarra cv. play, dance in ceremony. = wajarra, ngararra. wajkarra kayini play, dance.  Bawula wajkarra kayini. ‘Those two (dogs) are playing.’  Bandimi kirri abala wajkarra karri. Ngayiwanya bali wajkarra barli karri. Kujika barli yinba dardulu ngarrkali barli abala karri kardarr. Dardulu balawa yinba. ‘All the women gotta dance (for that ceremony). Men dance after that woman gone home. Those men gotta sing that song all night. Everybody gotta sing.’ waju part. because, ‘too much’ in Kriol.

USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wajurra n. yesterday, = bayinda.  Wajurrama dardu madayi kayina. ‘Yesterday there were a lot of clouds.’ wajurrajurra n. evening, late afternoon, sundown.  Minya-ma wajurrajurrawanya, minya-ma wangku-ma juny-wanya wandiyini. ‘Now it’s evening, the sun is going down.’ — See p. 434 for the hand sign. wajurrakari adv. the other day, the day before yesterday. = wajuwarra, kuyangula.  Wajurrakari ban yanarni, jawardikarima-n yandurru lurrbu-rni. ‘You just came back the other day and you’re going away again in two days.’ wajuwarra adv. the other day, the day before yesterday. = kuyangula.  Wajuwarra barlawa nyangarna nyangarlu liwirni kakuyi warndanku Ijibardangka. ‘The other day we saw one egret fishing at Longreach.’  Wajuwarra majurru yanarra Nanaku-ma balya nyangana manyangarna barla nyangana jankinyinja, kambarra-rni jankinyarra. ‘The other day when Nanaku and I went out in the middle walking we saw burnt spinifex, it had already burned.’ wak cv. slap. wak barnini slap.  Karri minyangka-rni karu! Yalili marlukali-ma-ngku wak barnarra. ‘Stay right here kid! That old man might slap you.’ waka cv. sit down. = dak. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. waka kayini sit.

wakalabala n. crow. = waakwaak, wangkurinya, wangkina. Corvus orru. The crow has an important Dreamtime story and is a Dreaming or totem for some people. It has a distinctive, loud ‘waak . . . waak . . . waak’ call. This

258 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

walbingkirra bird has the skin names Jangala or Nangala and Jambijina or Nambijina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wakirni n. brown ibis. Plegadis falcinellus. Wakirrawurru n. place between Elliott dump (Marrini) and South Yard (Jalanya). wakunya n. left hand. ALSO: wakakunya. = jambu. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. wakurni n. nothing, no. = kiwirra.  Wayi nanbari-ma? Wakurni. ‘Have you got any tucker? No, I’ve got nothing.’  Wayi ban? Wakurni — wangi barna. ‘How are you? Nothing, I’m no good.’ — The initial ‘w’ in very rarely pronounced, but it can be. See p. 432 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wakurniwakurni nothing at all.  Wakurniwakurni barna ngayi-ma. ‘I have nothing at all.’ wakwara n. old male red kangaroo, desert kangaroo. = junumburrku, kanjarlawirri. Osphranter rufus. SEE: wawirri; wakwara; junumburrku. This is the largest kangaroo and the adult males can be very tall and muscular. The meat is eaten after roasting and is very tasty. Some people think this is the best kangaroo meat. They are most commonly seen in the southern areas, but they live everywhere. They are common in the Elliott area and other places like Marlinja and Beetaloo. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘kajangarna’ (or ‘kajangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means bush-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in bush areas. walakarri n. supplejack. Ventilago viminalis. This tree is a good shade tree and has very hard wood. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) containing honey, pollen and wax can be found in this tree. The timber of large trees can be used to make ‘kurrubardu’

(boomerangs). The straight stems of young trees can be used to make ‘karnbaj’ or ‘kurndarnnga’ (clapsticks), ‘kiyarri’ (digging sticks), ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks) and ‘kuwarri’ (shields). The wood can also be used to carve message sticks. Dry stems and branches can be used to carry fire from one place to another. They can be lit at one end and will slowly smoulder along their length. Occasionally they will need to be blown on to keep them alight. walanja n. 1 • any kind of goanna.  Yarlubali kirrili kula ngarnarra kidba jurlakanginyi and walanjanginyi, kakuwinginyi, biya karulu karlurnarra janga. ‘Pregnant women probably won’t eat bird, goanna, or fish eggs, or else the baby will be sick.’ — See p. 411 for the hand sign. 2 • large yellow goanna. Varanus gouldii. SEE: wardaba. This is the biggest of all the goannas. It has yellow spots on its skin and has a lot of tasty flesh. It is often seen on sand ridge country in southern areas. These goannas are so big you have to be careful when hunting them, as they will attack you. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. walanybirri n. pelican. Pelecanus conspicillatus. Pelicans are not generally hunted and eaten, though they can be, and have quite a bit of meat on them. When people do eat them, they roast them on hot coals first. Pelicans eat ‘kakuwi’ (fish). It has the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. See p. 410 for the hand sign. walarrbaji n. caustic bush. Grevillea pyramidalis. The shiny brown resin on the fruit can burn your skin. The brown juice is also dangerous and should be avoided. It can be used to make ceremonial scars on the chest and upper arms. ‘Walarrbaji’ only occurs in western areas; it does not grow around Elliott, Newcastle Waters or Beetaloo. walbingkirra n. Gillen’s pygmy goanna. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 259

w

wali

W

= kawurawura. SEE: jamankula; kinja. These lizards can be aggressive; the big ones will chase you if you go near them. When you try to catch them they often hide behind a tree or antbed. They like to eat ants, termites, grasshoppers and the flying ants that come out after rain. You often see them near antbeds looking for a feed. The meat of this lizard is eaten after roasting on hot coals and ashes. You can also burn its frill on a fire and then rub it through your hair to make your hair grow long and stay black. This lizard is the brother of ‘kidkilyi’ (ring-tailed dragon). They both have the skin name Jangala. They had a fight in the Dreamtime. Kidkilyi went to live in the plains country and Jamankula went to the red-soil country around Daly Waters. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. Walbiri SEE: Warlpiri. wali part. like, similar to, looks like.  Yali-ma wali warlaku. ‘That looks like a dog.’  Yalima yananjanarra wali-rni warlaku. ‘That one is walking just like a dog.’ -walija suf. lots, many, big mob. = -darra, -barra, -rra, -ya, -jban.  Ngarrkawalija bali yanarni dardu Elliottngurlu. ‘A lot of men have come here from Elliott.’ SEE: -darra. USAGE: In Eastern Mudburra, this suffix is only found in the word ‘ngayuwalija’ (‘we’ or ‘us’). walijidbarri n. black flying fox, flying fox. = barnkiji. Pteropus alecto. In the past the flesh of the black flying fox was eaten after roasting. It has a strong, distinctive smell and taste. Flying foxes are no longer eaten due to fear of lyssa virus, a disease carried by flying foxes that can be transferred to people. Black flying foxes live in river country areas in northern areas. Walirra n. Frew’s Pond, Sandy Camp at Sturt Plains.  Walirrangka-ma barnali kardibali mirrka marnirra Walirrangka-ma ‘Sandy Camp’, nuyanuya yuwulu. ‘We were at Walirra, which the white people called ‘Sandy Camp’, it has soft sand.’ walkindi cv. sweep, clear the ground.

 Walkindi karri yali yuwulu. ‘Clear up that ground.’ walmalmaj n. bush tobacco. Lobelia arnhemiaca. When dried, this plant can be chewed as bush tobacco, often mixed with ‘warnu’ (commercial tobacco) and ‘buna’ (ash). In the past, before commercial tobacco was available, the old people chewed this. It is a small plant and grows in permanently wet areas near ‘winji’ (caves). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Walmana SEE: Warlmana. walu n. head. = damangka, kurlaka, ngarlaka. USAGE: This is also a Ngarinyman word. walundirrindirrin n. bandybandy, black and white snake, Bandy Bandy snake. Vermicella annulata. This snake has black and white stripes. It lives underground and only comes out at night or after heavy rain. It only occurs in northern areas and is hardly ever seen. It is a mate of ‘jurndakal’. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Walungku n. Rainbow Serpent. = Ngurrkbana, Yirrarndarna.  Yali jangkali walungku dumana, dumarnini. ‘The Rainbow Serpent is rising up here.’ SEE: ngayikngayikbarn. walyaka adv. inside. = kanju. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. walyu n. raw. = kurnka. SEE: budala. wamala n. teenage girl.  Ngayu barna wamala kayinarra Powell Creek. Barna born kayina. ‘I was a girl at Powell Creek. I was born (there).’ — See p. 398 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘wamarlakardini’ in Jingulu. wamba n. snappy gum. Eucalyptus leucophloia. The timber makes very good, long-lasting ‘warlu’ (firewood). It was used

260 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wanbuni by the blacksmiths at the old stations because it burnt so hot and for so long. People used to collect it by the wagonload. ‘Kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) may be made from the hard wood. The outer bark and timber can be used to make a bucket-shovel for bringing up water out of a ‘winji’ spring. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in this tree. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra, Gurindji and Jingulu word. wambal cv. quiet, mind your own business, keep quietly to yourself, ignore. SEE: kururr. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wambal kayini mind your own business, keep to yourself.  Wambal ban kayini. ‘You’re sitting down quietly, in one place.’  Kurdi, karudarra, wambal karri-li! ‘Hey, kids, be quiet!’ wambal warndanini quietly gather things.  Nginya marluka-ma wambal warndajwarndanini. ‘This old man is quietly getting (the fruit).’ wambalwambal pointlessly, in vain.  Wambalwambal kayinykayini. ‘He’s waiting in vain.’ wambalngarna inattentive, ignores people.  Wambalngarna yali-ma. ‘He pays no attention to anyone.’ wambana n. grass wallaby, spectacled hare-wallaby, hare wallaby, kangaroo rat. Lagorchestes conspicillatus. This small wallaby has distinctive orange fur around its eyes, like it is wearing orange glasses, hence the name. It sleeps in a tunnel in the grass or under dense shade during the day and feeds at night. ‘Wambana’ is about the size of a middle-sized dog. It eats green grass, along with ants from ant nests like a porcupine (echidna) does. Mothers have one baby at a time and when it is small they carry it in their pouch. When the baby gets big, it runs around by itself. The little one suckles milk from the mother. These wallabies are not eaten now, but they were eaten in the past by the old people. They are hard to spear or hit with a boomerang,

because they run really fast in scrubby country. Dogs and dingoes are good at sniffing them out; they can find their nests easily and run straight to them. A full grown ‘wambana’ would feed about three adult people. Some Jingili people think ‘wambana’ make a whistling noise to help them find their way home. These wallabies have not been seen much in recent times. In the past they were often seen near lancewood, turpentine and bulwaddy country, sometimes resting in a little hole in the shade. There are some on Dungowan Station near Murranji. Pompey Raymond also used to see lots on Ucharonidge Station when he was a young man around 1960. ‘Wambana’ has the skin names Jangala and Jambijina, which makes them father and son. It was a Dreaming for Biddy Wavehill and Billy Bunter, well-known elders from Gurindji country to the west. wambarl cv. quiet. SEE: wambal. wan cv. throw, chuck, spit. wan kurnini throw.  Wangi. Wan kuya! ‘It’s bad. Throw it away!’  Yali jinarli warnda, wan kuya jawaranyangkurra! ‘Get that tea-leaf, and throw it in the billycan!’  Jalkirra barna wan kuya lirrangurlu. ‘I chucked spit from my mouth.’ wanwan throwing, chucking.  Wanwan kurnini nyambadarra yali-ma danku banyanu. ‘He’s chucking out a whole bunch of his stuff.’ USAGE: This form usually only appears in Western Mudburra, whereas Eastern speakers use ‘wankarra’. wankarra throwing, chucking.  Ngarnini nginya-ma wumara-ma bayi wankarra kurnini? ‘Who’s that throwing stones at me?’ wan kurnina thrower, bowler.  Yali-ma karda bardakurru wan kurnina-ma. ‘He’s a good bowler.’ wanayaka SEE: warnayaka. wanbuni n. large white termite mound, antbed. = bilaya. Amitermes.  Ngayinyangka ngurrangka-ma dijadija wanbunidarra. ‘There are lots of big Ngarinyman to English dictionary 261

w

wandala

W

ant-hills in my country.’ SEE: barlanji; kindijku; mardumardu. The fine soil from inside antbeds can be used to treat diarrhoea. It is heated on a fire and then added to warm water. This is allowed to settle for a while, so that the grass bits which float to the top can be skimmed off. It is then drunk. This mixture also promotes milk for nursing mothers. This wet antbed soil is also used when ‘burning’ babies to strengthen their lower back and legs and help them start walking. This makes the baby physically strong in later life. To ‘burn’ a baby, light a fire and heat up some pieces of antbed. When the fire has burned down to coals, the antbed pieces will be glowing red. Scoop some out to one side, then put some water on the fire and cover it with leafy twigs such as ‘mulurrmi’ (turpentine wattle) or ‘bikirra’ (any type of grass), and then put the reserved chunks of antbed on top. When the plants heat up and begin to smoke, hold the baby over them so that the smoke goes all over the baby and its mother. The pieces of antbed are crushed during the smoking to reveal still-red parts. Cooled charred pieces of antbed are used to treat sick people (especially infants). They are crushed in water to make a thick black slurry. The slurry is rubbed on a child from head to toe. The black water may also be sipped. ‘Nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) is often found in antbeds, especially in ‘wanbuni’ (the large rounded ones). Porcupines (echidnas) are also sometimes found camped in the holes in antbeds, as they like to eat the termites inside. You can also dig out a cavity in the side of the ‘wanbuni’ and camp in there to stay dry in the wet season. wandala n. sugarleaf, lerps found on a variety of trees including ‘bidbidarra’ (coolabah), ‘darralyaka’ (ghost gum) and ‘kunduwa’ (bloodwood).

= nanjarrnga, bijardku. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. wandarri n. road, path, track. = wurrumu, ruda.  Minya bayina wandarri-ma junmawu, wawirriwu. ‘This is a path for wallabies and kangaroos.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Wandarri n. Milky Way.  Minya-ma-rna nyanganini Wandarri-ma. ‘I can see the Milky Way.’ wandarrkurrini n. bronzewing pigeon, plains pigeon, pigeon which lives on black-soil plains. = marrababirni. Phaps histrionica. wandi- v. many words beginning with ‘wandi’ are forms of the verb ‘fall’. SEE: wandiyini. wandinyana n. something or someone that falls a lot. ALSO: wandingana; wandingina. SEE: wandiyini.  Ngayi-ma-rna wandingana. ‘I fall over a lot.’ wandinyanja n. someone who has fallen down, something that has fallen down. ALSO: wandinyinja.  Yali karda warnda-yi wandinyinja — warrard kayini lurrbu wani. ‘Get me that fallen one — put it back up.’ SEE: wandiyini. wandiyini v. fall, go down, get down, rain, die (of people, polite).  Nguku wandiyini kankarra. ‘It is raining upstream.’  Jurlaka dardu yanini, kadi wandiyini. ‘Lots of birds are going around. They are coming down.’  Karu, jud wandi nyunduma! Barnangku burriyi kayini, biya ban wandiyinarra karndingurlu yalingurlu-ma. ‘Kid, get back down! I’m nervous that you might fall down from that tree.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. wandiyini is falling, falls. wandiyina has fallen, fell. wandi will fall, wants to fall. wandi fall! Waninki n. place just west of Kajalangkujku.  Waninki karda ngurrangurla ngayinya jaju-ma, yini-ma marluka-ma Wardawarda mayilmi, marndaj. ‘Waninki is where my

262 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wankij grandfather came from, that old man called Wardawarda.’ waniyi n. any kind of grasshopper. ALSO: wanii. There are many types of grasshoppers. They can be used for fishing bait, and goannas and bush turkeys like to eat them. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanja- v. many words beginning with ‘wanja’ are forms of the verb ‘leave’. SEE: wanjanini. wanjalmarni n. buttocks.  Wanjalmarni ban dija. ‘You have a big bum.’ wanjanina n. someone who leaves. = ngardanganina.  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma karrila, wanjanina, bangku wanjala. ‘Leave that man alone, he’s a leaver, he’ll leave you.’ SEE: wanjanini. wanjanini v. leave, abandon.  Marndaj barnanjurra-wanya wanjanini. ‘Right, I will leave you now.’  Wanjaniniwanya. ‘He is leaving now.’ SEE: ngardanganini. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. wanjanini is leaving. wanjana has left. wanjarru will leave, wants to leave. wanjarra leave! wanjaninja n. someone who has been left abandoned.  Yali-ma kirri-ma wanjaninja, yali-ma ngarrkali-ma, nyaninyali-ma ngardangkala. ‘That woman’s been left, her man keeps leaving.’ SEE: wanjanini. wanji quest. which one? ALSO: wanju.  Wanji-ma barna warndu? ‘Which one do I get?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wanjika quest. where? = wanjuwarra.  Wanjika juburdu-ma karrinyarra kambarra-ma? ‘Where do quolls live?’ — See p. 431 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wanjingurlu quest. where from? = wanjinginyi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wanjirr cv. together, join up with, mix up,

side by side. = muju, warrb.  Wanjirr wiyali yili mirlarrang kujarra. ‘Join together those two spear parts.’ SEE: balkij. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wanjirr kayini side by side.  Bali wanjirr karri. ‘We’re sitting side by side.’ wanjirr yanini side by side.  Wanjirr yandarrayina yaliyawu. ‘Go and join up with them.’ Wanjirra n. Wanjirra people and language.  Ngayi-wanya balya karra Karranga, Mudburra, Wanjirra. Karranga Mardbawukarda-bun ngurrawu. ‘We lived together, Karranga, Mudburra and Wanjirra. The Karranga belonged to Montejinni country.’  Wanjirra murlangka-ma kambarrakambarra-ma. Kardiba yanirra. ‘Wanjirra were here before. (Then) the white people came.’ — A term for Western Mudburra people from Top Springs and Montejinnie. -wanju suf. because (reason).  Yali-ma kirrima marndaj. Karlamanji-ma, jilimingkawanju! ‘That woman is appropriate (for marriage). Keep going up to her, because she’s single.’  Kula barna yandurru ngayuma Katherinekurra, karu-wanju barna karlunini. ‘I can’t go to Katherine today, because I have the kid.’ wanjuwarra quest. where? = wanjika. ALSO: wanjiwarra.  Wanjuwarra barna, murrkardi-ma barnanyanu? ‘Where is it, where’s my hat?’ — See p. 431 for the hand sign. wanjuwarrangarnarra where from?  Wanjuwarrangarnarra yali ngarrka-ma yali kirrili-ma karlunini? ‘Where’s that man from that the woman married?’ wanka cv. alive.  Bingali barnarra, kulawa barli kayinarra wanka bili dikirrij. ‘We might get hit, we might get killed — not be alive anymore.’ wankij adv. around.  Wankij barna yandurru. ‘I’m going around here.’ SEE: marduju. USAGE: This is also a Ngarinyman to English dictionary 263

w

wankijbari

W

Jingulu word. wankijwankij everywhere, all around. = kuyanya.  Minya-na bali jindaba jarra marnimarni wankijwankij yurruwa karri. ‘This mob all around us are talking a different language.’  Birdibirdidarra-ma bali jujirrki kayini wankijwankij. ‘The sisters and cousins of the boy being initiated dance round and round.’  Kadiyali bayili kirdi marna. Kula barna kayang barna ngayuma. Wankijwankij bayili kayina dardu-rni. ‘Those ones were chasing me, so that I couldn’t escape. They were all standing around me.’ wankijbari n. round, around the corner, go around. = marduju. wankurra n. female hill kangaroo, rock kangaroo, wallaroo. = ngalijirri, kanjalawuri, yunumburrku. Osphranter robustus. SEE: wardabarnmarra. These kangaroos are good to eat after roasting. They often have long, shaggy fur and can range in colour from dark grey to light grey to a bit reddish. The large males are quite heavily built and often a reddish colour. These kangaroos are often seen in hilly parts of the country, like in the area around Powell Creek. They rest in the hills during the heat of the day and come down to the slopes and plains to feed when it gets cool at dusk and during the night. They are only seen by themselves; they do not live in groups. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘wumarangarna’ (or ‘wumarangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means rock-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in rocky areas. Wanmanba SEE: Warlmana. wanganga n. quiet, not aggressive or dangerous.  Baningkula yali wari yananjanarni, wanganga. ‘That’s a ‘baningkula’ snake coming — a quiet one.’ wangi n. bad, no good, rubbish, ugly, sad, all no good, rubbish one.  Yali-ma barik karrila ngarrka-ma. Kula bardakurru, wangi — marrimarri. Nyambangarna? Barnina. ‘Leave him behind, that blackfella. He’s no good — he’s dangerous. What kind of man is he? He’s a killer.’  Wayi ban? Wakurni

— wangi barna. ‘How are you? I’m no good.’ — See p. 427 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wangiwangi rubbish.  Ngini warn badi wangiwangi yawurru. ‘Chuck this rubbish away.’ wanginykarra badly, in a bad way, wrongly.  Wanginykarra barna bankaja kayina. ‘I had bad dreams.’ -wangka suf. not having, lacking, without. This ending is used when you do not have something, or to describe a property that something does not have (privative).  Barnarla kangkurru minya ngarina, ngarinawangka-barra. ‘I will take this meat over to her. She might not have any meat.’  Bubawangka barna ngayu-ma yanana, kiwirra. ‘I went away without a lighter or anything.’ wangkij SEE: wankij. wangkina n. crow. ALSO: wangina. = wangkurinya, wakalabala, waakwaak, wangkurinya. Corvus orru. The crow has an important Dreamtime story and is a Dreaming or totem for some people. It has a distinctive, loud ‘waak . . . waak . . . waak’ call. This bird has the skin names Jangala or Nangala and Jambijina or Nambijina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wangku n. moon grub, scarab beetle larvae. Coleoptera. These white grubs live in the ground and look like small witchetty grubs. They are not eaten by people, but can be used as bait when fishing with a handline. wangku n. sun.  Nginya wangku-ma bilyak marnini. ‘The sun is hot today.’ wangkulayi SEE: wangkurinya. wangkurinya n. crow. ALSO: wangkulayi. = waakwaak, wakalabala, wangkina. Corvus orru. The crow has an important

264 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

warda Dreamtime story and is a Dreaming or totem for some people. It has a distinctive, loud ‘waak . . . waak . . . waak’ call. This bird has the skin names Jangala or Nangala and Jambijina or Nambijina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. wangu n. widow, woman whose husband has passed away.  Yali-ma kirri-ma wangu. Ngumbarnali-ma ngardangani. ‘That woman is a widow. (Her) husband left (passed away).’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. -wanya suf. now, then (sequential).  Yalima yuwulu-ma mungarrangarna-wanya. ‘The ground is black now.’  Barna-wanya warndana dardu yali-ma bijiwunadarrama. ‘Then I collected lots of those salty trees.’ wanyanda n. yam of young wild curry kurrajong tree. Brachychiton multicaulis. SEE: miyaka. wanyarri n. bauhinia. = jingi, banjibanji. Bauhinia cunninghamii. SEE: ngabilibili. This large tree is common on Mudburra country. It is an excellent shade tree. Many birds sit in it and eat the red flowers. The inner red bark of the trunk or the roots can be used to make a strong medicine. They are boiled in water and the liquid is used as a wash, and a little is drunk, to treat headaches, ‘jangawurru’ (scabies, skin ulcers and skin sores) and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion). This medicine is used a few times a day for a few days and will cure most skin problems. The leaves can also be chewed to treat congestion. They can also be chewed when you are thirsty and in need of water. This helps to produce saliva and stops the feeling of intense thirst. The gum is called ‘kuramarna’ which refers to the edible

gum from any tree. The fruit or pods are called ‘ngabilibili’. ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) can be found in the trunk of this tree, and also in the roots sometimes. The red flowers can be sucked to get the sweet nectar or collected in a tin and mixed with water to make a sweet drink. The outer bark is burnt to ‘buna’ (fine white ash), which is then added to ‘warnu’ (chewing tobacco). The twigs can be made into ‘junji’ (paint brushes or spoons) used for painting or for extracting honey. wanyku n. armpit. = karrwi.  Wanyku banyanu biyanganu, wakunya-wanya wanyku wanda. ‘I cut my armpit, my left armpit.’ SEE: kijikijik. warakaji cv. provoke someone, taunt, egging someone on for a fight, grumble, grouch. warakaji marnini egging someone on for a fight.  Kurrula kurrula bali ngadarra barra warakaji marninymarnini. ‘They are grumbling early in the morning before the sun comes up.’ warangali cv. work, working, busy. ALSO: warakngali.  Warangalingurluma-n yanini nyundu-ma. ‘You should come away from your work.’  Warakngali barna yandurru. ‘I’m going to work.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu, and probably comes from English ‘work’. warangali kayini busy, working.  Ngardangka-yi kurdi, warangali barna kayini. ‘Leave me alone for a bit, I’m busy.’ warangalingarna worker.  Ngayu-ma-rna bardakurru warangalingarna. ‘I’m a good worker.’ warangarra n. fly. Diptera, Muscidae, Musca spp. = yimarnnga, kunanga. These small black flies are often a nuisance as they fly around the face and eyes. They are bad in areas with lots of cattle and horses. wararang n. hook spear. = bulungku. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warda interj. oh no! hey! oh my goodness! ALSO: arda.  Warda, nyili ban karlunini yunbaka! ‘Oh no, you’ve got a thorn in your foot!’  Warda, wari yananjanarni Ngarinyman to English dictionary 265

w

wardaba

W

kuwanjalamangalawa, ngayinyangkurra! ‘Oh no, a snake is coming this way, towards us!’ SEE: yakayi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wardayi hey! (for me), oh no! (for me), ouch! (for me).  Kumungku barna lilinkarra kayini, wardayi! ‘My back is paining, ouch!’  Wardayi, nyilili bayi langana yunba! ‘Ouch, a thorn poked my foot!’ wardarra ouch! oh no!  Wardarra, kadi karu nyilili durrb langana! ‘Ouch, a thorn poked that kid!’ wardaba n. small yellow-spotted goanna, small Gould’s goanna. Varanus gouldii. SEE: walanja. This word refers to small goannas of this variety, which is the biggest of all the goannas. It has yellow spots on its skin and has a lot of tasty flesh. It is often seen on sand ridge country in southern areas. These goannas are so big you have to be careful when hunting them, as they will attack you. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wardabarnmarra n. male hill kangaroo, rock kangaroo, wallaroo. ALSO: wardabarnmarri. Osphranter robustus. SEE: ngalijirri. These kangaroos are good to eat after roasting. They often have long, shaggy fur and can range in colour from dark grey to light grey to a bit reddish. The large males are quite heavily built and often a reddish colour. These kangaroos are often seen in hilly parts of the country, like the area around Powell Creek. They rest in the hills during the heat of the day and come down to the slopes and plains to feed when it gets cool at dusk and during the night. They are only seen by themselves; they do not live in groups. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘wumarangarna’ (or ‘wumarangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means rock-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in rocky areas. wardadilya SEE: warrirdila.

wardakurlkarra cv. wriggle, squirm. ALSO: wurdikilkarra. wardakurlkarra kayini wriggle.  Mulura wardakurlkarra kayini. ‘The maggots are wriggling.’ Wardaman n. Wardaman people and language.  Ngaliwurrulu, Ngarinymandi, Bilinarrali ngarrkali-ma, Mudburrali wujuk barnirra karu Wardamanjirri, Karrangangkurra. ‘The Ngaliwurru, Ngarinyman, Bilinarra, and Mudburra men sent the boys to the Wardaman and Karranga.’  Mudburra, Karranga bawulawanya karrinyarra company. Kujarrawanya bawurna duwarduwa karlamarnirra, Wardamandi, Mudburrali. Karranga now; balya karrinyarra-ma Karranga. ‘The Mudburra and Karranga were together as ‘company.’ Then two (tribes) met up, the Wardaman and Mudburra. Then we two were the Karranga.’ wardayi SEE: warda. wardid cv. mix, stir.  Wardid yali-ma flour ngukuwurru. ‘Mix that flour with water.’ wardidi interj. ‘here you go’ (said when giving something to your mother-in-law: avoidance relation).  Wardidi, mali. ‘Here you go, mother-in-law.’ SEE: miyi. Passing an item to your mother-in-law is normally considered inappropriate. If you must do so, you should use two hands and say ‘wardidi’ (in Western Mudburra) or ‘miyi’ (in Eastern Mudburra). Your mother-in-law should also use two hands when taking the item from you. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wardinji n. 1 • any kind of frog. 2 • sand frog. Limnodastes. 3 • golf-ball frog. Notaden nichollsi. wardirrki n. stone knife. ALSO: warndirrki. = jabirri, kiyindan, jarribili, kajakaja. wardjayi n. long-necked turtle, snake-necked turtle. Chelodina oblonga. These turtles are only found in northern areas closer to Top Springs, and are known to be common around Timber Creek, Bradshaw and Auvergne country. These turtles are large

266 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

warlard and have a long neck. They bury themselves in mud as the water dries out at the start of the dry season. You can find them by poking a digging stick into the mud, tapping and listening for the sound that means you’ve hit one on the shell. You can then dig the turtle up, cook it and eat it. The name ‘wardjayi’ is also used for large green sea turtles, which are sometimes brought back by hunters who have visited saltwater Yanyula country. wardjuru n. skin. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wardkumi SEE: warlkumi. warduj cv. put away, plant, hide, stop. = warlan.  Warlayarra warduj, bingali birrk kurnani! ‘Put that tobacco away, in case he comes and takes it away from you and me!’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warduj kurnini put it away, hid it, plant it.  Nyambawu ban warduj kurna? ‘Why did you put it away?’ -wari suf. This ending is used to describe a property of something (adjectivaliser). = -bari.  Yali yuwulu didilwari kayini. Babirda kayini kanju. ‘That ground is all cracked. There are bush potatoes underneath.’  Wulu ban dilburrwari. ‘Your shin is broken.’ wari n. 1 • any kind of snake. See p. 411 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. 2 • king brown snake. This is a very dangerous snake. You cannot get close to them as they are fast-moving and aggressive; their venom is strong and deadly. In the Dreamtime, a number of ‘kiwarlija’ came up from Tennant Creek to Murranji. A couple of them then went to Beetaloo; these were the quiet ‘kiwarlija’ (i.e. olive or rock pythons). Two others went west as the aggressive ‘kiwarlija’ (i.e. king browns) and turned into the ‘jurndakal’, a taipan-like snake. Snakes have the skin names Jimija and Jalyirri and are father and son. warla interj. oh no! oh my goodness! look out! ALSO: arla; arlawu.  Arlawu! Barna banbij warndana mangarri barnanyanu. ‘Oh no! I

dropped my own food.’  Warla! Buliki ban barnarra! ‘Look out! You might hit that cow!’ warlabardbi n. 1 • grey teal duck, laughing duck. ALSO: warlabardbirni. Anas (Nettion) gracilis. SEE: jurluwardbini. 2 • green pygmy-goose. Nettapus pulchellus. ALSO: warlabardbirni. These duck-like geese were eaten in the past, but they are quite small and do not have much meat. They live on river and lagoon country and travel in cold weather time. They are not generally found in Mudburra country. They are relatives of the grey teal duck, also known as the laughing duck. warlaku n. dog. = kunyarrba. Canis familiaris.  Yali warlaku-ma bardakurru kayangkayang barnina. ‘That dog’s good, he’s active.’ — Dogs are kept as pets and hunting companions. They are good at sniffing out where game animals are hiding. They are good pets and are a lot quieter than dingoes. They often receive the skin name of the owner’s child. See p. 407 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu, and several other languages of the area. Warlamarnda n. waterhole east of Stuart Highway.  Liyardungurlu kurlarra little bit, Warlamarnda-ma. ‘It’s just a bit south of Liyardu, is Warlamarnda.’ warlambaraj cv. get lost. warlambaraj wandiyini get lost.  Karu warlambaraj wandiyina. Balirla wuj bunganini. ‘That kid got lost. They’re looking for him.’ warlan cv. hidden, planted. = yurrub, warduj. warlan kurnini hide something.  Warlan kurnana bayi wumara walletyaru. ‘She/he hid it from me in the wallet.’ warlan wandiyini hide yourself. warlard cv. very sick, very ill, dead. ALSO: warlad. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warlard kayini very sick, very ill, dead. warlard wandiyini fall very sick, fall very ill, die. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 267

w

warlarrku

W

warlard barnini very sick, very ill.  Karrila yali-ma! Warlard barnini. ‘Leave that one! He’s very sick.’ warlardardi many dead.  Warlardardi wandiyina bali. Kula kayini ngana warnka-ma. ‘The whole lot fell down dead. Nobody is alive.’ warlarrku adv. outside. = bakarangka, bakarala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Warlawirri n. Eagle constellation.  Yali karda Warlawirri-ma yunba kujarra-ma bali yini-wanya birribalyi wana yawu. ‘The Eagle constellation is the two feet of that creature.’ — Constellation of four stars, said to be the Eagle’s feet. warlawirri n. 1 • wedge-tailed eagle, eaglehawk. ALSO: diwuwarna. = diwarna. Aquila audax. This is the biggest hunting bird. It can catch small kangaroos and wallabies and also hunt for ‘kurrkabadi’ (bush turkeys). It is often seen high in the sky, slowly circling and looking for food. It also like to eat roadkill and ‘warlawirri’ often get hit by cars because they are slow to take off. There is an important Dreamtime story about this bird which is connected to men’s business. It has the skin names Jalyirri or Nalyirri and Jimija or Namija. See p. 409 for the hand sign. 2 • white-breasted sea eagle. Haliaeetus leucogaster. These large hunting birds go a long way up big rivers looking for fish and turtles to eat. They are common in coastal areas, and sometimes go as far as Jingili and Mudburra country, but are not often seen. warlayarra n. tobacco. = janyungu, warnu. You mix tobacco with ‘buna’ (ashes). The ashes are the burnt bark of ‘babingi’ (wild pawpaw), ‘kamanji’ (bulwaddy), ‘bularraku’ (smoke tree), ‘darralyaka’ (ghost gum), ‘kurruda’ (hill bloodwood) or ‘wanyarri’ or ‘jingi’ (bauhinia). Ashes give the tobacco

more bite and enhance the effect of the nicotine. See p. 419 for the hand signs. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warlbak SEE: warnbarlk. warlidaji n. magpie goose. = nguknguk. Anseranas semipalmata. These birds are only seen in big wet seasons, when they come down from the north. The meat is very good to eat after roasting on hot coals. Their eggs are also good to eat, but nests are rarely found on Mudburra country. Their wings can be broken off and used as fans to keep cool or to fan a fire to make it start. It has the skin name Jimija or Namija. warliyangka n. black-breasted buzzard. Hamirostra melanosternon. These large hunting birds have dark feathers, a bit like wedge-tailed eagles. They can glide on their large wings for long distances and spot prey from high above. They like to eat small birds such as ‘burrunjawurni’ (quail), lizards such as ‘kaburi’ (ta-ta lizards) and snakes. They also eat eggs, which they break using stones. warlk cv. open. warlk kayini open.  Marndaj warlk kayini. ‘Okay, it’s open.’ warlk kurnini open something.  Warlk kuna yali door! ‘Open the door!’ warlk warndanini open something.  Marndaj warlk warndana. ‘Okay, it’s been opened.’ warlkbari n. open. See p. 428 for the hand sign. warlkumi cv. fan (e.g. a fire), wave away (e.g. flies). ALSO: wardkumi. = wub. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. warlkumi kayini fan, wave away, blaze up.  Yali warlu warlkumi karri nyununyali murrkardili! ‘Fan the fire with your hat!’  Warlkumi karri yali warlu dijabiji. ‘Fan the fire to make it bigger.’

268 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

warnburrkbi Warlmana n. Warlmanpa people and language. ALSO: Warnmanba; Warlmanba.  Jingili, Warlmana, Warlpiri karrinyarrama. ‘There were Jingili, Warlmanpa, and Warlpiri.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warlmayi n. spear-thrower. = jalkaji, jirrk, ngarlika.  Warlmayi-ma bali birrka marninymarnirra warlumbungurlu or karnawunangurlu, marlarlukali-ma. ‘They used to make spear-throwers out of bulwaddy or lancewood, the old folks did.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warlu n. fire, firewood, matches, lighter. = buba, kungunjul. See p. 404 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is also in Gurindji and Warlpiri. warlu jankiyini hot with fever, burning up.  Nginya-ma warlu jankiyini. ‘This person’s burning up (with fever).’ warlurni hot (things), scalding.  Nginyama warlu-ma warlurni. ‘This fire is (still) hot.’ warlwara n. gecko. ALSO: warlwarra. = kangbi. Gekkonidae. There are different types of geckos. Some are connected to Lightning Dreaming stories. People must leave them alone and never harm them. Warlpiri n. Warlpiri people and language.  ‘Kajakaja’ Mudburrali dal barra. Warlpirili dal barra ‘kularda’. ‘Mudburra call (the stone knife) ‘kajakaja’. Warlpiri call it ‘kularta’.’ warnamburrngu n. bush Vicks. = manyanyi. Sphaeranthus indica, Pterocaulon serrulatum, Streptoglossa odora, Streptoglossa bubakii, Blumea axillaris, Pterocaulon sphacelatum. The different varieties have a strong smell, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. All are a very good medicine. The vapours from

the crushed leaves and stems are inhaled to clear a blocked nose and ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold). Some of the crushed leaves can be put directly into the nose. The leaves can also be boiled in water and the cooled liquid used as a wash to treat colds. Small amounts can be sipped as well to help heal a sore throat. warnangka adv. war, battle. ALSO: warnangka-warnangka.  Warnangkawarnangka balirna barnini bunbali. ‘They are fighting each other everywhere.’ warnayaka n. stranger, foreign or unfamiliar person or thing. = yajkangu.  Kari yandarra, warnayaka ban nyundu-ma. ‘Go away, you’re a stranger.’  Warnayaka barla kardibawu nguku. ‘Grog is unfamiliar to us; it’s the white man’s drink.’  Abaaba-ma warnayaka, karingurlu. ‘Those are foreign clothes, from a long way away.’  Yalima ngarrka warnayaka karlarrangurlu, karikaringurlu. ‘That man is a stranger from the west, from very far away.’ SEE: ngalurrunga; ngarlina. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Jingulu word, and is similar to ‘wanayak’ in Gurindji. warnbarlk cv. break into, break open, break pieces off. ALSO: warlbak. = jurrk. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warnbarlk warndanini break open, break bits off. warnbarlkkarra breaking open, breaking pieces off.  Warlbakkarra barla warndanini. ‘He’s opening them for her.’ warnburrkbi n. spiny gooseberry, bush tomato. = birdiyinjirrimi. Solanum echinatum. This small bush has purple flowers. The fruit provide excellent food and are much sought after when ripe; they are eaten when they turn yellow. Some of these bushes can be seen growing near the Newcastle Ngarinyman to English dictionary 269

w

warnd-

W

Waters turn-off. warnd- v. many words beginning with ‘warnd’ are forms of the verb ‘get’. SEE: warndanini. warndanina n. someone who gets.  Warndanina bawula yali marlukawu jabakawu bayili mangarri-ma bayili warndala. ‘He’s the one who gets the old people their food.’ SEE: warndanini. warndanini v. get, handle, catch (fish), pick up, acquire.  Barna warndajwarndanini yuwulu jawaranyayaru. ‘I am getting the sand with the billycan.’  Warndanini kakuwi ngarrkali. ‘The man is catching fish.’  Marndaj barna ngayulu-ma warndajwarndanini Mudburra yurrwa. ‘I am picking up Mudburra language.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. warndanini gets it. warndana got it. warndu will get, wants to get. warnda get it! warndaninja n. something that has been gotten or acquired.  Yali warnda-yi warndaninja. ‘That’s the one he got me.’ SEE: warndanini. warndirrki SEE: wardirrki. warnduj cv. change. ALSO: warnduruj. = jawurra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. warnduj nyunganini change. warnka SEE: wanka. warnkarranga n. male sand goanna, plains goanna. = kirrawa. Varanus panoptes. SEE: Wilarrka; jurrkubadi. The flesh of this goanna can be eaten after roasting and is very tasty. It often digs deep holes; it can be tracked to these holes and then dug out. Often the holes have to be dug very deep and a lot of work is required to get the goanna out. Warnmanba SEE: Warlmana. warnmirri n. bush yam. Vigna lanceolata. The tubers of this plant are similar to sweet potatoes. Some are long and some are round, and they grow about as big as your hand. They are dug up and lightly roasted or boiled before eating. The yam is fairly

stringy and needs to be chewed a lot. Sometimes they can taste spicy and can make your stomach feel like it is burning. The bush yam is common at OT Downs and Nutwood Downs. It often grows in red-soil and bulwaddy country. It is closely related to the pencil yam, but is larger and grows on different country. The yams of these two plants are also shaped differently and taste quite different. warnu n. tobacco. = warlayarra, janyungu.  Birrka ma barna kurdi warnu. ‘I’m rolling a cigarette.’ — You mix tobacco with ‘buna’ (ashes). The ashes are the burnt bark of ‘babingi’ (wild pawpaw), ‘kamanji’ (bulwaddy), ‘bularraku’ (smoke tree), ‘darralyaka’ (ghost gum), ‘kurruda’ (hill bloodwood) or ‘wanyarri’ or ‘jingi’ (bauhinia). Ashes give the tobacco more bite and enhance the effect of the nicotine. See p. 419 for the hand signs. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. warr cv. have one’s say. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. In Gurindji it means ‘catch up with’. warr barnini have one’s say. -warra suf. -ing (continuative). = -karra.  Kurdi barnayina ngayu-ma yurrub wandi, kadiya-ma bali yanarra jindabawarra. ‘I will hide from them, and they might go off in another direction.’ warra cv. scratch. = jikirdikirdi, karal, warrkuji. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. warra langanini scratch. warra cv. 1 • careful, look after, observe carefully. = wayilkarra. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warra nyanganini look after, observe carefully.  Minyangka karrinykarri nyundu-ma, amba bayin warra nyangkujangku ngarina mangarri. ‘You stay here, so that you can keep looking after the meat and food for me.’  Kadi balya warra nyanyarra kardiba-rni. ‘We just watched what the whites were doing.’ warra kanganini watch out for.  Warrayina kangka yalirra karu! ‘Watch out for

270 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

warrba those children!’ warrawarra being careful. 2 • scratch. = jikirdikirdi, karal, warrkuji. warra langanini scratch. warrajkalu n. cold weather, cold season. ALSO:  wurrajkalu. = karrinya, yak wandiyini, burriyib, minjarnini.  Minyama warrajkalu-wanya. ‘Now, this is cold season.’ SEE: jajalya. See p. 429 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. warrajkalungarna one who is always cold. warraka n. lancewood. = karnawuna. Acacia shirleyi. SEE: manjarna. The wood of this tree is hard, strong and dark in colour. It makes excellent firewood as it burns evenly for long periods. The smoke from the burning wood repels ‘bangkula’ or ‘kanamurrmurra’ (mosquitoes). The trunks and roots often contain ‘laju’ (witchetty grubs), which are good to eat. The stems can be used for bough shelters, fence rails and fence posts. The wood is also used for ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs), ‘karnbaj’ or ‘kurndarnnga’ (clapsticks), spearheads; ‘kuwarri’ (shields) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). The outer bark is called ‘manjarna’ or ‘kurrunyu’. It can be pulled off the trunks and used to make bough shelters or humpies. The dried bark is also good for lighting fires. The inner part of the fluted trunk bark can be chewed and sucked. It is not much food, but it’s good for keeping your mouth moist. The inner bark can also be made into ‘yubungu’ (string or rope), or used as a ‘junji’ (spoon or brush) to extract honey from ‘ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warrard cv. dry. = balarr, munbalak.  Marndaj biya warrard jankina. ‘My clothes should be good and dried by the

sun now.’ — See p. 424 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warrard kurnini dry out, put out to dry.  Warrard kuya, ngukuwurru-rni. ‘Make it dry, it’s still got water in it.’ warrard kayini get dry, dry. warrarra cv. miss target. = ngab. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. warrarra kurnini miss target.  Barna warrarra kurnana. ‘I missed him.’ warrawarra n. axe. = mayingka.  Yali warndala warrawarra, barna kurlundurru barru kakuwiyu. ‘Hand me that axe so I can cut a log to catch fish.’ warrb cv. gather, together. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu and Gurindji word. warrb kayini gather.  Kadi dardu bali warrb kayini ngalubala. ‘They’re (sitting down) together in the shade.’ warrba n. 1 • any kind of a flying fox. = bilkina. USAGE: This word means ‘clothes’ and ‘wing’ in Gurindji. 2 • spinifex. ALSO: warrna; warrwa. = manyangarna. Triodia bitextura. Soft spinifex is used to treat diarrhoea. It is collected along with termite mound. The termite mound is heated up and mixed with water and then the raw leaves are added. This is then used as medicine to treat diarrhoea or runny tummy. ‘Kirnima’ (wax from spinifex) is collected, melted and pounded a number of times to create a strong glue used with kangaroo tendons to bind spear or axe heads to their shafts and to fix hooks to spear-thrower shafts. Spinifex leaves or wax can also be burnt to chase away ‘bangkula’ or ‘kanamurrmurra’ (mosquitoes). They work like mosquito coils bought from the shop. ‘Nyili’ is the spiky leaves of spinifex; this term can also be used for porcupine (echidna) spines or other prickles. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 271

w

warrbanji

W

warrbanji n. 1 • centipede. = lirrimi. Chilopoda, Myriapoda. Centipedes have a sting that causes strong pain and swelling, but it is not deadly. In the past, people had a special song that they sang to stop the pain and reduce the swelling. At the stations they used to use a heated onion placed on the bite to stop the pain. 2 • sensitive plant. This plant has fine, sensitive leaves that close up when they are touched. The roots can be used as a lucky charm when playing card games. ‘Warrbanji’ is also the name for a centipede, which looks similar. warri interj. exclamation when you witness someone in your patrimoiety being sworn at. ALSO: warriwarri.  Nyana jajumarnanji jundu bangku nyununya karlaja, nyundu-ma marranymarra ‘warri’! ‘If your maternal grandmother swears at your younger sibling, you have to say ‘warri’!’ SEE: kabarani; ngakuny. Spoken as an expression of pity or shame. If someone in your same patrimoiety is sworn at, you should say ‘warri’. If someone in the patrimoiety opposite yours is sworn at, you should say ‘kabarani’ or (if they are your brother-in-law or sister-in-law) ‘ngakuny’. If someone swears at your mother-inlaw, you should say nothing, but make a sharp ‘raspberry’ sound by blowing air energetically between your pursed lips. warrija n. freshwater crocodile. Crocodylus johnstoni. Freshwater crocodiles do not naturally occur on Jingili or Mudburra country. They are, however, known from western areas, where they can be found in large freshwater river systems a long way inland. USAGE: This is also a Bilinarra and Gurindji word. warrinjalan n. lemon grass. Cymbopogon procerus. The leaves and stems have a nice smell and are used as medicine. They are boiled in water and the liquid used as a medicinal wash to treat itchy skin, ‘kudkulya’ (congestion, bad cold), ‘wukurliji’

(boils) and other illnesses. A small amount can also be drunk to treat ‘kudkulya’. warrirdila n. hook boomerang, number 7 boomerang. ALSO: wardadilya.  Kurdi barna minya murrmunka warrirdila warndu barna barru mayingkayaru. ‘Right, I’ve gotta get some roots to make a number 7 boomerang, I’ll use an axe.’ — The handle of a number 7 boomerang is called ‘bijbi’ (foot), the outer elbow or blade is ‘damangka’ (head), the long outer side ‘kumungku’ (back), the long inner side ‘majulu’ (belly), and the thin point ‘kilimi’ (nose). The best ones are made from bulwaddy roots, which are hard and can be found grown into the right shape. warrkuji cv. scratch. = warra, jikirdikirdi, karal. warrkuji karri scratch.  Warrkuji karra-yi kumungku! ‘Scratch my back!’ warrngalab cv. turn over. = wirrminy. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. warrngalab kurnini turn over. waruburluburlu n. kestrel. = dirdila, karrkanya. Falco cenchroides. This small hunting bird can hover in one place for long periods looking for prey. It is often seen near black-soil plains and at the start of the cold weather. It likes to eat snakes and lizards. Warumungu n. Warumungu people and language.  Kadi bali dardu Warlmanpa Warumungu bali warrb kayinykayini ngandayingka. ‘A big mob of Warlmanpa and Warumungu people are sitting down together in the shade.’ warungka n. deaf, stupid. ALSO: warungkawarungka. = langajija. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. See also p. 423 for the

272 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wijina hand sign. warurrbu n. hook (e.g. for fishing), fishing tackle, fishing line.  Warurrbu bayi ngayinya kakuyiwu amba barnanyanu warndu kakuyi. ‘That’s my fishing line, so that I can catch some fish.’ wawirri n. male red kangaroo, desert kangaroo. = kajangarna. Osphranter rufus. = wawirri, kanjarlawirri, wakwara, junumburrku. This is the largest kangaroo and the adult males can be very tall and muscular. The meat is eaten after roasting and is very tasty. Some people think this is the best kangaroo meat. They are most commonly seen in the southern areas, but they live everywhere. They are common in the Elliott area and other places like Marlinja and Beetaloo. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘kajangarna’ (or ‘kajangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means bush-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in bush areas. See p. 405 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word and used throughout the desert languages, right down to Warlpiri. wawurru n. kindling, small sticks used to make a fire. = wimina. This word is also in Gurindji. wawuyawuru n. body lice. Pediculus humanus. These lice live on the skin of the body. They cause severe itching. USAGE: This is similar to the Gurindji word, ‘wawuyany’. wayabi cv. tired, weak, yawning, resting. wayabi kayini tired, have a rest.  Barna wayabi kayini, barna yanirra kari. ‘I’m tired, I’ve walked a long way.’  Jardila-ma balawa wayabi karri. ‘Tomorrow we’ll have a rest.’ wayarra cv. sing out. wayarra kayini sing out, cry out.  Kadi wayarra karri ngayi-ma-rna ngujku wangi. ‘Sing out to him, I’ve got a weak voice.’ wayi part. this marks a yes/no question.  Wayi banda wan kuyarla? ‘Did you mob

throw it?’  Wayi ban ngarina-ma barnana? ‘Did you kill any meat?’  Barnangku marnana, wayi? ‘I talked to you, didn’t I?’ wayida n. pencil yam. Vigna lanceolata. The small yams of this plant are dug up and eaten raw or lightly boiled or roasted. They are very tasty. In the past they were collected in large numbers and were an important food resource. The younger, smaller yams have a very pleasant, clean taste. The older yams become a little fibrous and are less tasty though still edible. When you see the yam grasshopper, you know that the pencil yams are ready to eat. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wayilkarra adv. carefully, calmly. = warra.  Minya-ma barli mirrka ma marru-ma wayilkarra. ‘You and I are going to build that house carefully.’ wayilkarrangarna n. slowpoke, slow person.  Yali-ma wayilkarrangarna. ‘That one is slow.’ wayiniding n. net.  Wayiniding wandayi yali bankurdi kakuyiwu barli wan kuya. ‘Throw the net cousin, and pull it in to get fish.’ widuru n. forehead. = lungarn.  Yalili-li karlunini widurungka dardu murrurru. ‘They have a lot of lines on their foreheads.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. wijibarda n. spinifex hopping-mouse. ALSO: wijibardu. = ijibarda. Notomys alexis. This mouse has a long tail and hops around like a little kangaroo, with its long tail curled up over its back. It does not run around like other mice. It lives in a deep burrow to get out of the heat, generally in spinifex country and sandy areas. It likes to eat ‘nangkalinya’ (ground sugarbag) and insects. wijina n. military dragon, ta-ta lizard, onedollar lizard. = marndaraji, kaburi, yibijirrina. Amphibolurus spp. SEE: yibijirrina. These lizards often wave one of their front legs in the air. When they do this, it means the rain will stop soon. They are not eaten because of this, and also because they are quite small. They have the skin name Jambijina. See p. 411 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. Ngarinyman to English dictionary 273

w

wijuk

W

wijuk cv. remove, take off, loosen, undo, pull apart, separate. ALSO: wijik. = jarlarr. wijuk warndanini remove, take off, loosen, undo.  Yaliwu madjuwu wijuk warndarla. Jindaba yuwarra-rla! ‘Remove that (nappy) from the baby boy! Put another one on him!’  Minya barna wijuk warndu, jindaba-wanya barna wirrmany karri larrwa, binkangka-wanju barna darukarra kayina. ‘I will take them (my clothes) off, and I will change into other dry (clothes), because I swam at the river.’  Kurdi barna minya wijuk warndu, burrb banya wali kayina. ‘Well, I’ll take this apart once we’re finished.’ wik n. week.  Marndaja barna yananginyi lurrbu-ma wik karingka. ‘I’ll come back later, next week.’ USAGE: This is from the English word ‘week’. wikkulala weekend.  Wikkulala barra yananginyi. ‘He might come at the weekend.’ wilajkarra cv. confused, unable to do something. = wirlarnkarra. USAGE: This is also the Gurindji word for ‘alone, confused’. Wilarrka n. goanna clan name.  Wilarrka ngayinya jawiji-ma ngurlu-ma karrinyarra kambambarra-ma. ‘Wilarrka was my grandfather’s clan long ago.’ SEE: ngurlu; Burruburrurda; Ninibi; Buwarraja; Kalanybuka; Wilarrka; Yuwangka; warnkarranga. This is the clan of the ‘warnkarranga’ goanna. wili n. tendon, string, muscle, beef. = kanyburru, ngarina. SEE: duwany. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wilik n. red-winged parrot. ALSO: wilikbirni. Aprosmictus erythropterus. This green parrot has a red patch on its shoulder and likes to eat flowers, especially from the bauhinia tree. It has the skin names Jangari or Nangari and Jimija or Namija. wilirda n. brown plum. Grewia breviflora. The fruit of this tree can be eaten when they turn brown. They are sweet and tasty. There is a

large tree growing at the Alexander Forrest historical marker near Dunmarra. This plant is uncommon and is not seen very often. wilirla n. long, tall.  Diyija yilu wilirla. ‘Raise them up tall.’  Ngirdingirda yali-ma wilirla. ‘The python is long.’ wilmija adv. retaliate, fight back, reciprocate, return something, do to pay back, swap with someone. ALSO: wilmij.  Wilmij — wilmij bangkawurna nyungku! ‘Swap — you two swap with each other!’  Wilmija-ma barnarla wan kuya wumara. ‘I will throw the rock back at him.’  Yalili bayi nyungana wumara, wilmija-wanya barna nyungku. ‘That one gave me money, so I will pay him back.’  Yalili-ma warlakulu-ma yali-ma warlakukari-ma birnana, wilmija-wanya birnana. ‘That dog bit that other dog, and then the other dog bit it back.’ SEE: yilmij. wilmurr n. wire spear, wire. ALSO: wilymu.  Kurdi wandayi yali wilmurr barna dirrk wandu minya nyinawurda biya dika wandiyinarra. ‘Wait, give me some wire to tie up the porcupine, so the fat doesn’t fall out.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wilngib cv. mounted, in place, atop. = jalngak. wilngib wandiyini mount, get on, get in.  Ngayu-ma-rna wilngib wandinyarra dimanangkurra-ma kambambarra-ma, wangi-wanya barna. ‘I used to jump on my horse, but now I’m too unfit.’  Kurdi barna wilngib wandi murdikangkurra ngayinyangkurra, barna ngandayingkurra yuwarru. ‘I will get into my car, and I will put it in the shade.’ wilngib kurnini put on, put in, load up. wilngib yuwarnini put on, put in, load up. Wilyiku n. 1 • one of the two groups based on father’s side heritage (patrimoieties) into which traditional Mudburra society was divided. The Wilyiku patrimoiety included all Janama/Nanaku, Jimija/Namija, Jalyirri/ Nalyirri, and Jangari/Nangari people. ALSO: Yilyiku.  Kadiya bali ngandayi karika-ma kayinykayini Lirraku minyarra bali jindabadarra-ma Wilyiku. ‘In the old days people would belong to the Lirraku group while this other mob were Wilyiku.’ SEE: Lirraku. USAGE: There is a similar Jingulu word, ‘Wilyiji’.

274 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

winkuwarnu 2 • South Camp, Elliott.  Bali kayinarra kambarra-ma dardu Kakarrinjidarra Wilyikungka ngurrangka-ma. ‘Lots of Kakarrinji people used to live at South Camp.’ wilying cv. follow. wilying bunganini follow.  Jakardi wilying bunganini karulu wunyulu. ‘That little kid is following its mother.’ wilyiwilyi cv. stretching. = wurr. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wimina n. 1 • kindling, twigs, small sticks and bits of wood for starting a fire. = wawurru.  Wimina warnda-yi. Barna warlu birrka ma. ‘Get kindling for me. I will make a fire.’  Kurdi, barna yuwarru wiminadarra bikirrawurru. Barna dun kuya warlu. ‘Wait, I will put some kindling with some grass. I will light a fire.’ SEE: burarr. 2 • scrub, dense bush.  Yali karunyana wiminangkurra. Wariwirri, warnda-li! ‘That kid of his went towards the scrub. Get him, in case there are snakes!’ winanga n. loincloth, skirt.  Kambarra-ma winanga bali karlunirra marlarlukali-ma. ‘In the olden days people would wear loincloths.’ SEE: bulyawulya. Made from skins or fur, possibly bark, later from wool. windarr cv. stop talking, shut up, quiet. = wambal.  Nginya-ma windarrwarra barla kayinykayini wirlarnkarra kadiwu. ‘He’s shut down because he’s afraid of that person.’  Karudarra bali windarr-wanya kayinykayini. ‘The children are quiet now.’ windarr marnini stop talking, quiet. windarrngarna quiet person. Windarrngarna minya-ma. ‘That person’s very quiet.’ windiku n. curlew, bush thick-knee. ALSO: windikuni. = wirrbirrbi, wirluwuwirluwungarna. Burhinus grallarius.  Windiku yali-ma, nyanganimulu. ‘That’s a curlew, don’t look.’ — These birds have a loud, mournful call at night when they walk around. During the day they stand still or sit down in the shade and don’t move. If you go near their eggs or chicks, they run away with one of their wings hanging down. Pregnant women

cannot look at this bird. If they do, their new baby will have fits when it is born. Children might also get mesmerised by the cry of the curlew and be driven mad. Adults used to knock on a tin can to distract the children from the curlew’s cry. There is a big Dreamtime story about this bird, but it is restricted and can’t be told publicly. It is a Dreaming for some people. This bird has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. windurru n. tree root.  Windurru barra, warrirdila barna warndu bardakurru. ‘Cut some roots, I’ll get a good number 7 boomerang.’ — See p. 414 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. Windurruwurru n. place between Murranji and Marlinja.  Windurruwurrungurlu bali yaniya Marlinjangkurra nyangurrangkurra. ‘Then from Windurruwurru they went to Marlinja, to stay.’ winjalma n. hair, fur. = malibanya, yinjalmarri, nganya.  Winjalma biyangka yali-ma. ‘Cut his hair.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. winji n. spring, soakage. = jinjimilirrinmi. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. winjiwinji spring country. winkuwarnu n. dingo. ALSO: winkuwarna. = yiminji, wurrakina, ngurrakina, jurruwuji. Canis familiaris dingo. In the past, dingo scalps were collected and sold to the police at Newcastle Waters and Elliott as part of a control program. Dingoes were eaten in the past when other meat was scarce. The pups were most tender and were good to eat. The meat tasted similar to meat from a cat. Dingoes have not been eaten for a long time. People in the old days used to keep them as pets and for hunting kangaroos, goannas and lizards. They were very good at finding game and were sometimes called ‘goanna dogs’. They were not good pets, though, because they would kill animals at stations such as chickens and goats. Dingoes breed in the cold-weather time of the dry season, when they are often heard howling at night. USAGE: This is a Ngarinyman to English dictionary 275

w

wingki

W

Western Mudburra word. wingki n. bitter, salty. USAGE: This is a Gurindji word. winymi cv. walk. = kija. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. winymi kayini walk.  Yali karu winymi kayini. Wayarra karri-rla, wariwirri! ‘That child is walking around. Sing out to it, for fear of the snake!’ winymi yanini walk.  Karu! Karrakarramulu! Winymi yanarn! ‘Kid! Don’t run! Walk this way!’  Barna winymi yandurru ngurrangkurra. ‘I’ll walk home.’ winymi yuwarnini make walk.  Barnangku winymi yuwarru. ‘I’m going to make you walk.’ winymi dumarnini start walking.  Minyama-rna duma winymi-wanya. ‘Now I’m going to start walking.’ winymingarna n. walker, toddler.  Yali-ma karu-ma bangku winymingarna-wanyanya? ‘That child of yours is a walker now, isn’t it?’ winymurru cv. rolling hair on thigh to make a belt.  Nginya mirrka ma-yi winymurruyaru jardukurru. ‘I’m making a hair belt by rolling it on my thigh.’ winymurru yuwarnini rolling hair (for a belt).  Nginya barna winymurru yuwarnini jardukurru. ‘I’m rolling hair for a hair belt.’ winymurru n. spindle (for weaving). wird cv. pick up, lift up. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wird warndanini pick up, lift up.  Yali barna wird warndana. Barna yuwarna yuwulungkurra. Dun kuya-wanya! ‘I picked them up. Then I placed them on the ground. You can light them now!’  Lungkarra bangku kayini, wird warndaniwu. ‘He is crying for you to pick him up.’ wirdwird carrying around.  Wirdwird karra yali karu, lungkarrangka. ‘Carry that child around, it’s crying.’ wirdbala n. wet, damp. = wujbala, bandij.  Minya-ma bayi murrkardi-ma wirdbalawanya. ‘My hat is wet now.’ USAGE: This word is from Kriol. wirdik SEE: wurdik.

Wiringkurru n. place near Number 10 Bore (Kiwiwulu).  Wiringkurru-ma-wanya ngurraka, wanjuwarra barra, jarranguna might be karrawarra or might be kurlarra, ngamu, kula marndaj bina, marndaj. ‘Wiringkurru now is a place I don’t know, it might be to the north or to the west, I don’t know well, right.’ wirlarnkarra cv. frightened, afraid. = wilajkarra. See p. 429 for the hand sign. wirlarnkarra kayini frightened, scared.  Yali warlaku wirlarnkarra kayini. Waribarra nyangana. ‘That dog is frightened. Maybe it saw a snake.’ wirlarnkarra yuwarnini frighten, scare.  Yali wirlarnkarra yuwarra! ‘Frighten him!’ wirlarnkarra yanini go in a frightened way. Yali wirlarnwirlarnkarra yananjanarra. Nyamba-barra nyangana. ‘That one is walking along in a frightened way. He saw something.’ wirlarnkarra kanganini take in a frightened way.  Yalili banyanu karu nyanunya wirlarnwirlarnkarra kanganjinganarra. Nyamba-barra nyangana. ‘He is carrying his child away, frightened. He saw something.’ wirlarnkarrangarna scared person, person scared of something.  Ngayuma-rna wirlarnkarrangarna karrujiwu-ma. ‘I am frightened of spiders.’  Kula barna wirlarnkarrangarna kamuruwu-ma ngayima. ‘I am not afraid of the dark, not me.’ wirlimbard cv. go after, catch up to, go behind. ALSO: wirlimard. = wirling. wirlimbard yanini go after, catch up to, go behind.  Wirlimbard yanda-rla. ‘Go after him.’ wirlimbard wandiyini go after, catch up to, go behind.  Wirlimbard wandiyina barla. ‘He went after him.’ wirling cv. follow, track. ALSO: wuliyin. wirling bunganini track, follow.  Kurdi barna yunba minya walanja wirling bungku, jalyanginyi. ‘I will track this goanna’s footprints a while, the fresh ones.’  Barna wuliying bungku kadi karu. ‘I’m looking for a child.’  Kurdi barna wirling bungku yali. ‘I will follow that one.’ wirling karlamarnini follow.  Wirling karlamarra! ‘Follow him!’

276 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wirriny wirlingkumi kayini track, follow behind.  Barna wirlingkumi karri yali walanja yunba. ‘I will track that goanna’s footprints.’  Kurdi barna yali wirlingkumi karri wariwirri. ‘I will follow behind that one, for fear of snakes.’ wirluwuwirluwungarna n. curlew, bush thick-knee. = windiku, wirrbirrbi. Burhinus grallarius. These birds have a loud, mournful call at night when they walk around. During the day they stand still or sit down in the shade and don’t move. If you go near their eggs or chicks, they run away with one of a wing hanging down. Pregnant women cannot look at this bird. If they do their new baby will have fits when it is born. Children might also get mesmerised by the cry of the curlew and be driven mad. Adults used to knock on a tin can to distract the children from the curlew’s cry. There is a big Dreamtime story about this bird, but it is restricted and can’t be told publicly. It is a Dreaming for some people. This bird has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. wirnbud cv. flog, whack. = wurdik. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wirnbud barnini flog, whack.  Yali karu wirnbud barra! ‘Whack that kid!’ wirrb cv. flog, hit with implement, rub with implement, wipe with implement. ALSO: wirrbinyi. SEE: wurdik. wirrb barnini flog, hit with implement.  Karu karri yamaka, birnangku wirrb barnarra karndiyaru. ‘Quieten down, kid, otherwise I will flog you with a stick.’  Yuwulu wirrbkarra barra! ‘You get the dirt off (the goanna)!’ wirrb warndanini rub with antbed.  Wirrb warnda kindijkulu bilayali. ‘Rub the baby with antbed (to make it strong).’ wirrbkarra flogging.  Karudarra karrili nyangarlungka. Kadili-ma banjurra wirrbkarra barnarra whipjaru. ‘Kids, stay together. That one might flog you with a whip.’ wirrbinyi kayini clean up, wipe.  Jirdiwurru karu. Wirrbinyi karri! ‘That kid is covered in poo. Clean her up!’

wirrbiji cv. sharpen. ALSO: yirrbiji. wirrbiji kayini sharpen.  Nginya barna kurdiyi yirrbiji karri. ‘I’d better sharpen this.’ wirrbirrbi n. curlew, bush thick-knee. = windiku, wirluwuwirluwungarna. Burhinus grallarius. These birds have a loud, mournful call at night when they walk around. During the day they stand still or sit down in the shade and don’t move. If you go near their eggs or chicks, they run away with one of their wings hanging down. Pregnant women cannot look at this bird. If they do their new baby will have fits when it is born. Children might also get mesmerised by the cry of the curlew and be driven mad. Adults used to knock on a tin can to distract the children from the curlew’s cry. There is a big Dreamtime story about this bird, but it is restricted and can’t be told publicly. It is a Dreaming for some people. This bird has the skin name Jangari or Nangari. -wirri suf. for fear of, in case of, careful of, otherwise, or else, lest. This ending is used when something is feared, or to be avoided. It can be used as an ending to a word as a warning (aversive).  Yali wukuk kuya ngarina, kunangawirri. ‘Wrap up that meat so the flies don’t get it.’  Jankinyiwirri! ‘Careful of getting burnt!’  Yali ngarina jakarr ma jinarlili, kunangawirri. ‘Cover that meat with leaves, or else the flies will get it.’ Wirringkurru n. place near Montejinnie, probably on Wave Hill road.  Wirringkurru-ma barna bina, barrbarda kayini kirri langa nyambala Camfield Station-ngurlu barrbarda. ‘I know Wirringkurru. It’s not far from Camfield Station.’ wirriny cv. clear ground, flatten ground, prepare ground. wirriny bunganini clear.  Kurdi barlawa yali wirriny bungku yuwulu. Wajkarra barlawa karri kurrulala-ma. ‘We will clear up this ground, so we can dance in the evening.’  Yali warnda-li wumara, bikirra, nyili. Wirriny bungka-li! ‘You mob gather up all the stones, grass and prickles! Clear it up!’  Ngurra wirriny bungka-ngali! Barli dumuru birrka ma. ‘Clear (the grass off) the camp for us. You and I will build a windbreak.’ Ngarinyman to English dictionary 277

w

wirriwurna

W

wirriwurna n. cockatiel. Nymphicus hollandicus. These small grey birds are sometimes kept as pets and are sold in pet shops. They are countrymen for the hooded parrot, which lives further north. They have the skin name Janama or Nanaku. wirrkala n. hair string, hair belt. = jardukurru, ngurrmana.  Winjalmangurlu barla mirrka mala jardukururru-ma, or wirrkalama. ‘Belts are made from people’s hair.’ SEE: yibungu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wirrmal cv. relocate, shift over, move over, move camp. = yirrmal. wirrmal wandiyini shift, move over a bit. wirrmal yanini shift, move over a bit. wirrmal kurnini shift something, move something over a bit.  Kurdi barna yali karukari-ma wirrmal kuya. Bawurna durrbkarra langanini. ‘I will move the other kid over. The two of them are poking each other.’ wirrmal yuwarnini shift, move over a bit.  Yali karu wirrmal yuwarra! ‘Move this kid over a bit!’ wirrmal kangana shift, take over a bit. wirrminy cv. turn over, turn around. wirrminy wandiyini turn (self) over, turn (self) around.  Barna wirrminy warndi kuwala-wanya. ‘I’m going to turn over and lie like that now.’ wirrminy kurnini turn something over, turn something around.  Wirrminy biya barna kurni warlu. ‘I’m think I’m going to turn over that log.’ wirrminy yanini turn (self) over, turn (self) around.  Kurdi barna wirrminy yandu kuwarni-wanya. ‘I’m going to turn over and lie that way now.’ -wu case. for, to, in order to. This ending marks a person who receives something, a person who is being talked to or looked for, a person who benefits from another person’s actions, a person who is a goal, or the purpose of another action (dative). = -ku.  Marndaj barnarla wumara bud bungana ngayinyawu kakuwu-ma. ‘I already sent money to my grandson.’  Barna kangkurru minya karu, binkangkurra, darukarrawu. ‘I will take this child to the river to swim.’

wub cv. blaze up (a fire), thrash. ALSO: wurlb. = warlkumi. wub kambarnini blaze up.  Kari kurdij karri nyundu-ma warlungurlu-ma, bingku nyundu-wanya wub kambarnarra. Barna yingalka wan kuya dijayili yali warlu. ‘You stand back from the fire, in case it flames up and burns you. I’m going to chuck some petrol on it to make the fire bigger.’  Yali barna ngarina wubkarra kambu, amba barli lakurd kuya jilbungkurra-wanya. ‘I will flame that meat, so that you and I can then bury it in the ground oven.’ wub jankiyini blaze up.  Yali bikirra wub jankiyina. ‘The grass is making the flame blaze.’  Kurdi barna yuwarru jinarli, amba wub janki. ‘I will put these leaves down, so that the flame blazes up.’ wub warndanini  Yali bikirra wub warndanarra. Wirriny bungka! ‘That grass might make the fire blaze up. Clean the grass off!’ wub barnini thrash, beat. wubala n. white gum, cabbage gum. = ngurlkuku, ngarramili. Corymbia grandifolia. The hollow branches of this tree can be used to make ‘kulumbu’ (didgeridoos). The timber makes good ‘warlu’ (firewood). ‘Ngarlu’ (sugarbag, native bee-hives) may be found in this tree. ‘Kurrunyu’ (the bark) can be used to make ‘buna’ (ashes) for ‘warnu’ (tobacco). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Jingulu word. wububukarri n. 1 • wood duck. Chenonetta jubata. This duck often has a round belly and a short beak. It lives in ‘binka’ (creeks and rivers) and is good to eat after roasting on hot coals. 2 • Pacific black duck. Anas superciliosa. The meat is good to eat. This duck can get quite large. wud cv. come out (from hole, cave or water), peep (half hidden, with just your head looking around or over something). = jik. SEE: dibij. wud kayini peeping out.  Ngana kadi-ma wurd kayini? ‘Who is that peeping out?’ wud nyanganini peep, peek.  Yali ngurlakanybungali bangalawa wurd nyangana, nyambawu? ‘That one up the

278 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wukarrija back is peeping at us, why?’ wuj cv. search for, look for. = wuliying, nyanganini. wuj bunganini look for.  Barnarla wuj bungku yunbawu walanjawu. ‘I’m looking for goanna tracks.’  Wuj bungkurru barnarla ngayinyawu karlajawu. ‘I will go and look for my younger brother.’ wujbala n. wet. = bandij, wirdbala.  Ngina yuwulu wujbala. ‘This ground is wet.’ USAGE: This is a Kriol word. wujkurrarra cv. vomit. = kakarra, baku, kak. See p. 425 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wujkurrarra kurnini vomit. wujkurrarra kayini vomiting. wujuk cv. send away. wujuk barnini chase away.  Wujuk barrayina dardu-rni. ‘Send the whole lot of them away.’ wujung- v. many words beginning with ‘wujung’ are forms of the verb ‘show’. SEE: wujunganini. wujunganina n. someone who shows, teacher, guide.  Nyundu-wanya bayin wujunganina-ma, nyamba-ja-ma bawuma. ‘Now you are my teacher too, showing things too.’ SEE: wujunganini. wujunganini v. show, point at.  Minya barna ngayu-ma kurdij kayini nyanirni rockholeka-ma ngukuwurru. Barnayina wujunganini, Nawurlakujarrawu ngayinya kakuwu karuwu. ‘Here I’m standing at that rockhole full of water. I’m showing it to the two Nawurlas and my grandson.’  Nginya barna ngayili-ma wujunganini ngurlaka pubkulala-ma, amba marlarluka-ma kurdirdij karrinyuwu. ‘Here I am pointing out the back of the pub where the old men used to stand around.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. wujunganini is showing it. wujungana has shown it. wujungku will show it, wants to show it. wujungka show it! wujunganinja n. someone or something that has been shown.  Nginya-karda bayi kirda nginya-ma wujunganinja-ma. ‘This place right here was shown to me by my

father.’ SEE: wujunganini. wujuwujurna n. budgerigar. ALSO: yujuyujurni; wujuwujurni. = nguruwaji. Melopsittacus undulatus. These small, pretty, green birds are often found in very large flocks, especially following a good wet season. They are good to eat after roasting in hot coals. The young ones are especially good, as they are tender and tasty. They nest in hollow logs, and the young birds that climb out and fall to the ground are easily caught. The adults are caught as they fly by throwing a piece of bent wire into the flock. They have the skin name Jalyirri or Nalyirri. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. Wukalukalu n. Sandy Lagoon.  Kambarrama-rna yanaya Wukalukalungkurra barna-wanya mujkiyi karrinyarra wanjuwarra barra nginya ngurra-ma. ‘Long ago I went to Wukalukalu, but now I have forgotten where that country is.’ — It is north of Beetaloo, and on the opposite (western side) of Stuart Highway. wukardij n. rock wallaby. ALSO: wulkardij. Petrogale brachyotis. This small kangaroo lives in rocky areas. There are a lot in the sandstone areas near Daguragu. They often shelter in caves in the hot weather time. They are very timid and are not often seen. They hop around very quickly and are difficult to spear. In the past they were hunted by finding the paths they travel on and setting a hunter with a stick to wait. Other hunters would scare the rock wallaby so that it hopped down the track towards the other hunter who would hit it hard with the stick. They were then roasted and eaten, though there is not much meat as they are quite small. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. wukarrija n. deceased person, whose name you can’t say. = jalkarndarra.  Barnali Ngarinyman to English dictionary 279

w

wukuk

W

lakurd kurnana wajurra-ma wukarrija-ma. ‘We buried the dead person yesterday.’  Karrila yali-ma yini-ma, wukarrija. ‘Leave that name, it’s the name of a dead person.’ SEE: ngambungambu. When someone becomes ‘wukarrija’, you can no longer say their name out loud. You have to call them ‘ngambungambu’ (so-and-so) instead. wukuk cv. wrap up, be cosy. wukuk kayini wrapped up, cosy.  Marndaj yali karu-ma wukuk kayini, kula-wanya wurlajkarlu kayini. ‘That child is covered up okay. He’s not cold any more.’ wukuk kurnini wrap up.  Yali wukuk kuya karu! Wurlajkarlu kayini. ‘Wrap that kid up! He’s cold.’  Kurdi yali ngarina alfoilyaru wukuk kuya, amba barli jurlbungkurra yuwarru. ‘Wrap up that meat in Alfoil, so that you and I can put it in the ground oven.’ wukuk yuwarnini wrap up.  Wukuk yuwarra! ‘Wrap him up!’ wukurdu n. bay, backwater.  Yali nyana crossing, wumarawurru, wukurdungka wankij bari. ‘There at the crossing where the rocks are, there are lots of little bays around the bend.’ wukurliji n. boil, pus. ALSO: kukurliji. = karlaba.  Wunyubaka barna karrinyarra karu-ma wukurlilji bayi karrinyarra dija jarrumulungka. ‘When I was a small child I had a boil on my leg.’ SEE: jangarlandi. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. -wula pro. those two, the two of them. SEE: bawula.  Ngajarl-wula karri! ‘You two cross the road!’  Yali-ma-wula warndurru wawirri. ‘The two of them will go get that wallaby.’ -wularla pro. those two do it for her/ him/it, those two do it to hers/his/ its. SEE: bawularla.  Bawularla yibuk warndani. ‘The two of them pulled (the poison tooth) out for him.’ Wuliyija n. place in Jingili country, towards Mungabroom. ALSO: Wuluwija.  Ngajakurra, Jakilirra bawula burrbma karrinyana Wuliyijangka karda. ‘The Ngajakurru and Jakilirra (Dreamings) stop at Wuliyija.’ — This place is the end point of ‘ngajakurra’ and ‘jakilirra’ Dreamings. wuliying cv. search for, look for. = wuj, nyanganini, wujunganini.

wuliying bunganini look for.  Barna wuliying bungku kadi karu. ‘I’m looking for a child.’ wulmana n. fire-drill, firestick. = kungkarla, kuwurru.  Kuwurru barnirra buba-ma dilubiji. ‘(They) used to spin the fire-drill until it lit up the fire.’ SEE: binyinyib. In the old days, these fire-drills, or firesticks, were carried everywhere and could be used many times. In the wet season they were wrapped in paperbark to keep them dry. To make firesticks, a straight, smooth, narrow stem is cut to about 40 cm long. A broader, heavier stem is also cut, and a small, round hole with a vee is carved into it. One end of the narrow stick is placed in the hole of the heavier stick, and a clump of fine, dry grass is piled up underneath. The narrow stick is then rotated quickly between the palms with a strong downward pressure. This drilling creates friction which in turn creates a very hot, fine dust. This dust pours down the vee carved into the heavier piece of wood and onto the dry grass below. The grass and the very hot dust are gently blown on until flame appears. wulngib cv. jump up, mount, get up on. = wilngib. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wulngib wandiyini jump up, mount, get up on. wulu cv. pour. = jurlurl. wulu kurnini pour.  Jayili wulu kuya nguku lalijangkurra jawaranyakaringurluma. ‘Pour the water onto the tea from the other billycan.’  Yali karulu banyanu nguku wulu kurna balloonkurra-ma dijayili. ‘That child was running water into his balloon to enlarge it.’ wulu n. shin, lower leg.  Wird kanganimulu! Wulu ban kirdbari. ‘Don’t ride! Your shin is broken.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wuluk cv. wash. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. Gurindji has a similar word ‘wulyuk’. wuluk marnini wash.  Wuluk ma yali jawaranya. ‘Wash that billycan.’ wululu cv. hot. = ngarrab.  Jirrmiriny barna wululu kanya. ‘I’m getting hot.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wumangku n. Dreaming, Dreamtime; designs associated with the Dreaming that are

280 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wurdurdu painted on dancers’ bodies for Kujika ceremonies. = buwarraja.  Ngalinyaliwanya durd marrarnku wumangku-ma, buwarraja-ma, kula, abala balya kambabarrajbungali kula kawarraj warndanirra. ‘Now the sons will have to hold the Dreamings, which we predecessors never lost.’  Mamangkul yuwarnirra lun nyanirni nyambayala-ma, wumangku-ma. ‘He put that whatsit, that Dreaming, down and it became country.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. wumara n. stone, rock, money. = bili.  Kurdi warnda yali wumara, diyaj kuya! ‘Wait, there’s a rock there, move it!’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wumarangarnarra person or thing from hill country or rocky country.  Wumarangarnarra barnali ngala wawirrima. ‘We would eat rock kangaroos from the stone country.’ — This might be used to refer to people from around Powell Creek and Ferguson’s Bore. This word is sometimes used to refer to the ‘ngalijirri’ (wallaroo) because of its preferred habitat in rocky areas. See p. 420 for the hand signs. wungan cv. move, shake. = karrilyarra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wungan kurnini move, shake. wunganwungan moving, shaking. wunyu n. small, little, child. ALSO: wunyubaka.  Wunyu-rni kayini nginya karu-ma. ‘That child is small.’  Wunyubaka julukayi nguku-ma. ‘Just a little bit of water, please.’ — See p. 427 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wunyuwunyu tiny, very small.  Biyangana wunyuwunyuwunyubiji. ‘It’s chopped up really, really small.’ wurawura n. drizzle, sprinkling rain.  Nginya nguku wandiyini wurawura. ‘The rain is just spitting down.’ wurdik cv. hit, flog, strap, whip. ALSO: wirdik. SEE: wirrb. wurdik barnini hit, flog, strap, whip.  Yali langajija wurdik barra! Kadiya balirla wayarra kayinykayini. ‘Whack that deaf one! They are calling out to him.’

wurdikkarra flogging. ALSO: wirdikkarra.  Wirdikkarra bayi barninybarnirra kirdalima kambambarra-ma karu-ma. ‘My dad used to flog me long ago when I was a child.’ wirdik barnini smack, give someone a smack on the bum.  Kadi ngarrkali nyambawu kadi karu wirdik barnini? ‘Why is that man smacking that child?’ wurdikilkarra SEE: wardakurlkarra. wurdkurdkuli cv. go around with your head down, sneak around not looking. = jandurr. SEE: jukuli; jirri. wurdkurdkuli yanini go around with your head down, sneak around not looking. wurdu n. nits, head lice, louse. = mubunjini, yingkila, juwuda. Phthiraptera, Pediculus capitis. These small insects live on humans. They cause severe itching in the hair and elsewhere on the body where they live. Some bush medicine plants, such as gutta-percha, can be used to treat lice and nits. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wurdukurru interj. oh no! oh my goodness!  Wurdukurru, wulajkarlu barna. ‘Oh my goodness, I’m cold.’  Wurdukurru, wariwirri! ‘Oh my goodness, be careful of snakes!’ wurdulyi n. shin, shin bone. SEE: kardakarda. wurdunga cv. quiet. = windarr, yamaka, yawaka. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wurdunga kayini being quiet.  Yali-ma wurdunga kayini. ‘He’s being quiet.’ wurdungakarra quiet (generally).  Yalima wurdunga karra. ‘He’s (always) quiet.’ wurdurdu n. 1 • your spouse, who is my classificatory mother’s mother or her brother, or my daughter’s child (if I’m a woman) or my sister’s daughter’s child (because I am your mother’s father or his sibling). The speaker and the hearer are ‘jawiji’ for each other (mother’s father or his sibling; man’s daughter’s child or anyone’s brother’s daughter’s child). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s classificatory ‘jaju’ (mother’s mother or her brother) or ‘kaminjarra’ (woman’s daughter’s Ngarinyman to English dictionary 281

w

wurlbun

W

child or anyone’s sister’s daughter’s child). (The speaker could also call this same person ‘wururr’. The difference between ‘wururr’ and ‘wurdurdu’ is that you don’t have to be talking to your ‘jawiji’ in order to say ‘wururr’. That is, ‘wururr’ is not a tri-relational kin term, unlike ‘wurdurdu’.) SEE: jawiji; jaju; kaminjarra; ngumbarna; mungkaja; wururr. 2 • your spouse, who is my classificatory mother’s father or his sister, or my daughter’s child (if I’m a man) or my brother’s daughter’s child (because I am your mother’s mother or her sibling). The speaker is the hearer’s ‘jaju’ (mother’s mother or her sibling). The hearer is the speaker’s ‘kaminjarra’ (woman’s daughter’s child, anyone’s sister’s daughter’s child). The person they are talking about is the speaker’s classificatory ‘jawiji’ (mother’s father or his sister, man’s daughter’s child, anyone’s brother’s daughter’s child). SEE: jawiji; jaju; kaminjarra; ngumbarna; mungkaja. 3 • these days people use the word to mean a brother-in-law or sister-in-law, or a person who would be straight skin (marriageable subsection) for you, but who you’re not actually married to. ‘Banji’ (in Kriol).  Wurdurdumarnany-ma bangku Janama, Nawurla-wanju ban. ‘Janama is your brother-in-law because you are Nawurla.’ SEE: ngumbarna; mungkaja. wurdurdurla daughter’s child (for a man) or brother’s daughter’s child, or mother’s father or his sibling, together with his or her spouse.  Wurdurdurla bali yanarra. ‘The man’s daughter’s child and his/her spouse went away.’ wurlb SEE: wub. wurlbun n. lap of a person. SEE: jarrumulu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wurlurnmi n. bindi-eye. = nyili, wurlurnmi. Tribulus terrestris. This plant has yellow flowers and grows flat along the ground. It has very prickly fruit that must be avoided when walking. They can poke right into your foot, which is very painful.

-wurna pro. those two do it to themselves/ each other, those two do it for themselves/each other, those two do it to their own/ each other’s. SEE: bawurna.  Kaja kujarrali bawurna combim kayinayini malibanya. ‘Those two are combing one another’s hair.’ wurr cv. 1 • pull, stretch. = wilyiwilyi, yibuk. SEE: durlk. wurr warndanini pull, stretch.  Wurr warnda jawurdngurlu yali walanja ngurrangurlu. ‘Pull that goanna out of its hole by the tail.’ wurrkarra stretching, pulling.  Wurrkarra warnda jirrijirri. ‘Use some strength to stretch it.’ 2 • rain fall. SEE: nguku; kulumarrangarna. wurr wandiyini rain fall.  Jarrumurlu wurr warndana-wanya. ‘It’s raining now.’ wurrajkalu SEE: warrajkalu. wurrakina n. dingo. = yiminji, winkuwarnu, ngurrakina, jurruwuji. Canis familiaris dingo. In the past, dingo scalps were collected and sold to the police at Newcastle Waters and Elliott as part of a control program. Dingoes were eaten in the past when other meat was scarce. The pups were most tender and were good to eat. The meat tasted similar to meat from a cat. Dingoes have not been eaten for a long time. People in the old days used to keep them as pets and for hunting kangaroos, goannas and lizards. They were very good at finding game and were sometimes called ‘goanna dogs’. They were not good pets, though, because they would kill animals at stations such as chickens and goats. Dingoes breed in the cold-weather

282 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

wurumburru time of the dry season, when they are often heard howling at night. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wurrbudja n. galah grass. ALSO: wurrubudja. Chrysopogon. This grass has woolly seeds. Galahs and cockatoos like to eat the seeds from the ground around this grass. Wurrbujangi n. one of the ‘ngurlu’ (matrilineal clan groups) into which Mudburra society is organised. Named after the seed of a plant known locally as ‘galah grass’. ALSO: Wurrbuja; Wurrubuja. SEE: ngurlu; Burruburrurda; Ninibi; Buwarraja; Kalanybuka; Wilarrka. USAGE: This word is similar to ‘wurrbuja’ in Jingulu. wurrkalwurrkal n. green. = kurralywari. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wurru cv. crush, chop up into small pieces. wurru barnini crush up.  Wurru barra yaliya karndidarra wunyuwunyu. Barna warlu dun kuya. ‘Crush up those little twigs. I am going to start a fire.’ -wurru suf. having, possessing, with. This ending is used when you have something, or to describe a property of something (proprietive).  Barnangku mujkiyi kayina, mangarriwurru ban. ‘I forgot that you (already) have food.’  Yalili karulu jakarr marna kardak yuwuluwurru. ‘That child buried the cup with soil.’ wurrubarru cv. piled, heaped. = jurdard.  Wurrubarruyili, jurdard jukayini nyangarlungka. ‘Pile those up over here in one pile.’ wurruburdkarra n. pheasant coucal. Centropus phasianinus. = yirribudbudba, bukbukbini. When you hear this bird call out ‘buk . . . buk . . . buk’ it means that it will rain soon, but not straight away. wurruja n. dry wood or vegetation.  Minya-ma karndi-ma wurruja-wanya. ‘This tree is dried up now.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wurruji cv. drag behind, lead along with a long implement. = durru. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word.

wurruji kanganini drag behind.  Yalili jakardinyanji banyanu karu-ma wurruji kanganjinganarni. ‘That mother is dragging her child along this way.’ wurruburdkarra dragging behind. wurrujulajula n. bottle-bird, fairy martin. = bijiwiriwiriya, jurnalinja. Petrochelidon ariel. This little bird makes a bottle-shaped nest from mud and lays its eggs inside it. The nests are often seen in sheds, under eaves, in culverts, under rock overhangs and under tree branches. The mud nest is called a ‘juru’, the same word that is used for other types of nests. wurrujulujula n. bottle-bird, fairy martin. = bijiwiriwiriya, jurnalinja. Petrochelidon ariel. This little bird makes a bottle-shaped nest from mud and lays its eggs inside it. The nests are often seen in sheds, under eaves, in culverts, under rock overhangs and under tree branches. The mud nest is called a ‘juru’, the same word that is used for other types of nests. wurrumu n. road, path, track. = wandarri. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wurrungkarra cv. swing. = nyingin. wurrungkarra kayini swing. wurrungkarra yuwarnini shake.  Yali karndi wurrungkarra yuwarra! ‘Shake that tree!’ wurruwanji n. fastened, glued. = jalarr, jardarr, nyan. wurumburru n. sandalwood. Santalum lanceolatum. The gum of this tree, ‘kuramarna’, can be eaten. Crooked branches can be used to make ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs). Kangaroos, and Ngarinyman to English dictionary 283

w

wururr

W

‘karnanganja’ (emus) eat the fruit when they are ripe and dark purple in colour. The wood can be burnt to ash, mixed with water and rubbed through the hair to make it go black. The bark of this tree is also scraped off and boiled up into a tea used to treat many internal ailments such as cancer and kidney problems. wurung SEE: rung. wururr n. your spouse’s ‘barnkurdi’ (crosscousin) or your cousin’s spouse. Your ‘wururr’ is the child of your male ‘mali’ (your mother-in-law’s brother). You can also call your ‘wururr’ your ‘step-jaju’, as they are in the same skin group as your ‘jaju’ (mother’s mother and her brothers), but they are only related to you through your spouse.  Kula barna jilij kangku wururr bayi. Mabu barnarla kayini. ‘I will not ask my spouse’s ‘barnkurdi’ or ‘barnkurdi’s’ spouse for anything. I feel shame because of him/ her.’ — This is an avoidance relationship. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. wuwarrajkala n. bootlace oak, northern corkwood. = bukumarra. Hakea lorea, Hakea chordopylla. The bark of this tree is used as medicine. It is boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat ‘jangawurru’ (scabies and skin sores). You can also lightly burn some bark on a fire, and then rub the fine black charcoal onto your lips to treat sores, or rub the inside of babies’ mouthes to treat thrush. The gum can be boiled in water and the liquid used as a wash to treat skin sores and scabies on children. The yellow flowers can be sucked to get the sweet nectar. Sometimes this plant is called ‘ngarlu’ because the flowers contain sweet, honey-like nectar. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wuyakwuyakkarra cv. wriggle about (as of grub). = wardakurlkarra. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wuyakwuyakkarra kayini wriggle about. wuyu n. black paint, charred bark.  Mala nyundu manyanakarda karndi barlawa warndaka, barnayili warnda wuyu, karndi yini-ma buwub marna. ‘You can get it from that tree and make charred bark, the “blowing” tree.’ — The bark of some trees is charred and ground, then mixed with fat

or similar and used either medicinally or as black paint for ceremonies. For ceremonies, ‘linyarda’ (charcoal) can be used if ‘wuyu’ is not available.

284 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

yala-

Yy -ya suf. lots, many, big mob (plural). This ending is used with ‘yali’ and ‘kadi’ to mean many of them. = -darra, -barra, -walija, -rra, -jban.  Barna warndurru kadiya kidbadarra. ‘I will go and get those eggs.’ SEE: -darra. ya interj. hey! (exclamation to get someone’s attention).  Ya! Nyanganda-yi kuwanjala. ‘Hey! Look at me over this way.’ yaba n. young man, initiated but not yet a fully-grown adult (in his mid or late teens). = yarrulan.  Marndaj, yaba-wanya yalima. ‘It’s okay, that fellow is a newly initated man now.’ — Once he is fully grown (about 20 years of age), he is called ‘ngarrka’. See p. 398 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. yababa lots of young men.  Kadi yabali yababa kayini ngandayingka. ‘Those young men are sitting in the shade.’ yadu n. white, white paint, white ochre. = liwakbari, ngunjungunju, bilirdbi, liwakbari, ngunjungunju.  Buna birrka marnini yadu. ‘White paint is made from ashes.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yajka cv. travel (overnight), go on a trip (overnight), go to stay, very far away. yajka yanini travel, go on a trip.  Barlawa yandurru yajka. ‘We are going to camp out.’  Barlawawanya yandurru jawardila yajka-rni Jurnkurakungkurra. ‘I’m going tomorrow, travelling now to Tennant Creek.’  Yajka ban yanarra. ‘You’ve gone very far away.’ yajkangu n. stranger, traveller, person who has come here from somewhere else. = warnayaka.  Yajkangudarra bali yananjanarni. ‘Those visitors are coming this way.’  Yali-ma ngarrka-ma karlarrangurlu yajkangu, kula karingurlu. ‘That man is a visitor from the west, but not from very far away. (Maybe just from Wave

Hill or the Victoria River District.)’ yak cv. cold weather, cold season. = karrinya, minjarnini, warrajkalu. yak wandiyini cold weather.  Kula-wanya yak wandiyini wakurni. ‘It’s not cold now at all.’ yak kayini cold weather.  Nyamangka yak kayini. ‘It’s cold here .’ yakaaka interj. cry of pain. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yakak cv. squawk, cry of some cockatoos. ALSO: yakakak. Principally the cry of the pink or Major Mitchell cockatoo (‘yarrkankuna’, also called ‘dakudbari’ or ‘yakakak’). yakak marnini cockatoo call.  Yakakak marra dakudbari. ‘The cockatoo says ‘yakakak’.’ yakakak n. pink cockatoo, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo. = dakudbari, yarrkankuna. Cacatua leadbeateri. The pink cockatoo lives in desert areas in the southern parts of Mudburra country. It likes to eat ‘wurrubuja’ (a type of grass). In the old days, people roasted and ate the meat from this bird. It is no longer eaten in modern times, though. It has the skin name Jimija or Namija. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word, a nickname for the bird because of its cry. yakakurrumini n. black-tailed nativehen, bush hen. ALSO: yakakurrumirri. Gallinula ventralis. This bird looks like a chook, but it flicks its tail up and down when it moves. They are fast runners, and sometimes children chase them just for fun. It is not eaten as the meat tastes awful. yakayi interj. ouch!  Yakayi! Kumungku barna lilinkarra kayini! ‘Ouch! My back is paining!’ yala- dem. that. = yali-, yalu-, kadi, kadu. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. This word is only used in Western Mudburra, while Eastern Mudburra uses ‘yali’ and its variants. yalangka there. = yalingka, yalungka, kadingka, kadungka.  Jamakuru nyangarlu karndi dija yalangka-karda barra. ‘Jamakuru was one big tree but it got knocked down there.’ Ngarinyman to English dictionary 285

y

Yalarra

Y

yalangkurra towards there, towards that, that way. = yalingkurra, yalungkurra, kadingkurra, kadungkurra. yalangurlu from there, from that, after that. = yalingurlu, yalungurlu, kadingurlu, kadungurlu. Yalarra n. western subdivision of Mudburra associated with the east banks of the Victoria River and lower reaches of its eastern tributaries.  Abarla wandinyarra kararlarinyngarnarra, buyurrunyngarnarra, yalarrangarnarra, kuwujangarnarra. ‘Those who have died, the Karalarin people, the Murranji people, the Yalarra people, and the Limestone people.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yalbawurru n. bilby. ALSO: jalbawurru. = yarningki, jilbi. Macrotis lagotis. Bilbies look a bit like rabbits. They have long ears, a pointy nose and a long tail with a white tip. They have a single baby in the cool weather time, after the rains have finished. Bilbies like to eat grass and ‘laju’ (witchetty grub) which they look for in turpentine wattles and lancewood trees. They sniff along the roots of trees to smell witchetty grubs, then dig and bite open the roots to get the grubs. They live in lancewood country or in sandy country, more commonly in southern areas, and dig large burrow systems with deep tunnels and lots of holes. People hunt them by digging the burrows up with digging sticks; while someone digs, others wait near the burrows exits to throw boomerangs at the animals when they run out. Bilbies are very fast runners and are hard to hit with a boomerang. Sometimes they were also hunted with goanna dogs that would go down goanna and bilby burrows and chase the animals out. Bilbies were eaten in the past, but have not been eaten in recent times. A large one would feed two or three adults. They taste good, like a feral rabbit or a porcupine (echidna). They were gutted, held over flames to burn off the fur and then cooked in a ground oven. Pythons and feral cats also like to eat bilbies. The long,

white fluffy tail can be used in the initiation ceremony for young men. The tails are worn on a headband and around the neck, and you cannot speak while wearing them. They were also worn by men to attract a partner. Bilbies used to be quite common at Beetaloo. After the end of the Second World War, there were lots. Now there are very few. yali dem. that, that one, those, then, there. ALSO: yalu. = kadi, kadu.  Yili yanarru danku yarrunu yajka. ‘That fellow rolled up his swag and left.’ SEE: nyambayala. USAGE: ‘Yalu’ and its variants are also found in Gurindji, though the ‘yali’ forms are not. yaliwalija those ones. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yalikujarra those two. = kadikujarra, kardukujarra.  Yalikujarra barnayili nyanganu wari kujarra. ‘I saw those two snakes.’ yalili that one (did it). = kadili, kadulu.  Yalili wangkulayili bayi jawurra warndana mangarri. ‘That crow stole my food from me.’ yalingka there. = kadingka, kadungka.  Yalingkarra dak wandi! ‘Sit down over there!’ yalingkurra towards there, towards that, that way. = kadingkurra, kadungkurra.  Yalingkurra barli dak wandi ngandayi dijangkurra. ‘Let’s you and me go sit in that big shade over there.’ yalingurlu from there, from that, after that. = kadingurlu, kadungurlu.  Yalingurlu barna yanarni. ‘I just came from over there.’ yaliwu to that one, for that one. = kadiwu, karduwu.  Yaliwu barnarla wandana paintdarra-ma. ‘I brought these paints for that person.’ yaliya ALSO: yalirra. = kadiya, kadurra.  Yaliya-ma dirdilwari-ma nyangkali! Waribarra kayini kanju. ‘Watch out for those cracks in the ground! There might be snakes underneath.’ yalu USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. SEE: yali. yalyalywari n. fork (of tree, road).  Yali karu kayini yalyalywarila. ‘That child is in the fork of the tree.’  Yandarra ban nyangku wurrumu yalyalywari. ‘Go down the fork of

286 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

Yanyula that road.’ yama- v. many words beginning with ‘yama’ are forms of the verb ‘be tired’. SEE: yamarnini. yamaka cv. calmly, softly (hit, talk), slowly (move), settle down, bit by bit, gradually, relaxed. = yawaka. SEE: marriya. See p. 432 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yamaka kayini calm, relax.  Yamaka karribarda wunyu karri nyundu-ma. ‘You go relax a bit.’ yamaka yanini settle down. yamaka barnini hit softly.  Yamaka barra yali jawaranya-ma! ‘Hit that tin softly!’ yamaka marnini speak softly, whisper. Yamaka marra! ‘Whisper!’ yamakayamaka bit by bit.  Barli mirrka ma marru-ma yamakayamaka. ‘You and I are going to build a house bit by bit.’ yamarak n. straight (appropriate) for marriage. = linba, minmiji, kurrbari.  Yalima karlunini yamarak. ‘He has a straight marriage partner.’  Yamarakurru kula. ‘He is not with a straight marriage partner.’  Yamarak bawula kayang barna, marndaj. ‘The two straight marriage partners ran away, it’s okay.’ SEE: waji. yamarnina n. someone who is tired. SEE: yamarnini. yamarnini v. tired.  Barna yamarnini. ‘I am tired.’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. yamarnini is tired. yamarna was tired. yama will be tired, wants to be tired. yama get tired! yamilak cv. melt. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yamilak yanini melt. yan- v. many words beginning with ‘yan’ are forms of the verb ‘go around’. SEE: yanini. yanarn interj. come here!  Yanarn kuwanjala! ‘Come over this way!’ yanina n. someone who goes, goer.  Yaliwu marrilila yaninawu karrila ngurlaka nyangarlungka. ‘Tell that person who is always going to stay back here in one place.’ SEE: yanini.

yanini v. go, come.  Kula kajubwari yanini airplane-ma kadi kurlarra. ‘The aeroplane is going along far in the south.’  Barnanjurra yananjanarra ngayu-ma. ‘I am going up to you mob.’  Dardu bali murdika yananjanarni. ‘Lots of cars are coming.’ — See p. 431 for the hand sign. The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. yanini is going around. yaninjanini keeps going around. yanana has gone around. yanarra has gone. yanarni has come. yandu will go around, wants to go around. yandurru will go, wants to go. yanarnnginyi will come, wants to come. yanda go around. yandarra go. yanarn come. yaninja n. someone who has gone, departed person.  Yali-ma marlu ‘yaninja’ lurrbuwanya yaninjanirra. ‘He’ll be called “the departed” once he has gone.’ SEE: yanini. Yangardinikangka n. place upstream of Windurruwurru. USAGE: This place is in Ngarnji country, but is in several MudburraJingili Dreaming stories, notably that of ‘mulyukuna’ (the black-headed python). yangarlu n. one. = jindaku, nyangarlu. See p. 433 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yangkarra cv. track, follow. SEE: ngurlaka.  Yangkarra-ni yandarlarra. ‘You gotta get behind him.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yangkarra yanini track. Yangman n. Yangman people and language.  Yangman, Mangarrayi, Mudburra, Jingili, Warlmana, Warlpiri karrinyarrama. ‘There were Yangman, Mangarrayi, Mudburra, Jingili, Warlmanpa, and Warlpiri.’ yangunungku n. bush potato, pink-flowered yam. ALSO: yawunungku. Ipomoea abrupta. SEE: jikarrambini, babirda. This plant grows in black-soil areas and has pretty pink flowers. It also has small yams that are like those of the much bigger bush potato. Yanyula n. Yanyula (Yanyuwa) people and language.  Yanyuladarra-ma bali karra Ngarinyman to English dictionary 287

y

yardi

Y

Borroloolangkawu ngurra-ma bayina. ‘Lots of Yanyula people make their home at Borroloola.’ yardi cv. stay put, stop by, make stay. yardi kayini stay put, stop by.  Marndaj yandarra! Ngayu-ma balyangku yardi karri murlungka-rni kambarra. ‘You go, it’s fine! She and I will stay right here in front of you.’  Yardi karri bayi karu-ma ngayinya-ma. Barna karliya murlungka-rni. ‘My child will stay here. I will keep him right here.’  Barna yardi karri ngurrangka. ‘I’m going to stop home.’  Yardi karri karuwu darduwu, yanarnnginyi! ‘Wait for all those kids, until they come (back).’ yardi kurnini make stay.  Yali-ma marluka-ma yardi kuya! Kari barla Katherine-ma. ‘Make that old man stay. Katherine is too far for him.’ yardi yuwarnini make stay.  Marndaj, yali karu-ma bangalinju barna yardi yuwarna. ‘It’s fine, I made our child stay.’ yarlikiji n. thorny devil, mountain devil. Moloch horridus. This small lizard lives in desert country to the south, around Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. They do not naturally live on Jingili or Mudburra country. They have a Dreaming story from the desert and the story travels right up into the Top End. yarluba n. pregnant, expectant mother. = karuwurru, majulawurru, dinngarrwari.  Yarlubali kirrili kula ngarnarra kidba jurlakanginyi and walanjanginyi, kakuwinginyi, biya karulu karlunarra janga. ‘Pregnant women probably won’t eat bird, goanna, or fish eggs, or else the baby will be sick.’  Kirri yarluba kula yandurru ludba ngukungkurra biya ngabu nyanganarra ngukulu. ‘A pregnant woman won’t go near the water or else the rainbow serpent might smell her.’ SEE: majula. Pregnant women can’t eat any type of eggs from any native animal, or any animal that has eggs inside it. If she does, she will get sick and the baby will develop skin sores. Pregnant women also should not breathe any kind of smoke, whether from food cooking, a bushfire, a campfire, a house being smoked out, or any

other source. A pregnant woman’s husband can still hunt and fish, but pregnant women themselves can’t fish and can’t go swimming. In fact, they should not get too close to the river at all, or else the rainbow serpent might smell them. yarninjirra n. tendon. = yarningkirra, wili, nganju.  Barnali yuwarru yarninjirra yali karu marndamarndangkurra. ‘I’m going to put a tendon around that kid’s arm.’ USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. yarningki n. bilby. = jilbi, jalbawurru, yalbawurru. Macrotis lagotis. Bilbies look a bit like rabbits. They have long ears, a pointy nose and a long tail with a white tip. They have a single baby in the cool weather time, after the rains have finished. Bilbies like to eat grass and ‘laju’ (witchetty grub), which they look for in turpentine wattles and lancewood trees. They sniff along the roots of trees to smell witchetty grubs, then dig and bite open the roots to get the grubs. They live in lancewood country or in sandy country, more commonly in southern areas, and dig large burrow systems with deep tunnels and lots of holes. People hunt them by digging the burrows up with digging sticks; while someone digs, others wait near the burrows exits to throw boomerangs at the animals when they run out. Bilbies are very fast runners and are hard to hit with a boomerang. Sometimes they were also hunted with goanna dogs that would go down goanna and bilby burrows and chase the animals out. Bilbies were eaten in the past, but have not been eaten in recent times. A large one would feed two or three adults. They taste good, like a feral rabbit or a porcupine (echidna). They were gutted, held over flames to burn off the fur and then cooked in a ground oven. Pythons and feral cats also like to eat bilbies. The long, white fluffy tail can be used in the initiation ceremony for young men. The tails are worn on a headband and around the neck, and you cannot speak while wearing them. They were also worn by men to attract a

288 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

yarrulan partner. Bilbies used to be quite common at Beetaloo. After the end of the Second World War, there were lots. Now there are very few. yarningkirra n. tendon. = yarninjirra, wili, nganju. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. yarr- v. many words beginning with ‘yarr’ are forms of the verb ‘become’. SEE: yayini. yarraji n. white waterlily. Nymphaea sp. This waterlily has yellow or white flowers. The flower stems, seeds and tubers can be eaten in the same ways as ‘kaminarrinymi’ (the blue waterlily). yarraman n. horse. = dimana, yarrarrawirra, yawarda. Equus caballus. This is the word used in the Barkly Tablelands area. In the past, horses were used a lot on stations for mustering cattle. They are agile and fast runners and were excellent for cattle work. There are wild horses on Mudburra and Jingili country, and in the past they were mustered, broken in and sold. See p. 407 for the hand sign. yarrarrawirra n. horse. = dimana, yawarda, yarraman. Equus caballus. This is the name used around Mataranka. In the past, horses were used a lot on stations for mustering cattle. They are agile and fast runners and were excellent for cattle work. There are wild horses on Mudburra and Jingili country, and in the past they were mustered, broken in and sold. See p. 407 for the hand sign. yarrayalya n. mushroom, horse-dung fungus, puffball. Podaxis pistillaris. This white, mushroom-like fungus comes out of the ground in the hot-weather time. It also grows in horse and cow manure. The

dark spores inside are used by children to paint pretend whiskers on their faces when playing games. Yarrbiyaju n. Four Mile.  Yarrbiyaju-ma karlarra Marlinjangurlu-ma. ‘Four Mile is west of Marlinja.’  Barlawa yanama-la nyangulu Yardbiyaju — Yardbiyajungurlu barlawa-ni Ikirdingkurra. ‘We’d go to this one place Yardbiyaju — then we’d go from Yardbiyaju to Hickety Bore.’ — This place is just south of Kulaja (North Hole). yarriki n. father, father’s sibling, man’s child, woman’s brother’s child. = kirda.  Yali barla bunba marnini yarrikinyanku, wunyuwu karuwu. ‘He’s arguing with his son, a little child.’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word, and is similar to ‘yarrikila’ in Jingulu. yarrikirla pair of people in the ‘yarriki’ relationship to each other.  Kadi bawula yarrikirla Nambijina, Nangala. ‘Those two, Nambijina and Nangala, are an aunty and her niece.’ yarrikjimuju pair of people in the ‘yarriki’ relationship to each other.  Kadi bawula yarrikimuju Nangala, Nambijina. ‘Those two, Nangala and Nambijina, are an aunty and her niece.’ yarrkankuna n. pink cockatoo, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo. = dakudbari, yakakak. Cacatua leadbeateri. The pink cockatoo lives in desert areas in the southern parts of Mudburra country. It likes to eat ‘wurrubuja’ (a type of grass). In the old days, people roasted and ate the meat from this bird. It is no longer eaten in modern times, though. It has the skin name Jimija or Namija. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yarrukaji n. stripe-faced dunnart. Sminthopis macroura. This small mouse-like animal has a swollen, fleshy tail that can sometimes get really fat like a carrot. It lives in grassy areas, bluebush country, plains and rocky ridges. It mainly eats insects and small lizards, and it hunts at night. In the cold-weather time it sits in the sun to warm up. yarrulan n. teenage boy. = yaba.  Barnayili Darwin-ma yandurru ngayinya ngabakujarrawu. Nyangarlu barna kangkurru minya yarrulan-ma nyangarlu, Ngarinyman to English dictionary 289

y

-yaru

Y

burlkunga ngalinya-ma bayi, Shannon. ‘I will go to Darwin for my two older brothers. I will take along this one young man, my eldest child, Shannon.’ USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. -yaru suf. with, by means of, while (comitative). This ending is used when you are accompanied by something, when you use something else to do something, or when when you do something by means of another action. = -jaru.  Jindaba bayili yanirra, wanjuwarrangurlu-barra, abaabayaru bibibbariyaru. ‘Another one came up to the two, from somewhere, with warm clothes.’  Yali dibardkarra yaninjanini nyangarluyaru yunbayaru. ‘He is hopping along on one foot.’ yawaka cv. calmly, softly (hit, talk), slowly (move), settle down, bit by bit, gradually, relaxed. = yamaka.  Wanka kayini yali marrimarri, yawakayawaka barla yandalarra, yilyiyarramulu. ‘It’s alive and dangerous, go quietly up to it, don’t be selfish.’ yawarda n. horse. = dimana, yarrarrawirra, yarraman. Equus caballus. In the past, horses were used a lot on stations for mustering cattle. They are agile and fast runners and were excellent for cattle work. There are wild horses on Mudburra and Jingili country, and in the past they were mustered, broken in and sold. See p. 407 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. yawarra cv. have a rest, have a spell, holiday, tired. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yawarra kayini rest. yawu n. any kind of fish. = kakuwi. See p. 412 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yawuj cv. fell (e.g. a tree), large object fall down. yawuj wandiyini large object fall down.  Yawuj wandina nginya karndi-ma. ‘That tree fell down.’ yawuj kurnini fell (a tree), make a large

object fall down.  Balawa yawuj kuya nginya karndi-ma. ‘Let’s fell this tree.’ yawuj barnini knock over with force.  Yawuj barnana janginyinali. ‘Lightning knocked it down.’ yaya n. lungs. = jaalyakbalyaku. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yayin- v. many words beginning with ‘yayin’ are forms of the verb ‘become’. SEE: yayini. yayini v. become, get (become). Yali-ma wangi yayini yalingurlu-ma. ‘That one is getting worse than that one.’  Nyukunyuku yayinjayini. ‘He is becoming resistant.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. yayini is becoming. yayina has become. yarri will become, wants to become. yarri become it! -yi pro. me, to me, for me, my, mine. SEE: bayi.  Lalija mirrka mayi, barnkurdi? ‘Could you make me some tea, cousin?’ yibaba n. black ant. Hymenoptera, Ochetellus spp. These ants like sugar, honey and anything sweet. They can be a nuisance, as they crawl over everything and bite; you have to be careful when you camp out bush that you are not near them. yibarrardu n. emu. = karnanganja. Dromaius novaehollandiae. ‘Ngunyunyu’ (emu chicks) have stripes. Emu eggs are very large and green. They are called ‘kirdba’ or ‘kambij’, the same words that are used for all kinds of eggs. Emu eggs are good to eat after they are boiled or cooked beside a fire. A big emu has lots of meat on it that is very dark and good to eat. It is often cooked in a ground oven. Emu fat, which is yellow, is also nice to eat. Emus are large, strong animals and have a strong kick, so you need to be careful when hunting them. ‘Durlngu’ are loincloths made from hairy

290 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

-yili emu feathers and the feathers are also used as body decoration during ceremonies. Emus are large strong animals and have a strong kick, you need to careful when hunting them. They have the skin name Janama or Nanaku. See p. 409 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yibiba n. small black ant. = kindijku, kumbari. Eggs look like rice, and are edible and sweet. yibijibiji n. eyebrow. = milyangarriny.  Biyanganda balyana yibijibiji. ‘They shaved their eyebrows.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. yibijirrina n. military dragon, ta-ta lizard. = kaburi, wijina, marndaraji. Amphibolurus spp. These lizards often wave one of their front legs in the air. When they do this, it means the rain will stop soon. They are not eaten because of this, and also because they are quite small. They have the skin name Jambijina. See p. 411 for the hand sign. yibu n. rain, wet season, steady constant rain, storm. ALSO: yubu.  Nguku yandinjana diyija yibuwurru, yibu, barra wandi jalyama. ‘Big storm clouds and rain are coming, it will rain today.’ USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu and Gurindji. yibuk cv. pull out, pull off. = wurr. USAGE: This is similar to the Gurindji word ‘wipuk’. yibuk warndanini pull out, pull off.  Yibuk warnda luwakungurlu. ‘Pull it out from the hole.’ yibungu n. string, bark string. = mundiri, duwany.  Yibungu barnali — marndaj barnanganda kambambarra-ma karnawunangurlu. ‘Our string — I used to make good string for us from lancewoods in the old days.’ SEE: wirrkala; jardukurru. This string is traditionally made from bark of ‘miyaka’, ‘kamangarna’, ‘karnawuna’, and ‘kalkardi’. Used in old times to tie the stone blade on to the handle. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. yibunguwurru n. police officer.

= jikalawurru, murnungku, ngarrambalyaka.  Bali nyangani warlu-ma. Ngayinya-wanya balya kayang barnini. Ngayinya karlaja, ngayi, yibunguwurrungkurra-ma. ‘They saw the fire. My younger brother and I are running to the police officer.’ — See p. 399 for the hand sign. yiburu n. black storm clouds. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yidaaji n. grass seed. ALSO: irdaaji; yirdaaji; idaaji. yijarni interj. true, truth. ALSO: yija.  Yijarni? Yuwayi! ‘Is that true? Yes.’  Yijarni barnangku marnini. ‘I’m telling you the truth.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yijarniyijarni really truly true, definitely true. yikayika adv. far away, distant. = barrbarda, kari.  Yikayika barna kayini bankurdi, barna yandarra. ‘I’ve been far away, cousin, but I’ve returned.’ yikiyi cv. wet.  Karrila — karu, karri yali nguku-ma, bingandan yikiyi kayinarra, nyundu too bannyanun. ‘Stop it — kid, leave that water alone, you might wet all of us, yourself as well, you might.’ -yili pro. those two, the two of them, to those two, for those two, theirs (two of them). SEE: bayili. ALSO: -wuli.  Birrka ma-yili mangarri kadi kujarrawu marlukabirrawu. ‘Make some food for those two old people.’ -yili suf. make something happen. This ending is used when an action results in a changed state (factive). = -bili, -biji.  Yalulu dirrk warndana, dardalyayili. ‘That one has tied it up, tight.’  Dungkujayili bali kardaj barnana. ‘They have chopped it short.’ yili n. foot, track. = yunba.  Yili yanarra kuyani. ‘He went that way on foot.’  Wayi ban nyangana yili-ma? ‘Did you see any tracks?’ USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -yili pro. they do it to me, they do it for me, they do it to mine. SEE: bayili.  Ngayinyadarra banbanbiya bayili wandinyarra — dardurni, burrb. ‘All my older relatives passed away on me a long time ago — the whole lot, finished.’  Kurdi-yili karri kambarra! Barna ngarninyngarnini nanbari. Liward karrayili! ‘You mob wait in front of me! I am eating Ngarinyman to English dictionary 291

y

-yilin

Y

my feed. You mob wait for me!’ -yilin pro. you do it to those two, you do it for those two, you do it to those two’s. SEE: bayilin. ALSO: -nbulin.  Barnayili bud bungku minyakujarra-ma Katherinekurra. Nyambawu bayilin bud bunganjinganini? Kirdanyankurra-nya? ‘I will send these two to Katherine. Why are you sending them away? To see their father, right?’ yilmij cv. turn, exchange. = wilmij. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. yilyi n. greedy, selfish, not generous, won’t give anything. = dilyika, nyunganiwangka.  Wanka kayini yali marrimarri, yawakayawaka barla yandalarra, yilyiyarramulu. ‘It’s alive and dangerous, go quietly up to it, don’t be selfish.’ Yilyiku SEE: Wilyiku. yilyil cv. hanging, hang up. = dad. yilyil kayini hanging.  Jindabadarrama yilyil kayini. Jindabadarra minya-rni washing machineka. ‘Some of them are hanging up. And these other ones are still in the washing machine.’ yilyil yuwarnini hang (something) up.  Kurdi barna ngayinya yunbanginyi yilyil yuwarru nginya karndingkurra. ‘I will hang my shoes up in the tree.’ yilyil kurnini hang (something) up.  Yalima danku-ma warnda, yilyil kuya-wanya! ‘Get those clothes, and hang them up!’ yilyil ngardanganini leave (something) hanging.  Nginya-ma yunbanginyi ngayinya-ma barna yilyil ngardangku nginyangka-rni karndingka. ‘I will leave my shoes hanging up in this tree here.’ yilyilkarra kayini swinging, dangling. yilyilyi cv. have a rash, have dry skin. yilyilyi marnini have a rash, have dry skin.  Yilyilyi barna marnini wanykuka. Warnda-yi bunku! ‘I’ve got a rash under my arms. Get powder for me!’ Yilyilyimarri n. place near Jamanku, towards Wave Hill.  Yilyilyimarri-ma karlarra Jamankungka. ‘Yilyilyimarri is west, near Jamanku.’ — This word literally means to ‘have a rash’. yimarnnga n. fly. = kunanga, warangarra. These small black flies are often a nuisance as they fly around the face and eyes. They

are bad in areas with lots of cattle and horses. yimina n. kindling, small sticks used to make a fire. ALSO: imina. = wawurru. yiminji n. dingo. ALSO: yiminjaba. = winkuwarnu, wurrakina, ngurrakina, jurruwuji. Canis familiaris dingo. In the past, dingo scalps were collected and sold to the police at Newcastle Waters and Elliott as part of a control program. Dingoes were eaten in the past when other meat was scarce. The pups were most tender and were good to eat. The meat tasted similar to meat from a cat. Dingoes have not been eaten for a long time. People in the old days used to keep them as pets and for hunting kangaroos, goannas and lizards. They were very good at finding game and were sometimes called ‘goanna dogs’. They were not good pets, though, because they would kill animals at stations such as chickens and goats. Dingoes breed in the cold weather time of the dry season, when they are often heard howling at night. yimiyaka n. wild curry kurrajong. = miyaka. Brachychiton multicaulis. SEE: wanyanda; kinjirrka. This type of kurrajong is a small multi-stemmed shrub. It grows around Elliott and Lake Woods and is common in the western areas. The large yellow seeds inside the pod can be eaten, but the hairs are dangerous and need to be removed first. The seeds are taken out of the large pod. They are then pounded and winnowed out in a ‘kawarla’ (coolamon) or burnt to get rid of the fine hairs. Finally, they are crushed, eaten raw or made into johnny cakes. The seeds are ready to eat in October. There are lots growing at Dunmarra in sandy country. The young plants have ‘wanyanda’ (an edible yam) below them. The skin of the inner pod of the fruit can be rubbed on a person’s skin to make it lighter. The inner bark can be used to make string. When the sun sets

292 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

yinjalmarri in the mid dry season and turns red (like the colour of the flowers) and streaky, it indicates that the pods are ready to be collected. See p. 415 for the hand sign. -yin pro. you do it to me, you do it for me, you do it to mine. SEE: bayin.  Nyamba yali warlaku-ma-yin nyunganini, madju or mardukuja? ‘What’s this dog you’re giving me, male or female?’ -yin case. from, away from. This ending is used with location words meaning that something is going away from the location (allative).  Nguku-karda yanarni mungarramungarra kadi-karda kirrayin. ‘Those dark storm clouds came here from there in the north.’  Karlayinngurlu bangalawarna kunjarnarni, karlayinkarlayinngurlu. ‘(The rain) came from the west and drenched us, from way off in the west.’ -yina pro. them, to them, for them, theirs. SEE: bayina.  Yali mangarri kangkarra-yina kadiyawu! Lun kuya-yina! ‘Go and take that food to them! Drop it off with them!’ -yinan pro. you do it to them, you do it for them, you do it to theirs. SEE: bayinan. ALSO: -njinan.  Bayinan nyangana? ‘Did you see them?’ -yinanngulu pro. you mob do it to them, you mob do it for them, you mob do it to theirs. SEE: bayinanngulu. ALSO: -njinanngulu.  Dardu banda yanarni kanju bali yanarra minyarra-ma biyinanngulu barnarra. ‘You mob came up and they all went inside because you might attack them.’ -yinangulu pro. they do it to them, they do it for them, they do it to them. SEE: bayinangulu.  Yali-yinangulu karlama! Ngarrkakari balya kayinykayini warrb. ‘You mob go up to them! The other man and I are staying here together.’ yinba- v. many words beginning with ‘yinba’ are forms of the verb ‘sing’. SEE: yinbarnini. yinbarnina n. someone who sings.  Yalikarda warndali yinbarnina-ma bardakurru-ma. ‘That one’s a good singer.’ SEE: yinbarnini. yinbarnini v. sing, call out.  Yalili banyanu yinbarnini bankaja. ‘He is singing to himself in his sleep.’  Yini-nyanu yinba! ‘Call out your name!’  Barnanyanu yinbajibarnarra

winymiyaru nyununyangkurra marrungkurra. ‘I am going to your house on foot, singing to myself.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. yinbarnini is singing. yinbarna has sung. yinba will sing, wants to sing. yinba sing it! yinbarninja n. someone who has been sung.  Yali-ma marndaj yinbarninja? ‘Has he been sung properly?’ SEE: yinbarnini. -yinbula pro. you two do it to me, you two do it for me, you two do it to mine. SEE: bayinbula. ALSO: -yinbulayin.  Bayinbula kambu mangarri-ma? Wangiwanya warangalingali. ‘Can you two make me some food? I’m tired now from working so much.’ -yinda pro. you mob do it to me, you mob do it for me, you mob do it to mine. SEE: bayindan. ALSO: -yindan.  Karudarra yamaka karri-li! Bayindan malngarlkarra yuwarnini manyankurra. ‘Kids, be quiet! You keep startling me while I’m sleeping.’ yindarangi n. orangenaped snake. = miyakakarra, jarlmurunymuruny. Furina ornata. This snake often sits under the bush orange tree. It has a pretty face with nice colours. The girl snake is aggressive when she has laid eggs. She will chase you but generally only acts like she is going to bite without actually striking. These snakes are venomous and can bite, though, so you must be careful. yindij cv. hang. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. In Gurindji, it means ‘pinch’. yindij kayini hanging. yindirr n. sandhill, lifted-up country, horizon. = biyingki. Said of the horizon line when it seems to lifts a little just before dawn, giving a similar appearance to a sandhill in the distance. yini n. name.  Yini yinba-nyanu! Ngana ban nyundu-ma? ‘Call your name! Who are you?’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yinjalmarri n. hair, fur. ALSO: winjalma. = malibanya, nganya. USAGE: In Eastern Ngarinyman to English dictionary 293

y

yingalka

Y

Mudburra, this only means fur or body hair. In Western Mudburra it can refer to head hair as well. This is also a Gurindji word. yingalka n. soup, butter, fat, cooking oil.  Barna mirrka marna yingalka wardabarnmarrangurlu, kurrkabadingurlu. ‘I made soup from hill kangaroo and bush turkey.’ SEE: dika. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word, and is similar to ‘yingalk’ in Gurindji. Yingawunarri. n. Top Springs, waterhole near Top Springs.  Yingawunarrikarri barla ngurra, Lalkawu-ma, kaku nyanginyu, kirda nginyiwarla. ‘Albert Crowson Lalka was the boss for that place Yingawunarri, my grandfather, from my father.’ yingi cv. tease, stir, bully, provoke. yingi marnini tease, stir, bully, provoke.  Kadili bayi yingi marna nyambangurlubarra. ‘That one teased me for some reason.’  Yalikujarrali bawurna yingi marnini. ‘Those two (kids) are teasing each other.’ yingiyingi always teasing, always bullying.  Yanarn nyundu-ma lurrbu! Yaliya-ma bali yingiyingi marnina. ‘Come back here, you! Those ones are all bullies.’ yingin cv. move. = nyingin, karrilyarra. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yingin marnini move, move around.  Ngana kadi-ma yingin marnini? ‘Who’s that moving around?’ yingki n. northern kurrajong. = dardaka. Brachychiton diversifolius. This tree grows in northern areas of Jingulu and Mudburra country; there are lots around Larrimah. The swollen tap root of young plants can be dug up, roasted and then eaten. It is a long, thin yam which is good to eat. The bark of young plants can be made into string that is very long-lasting and strong. It can be used to tie spearheads

onto spear shafts or hooks onto spearthrowers, or to tie up bundles of food, firewood or any other items. In the past it was used to make nagas or loincloths for women, and was used to make special headbands worn by men during ceremonies. Paint brushes can be made from twigs and from small saplings. The ends are crushed with a stone to make the brush part. The gum can be used as medicine and is applied directly to sores and cuts. The inner bark is also used as a bandage, as it has an open weave pattern like a bandage. It is good for treating cuts and wounds acquired by being hit with ‘kurrubardu’ (boomerangs) and ‘kuduru’ (fighting sticks). USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yingkila n. nits, head lice, louse. = mubunjini, juwuda, wurdu. Phthiraptera, Pediculus capitis. These small insects live on humans. They cause severe itching in the hair and elsewhere on the body where they live. Some bush medicine plants, such as guttapercha, can be used to treat lice and nits. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yirna n. flower. = yurrku. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Yirrarndarna n. Rainbow Serpent, rainbow. = Walungku, Ngurrkbana. SEE: Yuwakanga; ngayikngayikbarn. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yirrban n. flying termites. Isoptera, Termitidae, Isoptera. These flying insects are common after rain in the wet season and are often attracted to outside lights in large numbers at night. They are a favoured food of porcupines (echidnas) and frillneck lizards, and other animals who hunt for them. Their eggs are found in anthills. They look like rice and people can collect and eat them. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. -yirri case. to, towards (allative). This ending is used to mark goals (not always place names) or a simultaneous action performed by a different person. = -ngkurra, -kurra,

294 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

yumbu -jirri.  Dibarddibard-ma nyambawu yananybala ngurrakariyirri ngurrakariyirrima? ‘Why do they always jump from one country to another?’ SEE: -ngkurra. yirribudbudba n. pheasant coucal. Centropus phasianinus. = wurruburdkarra, bukbukbini. When you hear this bird call out ‘buk . . . buk . . . buk’ it means that it will rain soon, but not straight away. yirribudkarra cv. drag behind, lead by pulling. ALSO: wurruburdkarra. = durru, wurruji. yirribudkarra kanganini drag behind, lead by pulling.  Yali kanjilku warnda-rla, yirribudkarra kangkarra. ‘Get that stick for him, and lead him along with it!’ yirrik cv. crawl, drag knees. = dirndiji. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yirrik kayini crawl, drag knees. yirrik marnini crawl, drag knees.  Yali-mangku karu-ma yirrik marnini-wanya-nya? Yuwu, yirrik marnina-wanya bayi. ‘That child of yours is crawling now, isn’t he? Yes, he crawls for me now.’ yirrikarra crawling, dragging knees. yirrimaka n. woman’s brother, or woman’s male cousin, when he has recently been through initiation.  Yali-ma-ngku yirrimaka-wanya. Kari karri! ‘That’s your recently-initiated brother/male cousin. Stay far away from him!’ — After a young man has been through the initiation, his sisters and female ‘barnkurdi’ (cross-cousins) are no longer allowed to speak to him directly or say his name. For the first few years, they refer to him as ‘yirrimaka’ instead. After he’s more grown up (perhaps when he has whiskers), they stop saying ‘yirrimaka’ and choose a different nickname instead (e.g. his initials, or just ‘bro’). USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. yirrk cv. fish, pull out.  Yirrkku-ma yani. ‘He’s gone to fish.’ yirrk warndanini pull out.

yirrmal cv. relocate, shift over, move over, move camp. = wirrmal. yirrmal wandiyini shift, move over a bit.  Yirrmal wandiyina, ngayu-wanya barna darndarn wandiyina murdikangkurra-ma. ‘He moved over, and then I was able to get into the car.’ yirrmal yanini shift, move over a bit. yirrmal kurnini shift, move over a bit. yirrmal yuwarnini shift something, move over a bit. yirrmal kanganini something shift, take over a bit.  Barna yirrmal kangana karndingkurra. Kankulu-wanya dad kayinykayini. Marndaj. ‘I shifted him over to the tree (stump). Now he’s perched on top of it. He’s fine.’ -yiwula pro. those two do it to me, those two do it for me, those two do it to mine.  Biyiwula nyanganarra mabubiji ngayuma kanju barna yandurru. ‘Those two might see me, I feel shame, I’m going inside.’ ALSO: -yiwulayi. SEE: bayiwulayi. yuju cv. show. = wujunganini. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yuju nyunganini show. yuka n. any kind of grass. = bikirra. See p. 413 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yukardu n. three. = murrkuna. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yukulurrubi n. black-soil bush tomato. Solanum tumulicola. This small plant grows on black-soil plains in bluebush country. There are some growing at Longreach Waterhole. Cattle and horses like to eat it. The small, round, yellow fruit cannot be eaten. yukulyarri n. goat, sheep. = jirrmiriny. Capra hircus, Ovis aries. SEE: bilikud; nanikud. In the past, goats were kept on stations and at missions for their meat and milk. Both of these are very tasty. USAGE: This is also a Jingulu word. yulu SEE: yuwulu. yumbu n. spider. = jirinyili, karruji. Arachnida, Araneae. SEE: karrujinginyi. All spiders have the same names although Ngarinyman to English dictionary 295

y

yumulun

Y

many different types of spiders are recognised and some are dangerous. Some of the larger spiders live in burrows in the ground. The red-back spider has a painful bite that causes a lot of swelling. Spider webs are called ‘karrujinginyi’. See p. 408 for the hand sign for ‘yumbu’. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra and Gurindji word. yumulun n. wild ebony. Diospyros humilis. This tree has a dense canopy of leaves and casts cool shade. The ripe fruit are yelloworange to red and may be eaten, but they do not taste very nice and leave your mouth feeling dry. The seed is spat out. Birds also like to eat the fruit. yunba n. foot, track, horseshoe, toe. = jina, jamana.  Nginili barna dardu karlunini yunbaka. ‘I got lots of prickles in my foot.’ USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yunumburrku n. old male red kangaroo, desert kangaroo. ALSO: junumburrku. = wakwara. Osphranter rufus. SEE: wawirri. This is the largest kangaroo and the adult males can be very tall and muscular. The meat is eaten after roasting and is very tasty. Some people think this is the best kangaroo meat. They are most commonly seen in the southern areas, but they live everywhere. They are common in the Elliott area and other places like Marlinja and Beetaloo. This kangaroo is sometimes also called ‘kajangarna’ (or ‘kajangarnarra’ for a group of them). This name means bush-dweller and refers to their preferred habitat in bush areas. Yungbiyi n. Number 7 Bore.  Yungbiyingkama bore kayini bardakurru. ‘Yungbiyi is a good bore.’  Kambambarra-ma-li yunba yaninjanirra marlarluka Yungbiyingkurra, Yungbiyingurlu Badbangkurra. ‘Long ago the old people would go on foot to Yungbiyi, then from Yungbiyi to Daly Waters.’ yuranya n. many, plenty, big mob. = dardu.  Yuranya kayini walanybirri. ‘There’s a big mob of pelicans (out there).’  Yuranya karrinyarra kaya-ma dikikirrij-ma. ‘There

are many dead spirits.’ — See p. 433 for the hand sign. USAGE: This word is also in Jingulu and Gurindji. yurijminji n. oriole, rufous whistler. = nyurijngarna. Pachycephala rufiventris. When you hear this bird call, it is telling you that a visitor is coming. It sings out ‘nyurij . . . nyurij . . . nyurij’. This bird has the skin name Jimija or Namija. yurlanga n. spear shaft of a shovel spear. SEE: birlkurung; mirlarrang. yurrabi n. sandstone country, gorge country. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word.

yurrk cv. tell, recount a story. ALSO: yurr. = dikal. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yurrk warndanini tell.  Yurrk warndali yurrwa, bardakurrinykarra. ‘You tell that word straight now.’ yurrk kurnini recount. yurrku n. flower. = yirna. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. yurrub cv. hidden. = warlan, warduj. USAGE: This is also a word in Jingulu. yurrub kurnini hide something.  Minya barnali yurrub kaya mangarri-ma. ‘I’ll hide this food from him.’  Minya marnimarni marndaj but yurrub kurninjarnini jindaba yurrwa-ma. ‘He talks alright but he’s hiding some secret.’ yurrub wandiyini hide oneself.  Yurrub barna wandi policeman-wirri. ‘I’ll hide from the policeman.’ yurrwa n. word, message, language, law, business (ceremony). ALSO: yurra. = jaru, mulwa.  Mirrarda ma yali karu yurrwa. ‘Teach language to that child.’  Nyama

296 For information on how to use this dictionary, see pages 63–65.

yuwulu barlawa marnini Mudburra-ma jindabajindaba yurrwa-ma. ‘We’re talking Mudburra here, lots of different words.’ yuu interj. yes. ALSO: yu; yuuyuu. = yuwayi. See p. 431 for the hand sign. USAGE: This is also a word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. yuwa- v. many words beginning with ‘yuwa’ are forms of the verb ‘put’. SEE: yuwarnini. Yuwakanga n. rainbow snake clan name (Ngurlu). = Walungku.  Kula ngana nginyangka-ma ngurlu-ma Yuwakangama. ‘There’s nobody here from the rainbow snake clan.’ SEE: ngurlu; Burruburrurda; Ninibi; Buwarraja; Kalanybuka; Wilarrka. yuward cv. shoo away, hunt away, make go away. USAGE: This is also a Gurindji word. yuward barnini shoo away, hunt away.  Kadi bali yuward barnana marrungurluma-barra. ‘They are hunting that one away, maybe from the house.’  Barnayina yuward barru kadiya kurrkabadidarra, wayarrayaru. ‘I will shoo away those bush turkeys, by screaming out.’ yuwarnina n. someone who puts.  Yali-ma marndaj, mangarriwu yuwarnina. ‘He’s okay, he’s the one who puts the food out.’ SEE: yuwarnini. yuwarnini v. put, place.  Kawarlala bali yuwarnini, baka-ma. ‘They are putting the conkerberries in the coolamon.’  Ban yuwarnini damangkangka murrkardi-ma. ‘You are putting your hat on your head.’  Minya barnali burrb kayina yurrwawuma. Minya barnali yuwarnini danku-ma murdikangkurra-wanya. ‘Here we are finished up with language. We are putting the gear into the car now.’ The most commonly occurring forms of this verb are listed below. For a full set of verb forms, see Section 9. yuwarnini is putting it somewhere. yuwarna has put it somewhere. yuwarru will put it somewhere, wants to put it somewhere. yuwarra put it somewhere! yuwarninja n. something that has been put.  Marndaj yuwarninja yali-ma yuwarna. ‘Good, it’s already been put out.’ SEE: yuwarnini. yuwayi interj. yes. = yuu, ngawayi.  Yuwayi, marndaj? ‘Yes, okay?’ USAGE: This is also a

word in both Gurindji and Jingulu. yuwulu n. 1 • ground, earth, dust. ALSO: yulu. = julwa.  Dardu wanyarri minyangka-ma yuwulungka-ma. ‘There are a lot of bauhinea trees on this ground.’  Nginya yuwulu warlakuwu-rna lakurd kuya. Ngayina-ma bayi murdika-ma yuwuluwurru. ‘My car is full of dust.’ 2 • grave, graveyard. ALSO: yulu. = julwa.

y Ngarinyman to English dictionary 297

7 English to Mudburra WORD FINDER

299

abandon

Aa abandon �����������������������v. ngardanganini v. wanjanini abandoned person or thing �����������������������n. ngardanganinja Aboriginal person �n. ngumbina n. mungarrangarna acacia bush �����������������n. mininmi accidentally �����������������adv. waburnda accuse �����������������������������cv. bambaya cv. ngurr aching �����������������������������cv. bungbungkarra cv. lilinkarra across �����������������������������n. malyaku across water ���������������cv. ngajarl active �������������������������������cv. kayang adulterer �����������������������n. jabujabu adze �����������������������������������n. bama n. karnbalaja afraid �������������������������������cv. wirlarnkarra after �����������������������������������suf. -kurla adv. ngurlaka case. -ngurlu after that �����������������������dem. yalangurlu after this �����������������������dem. nginyangurlu afternoon ���������������������n. burunjirrila all afternoon �������������adv. junyjuny late afternoon ���������n. wajurra again ���������������������������������adv. jandarni suf. -kani against ���������������������������cv. balyab age-mate �����������������������n. jimarri aggressive �������������������cv. bunba ahead �������������������������������adv. jaburruka adv. kambarra alert �����������������������������������cv. barraj alight ��������������������������������cv. dilu alive �����������������������������������cv. wanka all around ���������������������n. kuwanya all night ���������������������������adv. kardarr all the time �������������������suf. -rni alone ���������������������������������cv. jirdird n. nyangarlu ancestor �������������������������n. banbiya anew ���������������������������������suf. -kani angry �������������������������������cv. bunba ankle ���������������������������������n. bardbala n. dangka announce news �����cv. bambaya 300 English to Mudburra word finder

another ���������������������������n. jindaba n. jindara suf. -kari ant ��������������������������������������n. kindijku n. bilaya black ant ���������������������n. kumbari n. yibaba bull ant �������������������������n. kijakija n. lirrkinkinya flying ant ���������������������n. yirrban small black ant �������n. yibiba white ant ���������������������n. jakirri n. munkuna antbed �����������������������������n. barlanji n. bilaya n. kirininyma n. mardumardu n. nyindijku n. wanbuni flat round �������������������n. kindijku large white �����������������n. wanbuni antlion �����������������������������n. mirnjirnirriny anxious ���������������������������cv. burriyi apart ���������������������������������cv. diyaj cv. jarrban n. karumani Apostle bird ���������������n. kirrarayimirni appear �����������������������������cv. dibij cv. juk appliance, electrical ��������������������n. linyarda apply pressure ���������cv. bijarrk approach �����������������������v. karlamarnini approacher (one who approaches) n. karlamarnina archerfish ���������������������n. lawarra aren’t �������������������������������part. kula argue �������������������������������cv. bambaya cv. kirdi cv. nginyingkarra arm �������������������������������������n. mayamaya arm bone �����������������������n. kurlumbu armpit �����������������������������n. karrwi n. wanyku arms folded �����������������cv. minmini around �����������������������������adv. wankij n. wankijbari arrive �������������������������������cv. duwa as well as �����������������������suf. -ja ashamed �����������������������cv. mabu ashes (fine) �����������������n. bunku

bee ashes (fine, white) � n. buna ashless tobacco �����n. kurnka ask �������������������������������������cv. jilij at �����������������������������������������case. -ka case. -kula case. -kulala case. -la case. -ngka Athel pine ���������������������n. bijiwuna atop �����������������������������������cv. wilngib attached to �����������������cv. balyab attend (not) �����������������cv. banbij aunty �������������������������������n. mukurla n. yarriki Australian bustard � n. jamud n. kurrkabadi avoid ���������������������������������v. munyanganini awake �������������������������������cv. kajimi cv. lanba away ���������������������������������suf. -barda away from �������������������case. -yin away from here �������adv. kuwabarda go away �����������������������cv. mulb make go away ���������cv. yuward axe �������������������������������������n. dawurdawu n. mayingka n. warrawarra stone axe ��������������������n. kurrwa n. mayingka axe head ���������������������n. mayingka

Bb babbler ���������������������������n. barlakaka n. kulanginyirni baby ���������������������������������n. karu n. manjala baby catfish ���������������n. ngirnngirda babysit ���������������������������cv. liward babysitter ���������������������n. karlunina back �����������������������������������n. kumungku lower back �����������������n. bandimi n. nyinji backbone �������������������n. kumungku n. ngakaj back (come) ���������������cv. lurrbu back of neck (hit) ���cv. bak backwards �������������������adv. ngurlaka backwater ���������������������n. wukurdu

bad �������������������������������������n. wangi bad smell ���������������������n. lungulyu bait (poison) ���������������n. marnngilija baking powder ���������n. bunku bald �����������������������������������cv. bunbun n. dalanybari n. danganybari bamboo �������������������������n. kinjuwurnu bamboo spear ���������n. rrawurru banana, bush �������������n. kilibi bandicoot ���������������������n. bakuru bandy-bandy �������������n. walundirrindirrin bang ���������������������������������cv. darl bang (sound) �������������cv. darlk cv. duwu bank (of river) �����������n. jirrkilimi n. darrajbi barbed spear �������������n. kularda bark (of dog) �������������cv. rawung cv. rung bark (of tree) �������������n. barndabi n. barnngirri n. kurrnyu bark string �����������������n. yibungu charred bark �������������n. wuyu lancewood bark �����n. manjarna barking owl �����������������n. kurrkurrji n. manbulu barn owl �������������������������n. kuyarru n. ngajakurra base (of tree) �������������n. kinjaka bat, small ���������������������n. ngarlaminymirna bathe �������������������������������cv. darukarra cv. jirrbu battle �������������������������������adv. warnangka bauhinia �������������������������n. banjibanji n. jingi n. wanyarri bauhinia seed ���������n. ngabilibili bay �������������������������������������n. wukurdu be ���������������������������������������v. kayini beard �������������������������������n. ngarnka because �������������������������part. waju suf. -wanju become �������������������������v. yayini become a Dreaming feature ���������������cv. mamangkul bed �������������������������������������n. jalyu n. minji n. minjuru bee �������������������������������������n. kunanga English to Mudburra word finder 301

beef eggs �������������������������������n. kundarri eggs and pollen �����n. kurla ground hive ���������������n. nangkalinya tree hive �����������������������n. ngalyawurru beef �����������������������������������n. ngarina

n. wili beefwood ���������������������n. jalwilyi Beetaloo Station Bore (Six Mile) �������n. Jurriyi before �����������������������������adv. kambarra begin �������������������������������cv. ngarrijkarra behind �����������������������������adv. ngurlaka go behind �������������������cv. wirlimbard believe (not) ���������������cv. kururr belly �����������������������������������n. majula bellybutton �����������������n. julu n. ngajurrujurru belonging to ���������������suf. -nya belongings �������������������n. danku belt, hair �������������������������n. jardukurru n. ngurrmana n. wirrkala bend over ���������������������cv. dulykurr bendee (tree) �������������n. birijbirija bent �����������������������������������n. kirdilkbari bent legs �����������������������cv. ngandirr berry, emu �������������������n. kinginymi n. manamburran beside �����������������������������n. birndika n. dunkarr big ���������������������������������������n. dija big mob �������������������������suf. -barra suf. -darra suf. -jban suf. -rra suf. -walija suf. -ya n. dardu n. yuranya bilby ���������������������������������n. jalbawurru n. jilbi n. yalbawurru n. yarningki billabong �����������������������n. balunbarra n. barlakuji n. kilkayi n. langkana billy can �������������������������n. barrakud n. jawaranya billy goat �����������������������n. bilikud

302 English to Mudburra word finder

bindi-eye �����������������������n. darladarla n. nyili n. wurlurnmi bi-racial person �������n. bilyingbilyinga bird (any) �����������������������n. jurlaka bird nest �����������������������n. juru n. janbara bit by bit �������������������������cv. yamaka cv. yawaka bite �������������������������������������v. birnini biter �����������������������������������n. birnina bitten �������������������������������n. birninja bitter ���������������������������������n. wingki black ���������������������������������cv. mungarra n. mungarrangarna black and brown falcon ���������������������������n. karrkanya black and white snake ���������������������������n. walundirrindirrin black ant �����������������������n. kumbari n. yibaba black bull ant �������������n. kijakija n. lirrkinkinya black flying fox ���������n. barnkiji n. walijidbarri black kite �����������������������n. dirdingarnu black paint �������������������n. wuyu black plum �������������������n. kiyindinymi black storm clouds �������������������������n. yiburu black wattle �����������������n. kamangarna black woodswallow �����������������������n. janbarrimana n. jinbinbilyi black-breasted buzzard �����������������������n. warliyangka black-cockatoo ���������n. dirrakin n. lirralirraka n. lirrawuna black-headed python �������������������������n. mulyukuna black-necked stork n. karrinji black-soil and limestone country �������n. lamana black-soil bush tomato �������������������������n. yukulurrubi black-soil plain ���������n. mangkuru n. kunawa black-soil yam �����������n. kamara n. milakurr

break black-tailed native-hen �����������������n. yakakurrumini blacken ���������������������������cv. mungarrabiji blackfella �����������������������n. mungarrangarna blame �������������������������������cv. kulany cv. ngurr v. nyanganini bland �������������������������������n. jalbu blanket ���������������������������n. barlkina n. minji n. minjuru blanket lizard �������������n. jamankula n. kadangula blaze up (a fire) �������cv. wub blind ���������������������������������n. kamamurru blind boil �����������������������n. jangarlandi blood �������������������������������n. kungulu n. ngabarurru bloodwood �����������������n. jardburru n. jidburdbu n. kunduwa n. kunjird hill bloodwood �������n. kurruda blow ���������������������������������v. bumarnini blower (one who blows) ���������������������������n. bumarnina of wind �������������������������adv. bub nose �������������������������������cv. nyiny blown ���������������������������n. bumarninja blowfly ���������������������������n. kungurlurla blue crane �������������������n. darliwa

n. jarlwa n. karnbakakurni blue waterlily �������������n. kaminarrinymi blue wire grass ���������n. burruru bluebush �����������������������n. likinimi blue-tongue mate �n. mirrkabalyi blue-tongue desert lizard �������������n. lungkura n. mabaya n. ngalbaya northern lizard ��������n. jurlurlurra blue-winged kookaburra ���������������n. dalmurrana n. jalkururru blunt ���������������������������������n. nyunyuja blurry vision ���������������cv. bul bobbing bird �������������n. bijbija n. dijbijbini body ���������������������������������n. mayi body lice ���������������������n. wawuyawuru

dead body �����������������n. kaya bogey �������������������������������cv. darukarra boil �������������������������������������cv. dibard n. karlaba n. wukurliji blind boil ���������������������n. jangarlandi bone ���������������������������������n. kardakarda shin bone �������������������n. wurdulyi arm bone ���������������������n. kurlumbu bony ���������������������������������n. kardakarda bony (of face) �����������n. nyinywari bony bream �����������������n. kawarla boobook �����������������������n. kurrkurrji n. manbulu boomerang �����������������n. kurrubardu boomerang tree �����n. bilyilyungku n. mirndiwirri bootlace oak ��������������n. bukumarra n. wuwarrajkala born �����������������������������������cv. barajbaraj cv. nginarna boss boss for ceremony � n. jungkayi n. kulyungkulyungbi boss for land �����������n. ngurramala bottle �������������������������������n. murrubala bottle-bird �������������������n. bijiwiriwiriya n. jurnalinja n. wurrujulajula n. wurrujulujula bottom ���������������������������n. miji bottom (of tree) �������n. kinjaka Bottom Camp �����������n. Mardardban bowerbird ���������������������n. jiwarurru bow-legged ����������������n. ngandilwari boy �������������������������������������n. madju n. malju teenage boy �������������n. yarrulan brain ���������������������������������n. kidba branch (of tree) �������n. mayamaya bread �������������������������������n. kandirri n. mangarri break �������������������������������cv. kird cv. linymurr cv. darlkurr cv. lakarr into ���������������������������������cv. warnbarlk into pieces �����������������cv. buj of day ���������������������������adv. kardarr off �����������������������������������cv. warnbarlk

English to Mudburra word finder 303

breast open �������������������������������cv. murrb

cv. warnbarlk up �������������������������������������cv. balyarr cv. jarn breast �������������������������������n. jumurdku n. milki n. ngabulu breast milk �����������������n. milki n. ngabulu breathe ���������������������������cv. ngard cv. ngayib bring ���������������������������������v. kanganini broadcast failings �cv. bambaya broken �����������������������������cv. dilburr brolga �����������������������������n. kurrarndala bronzewing pigeon �������������������������n. marrababirni n. wandarrkurrini broom bush ���������������n. likinimi brother brother, elder �����������n. baba n. ngaba brother, recently initiated �����������������������n. yirrimaka brother, younger ���n. bardarda

n. karlaja brother’s child ���������n. ngalinya brother’s wife �����������n. banji brother-in-law �����������n. banji

n. wurdurdu brother-in-law of a man �����������������������������n. ngumbarna brown ibis �������������������n. wakirni brown plum ���������������n. wilirda brown snake ���������������n. ngayiliji brown, pale �����������������n. bilyingbilyinga

brush-tailed possum �����������������������n. jakulaji n. jangana n. ngurrkudi bucket shovel �����������n. kardiyi bucket shovel (coolamon) ���������������n. biyardu budgerigar �������������������n. nguruwaji n. wujuwujurna buffalo �����������������������������n. babalu n. manburrwari n. nganabarru build ���������������������������������cv. birrka cv. mirrka

304 English to Mudburra word finder

bull ant ���������������������������n. kijakija n. lirrkinkinya bullock ���������������������������n. buliki n. didbakarnu bullocky bush �����������n. kangkawala bully ���������������������������������cv. yingi bulwaddy (tree) �������n. kamanji bum �����������������������������������n. miji bump �������������������������������cv. jurdma cv. lurl bump into �������������������cv. duwa cv. julnguny cv. rarrbkarra bump with small object ���������������������������cv. dalak bump in ground �����n. barlnganbari bumpy �����������������������������n. balnganbari bung-eye �����������������������n. bubu bunji ���������������������������������n. wurdurdu burn �����������������������������������cv. dinyil

v. jankiyini cv. jilyiburr burning ������������������������cv. ngarrab burning thing �����������n. jankinyana burnt �����������������������������cv. jankina burnt thing �����������������n. jankinyanja burr �����������������������������������n. nyili burrow ���������������������������cv. mindirr Burton’s lizard �����������n. damburrng bury �����������������������������������cv. jakarr cv. jibij cv. julbun cv. lakurd bush ���������������������������������n. buji n. buwali cattle bush �����������������n. kangkawala dense bush ���������������n. wimina emu bush �������������������n. kurubi turkey bush ���������������n. lilimbi n. marliyana bush broom ���������������n. likinimi bush banana �������������n. kilibi fruit ���������������������������������n. ngimirrikimi bush bean tree ���������n. kunandurru bush cereal �����������������n. mangurlu bush cockroach �������n. mijikungarna bush coconuts ���������n. nikuru n. nyikirriri n. nyikirrurru n. kulindirnda

cataracts bush cucumber �������n. kawujin n. mikalinbi bush hen �����������������������n. yakakurrumini bush onion ������������������n. jundayunda n. kinyuwurru bush orange ���������������n. bambilyi n. bunayingmi n. kurlinyaka fruit ���������������������������������n. mawukala bush plum �������������������n. kinginymi n. manamburran bush potato ���������������n. yangunungku bush tea-leaf �������������n. lalija n. lambalambarr bush thick-knee �������n. windiku n. wirluwuwirluwungarna n. wirrbirrbi bush tobacco �����������n. walmalmaj bush tomato ���������������n. birdiyinjirrimi n. warnburrkbi black-soil bush tomato �������������n. yukulurrubi desert bush tomato �������������������������n. kurangkujku bush turkey �����������������n. jamud

n. kurrkabadi throat pouch �������������n. larraranga bush Vicks �������������������n. manyanyi

n. warnamburrngu bush yam ���������������������n. warnmirri bushed ���������������������������cv. kawankarra bushlark �������������������������n. kunkurdijarra business ceremony �����������������n. Karungka bustard ���������������������������n. jamud n. kurrkabadi busy ���������������������������������cv. warangali but �������������������������������������part. marri conj. ngarla butcher ���������������������������n. biyanganina butcher bird ���������������n. bilkurr n. kurrbulawuji butter �������������������������������n. yingalka butterfly �������������������������n. marlimarli butterfly chrysalis �n. kungmarna buttocks �������������������������n. miji n. mirimi n. wanjalmarni buzzard, blackbreasted ���������������������n. warliyangka by ���������������������������������������case. -ngurlu

by means of ���������������suf. -jaru suf. -yaru by oneself ���������������������adv. jubu

Cc cabbage gum �����������n. ngarramili n. ngurlkuku n. wubala calf muscle �����������������n. ngajarra n. ngilyikbi call of cockatoo �������cv. yakak call out ���������������������������v. yinbarnini calmly �����������������������������adv. wayilkarra cv. yamaka cv. yawaka camp ���������������������������������n. ngurra single men’s �������������n. malkirra single women’s �������n. birdibirdi n. jilimi camp (prepare) �������cv. kurrma camp (temporarily) �����������cv. dij camp out �����������������������cv. yajka can �������������������������������������n. kardak car ���������������������������������������n. karrakarrangarna n. kayangbarnina n. kurrurrij n. murdika care about �������������������cv. ngidji care for ���������������������������cv. ngidji careful �����������������������������cv. warra careful of �����������������������case. -wirri carefully �������������������������adv. wayilkarra carer ���������������������������������n. karlunina cargo �������������������������������n. kanganinja caring �������������������������������n. kalula carpet snake ���������������n. kumaji carrier ������������������������������n. kanganina carrot, wild ������������������n. nyinmi carry ���������������������������������v. kanganini carry on hip ���������������cv. juluj carry under arm �����cv. juluj cat ���������������������������������������n. bujikard n. manburrwari n. nyurnam cat, native ���������������������n. barrjirda n. juburda cataracts �����������������������cv. bul English to Mudburra word finder 305

catch up catch up �������������������������cv. kajub catch up to �������������������cv. wirlimbard caterpillar ���������������������n. kungmarna itchy caterpillar �������n. burruburrurda catfish baby �������������������������������n. ngirnngirda pale eel-tail ���������������n. jalarlka n. kirirni cattle ���������������������������������n. buliki n. didbakarnu cattle bush �������������������n. kangkawala n. ngunungunu Cattle Creek Station �������������������������n. Kunawa cattle tick ���������������������n. bidara caustic bush ���������������n. walarrbaji caustic vine �����������������n. jinyjinymi cave �����������������������������������n. bidbulu n. jarriny n. nankuna underwater cave ���n. nankuna cavity �������������������������������n. darlukurru caw ������������������������������������cv. waakwaak centipede ���������������������n. warrbanji large centipede ������n. lirrimi centre �������������������������������n. jurrku cereal bush �����������������n. mangurlu ceremony ceremonial business ���������������������n. yurrwa ceremonial designs �������������������������n. buwarraja

n. wumangku ceremonial pit ���������n. manjuna ceremonial policeman ������������������n. jungkayi

n. kulyungkulyungbi ceremonial ring at ceremony ground � n. bardardayi initiation ceremony �������������������n. Karungka men’s ceremonial hat �����������������������������������n. kumundunga men’s ceremony �����n. Kujika

n. najbin women’s ceremony �������������������n. Bandimi ceremony-mate �������n. jimarri change ���������������������������cv. warnduj

channel-billed cuckoo �������������������������n. kurrakurraka 306 English to Mudburra word finder

charcoal �������������������������n. linyarda charred bark ���������������n. wuyu chase �������������������������������cv. kidi chatterbox �������������������n. kankanbalarra n. marnina cheater (person who cheats) �������������������������n. jabujabu checker (person who checks) �����������������������n. nyanganina cheek �������������������������������n. kalngarnda n. karlikarli cheeky �����������������������������cv. bunba n. marrimarri cheeky yam �����������������n. jarrwana n. karrngayi chef �����������������������������������n. kukurlinji chest ���������������������������������n. mandangali n. mangarli chew ���������������������������������cv. jabardkarra cv. jawardkarra cv. munyumi cv. nyanyambi child ���������������������������������n. karu n. wunyu brother’s child ���������n. ngalinya man’s child �����������������n. yarriki n. barnara sister’s child �������������n. juka n. kurdurdu with child �������������������n. karuwurru woman’s child ���������n. juka n. kurdurdu youngest child �������n. mijinykurra Children’s python ��� n. kumaji chin �����������������������������������n. ngarnka chip off ���������������������������cv. dambaj chisel �������������������������������n. juna n. ngarlaardku n. langanirra n. minanga chisel blade ���������������n. binymala n. biyanganina chisel handle �����������n. juna choke �������������������������������cv. kardaj cv. kardkumili chop ���������������������������������v. barnini chop into pieces ���cv. buj cv. wurru chop up �����������������������cv. dulyurr chrysalis �����������������������n. kungmarna

container chuck �������������������������������cv. wan chuck up (vomit) �����cv. kak cicada �����������������������������n. nirrungarna cicatrice �������������������������n. barduru n. murrurru cigarette �����������������������n. jungkarna clan name ���������������������n. Burruburrurda n. Kalanybuka n. Ninibi n. Wurrbujangi n. Wilarrka clan, matrilineal �������n. ngurlu clap �����������������������������������cv. birdbili clap thighs for dance ���������������������������cv. jarra cv. jujirrki cv. mulyurrbkarra cv. murdu clapsticks ���������������������n. darldarl n. karnbaj n. kundalnga claw �����������������������������������n. libi n. milinji clay, wet �������������������������n. binganya n. minganya clean ���������������������������������n. kilyi cv. kirlka clean seed �������������������cv. barang cv. barak clear ground ���������������cv. wirriny cv. walkindi clear open place �����n. baranganajku clear place �������������������n. bakara clearing ���������������������������n. bakara n. barrambarra cliff �������������������������������������n. jirrkilimi climb ���������������������������������cv. badak cv. bardaj cv. duwaj cv. karlirl close close legs �������������������cv. manburr close mouth �������������cv. manburr close close together ���������cv. balkij close to �������������������������cv. kajub close up �����������������������n. ludba closed �����������������������������cv. jard clothes ���������������������������n. abaaba cloud ���������������������������������n. madayi rain cloud �������������������n. kalanybuka

club �����������������������������������n. kuduru coals ���������������������������������n. linyarda cockatiel �����������������������n. wirriwurna cockatoo black �������������������������������n. dirrakin n. lirralirraka n. lirrawuna Major Mitchell ���������n. yakakak n. yarrkankuna n. dakudbari white �����������������������������n. birrilyi cockroach ���������������������n. mijikungarna cockroach bush �������n. liyarrangarna coconuts, bush �������n. kulindirnda n. nyikirriri n. nyikirrurru cold �����������������������������������n. jajalya cv. jaly n. karrinya cv. kulyurrk n. kurrumunmulu n. makurru n. minjanini cold season �����������������cv. yak n. warrajkalu cold weather �������������n. burriyib n. karrinya n. kurrumunmulu cv. yak n. warrajkalu colours in the air �����n. waji come ���������������������������������v. yanini come back �����������������cv. lurrbu come from �����������������suf. -nginyi come here! �����������������interj. yanarn come into view �������cv. dibij come out ���������������������cv. dibij cv. wud come out from hiding ���������������������������cv. barangaj complain �����������������������cv. burdurl completely �������������������cv. burrb conceal ���������������������������cv. wabaja confused �����������������������n. ngadarra-ngadarra

cv. wilajkarra congested �������������������cv. kulykulya conkerberry ���������������n. baka n. ngamanburru container �����������������������n. barrakud n. buludin n. kardak English to Mudburra word finder 307

cook cook ���������������������������������v. kambarnini in ground oven �������cv. julbun cv. lakurd cooked �������������������������n. budala cooked thing �����������n. kambarninja cooking fat �����������������n. dika cooking oil �����������������n. yingalka cool �����������������������������������n. jajalya cool down ��������������������cv. jaly coolamon ���������������������n. biyardu n. jarrunguna n. kawarla water coolamon �����n. kardiyi thick coolamon �������n. lurda coolamon tree �����������n. kulunjurru n. ngimbija coolibah �������������������������n. bidbidarra corella �����������������������������n. birrilyi corkwood ���������������������n. bukumarra n. wuwarrajkala cormorant �������������������n. karrangkarrang great �������������������������������n. durdba n. kirringkirringma n. kirrkilanji little black �������������������n. nardburrunjini n. narli little pied ���������������������n. kuwandanbinyaka n. kiwinji pied ���������������������������������n. kalangarriya correct �����������������������������cv. juduk n. kurlbari corroboree �������������������n. bula cv. ngararra public corroboree �n. junba cv. wajarra cosy �����������������������������������cv. wukuk cotton tree �������������������n. kalidba n. karlwakarlwa cough �������������������������������cv. kudkulya cv. kulykulya cough up �����������������������cv. kak country ���������������������������n. ngurra n. yuwulu country, sickness ���n. Jangawirri countryman ���������������n. ngalurrunga n. ngarlina cousin cousin-brother, elder �������������������������������n. baba

n. ngaba

308 English to Mudburra word finder

cousin-sister, elder �������������������������������n. karlu cousin of initiand ��� n. birdibirdi cross cousin �������������n. barnkurdi older female parallel cousin ���������n. karlu recently initiated cousin ���������������������������n. yirrimaka two cousins ���������������n. barnkurla younger parallel cousin ���������������������������n. bardarda

n. karlaja cover ���������������������������������cv. jakarr cv. lakurd cover self (goanna) ���������������������cv. mindirr cover up �������������������������cv. jibij cv. wabaja covered over �������������cv. jard covetous �����������������������cv. ngurrkiyi cow �����������������������������������n. buliki n. didbakarnu crab �����������������������������������n. marnababurni n. ngardarda crack ���������������������������������cv. jalkaj crack in ground �������n. dilwarri crack open �������������������cv. murrb cv. dil crack whip �������������������cv. darlk crane blue ���������������������������������n. darliwa n. jarlwa n. karnbakakurni great �������������������������������n. kawukawu n. liwirni crash ���������������������������������cv. darl crawl ���������������������������������cv. dirndiji cv. yirrik crayfish ���������������������������n. jalij creek ���������������������������������n. binka n. malawa large creek �����������������n. jurrkulu near Barnjak �������������n. Jalibirri near Marlinja ������������n. Mayilakurru crested pigeon ���������n. bilangkurridi cricket, mole ���������������n. dalydalyngarna cripple �����������������������������n. mularda n. mulurrumulurru crippled �������������������������n. mardilyi n. marlumarlu

daybreak crocodile, freshwater ���������������n. warrija crooked �������������������������n. kirdilkbari cross ���������������������������������cv. kal cross legs ���������������������cv. manburr cross water �����������������cv. ngajarl cross-cousin ���������������n. barnkurdi of spouse �������������������n. wururr two cross-cousins � n. barnkurla crow ���������������������������������n. waakwaak n. wakalabala n. wangkina n. wangkurinya crow, call of �����������������cv. waakwaak crumpled �����������������������n. balnganbari cv. jamburlk crush ���������������������������������cv. jalybuk cv. jamburlk cv. wurru crushed �������������������������n. lamarninja crusher ���������������������������n. lamarnina cry ���������������������������������������cv. lungkarra cry of cockatoo �������cv. yakak cry of pain �������������������interj. yakaaka cry out �����������������������������cv. wayarra cuckoo-shrike �����������n. jurruwuji cucumber, bush �����n. kawujin n. mikalinbi culpable �������������������������cv. kulany cup �������������������������������������n. barrakud n. buludin n. jawaranya n. kardak curl up �����������������������������cv. durdukuly curlew �����������������������������n. windiku n. wirluwuwirluwungarna n. wirrbirrbi currant, white �����������n. juwurlana n. ngaburrayimi curved �����������������������������n. kirdilkbari cut ���������������������������������������v. biyanganini n. kurnbarra cut into pieces ���������cv. buj cut lengthways �������cv. laj cut off ���������������������������cv. jard cut open ���������������������cv. lurlurl cut short ���������������������cv. dunkukuja cut up ���������������������������n. biyanganinja cutter (one who cuts) �������������������������������n. biyanganina

Dd Daly Waters ���������������n. Badba damaged �����������������������suf. -jija damp �������������������������������n. wirdbala damper ���������������������������n. kandirri dance �������������������������������v. bunganini cv. ngararra cv. wajkarra dance corroboree � cv. wajarra danced for �����������������n. bunganinja men’s �����������������������������n. najbin women’s ���������������������n. Bandimi cv. jarra cv. jujirrki cv. mulyurrbkarra cv. murdu thigh-clapping dance �����������������������������cv. jarra

cv. jujirrki cv. mulyurrbkarra cv. murdu dancer �����������������������������n. bunganina dangerous �������������������n. kirrardawu dangerous place �����n. mamarrang dark �����������������������������������cv. mum cv. mungarra n. mungarrangarna darkness �����������������������n. kamuru n. mumbari darter �������������������������������n. karrangkarrang daughter of a man �����������������������n. barnara n. yarriki n. ngalawuny daughter’s husband ���������������������n. mali daughter-in-law (for a man) �����������������n. lambarra daughter-in-law (for a woman) ���������n. kurndaja dawn ���������������������������������n. kurrularni just before dawn ���n. ngalurru-ngalurru

day after tomorrow �����������������adv. jawardikari day before yesterday �������������������adv. kuyangula adv. wajurra karri adv. wajuwarra daybreak �����������������������adv. kardarr English to Mudburra word finder 309

dead dead ���������������������������������cv. dang cv. dikirrij cv. warlard dead (of fire) ���������������cv. jiburn dead body �������������������n. kaya dead person ���������������n. jalkarndarra n. wukarrija dead asleep ���������������cv. nyinykarra deaf �����������������������������������n. langajija n. langawangka n. warungka death adder ���������������n. jiyibi deceased person ���n. jalkarndarra n. wukarrija decide �����������������������������cv. barn deep ���������������������������������n. darlukurru n. jirrkana cv. ngangbarra of water �����������������������n. jirrkana n. banganyku deliver �����������������������������cv. durlurl dense �������������������������������n. birlbu departed (person) � n. yaninja descend �������������������������n. jardul desert ������������������������������n. kaja desert blue-tongue lizard �����������������������������n. mabaya n. ngalbaya desert blue-tongue lizard (female) �������n. lungkura desert bush tomato �������������������������n. kurangkujku desert kangaroo, female �������������������������n. ngalijirri desert kangaroo, male �������������������������������n. kajangarna n. wawirri desert kangaroo, old male ���������������������n. kanjarlawirri n. wakwara n. yunumburrku desert red grass �����n. liwiji desert walnut (tree and nuts) �������������������n. dardaji detach a part �������������cv. dambaj devil-devil ���������������������n. kaya devil-killer ���������������������n. munba diamond dove �����������n. kularnkurridi n. kulukuk n. kulunkurru diarrhoea �����������������������n. ngajkula 310 English to Mudburra word finder

didgeridoo �������������������n. bambu n. kinjuwurnu n. kulumbud didgeridoo player � n. bumarnina play didgeridoo �����cv. dijung die ���������������������������������������cv. dikirrij v. wandiyini different �������������������������n. jindaba n. jindara suf. -kari dig ���������������������������������������cv. karal cv. kurrijkarra v. langanini digging stick ��������������n. kabili n. kiyarri dingo �������������������������������n. iminji n. ngurrakina n. winkuwarnu n. wurrakina n. yiminji dingo with large black nose �����������������n. jurruwuji dinner camp ���������������cv. murakarna dip in ground �������������n. barlnganbari dirt �������������������������������������n. buyuluka

n. jurdurdu dirty �����������������������������������n. jurdurdu disappointed �������������cv. burdurl dislike �������������������������������cv. jidard distant �����������������������������n. barrbarda cv. kari adv. yikayika distract ���������������������������cv. waburr dive �����������������������������������cv. ngaruk dive down ���������������������cv. nyinybuk diver duck ��������������������n. kalangarriya n. karrangkarrang n. birrirda small pied �������������������n. kiwinji do ���������������������������������������v. marnini do something �����������v. ngadayini do what �������������������������v. ngadayini dodder ���������������������������n. jakudakuda doesn’t ���������������������������part. kula dog �������������������������������������n. kunyarrba n. warlaku dog balls (plant) �����n. kinginymi n. manamburran dogwood hakea �����n. bilyilyungku dollarbird ���������������������n. jinbinbilyi n. kulkanya

dust don’t ���������������������������������part. kula suf. -mulu don’t! �������������������������������interj. kaka don’t know �������������������interj. ngamu donation �����������������������n. nyunganinja dots �����������������������������������n. kilyikilyikbari dotterel ���������������������������n. bijbija n. dijbijbini Double Crossing �����n. Jakumindirni double over �����������������cv. durdukuly double up ���������������������cv. dulykurr dough �����������������������������n. kandirri dove diamond ��������������� n. kularnkurridi n. kulukuk n. kulunkurru peaceful �����������������������n. kularnkurridi n. kulukuk n. kulunkurru down �������������������������������n. diyadiya n. kanju n. kanju get down ���������������������cv. jud go down ���������������������cv. jud put down ��������������������cv. lun down (feathers) �������n. diyadiya down bank (of river) �����������������������������n. jardul downstream ���������������n. kanimbarra from �������������������������������n. kanimbarrangurlu this way �����������������������n. kanimbarrarni towards �����������������������n. kanimbarraka someone from ���������n. kanimbarrajbunga n. kanimbarranginyi drag behind ���������������cv. wurruji cv. yirribudkarra drag knees �������������������cv. dirndiji cv. yirrik dragon, ring-tailed n. karnari n. kidkilyi n. kilykilyi n. lakurda draw out �����������������������cv. muk dream �����������������������������cv. bankaja n. Buwarraja n. kurni Dreaming ���������������������n. Buwarraja n. Wumangku Dreamtime �������������������n. Buwarraja n. Wumangku drench �����������������������������v. kunjanini

dried out �����������������������n. larrwa drill, fire- �����������������������n. kungkarla n. kuwurru n. wulmana drink ���������������������������������v. birnini v. ngarnini drip ������������������������������������cv. jilng drive ���������������������������������v. kanganini drive into open ���������cv. dujud drizzle �����������������������������v. kurnini n. wurawura drop �����������������������������������cv. jak drop and smash �����cv. balyarr drop off �������������������������cv. lun drown �����������������������������cv. jirrbu cv. ngilyiburr cv. nyinybuk cv. nyinykarra dry �������������������������������������cv. balarr cv. jankina n. kurranyku cv. warrard n. larrwa n. wurruja dry country ���������������n. kaja dry out �������������������������cv. munbalak dry skin �������������������������cv. yilyilyi duck down �������������������cv. darab duck diver �������������������������������n. kalangarriya n. birrirda grey teal �����������������������n. warlabardbi hardhead �������������������n. jurluwardbini n. ngurrujuruka laughing ���������������������n. warlabardbi Pacific black �������������n. wububukarri pink-eared �����������������n. jurluwardbini n. ngurrujuruka whistling ���������������������n. jibilyaku n. jibilyuku n. kibilyuku wood �����������������������������n. wububukarri dump �������������������������������cv. barik Dunmarra ���������������������n. Janmarru n. Jardbini dunnart, stripefaced �����������������������������n. yarrukaji dust �����������������������������������n. yuwulu storm �����������������������������n. jilyi rising dust �����������������cv. jungun

English to Mudburra word finder 311

eagle

Ee eagle, wedge-tailed ���������n. diwarna n. warlawirri Eagle constellation n. Warlawirri eaglehawk �������������������n. diwarna n. warlawirri ear ���������������������������������������n. langa earless dragon ���������n. jabandurra early ���������������������������������n. arlibala n. kururlarni early (first light) �������n. ngalurru-ngalurru earth ���������������������������������n. yuwulu earthworm �������������������n. jawarla east �����������������������������������n. karrawarra Eastern Mudburra people and language �������������������n. Kuwaarrangu easterner �����������������������n. karrawarrangarnarra eat ���������������������������������������cv. jabardkarra cv. jawardkarra v. ngarnini eater ���������������������������������n. ngarnina eaten ��������������������������������n. ngarninja ebony, wild �����������������n. yumulun echidna ���������������������������n. nyinawurda edge of water �����������n. darrajbi egg �������������������������������������n. kambij n. kidba eggs, bee ���������������������n. kundarri eggs, bee and pollen ���������������������������n. kurla egret ���������������������������������n. darliwa n. jarlwa n. karnbakakurni great egret �����������������n. kawukawu n. liwirni elbow �������������������������������n. jungbirri n. munjuna eldest �������������������������������n. burlkunga electricity ���������������������n. linyarda Elliott �������������������������������n. Kulumindini elope ���������������������������������cv. jarrarda cv. jarrardawurru Elsey Station �������������n. Kuyangkan emaciated �������������������n. larrkaja embankment �������������n. jirrkilimi embers ���������������������������n. linyarda embrace �������������������������cv. minmini 312 English to Mudburra word finder

emerge ���������������������������cv. wud emit �����������������������������������v. kurnini empty ������������������������������n. luwaku emu �����������������������������������n. karnanganja n. yibarrardu emu berry ���������������������n. kinginymi n. manamburran emu bush ���������������������n. kurubi emu feather ���������������n. durlngu emu plum ���������������������n. marlungkarru energetic �����������������������cv. kayang enlarge ���������������������������cv. dijak enough food �������������n. danku enquire ���������������������������cv. jilij enter ���������������������������������cv. darndarn entrails, removal of �����������������cv. burdak envious ���������������������������cv. ngurrkiyi equal ���������������������������������cv. balkij erase ���������������������������������cv. wabaja et cetera �������������������������suf. -waana Eurasian coot �������������n. birringbarlirni European person ���n. kardiba n. kardiya evening ���������������������������n. burunjirrila n. wajurrajurra everlasting flower �n. marlirrawurru everybody �������������������n. kaarrikaarri everyone �����������������������n. dardu everywhere �����������������n. kuwanya adv. wankijwankij excrement �������������������n. jirdi expectant mother �n. dinngarrwari n. karuwurru n. yarluba extinguish ���������������������cv. jibij cv. jiburn extract �����������������������������cv. dambaj extract guts �����������������cv. burdak eye �������������������������������������n. mila n. ngabanju eyebrow �������������������������n. milyangarriny n. yibijibiji eyesight, poor �����������cv. bul

find

Ff face �����������������������������������n. jidji n. nginymarna n. nyujujka face down �������������������cv. jandurr cv. jukuli faeces �����������������������������n. jirdi fail to hit �������������������������cv. ngab fail to recognise �������cv. ngany fairy martin �����������������n. bijiwiriwiriya n. jurnalinja n. wurrujulajula n. wurrujulujula fairy-wren ���������������������n. jijirrmirni n. jirrjirrmirni n. kirnjirlmirna fake �����������������������������������adv. juku falcon, black and brown ���������������������������n. karrkanya fall ���������������������������������������v. wandiyini cv. yawuj fall and smash ���������cv. balyarr fallen thing �����������������n. wandinyanja faller (someone who falls) �������������������n. wandinyana falling star �������������������n. baribari family �������������������������������n. ngalurrunga

n. ngarlina family member, older �����������������������������n. banbiya fan a fire �������������������������cv. warlkumi far ���������������������������������������n. barrbarda cv. kari cv. yajka adv. yikayika far from ��������������������������cv. diyaj cv. jarrban far side ���������������������������n. malyaku fart �������������������������������������n. kundu fast �������������������������������������n. kayambala adv. ngadjangku fastened �������������������������n. jardarr n. nyan n. wurruwanji fat ���������������������������������������n. bardbaka n. dika n. dikawurru n. mayiwurru n. yingalka

father �������������������������������n. kirda n. yarriki father-in-law �������������n. lambarra father’s father ���������n. kaku father’s mother �������n. ngabuju father’s mother’s brother �������������������������n. ngunyarri father’s sister �����������n. mukurla type of father �����������n. barnara fault �����������������������������������cv. kulany fear of �����������������������������case. -wirri

feather ���������������������n. liyimbu n. diyadiya headdress �����������������n. kuwanja emu feather ��������������n. durlngu feathers (down) �����n. diyadiya fell a tree ���������������������cv. yawuj female �����������������������������n. mardukuja desert blue-tongue lizard �����������������������������n. lungkura hill kangaroo �������������n. kanjalawuri

n. ngalijirri n. wankurra red kangaroo �����������n. ngalijirri skin names �����������������n. Nalyirri n. Nambijina n. Namija n. Nanaku n. Nangala n. Nangari n. Nawurla n. Nimarra n. Ngamana fence ���������������������������������n. ngurrmana Ferguson’s Spring � n. Karayu fetch ���������������������������������cv. durlmak few days time �����������adv. jawardikari fig rock ���������������������������������n. nambula sandpaper �����������������n. bunjarri fight �����������������������������������cv. bunba cv. ngarimi fight back �������������������adv. wirlmija fighting stick �������������n. kuduru fin ���������������������������������������n. nyiliwurru finch ���������������������������������n. nyiyinyi n. nyunumi find �������������������������������������cv. banbili cv. barn cv. duwa

English to Mudburra word finder 313

finger finger �������������������������������n. munarri n. nungkuru n. ngunaru n. marndamarnda n. mayamaya fingernail �����������������������n. libi n. milinji finish ���������������������������������cv. burrb fire �������������������������������������n. buba n. kungunjul n. warlu fan fire ���������������������������cv. warlkumi light fire �����������������������cv. lurrku put something onto fire �����������������������cv. jib fire-drill �������������������������n. kungkarla

n. kuwurru n. wulmana fire-fly �����������������������������n. linyarda firestick ���������������������������n. jalanya n. kungkarla n. kuwurru n. wulmana firestick tree ���������������n. kungkulimi n. nyambalanyambala firewood �����������������������n. buba n. kungunjul n. warlu firm ������������������������������������n. dardalya first �������������������������������������adv. kambarra first light �����������������������n. ngalurru-ngalurru first of all �����������������������suf. -kurla fish �������������������������������������cv. yirrk n. kakuwi n. yawu fishing line �������������������n. warurrbu fishing log �������������������n. kurlundurru n. limirnmi fix �����������������������������������������cv. birrka cv. mirrka flame ��������������������������������n. jalanya flat �������������������������������������n. baranybaranya spear-thrower ���������n. barlwany ground �������������������������n. bardardayi outcrop of rock �������n. mardardban rock ���������������������������������n. kama flat-leaf hakea �����������n. bilyilyungku flatten �����������������������������cv. jalybuk flatten ground �����������cv. wirriny flavourless �������������������n. jalbu flea �������������������������������������n. midilyi 314 English to Mudburra word finder

flesh ���������������������������������n. kanyburru n. ngarina floating ribs �����������������n. jiminkina flog �������������������������������������cv. wirnbud cv. wirrb cv. wurdik flood ���������������������������������n. bulngayid n. lurlularra flour �����������������������������������n. bunku n. kandirri cv. larlub flow �����������������������������������n. lurlularra flower �������������������������������n. yirna n. yurrku everlasting �����������������n. marlirrawurru flu ���������������������������������������cv. kudkulya cv. kulyurrk fly ���������������������������������������cv. dim n. imarnnga n. kunama n. kunanga n. warangarra n. yimarnnga blowfly �������������������������n. kungurlurla firefly �����������������������������n. linyarda March fly ���������������������n. burrju flying termite �������������n. yirrban flying fox any �����������������������������������n. bilkina n. warrba black flying fox �����n. barnkiji n. walijidbarri small red flying fox �����������������������������������n. bilkina fold �������������������������������������cv. durdukuly fold arms �����������������������cv. minmini follow �������������������������������cv. karduk

cv. kidi cv. wilying cv. wirling cv. yangkarra fontenelle ���������������������n. burrunjawuni food, vegetable �������n. nanbari n. mangarri foot �����������������������������������n. jamana n. jina n. yili n. yunba foot (go by) �����������������cv. kija for ���������������������������������������case. -ku case. -wu

front for good �������������������������adv. jandak adv. kardarlu for her/him/it �������������aux. barla pro. -rla for me �����������������������������aux. bayi pro. ngayinya pro. -yi for nothing �������������������adv. jubu for them �������������������������aux. bayina pro. -yina for this one �����������������dem. nginyawu for those two �������������aux. bayili pro. -yili for us (including you) �������������������������������aux. bangalawa pro. -ngalawa for us (not you) ���������aux. banganda pro. -nganda for us two �������������������aux. bangaliya pro. -ngaliya for us two (you and me) �����������������������aux. bangali pro. -ngali for what reason? �����quest. ngadarrarla for you �����������������������������aux. bangku pro. -ngku for you mob ���������������aux. banjurra pro. -njurra for you two �����������������aux. bangkuwurna pro. -ngkuwurna forbid �������������������������������cv. mamam forearm ���������������������������n. kardawurra n. marndamarnda n. nungkuru forebear �������������������������n. banbiya forehead �����������������������n. lungarn n. widuru foreign �����������������������������n. warnayaka forever �����������������������������adv. jandak adv. kardarlu adv. ngadik adv. ngajibarni adv. ngajikba forget �������������������������������cv. kawarraj cv. mujkiyi fork of tree �������������������n. jirri n. yalyalywari forked �����������������������������cv. dirrmirl forked stick �����������������n. karlarla

former �����������������������������n. kambabirrijanga n. kambarrajbunga n. karrinyanja fornicator ���������������������n. jabujabu foul-mouth �������������������n. junina Four Mile �����������������������n. Yarrbiyaju freckled �������������������������n. jurdukuwurru fresh ���������������������������������n. jayilya freshwater crocodile �������������������n. warrija freshwater long tom ���������������������������������n. diwurru freshwater mangrove �����������������n. jilawanmani freshwater mullet ��� n. mibirri freshwater mussel � n. dugu n. kurdijalaka n. marlangayi small �������������������������������n. dangkila freshwater prawn ��� n. jalij Frew’s Pond ���������������n. Walirra fright jump in fright �����������cv. mangarl frighten �����������������������cv. birrard frighten away �����������cv. kard frightened �����������������cv. malngarl n. munybari cv. wirlarnkarra cv. munymunykarra frillneck lizard �����������n. jamankula n. kadangula frog any frog �����������������������n. wardinji golf-ball frog �������������n. wardinji green tree frog �������n. ngurlkuna rocket frog �����������������n. ngurlkuna sand frog ��������������������n. wardinji from �����������������������������������case. -nginyi case. -ngurlu case. -yin from below �����������������n. kanjiyin from down low ���������n. kanjiyin from here ���������������������adv. mungurlu dem. nginyangurlu from inside �����������������n. kanjiyin from that �����������������������dem. yalangurlu from the bottom �����n. kanjiyin from the east �������������n. karrawarrangarnarra from there �������������������dem. yalangurlu from this �����������������������dem. nginyangurlu front ���������������������������������adv. kambarra English to Mudburra word finder 315

front of neck front of neck ���������������n. ngujbi front of body �������������n. mangarli fruit bush banana ������������n. ngimirrikimi bush orange �������������n. mawukala full ���������������������������������������n. dimbak n. dinngarrwari full (of food) ���������������n. danku full up �������������������������������n. bundundurra fumble �����������������������������cv. banbij fur ���������������������������������������n. kaarri n. nganya n. winjalma n. yinjalmarri further �����������������������������n. barrbarda

Gg galah ���������������������������������n. kilikilika n. kilinykiliny n. wajilan galah grass �����������������n. wurrbudja game �������������������������������n. ngarina gap �������������������������������������n. bakara n. barangkajbari n. barnkajbari gardenia ������������������������n. kabal gather �����������������������������cv. warrb gecko �������������������������������n. kangbi n. kumbali n. warlwara generations (harmonic) ���������������n. burndurdu generous �����������������������n. nyunganiwurru n. nyunganina get �������������������������������������v. warndanini v. yayini get down ���������������������cv. jud v. wandiyini get in �����������������������������cv. jalngak cv. wilngib get lost �������������������������cv. warlambaraj get off ���������������������������cv. jud get on ���������������������������cv. jalngak cv. wilngib get on knees �������������cv. kalawuji get out �������������������������cv. dibij get (someone) up � cv. jalak

316 English to Mudburra word finder

get (something) out �����������������������������������cv. jalak get together �������������v. karlamarnini get up ���������������������������cv. duba

cv. duliny v. dumarnini cv. ngarla cv. rawarra get up on ���������������������cv. wulngib ghost �������������������������������n. kaya ghost gum �������������������n. darralyaka gift �������������������������������������n. nyunganinja Gillen’s pygmy goanna �����������������������n. kawurawura n. walbingkirra girl ���������������������������������������n. mardukuja teenage girl ���������������n. wamala give �����������������������������������v. nyunganini give up ���������������������������v. ngardanganini give warning ��������������cv. lirndarr giver ���������������������������������n. nyunganina glance �����������������������������cv. kambak glossy ibis ���������������������n. kunymirni glow ���������������������������������cv. dinyil glow red �������������������������cv. bilyingkarra cv. kiyikarra glued �������������������������������n. jardarr n. nyan n. wurruwanji glutton ���������������������������n. ngarnina go ���������������������������������������v. yanini go after �������������������������cv. wirlimbard go around �������������������n. wankijbari go away �����������������������cv. mulb go away (make someone) �������������������cv. yuward go back �����������������������cv. lurrbu go behind �������������������cv. wirlimbard go down ���������������������v. wandiyini go down (of sun) ��� cv. juny go in a huff ����������������cv. burdurl go (not want to) �����cv. ngakijbi go on a trip ���������������cv. yajka go on foot �������������������cv. kija go out of view ���������cv. darab go through �����������������cv. birrk go to other side �����cv. kal go to stay �������������������cv. yajka go under cover �������cv. darab go underwater ��������cv. nyinybuk go up �����������������������������v. dumarnini

green (of plants) go up to �����������������������v. karlamarnini

goanna any goanna ���������������n. walanja

n. wardaba Gillen’s pygmy goanna �������������������������n. kawurawura

n. walbingkirra Gould’s goanna �����n. walanja

n. wardaba plains goanna ���������n. jurrkubadi n. kirrawa n. warnkarranga rough-tailed goanna �������������������������n. jarany

n. kinja n. ladaja sand goanna �������������n. jurrkubadi n. kirrawa n. warnkarranga water goanna �����������n. diyarrngarna goanna clan ���������������n. Wilarrka goat �����������������������������������n. jirrmiriny n. yukulyarri female goat ���������������n. nanikud male goat �������������������n. bilikud goat-head burr ���������n. bajara goer (one who goes) �����������������������������n. yanina golf-ball frog �������������n. wardinji gone (someone who has) �������������������n. yaninja good ���������������������������������n. bardakurru goodbye �����������������������interj. marndaj goose, magpie ���������n. nguknguk n. warlidaji gorge country �����������n. yurrabi gotten �����������������������������n. warndaninja Gould’s goanna �������n. walanja n. wardaba grab �����������������������������������cv. durd cv. jub gradually �����������������������cv. yamaka cv. yawaka grain, wild ���������������������n. mangula grandchild from man’s daughter ���������������������n. jawiji

n. mimi from man’s son �������n. kaku from woman’s daughter ���������������������n. kaminjarra

from woman’s son ���������������������������������n. ngabuju

grandfather maternal ���������������������n. jawiji

n. mimi paternal �����������������������n. kaku

grandmother grandmother’s brother �������������������������n. ngunyarri maternal ���������������������n. jaju paternal �����������������������n. ngabuju

grass any grass ���������������������n. bikirra

n. yuka desert red grass �����n. liwiji galah grass ���������������n. wurrbudja honey grass ���������������n. ngandirdi kangaroo grass �������n. kurrubuja lemon grass �������������n. warrinjalan paintbrush grass ��� n. kulkurdukurdu pokey grass ���������������n. burruru sharp grass ���������������n. bijurrunku silky browntop �������n. liwiji spear grass ���������������n. kirlirrwala grass gut �����������������������n. burlu grass seed �������������������n. yidaaji grass wallaby �������������n. wambana grasshopper (any) � n. waniyi grave ���������������������������������n. darlukurru

n. yuwulu graveyard ���������������������n. yuwulu graze ���������������������������������cv. buyurr cv. wabalyu great cormorant �����n. durdba n. kirringkirringma n. kirrkilanji great crane �����������������n. kawukawu n. liwirni great egret �������������������n. kawukawu n. liwirni great-uncle �����������������n. ngunyarri grebe �������������������������������n. birrirda n. kiwinji greedy �����������������������������n. dilyika n. nyunganiwangka n. yilyi green �������������������������������cv. kudajirr cv. kurraly n. wurrkalwurrkal green (of plants) �����n. jayilya

English to Mudburra word finder 317

green pygmy-goose green pygmygoose ���������������������������n. warlabardbi green tree frog ���������n. ngurlkuna greenfire (caterpillar) ���������������n. burruburrurda grey hair �������������������������n. liwakbari grey teal duck �����������n. warlabardbi grey weeping wattle ���������������������������n. kalkardi grind ���������������������������������v. jamarnini grinder ���������������������������n. jamarnina grindstone bottom �������������������������n. jungari n. lardaranga n. kumurru top �����������������������������������n. biyawuja n. bunbunnga grouch �����������������������������cv. warakaji ground ���������������������������n. bulya n. julwa n. yuwulu flat ground �����������������n. bardardayi ground oven �������������n. bujbu n. julbu ground soakage �����n. kuyuwa ground sugarbag �n. nangkalinya grounds �������������������������n. jamarninja group �������������������������������suf. -nganju grow up �������������������������cv. rawarra growl �������������������������������v. junini cv. ngurr grub itchy grub �������������������n. munba spitfire grub �������������n. munba witchetty grub ���������n. laju n. lamawurda grumble �������������������������cv. warakaji grumpy ���������������������������cv. bujarri guide �������������������������������n. wujunganina gum (edible) ���������������n. kuramarna n. miringmi gum tree cabbage gum �����������n. ngarramili n. ngurlkuku n. wubala ghost gum �����������������n. darralyaka red river gum �����������n. bilirna n. dimarlarn n. kunjimarra snappy gum �������������n. wamba

318 English to Mudburra word finder

white gum �����������������n. darralyaka

n. ngarramili n. ngurlkuku n. wabilungu n. wubala gun �������������������������������������n. durlkbari n. durlkkarrangarna n. luwarnina n. makirdi gun fire ���������������������������cv. duwu Gurindji people and language ���������n. Kuwirrinji Gurungu Camp (Elliott) �������������������������n. Kurungu guts �����������������������������������n. dirdilwarri n. jirdi n. mangulkbi guts (extract) �������������cv. burdak gutta-percha �������������n. manyingila n. marrija gutter �������������������������������n. binka n. jurrkulu

Hh hail �������������������������������������n. barrawurda n. murruba hair �������������������������������������n. winjalma n. yinjalmarri n. malibanya body hair ���������������������n. nganya hair belt �����������������������n. jardukurru n. wirrkala hair (of animals) �����n. nganya hairless ���������������������������n. bidbida hakea �������������������������������n. bilyilyungku half-caste ���������������������n. bilyingbilyinga halfway ���������������������������cv. jularr cv. jurub n. lunkurru n. majurru hand ���������������������������������n. marndamarnda n. mayamaya n. nungkuru handcuff �����������������������cv. dirrk handle �����������������������������v. warndanini hang ���������������������������������cv. yindij hang on �����������������������cv. kurdi

hill bloodwood hang up �����������������������cv. dad

cv. dalwirr cv. yilyil happen to ���������������������v. ngadayini happy �������������������������������n. jingkarli cv. kilkil cv. luyurd happy family bird ��� n. barlakaka n. kulanginyirni hard �����������������������������������n. dardalya n. birlbu hardhead duck ���������n. jurluwardbini n. ngurrujuruka hare-wallaby ���������������n. wambana harmonic generations �������������n. burndurdu hat ��������������������������������������n. murrkardi men’s ceremonial hat �����������������������������������n. kumundunga hate �����������������������������������cv. jidard have �����������������������������������v. karlunini have a rash �����������������cv. yilyilyi have one’s say ���������cv. warr having �����������������������������suf. -wurru having (not) ����������������suf. -jija suf. -wangka he ���������������������������������������nyanali he/she and I ���������������pro. -lya head ���������������������������������n. damangka n. kurlaka n. ngarlaka n. walu back of head �������������n. mankijbi head down �����������������cv. jandurr cv. wurdkurdkuli cv. jukuli head lice ���������������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. wurdu n. yingkila head rest ���������������������n. danbina headband ���������������������n. bakuri headdress feather ������������������� n. kuwanja ceremonial �����������������n. bukurdi heal �����������������������������������cv. wabaja heap ���������������������������������cv. jurdard hear �����������������������������������cv. kurru cv. lankaj

heart ���������������������������������n. dulang n. jingirdi n. lungkurra heat up ���������������������������v. jankiyini v. kambarnini heavy �������������������������������n. birlbu helicopter tree ���������n. kulunjurru n. ngimbija hello ���������������������������������interj. marndaj hence �������������������������������adv. kuwabarda adv. mungurlu her own �������������������������aux. banyanu pro. -nyanu her/him and me �������aux. bangaliya pro. -ngaliya here �����������������������������������dem. minya dem. murladem. murludem. nginya dem. nginyangka dem. minyangka here (towards) ���������adv. kuwanjala here you go �����������������interj. miyi heron nankeen night ���������n. karlina n. karliwaku n. kawula white-necked �����������n. darliwa n. jarlwa n. karnbakakurni hers �����������������������������������aux. barla aux. nyanunya pro. -rla herself �����������������������������aux. banyanu pro. -nyanu hey! �����������������������������������interj. ya interj. warda hidden �����������������������������cv. warlan cv. yurrub hide �����������������������������������cv. warduj cv. warlan cv. yurrub hide behind lies �������cv. marruk high temperature ��� cv. kururu high up ���������������������������cv. dad hill ���������������������������������������n. bamarr n. kalirrungu n. ngarlaka n. yindirr hill bloodwood ���������n. kurruda

English to Mudburra word finder 319

hill kangaroo hill kangaroo female ���������������������������n. kanjalawuri

n. ngalijirri n. wankurra male �������������������������������n. wardabarnmarra himself ���������������������������aux. banyanu pro. -nyanu hip ���������������������������������������n. bandimi n. maru n. mirimi n. nyinji hip joint �����������������������n. maru side of hip �������������������n. jakabirdi his ���������������������������������������aux. barla suf. -nyana aux. nyanunya pro. -rla his own ���������������������������aux. banyanu pro. -nyanu hit ���������������������������������������v. barnini cv. wurdik hit against something �����������������cv. danykalk hit back of neck �����cv. bak hit with implement �����������������cv. wirrb hit with small object ���������������������������cv. dalak someone who has been hit �����������������������n. barninja hold �����������������������������������cv. durd

v. karlunini hole �����������������������������������n. darlukurru n. luwaku deep hole �������������������n. banganyku hole in ground ���������n. bandarra holey ���������������������������������n. mulywari holey country �����������n. darlukurru holiday ���������������������������cv. yawarra holly-leaf grevillea � n. bijalaba n. marrabarla home �������������������������������n. ngurra homesick �����������������������cv. nguran honey �������������������������������n. kundarri n. ngarlu clear honey ���������������n. kurla yellow honey �����������n. ngunyju honey grass ���������������n. ngandirdi hook (for fishing) ���n. warurrbu hook boomerang ���n. warrirdila

320 English to Mudburra word finder

hook on spearthrower �����������������������n. mirlirdi hook up a spear �������cv. jalk hook spear �������������������n. bulungku n. kularda n. wararang hop �������������������������������������cv. dibard horizon ���������������������������n. binki n. biyingki n. yindirr hornet �����������������������������n. burrmurumura n. nurnurnuminji horny devil �������������������n. yarlikiji horse �������������������������������n. dimana n. yarraman n. yarrarrawirra n. yawarda horse-dung fungus �������������������������n. yarrayalya horseshoe �������������������n. jamana n. jina n. yunba Hosmer’s skink ���������n. mirrkabalyi hot �������������������������������������cv. wululu hot inside �������������������cv. kururu hot sand ���������������������n. ngawurra hot weather ���������������n. barungka n. barungula cv. bilyak cv. lird cv. ngarrab very hot �����������������������cv. ngarrab house �������������������������������n. marru how �����������������������������������quest. ngadarra how many ���������������������quest. ngadjanga how much �������������������quest. ngadjanga however �������������������������part. marri conj. ngarla huff �����������������������������������cv. bujarri cv. burdurl human odour �������������n. ngunanga hum (of engine) �������cv. ngu hunched �����������������������cv. dulykurr hungry �����������������������������n. balika n. jamandarra cv. nunyku hunt �����������������������������������cv. ngunyi hunt away �������������������cv. yuward hunt into open ���������cv. dujud hurt �����������������������������������interj. yakaaka hurt feelings �������������cv. nganju

ibis hurting ���������������������������cv. lilinkarra husband ������������������������n. banji n. ngumbarna husband’s mother � n. kurndaja husband’s sister �����n. banji

Ii I ���������������������������������������������aux. barna pro. ngayi pro. ngayu pro. -rna I do it for her/him/it �����������������aux. barnarla pro. -rnarla I do it for him/her and me ���������������������������aux. barnangaliya pro. -rnangaliya I do it for myself �����aux. barnanyanu pro. -rnanyanu I do it for the two of us �������������������aux. barnangaliya pro. -rnangaliya I do it for them ���������aux. barnayina pro. -rnayina I do it for those two ���������������������������������aux. barnayili pro. -rnayili I do it for us (including you) �����aux. barnangalawa pro. -rnangalawa I do it for us (not you) ���������������������aux. barnalina pro. -rnalina aux. barnanganda pro. -rnanganda I do it for you �������������aux. barnangku pro. -rnangku I do it for you and me �����������������������aux. barnangali pro. -rnangali I do it for you mob � aux. barnanjurra pro. -rnanjurra I do it for you two ��� aux. barnangkuwurna pro. -rnangkuwurna I do it to hers/his/its �������������aux. barnarla pro. -rnarla

I do it to his/hers and mine �������������������pro. -rnangaliya aux. barnangaliya I do it to mine �������������aux. barnanyanu pro. -rnanyanu I do it to myself �������aux. barnanyanu pro. -rnanyanu I do it to ours (including yours) � aux. barnangalawa pro. -rnangalawa I do it to ours (not yours) ���������������aux. barnalina aux. barnanganda pro. -rnanganda pro. -rnalina I do it to ours (yours and mine) � aux. barnangali pro. -rnangali I do it to the two of ours �������������������������aux. barnangaliya pro. -rnangaliya I do it to theirs �����������aux. barnayina pro. -rnayina I do it to theirs (those two) ���������������aux. barnayili pro. -rnayili I do it to them �����������aux. barnayina pro. -rnayina I do it to those two � aux. barnayili pro. -rnayili I do it to you ���������������aux. barnangku pro. -rnangku I do it to you mob ��� aux. barnanjurra pro. -rnanjurra I do it to you mob’s aux. barnanjurra pro. -rnanjurra I do it to you two �����aux. barnangkuwurna pro. -rnangkuwurna I do it to you two’s � aux. barnangkuwurna pro. -rnangkuwurna I do it to yours �����������aux. barnangku pro. -rnangku I do it to yours and mine �������������������aux. barnangali pro. -rnangali ibis brown ���������������������������n. wakirni glossy, black and white �����������������������������n. kunymirni straw-necked �����������n. kurndindin

English to Mudburra word finder 321

identify identify ���������������������������cv. jangkijbiyi cv. ngarrka identify incorrectly � cv. ngany if �������������������������������������������suf. -baa ignite �������������������������������cv. dun ignorant �������������������������interj. ngamu ignorant of proper behaviour �����������������n. kalyurra ignore ������������������������������cv. kururr v. munyanganini cv. wambal ill �������������������������������������������n. janga cv. warlard image �������������������������������n. ngandayi immersed ���������������������cv. jirrbu immobilised ���������������cv. nyinykarra implement �������������������cv. wirrb important ���������������������n. dija in �����������������������������������������case. -ka case. -kula case. -kulala case. -la case. -ngka in a pile ���������������������������cv. kuburlkuburl in addition �������������������suf. -ja in case �����������������������������part. biya suf. -wirri in order to ���������������������case. -ku case. -wu in place ���������������������������cv. wilngib inform �����������������������������cv. jawuja initiand ���������������������������n. jurlkuwarri n. yaba sisters and cousins of �������������������n. birdibirdi

initiated brother of cousin of woman n. yirrimaka initiated man �������������n. miyard n. ngarrka newly initiated ���������n. jardukurruwurru initiation ceremony �����������������n. Karungka n. Kujika inject ���������������������������������cv. karna innards ���������������������������n. mangulkbi insect galls �������������������n. kulindirnda n. nikuru n. nyikirriri n. nyikirrurru

322 English to Mudburra word finder

inside �������������������������������adv. bub cv. darndarn adv. walyaka inspector ���������������������n. nyanganina instruct ���������������������������cv. binarrik cv. dikal cv. mirrarda interrupt �������������������������cv. waburr intestine �������������������������n. jirrikulukula ironwood �����������������������n. marndarlngarra isn’t �����������������������������������part. kula isn’t it �������������������������������suf. -bun suf. -nya itchy caterpillar �������n. burruburrurda itchy grub ���������������������n. munba itchy tree �����������������������n. jilawanmani its �����������������������������������������aux. barla aux. nyanunya pro. -rla its own ����������������������������aux. banyanu pro. -nyanu itself ���������������������������������aux. banyanu pro. -nyanu

Jj jabiru �������������������������������n. karrinji jacana �����������������������������n. dijirrirna jam �������������������������������������n. ngarlu jaw �������������������������������������n. kalngarnda jealous �����������������������������n. dinykarrangarna cv. ngurr n. nguwajkarra Jesus bird ���������������������n. dijirrirna Jingaloo Outstation ���������������n. Jaarlaku Jingulu mixed with Mudburra �����n. Kuwaarrangu join join together �����������cv. jarlarr cv. jardal join up ���������������������������cv. jarlan join up with ���������������cv. lik cv. wanjirr jump ���������������������������������cv. dibard jump out ���������������������cv. bij cv. darlk cv. ngayab jump up �����������������������cv. wulngib

kurdaitcha man jump with fright �����cv. mangarl jump-up �������������������������n. nankuna just �������������������������������������suf. -bijirni adv. jubu suf. -rni just now �������������������������n. jalya just then �������������������������adv. mujurni

Kk kajin �����������������������������������n. kurndaja n. mali kangaroo any �����������������������������������n. jiya female desert �����������n. ngalijirri female red �����������������n. ngalijirri hill kangaroo �������������n. kanjalawuri n. ngalijirri n. wankurra n. wardabarnmarra left-hand ���������������������n. jambukarra n. junma n. junguwarn n. ngungungmarna male desert ���������������n. kajangarna n. wawirri male red �����������������������n. kajangarna n. wawirri nail-tail �������������������������n. jambukarra n. junma n. junguwarn n. ngungungmarna old male desert �������n. kanjarlawirri n. wakwara n. yunumburrku old male red �������������n. kanjarlawirri n. wakwara n. yunumburrku rock kangaroo ���������n. kanjalawuri n. ngalijirri n. wankurra n. wardabarnmarra kangaroo grass �������n. kurrubuja kangaroo rat ���������������n. wambana Karranga group �������n. Bardamunkiyid keep ���������������������������������v. karlunini keep secret �����������������n. munybari keep to yourself �������cv. wambal

kestrel �����������������������������n. dirdila n. waruburluburlu kick �������������������������������������cv. dul cv. jangan kid ���������������������������������������n. karu kidneys ���������������������������n. karlikujarra kill ���������������������������������������v. barnini cv. dang cv. dikirrij kill everything �����������cv. babard killer �����������������������������������n. barnina n. barnkarranga kind �����������������������������������cv. milyarra kindle fire ���������������������cv. lurrku cv. burarr kindling ���������������������������n. imina n. wawurru n. wimina n. yimina king brown snake ��� n. jawulwarra n. kiwarlija n. wari kingfisher ���������������������n. marrinkili kite black �������������������������������n. dirdingarnu whistling ���������������������n. dilkurni n. kalbuna knead �������������������������������cv. dudji knee ����������������������������������n. dingarri kneecap �������������������������n. kurliji n. mangarrad n. mingirridbi kneel ���������������������������������cv. dilili cv. jirr cv. lurdbanu cv. kalawuji kneel (with bottom on heels) �������������������cv. durdukuly knife ���������������������������������n. binymala n. biyanganina knob (on bloodwood) �������������n. karrinbirri knock down ���������������cv. nurd know ���������������������������������cv. bina cv. ngarrka koel �����������������������������������n. mirrirribini kookaburra blue-winged �������������n. dalmurrana n. jalkururru little ���������������������������������n. marrinkili kurdaitcha man �������n. munba English to Mudburra word finder 323

kurrajong kurrajong northern ���������������������n. dardaka

n. yingki red-flowered �������������n. kinjirrka wild curry �������������������n. miyaka

Ll lacking �����������������������������suf. -wangka Lake Woods ���������������n. Jikaya lame ���������������������������������n. mardilyi n. marlumarlu n. mularda lame person ���������������n. mulurrumulurru lancewood �������������������n. karnawuna n. warraka lancewood bark �����n. manjarna language �����������������������n. jaru n. yurrwa Arrernte �����������������������n. Arrarnda Eastern Mudburra n. Kuwaarrangu Gooniyandi ���������������n. Kuniyan Gurindji �����������������������n. Kuwirrinji Luritja ���������������������������n. Luriji Mudburra mixed with Wardaman �����n. Karranga

n. Karrangburru n. Kayilariny Pitjantjatjara �������������n. Binjanjarra Warlmanpa ���������������n. Warlmana Western Mudburra �������������������n. Kuwirrinji lap ���������������������������������������n. mara

n. wurlbun last �������������������������������������adv. ngurlaka lastborn child ������������n. mijinykurra late afternoon �����������n. wajurrajurra later �����������������������������������adv. marndaja laugh ��������������������������������cv. kinkilarri laughing duck �����������n. warlabardbi law �������������������������������������n. yurrwa lazy �������������������������������������n. dangbarrangarna lead �����������������������������������cv. durru adv. kambarra lead by pulling ���������cv. yirribudkarra lead with a long implement �����������������cv. wurruji leaf �������������������������������������n. jinarli leaning against ���������cv. balyab 324 English to Mudburra word finder

learn ���������������������������������cv. bawu leash (put on) �����������cv. dirrk leave ���������������������������������v. ngardanganini v. wanjanini leave behind �������������cv. barik leave (something for someone) �����������cv. durlurl leave it! ���������������������������interj. karrila

leaver (someone who leaves) �������������n. ngardanganina n. wanjanina leech, swamp �����������n. nyurrnguli left behind �����������������n. ngardanganinja left hand �����������������������n. jambu n. jambukarra n. wakunya left-hand kangaroo �������������������n. jambukarra n. junma n. junguwarn n. ngungungmarna left-handed �����������������n. jambu n. jambukarra leg ���������������������������������������n. birirda n. kala leg bone �����������������������n. kurlumbu lower leg ���������������������n. wulu shin bone �������������������n. wurdulyi bent legs ���������������������cv. ngandirr legs close together �����������������������n. durrbul legs straight out �����cv. durrujki

cv. durrurr legless lizard �������������n. damburrng Leichhardt tree ���������n. jamba lemon grass ���������������n. warrinjalan lemonwood �����������������n. lawa lengthways (cut) �����cv. laj lerps ���������������������������������n. bijardku n. nanjarrnga n. wandala lest �������������������������������������part. biya part. wirri level �����������������������������������cv. balkij lice body lice ���������������������n. wawuyawuru head lice ���������������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. wurdu n. yingkila

look blanket �������������������������n. jamankula

lie untruth �������������������������cv. ngulyi

cv. wabarl lie one knee up �������������cv. dalburrarra lie down �����������������������cv. makina

cv. manyan cv. mukuna lie on belly ���������������cv. balb lie on side �������������������cv. likirri lift up �������������������������������cv. wird light �����������������������������������cv. dilu cv. dinyil light in weight �����������n. binbina n. kudbari light (kindling) �����������cv. burarr cv. lurrku cv. dun light everywhere �����cv. ngarramal light fire �������������������������cv. dun cv. lurrku by rubbing sticks ��� cv. binyinyib light reflecting ���������cv. bilirringkarra cv. biringkarra lighter ������������������������������n. buba n. warlu lightning �����������������������n. janginyina n. jujumana light-skinned �������������n. liwakbari like �������������������������������������part. wali like that ���������������������������adv. kuwala adv. kuya lily (waterlily) �������������n. kaminarrinymi lily, onion �����������������������n. jajarlkin limestone ���������������������n. kuwuja limestone and black-soil country �����������������������n. lamana line �������������������������������������n. kunybarra lined up �������������������������cv. darridarri lip ����������������������������������������n. jamirli n. lirra listen ���������������������������������cv. kurru cv. lankaj little �����������������������������������n. wunyu liver �����������������������������������n. jabarrka n. jawarrka n. malamba lizard any ���������������������������������n. lakurda

n. kadangula desert blue-tongue �������������n. lungkura

n. mabaya n. ngalbaya frill-necked �����������������n. jamankula n. kadangula legless ���������������������������n. damburrng little tree ���������������������n. bala northern blue-tongue �������������n. jurlurlurra one-dollar �������������������n. wijina ring-tailed �������������������n. karnari

n. kidkilyi n. kilykilyi n. lakurda rock-country dragon �������������������������n. bubulu slippery �����������������������n. dangulinji ta-ta �������������������������������n. kaburi

n. marndaraji n. wijina n. yibijirrina load off ���������������������������cv. lun load up ���������������������������cv. wilngib locked �����������������������������cv. jard log boat �������������������������n. kundu log for fishing �����������n. kurlundurru n. limirnmi loin cloth �����������������������n. bulyawulya n. winanga long �����������������������������������n. wilirla long time ago �����������adv. larrba long tom �����������������������n. diwurru long way �����������������������n. barrbarda long yam �����������������������n. kamara long-eared bat ���������n. ngarlaminymirna long-necked turtle �n. wardjayi Longreach �������������������n. Ijibarda Longreach (creek at) �������������������n. Marrulu long-tailed planigale �������������������n. kudingi look �����������������������������������v. nyanganini look after ���������������������cv. ngidji look around ���������������cv. mardkarra cv. barraj look at ���������������������������cv. karrab look for �������������������������cv. darumi

English to Mudburra word finder 325

loosen look in the distance �����������������������cv. mardkarra look sideways at ���cv. kambak look straight at �������cv. kankil inspector ���������������������n. nyanganina look down ������������������cv. jandurr someone who has been looked at �������n. nyanganinja loosen �����������������������������cv. wijuk lorikeet (varied) �������n. kumbulyurra lose �����������������������������������cv. kawarraj

cv. mujkiyi lost �������������������������������������cv. kawankarra lots �������������������������������������suf. -barra n. dardu suf. -darra suf. -jban n. kulayangujba suf. -rra suf. -walija suf. -ya loud (of talk) ���������������cv. jirrijirri louse ���������������������������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. yingkila body louse �����������������n. wawuyawuru head louse �����������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. wurdu n. yingkila lovegrass �����������������������n. karlarlanjurru n. kiyinkirra low �������������������������������������n. balyawalya n. kanju lower arm ���������������������n. kardawurra lower back �������������������n. bandimi n. nyinji lower leg �����������������������n. wulu luckily �������������������������������interj. madja lump (on bloodwood) �������������n. karrinbirri lumps (from hailstones) ���������������n. barrawurda lumpy �������������������������������n. balnganbari lungs ���������������������������������n. jaalyakbalyaku n. yaya Luritja people and language ���������n. Luriji

326 English to Mudburra word finder

Mm maggot ���������������������������n. mulura magpie ���������������������������n. bilkurr n. kumurlawurra magpie goose �����������n. nguknguk n. warlidaji magpie-lark �����������������n. didiyija n. dirridirrija n. kurlirrida Major Mitchell’s cockatoo �������������������n. dakudbari n. yakakak n. yarrkankuna make ���������������������������������cv. birrka cv. mirrka make go away �����������cv. yuward make noise (of car engine) ���������������cv. ngurdudarra make happen �������������suf. -biji suf. -bili suf. -yili make stay ���������������������cv. yardi make string or rope �������������������������������cv. rarr male ���������������������������������n. madju n. malju hill kangaroo �������������n. wardabarnmarra northern bluetongue lizard �����������n. jurlurlurra red kangaroo �����������n. kajangarna

n. wawirri sand goanna �������������n. jurrkubadi

n. kirrawa n. warnkarranga skin names �����������������n. Jabalyi n. Jabarda n. Jalyirri n. Jambijina n. Janama n. Jangala n. Jangari n. Jimarra n. Jimija n. Jurla man initiated man �����������n. miyard n. ngarrka man’s child �����������������n. ngalinya

mob newly initiated ���������n. jardukurruwurru

n. yaba old man �����������������������n. marluka teenage man �����������n. yarrulan mangrove freshwater �����������������n. jilawanmani poison from mangrove �������������������n. jilaminya many ���������������������������������suf. -barra

n. dardu suf. -darra suf. -jban n. kulayangujba suf. -rra suf. -walija suf. -ya n. yuranya March fly �����������������������n. burrju March-fly bird �����������n. bujurrndayidayi mark (scar) �������������������n. kurnbarra marriage partner (straight) �������������������n. kurrbari n. linba n. minmiji n. yamarak marriage (wrong way) �������������������������������n. karndikari n. waji masked lapwing �����n. dirrjirrirna mass murder �������������cv. babard massacre �����������������������cv. babard massage �����������������������cv. bijarrk matches �������������������������n. buba n. warlu matrilineal clan ���������n. ngurlu matrilineal clan name �����������������������������n. Burruburrurda n. Ninibi n. Wurrbujangi mattress �������������������������n. bulya maybe �����������������������������suf. -barra part. barra me ���������������������������������������aux. bayi pro. ngayi pro. ngayu pro. -yi meat ���������������������������������n. kanyburru n. ngarina medicine �����������������������n. lungkarda meet up �������������������������cv. duwa melt �����������������������������������cv. yamilak

melted �����������������������������cv. jankina men’s quarters ���������n. malkirra merged ���������������������������cv. balyab mess up �������������������������cv. munymunykarra message �����������������������n. yurrwa metal spearhead �����n. binymala middle �����������������������������n. jurrku n. lunkurru n. majurru cv. jirrku midnight �����������������������n. kurrarramba might �������������������������������suf. -barra part. barra suf. -birri part. biya military dragon ���������n. kaburi n. wijina n. yibijirrina big military dragon �������������������������n. marndaraji milk �����������������������������������n. milki

n. ngabulu milk guts �����������������������n. jirrikulukula milk tree �������������������������n. manyingila n. marrija milk vine �������������������������n. jinyjinymi Milky Way ���������������������n. Wandarri millet ���������������������������������n. ngabijimi millipede �����������������������n. juna mind own business ���������������������cv. wambal mine ���������������������������������aux. bayi pro. -yi miner bird ���������������������n. bijbija misbehaving �������������n. kalyurra miss a shot �����������������cv. banbij miss target �������������������cv. ngab cv. warrarra mistake ���������������������������adv. waburnda mistletoe �����������������������n. ngamari mistletoebird �������������n. jindiminya mix �������������������������������������cv. wardid mix up �����������������������������cv. munymunykarra cv. wanjirr mixed-race person � n. bilyingbilyinga moan �������������������������������cv. ngardikarra cv. nguwarra cv. nguyarra mob �����������������������������������n. kulayangujba suf. -nganju

English to Mudburra word finder 327

moieties moieties (generational) �������n. burndurdu mole cricket ���������������n. dalydalyngarna money �����������������������������n. bili n. wumara Montejinnie Station �������������������������n. Mardbangka moon �������������������������������n. bardangkarra moon grub �������������������n. wangku Moonlight Waterhole �����������������n. Durrurdba mopoke �������������������������n. jurdiyina more ���������������������������������adv. jandarni morning after breakfast ���������n. lawura before daylight �������n. kurrularni late morning �������������n. kambarrarni mosquito �����������������������n. bangkula n. kanamurrmurra n. karnamurrurra moth ���������������������������������n. marlimarli moth chrysalis ���������n. kungmarna mother ���������������������������n. jakardi expectant �������������������n. dinngarrwari n. karuwurru n. majulawurru n. yarluba of many children ���n. marlibi mother’s brother ���n. ngamirni mother’s father �������n. jawiji n. mimi mother’s mother ���n. jaju mother’s sister �������n. jakardi mother-in-law for a woman �������������n. kurndaja for a man ���������������������n. mali mother-in-law’s brother �����������������������n. muluriyi motor car ���������������������n. kurrurrij n. murdika n. karrakarrangarna n. kayangbarnina mount �����������������������������cv. jalngak cv. wilngib cv. wulngib mountain devil ���������n. yarlikiji mouse introduced �����������������n. munyinyi spinifex hopping ���n. ijibarda n. wijibarda

328 English to Mudburra word finder

moustache �������������������n. jalyangbalyangku n. jawulungbulungka mouth �����������������������������n. barrarrk n. lirra n. ngajalakurru move ���������������������������������cv. wungan cv. yingin move about ���������������cv. kalyarra cv. karrilyarra cv. mangan move over �����������������cv. wirrmal cv. yirrmal move something ���cv. nyingin Muckety Station �����n. Manuwangu mucus �����������������������������n. kurdkulya mud �����������������������������������n. binganya n. minganya mud wasp ��������������������n. burrmurumura Mudburra mixed with Jingulu ������������������� n. Kuwaarrangu mixed with Wardaman �����������������n. Karranga

n. Karrangburru n. Kayilariny western subdivision of ���������n. Yalarra mulla-mulla, pink ���n. marlirrawurru mullet �������������������������������n. mibirri murderer �����������������������n. barnina

n. barnkarranga Murranji �������������������������n. Murrunjayi muscle �����������������������������n. kanyburru n. ngarina n. wili calf muscle ����������������n. ngajarra n. ngilyikbi mushroom �������������������n. yarrayalya mussel freshwater �����������������n. dugu n. kurdijalaka n. marlangayi small freshwater ���n. dangkila my ���������������������������������������aux. bayi pro. ngayinya pro. -yi mine and yours �������suf. -ngaliny

nose

Nn nail (of finger) �����������n. ngardjida nail-bush �����������������������n. bajara nailfish �����������������������������n. jalarlka n. kirirni nailfish, baby �����������n. ngirnngirda nail-tail kangaroo ���n. jambukarra n. junma n. junguwarn n. ngungungmarna name ��������������������������������n. yini name (taboo replacement) ���������n. ngambungambu nankeen night heron ���������������������������n. karlina n. karliwaku n. kawula nanny goat �������������������n. nanikud nape (hit) �����������������������cv. bak native cat ���������������������n. barrjirda n. juburda native honey ��������������n. ngarlu native willow �������������n. barlungbarlung native-hen �������������������n. yakakurrumini naughty �������������������������n. kalyurra n. nyukunyuku navel ���������������������������������n. julu n. ngajurrujurru near �����������������������������������n. birndika cv. kajub n. ludba necessities �������������������n. danku neck �����������������������������������n. ngirlkirri n. ngujbi back of neck �������������n. mankijbi hit back of neck �����cv. bak necklace seed �����������n. kajuwa necklace vine �������������n. birrilibala needlebush �����������������n. kiyilmi n. nyili needle-leaf wattle �n. mayibi neighbour ���������������������n. ngalurrunga n. ngarlina nephew �������������������������n. ngalawuny from your brother � n. ngalinya from your sister �����n. juka n. kurdurdu nervous �������������������������cv. burriyi cv. ngadjana

nest �����������������������������������n. janbara n. juru net �������������������������������������n. wayiniding new �����������������������������������n. jalirla n. jayilya New Murranji Oustation �����������������n. Murrinjangalu n. Liyardu newborn �����������������������n. manjala n. jayilya karu Newcastle Waters � n. Marlinja next to �����������������������������n. birndika nicely �������������������������������adv. bardakurrinykarra niece ���������������������������������n. ngalawuny from your brother � n. ngalinya from your sister �����n. juka n. kurdurdu night ���������������������������������n. burrularla n. kamuru n. kurrulala cv. mum n. mumbari late night ���������������������n. kurrarramba right through �����������adv. kardarr nightjar, owlet �����������n. jirrikik n. ngarrajaja nits �������������������������������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. wurdu n. yingkila no ���������������������������������������n. wakurni no good �������������������������n. wangi no matter ���������������������adv. kawul noise (engine) �����������cv. ngurdudarra no-name �����������������������n. jalkarndarra north ���������������������������������n. kirrawarra North Camp (Elliott) �������������������������n. Kurungu North Hole �������������������n. Kulaja northern bluetongue lizard, male �������������������������������n. jurlurlurra northern corkwood �����������������n. bukumarra n. wuwarrajkala northern kurrajong n. dardaka n. yingki northern quoll �����������n. barrjirda n. juburda nose ���������������������������������n. kalama n. kilimi English to Mudburra word finder 329

nose (blow) nose (blow) �����������������cv. nyiny not �������������������������������������part. kula not believe �������������������cv. kururr not generous �������������n. dilyika n. yilyi not happy ���������������������n. jilyirrwari not having �������������������suf. -jija suf. -wangka not move �����������������������cv. karlbirl not want �������������������������cv. jidard nothing ���������������������������part. kiwirra n. wakurni now �����������������������������������adv. birri dem. murlu dem. nginya suf. -wanya nulla-nulla ���������������������n. kuduru numb �������������������������������cv. buwala Number 1 Bore �������n. Bulungurlu number 7 boomerang �������������n. warrirdila Number 7 Bore �������n. Yungbiyi Number 8 Government Bore �������������������������������n. Kulumindini Number 9 Bore �������n. Munmaku Number 9 Government Bore �������������������������������n. Jirrarnku Number 10 Bore �����n. Kiyiwulu Number 10 Government Bore �������������������������������n. Murrunjayi Number 11 Bore �����n. Bayiwi Nungali people and language ���������n. Nungaliwurru nutwood �����������������������n. bardiki nutwood (and its nuts) �����������������������������n. dardaji n. bardiki

Oo oak, bootlace �������������n. bukumarra n. wuwarrajkala ochre red �����������������������������������n. kalnga white �����������������������������n. bilirdbi n. yadu 330 English to Mudburra word finder

of �����������������������������������������case. -inyi case. -nginyi suf. -nya offal �����������������������������������n. dirdilwarri off load ���������������������������cv. lun oh no! �������������������������������interj. warla interj. wurdukurru interj. warda okay �����������������������������������interj. ma interj. marndaj old ���������������������������������������n. kambarrajbunga n. larrbajbunga old bush banana fruit ���������������������������������n. ngimirrikimi old male red kangaroo �������������������n. kanjarlawirri n. wakwara n. yunumburrku old man �������������������������n. burlka n. marluka old people �������������������n. kambabirrijanga old woman �������������������n. jabaka n. kajirri older brother �������������n. baba n. ngaba older sister �������������������n. kabuku n. karlu olive python ���������������n. kiwarlija n. kunudjarri on ���������������������������������������case. -ka case. -kula case. -kulala case. -la case. -ngka on the side �������������������n. birndika on top �����������������������������n. kankulu on top (piled up) �����adv. kurlkurl once more �������������������adv. jandarni one �������������������������������������n. jindaku n. yangarlu one mob �����������������������adv. muju one-dollar lizard �����n. wijina onion lily �������������������������������������n. jajarlkin bush �������������������������������n. jundayunda n. kinyuwurru wild ���������������������������������n. mundubarli only �����������������������������������suf. -rni adv. jubu open ���������������������������������cv. warlk open grass plain �����n. mangkuru

pay open place �������������������n. barangkajbari n. barnkajbari open savannah ���������n. buwali open sky �����������������������n. binki open (hunt something into) ���cv. dujud opilia vine ���������������������n. ngabulkulyu or else �����������������������������part. wirri orange �����������������������������n. dankurra bush orange �������������n. bambilyi n. bunayingmi n. kurlinyaka wild orange ���������������n. babingi orange-naped snake ���������������������������n. jarlmurunymuruny n. miyakakarra n. yindarangi oriole �������������������������������n. nyurijngarna n. nyurujminji n. yurijminji other ���������������������������������suf. -kari other day �����������������������adv. kuyangula adv. wajurra karri adv. wajuwarra other side ���������������������n. malyaku other side (go to) ���cv. kal otherwise ���������������������part. wirri ouch! �������������������������������interj. yakayi ours (hers/his and mine) �����������������������������aux. bangaliya pro. -ngaliya ours (including yours) ���������������������������aux. bangalawa pro. -ngalawa ours (not yours) �������aux. banganda pro. -nganda ours (yours and mine) �����������������������������aux. bangali pro. -ngali suf. -ngaliny out of �������������������������������case.-ngurlu out of breath �������������cv. ngangayarra outcrop ���������������������������n. mardardban outside ���������������������������n. bakara adv. warlarrku oven, ground �������������n. bujbu n. julbu over there ���������������������n. barrbarda owlet nightjar �����������n. jirrikik n. ngarrajaja owner, traditional ��� n. ngurramala

ownership �������������������n. kankirlika

Pp Pacific black duck �n. wububukarri pain �����������������������������������interj. yakaaka paint ���������������������������������cv. baly black �������������������������������n. wuyu red �����������������������������������n. kalnga paint up �����������������������cv. birnim cv. jirning white �����������������������������n. yadu n. bilirdbi white or silver ���������n. ngunjungunju paintbrush �������������������n. junji paintbrush grass ���n. kulkurdukurdu painted up �������������������cv. liwakarra pair �������������������������������������suf. -kula suf. -muju suf. -rla suf. -rra pale eel-tail catfish � n. jalarlka n. kirirni panting ���������������������������cv. ngangayarra paper wasp �����������������n. nurnurnuminji paperbark ���������������������n. bakarli n. ngarlingarli pardalote, striated � n. lunba parrot, red-winged � n. wilik partner right skin ���������������������n. kurrbari n. linba n. minmiji n. yamarak wrong skin ���������������n. karndikari n. waji pass by ���������������������������cv. birrk pass on news ���������cv. jawuja passionfruit, wild ���n. babingi path �����������������������������������n. wandarri n. wurrumu patient �����������������������������adv. kurdikurdi pattern ���������������������������n. kilyikilyikbari pawpaw, wild �����������n. babingi pay �������������������������������������v. nyunganini pay back, payback ���������������������adv. wirlmija cv. nguj

English to Mudburra word finder 331

peaceful dove peaceful dove �����������n. kularnkurridi n. kulukuk n. kulunkurru peanut, wild ���������������n. kirriri pear tree �����������������������n. marndayanga peel �����������������������������������cv. ruwu peep ���������������������������������cv. wud peewee ���������������������������n. didiyija n. dirridirrija n. kurlirrida pelican �����������������������������n. walanybirri pencil yam �������������������n. wayida people Eastern Mudburra n. Kuwaarrangu Gooniyandi ���������������n. Kuniyan Gurindji �����������������������n. Kuwirrinji Luritja ���������������������������n. Luriji mythical �����������������������n. kardajala Ngarinyman �������������n. Ngarinyman n. Ngarinymanburru Pitjantjatjara �������������n. Binjanjarra subdivision of Western Mudburra �������������������n. Yalarra Tablelands �����������������n. Kakarrinji Wambaya �������������������n. Kakarrinji Warlmanpa ���������������n. Warlmana Western Mudburra �������������������n. Kuwirrinji perceive �������������������������v. nyanganini perch �������������������������������cv. bardaj perch, spangled �����n. danyan

permission for ceremony �����������cv. jawujbi person �����������������������������n. ngumbina Aboriginal �������������������n. ngumbina n. mungarrangarna chatty ���������������������������n. marnina deceased �������������������n. jalkarndarra n. wukarrija European �������������������n. kardiba n. kardiya lame �������������������������������n. mulurrumulurru slow �������������������������������n. wayilkarrangarna talkative �����������������������n. marnina pheasant coucal �����n. bukbukbini n. wurruburdkarra n. yirribudbudba phlegm ���������������������������cv. kulykulya

332 English to Mudburra word finder

pick up ���������������������������cv. durlmak cv. karnkarn cv. lab cv. wird pick up knowledge cv. bawu pie-bald snake ���������n. mulyukuna pieces break into �������������������cv. lakarr cut into �������������������������cv. buj pied butcher bird ��� n. bilkurr n. kurrbulawuji pied cormorant �������n. kalangarriya little ���������������������������������n. kiwinji pierce �������������������������������cv. durrb cv. karna v. langanini pierce (for water) ���cv. darlk pig ���������������������������������������n. bikibiki n. ngurrngurrngarna pigeon bronzewing ���������������n. marrababirni n. wandarrkurrini crested �������������������������n. bilangkurridi plains �����������������������������n. marrababirni n. wandarrkurrini rock ���������������������������������n. kilwilwirni spinifex �������������������������n. kilwilwirni Pigeon Hole ���������������n. Nijburru pigweed, slender ��� n. lukarrara pigweed yam �������������n. kilimi pile up �����������������������������cv. jurdard pill ���������������������������������������n. lungkarda pillow �������������������������������n. danbina pinch ���������������������������������cv. jidi cv. kidiji cv. nyirndij pink cockatoo �����������n. dakudbari n. yakakak n. yarrkankuna pink mulla-mulla �����n. marlirrawurru pink-eared duck �����n. jurluwardbini n. ngurrujuruka pink-flowered yam � n. yangunungku piss �����������������������������������n. kumbu n. mijuku cv. ngundu n. ngundu pit, ceremonial ���������n. manjuna Pitjantjatjara people and language ���������n. Binjanjarra place ���������������������������������v. yuwarnini

pretend plain ���������������������������������n. mangkuru black-soil ���������������������n. kunawa open grass �����������������n. kunawa plains goanna �����������n. jurrkubadi n. kirrawa n. warnkarranga plains pigeon �������������n. marrababirni n. wandarrkurrini plait �����������������������������������cv. nyungka cv. waamib plaited grass shelter �������������������������n. mangkaya plane down �����������������cv. jimaj planigale, long-tailed ���������������n. kudingi plant ���������������������������������cv. warduj planted ���������������������������cv. warlan plate worn around neck �������������������������������n. binyjayinyja worn around waist �������������������������������n. jakuli worn in front of groin �������������������������������n. jaramarra play �����������������������������������cv. ngararra

cv. wajkarra play about �������������������cv. kumawarla play didgeridoo �������v. bumarnini cv. dijung please �����������������������������interj. kara plenty �������������������������������n. dimbak n. yuranya plover �������������������������������n. dirrjirrirna plum black plum �����������������n. kiyindinymi brown plum ���������������n. wilirda bush plum �����������������n. kinginymi n. manamburran emu plum �������������������n. marlungkarru white plum �����������������n. juwurlana n. ngaburrayimi point at ���������������������������v. wujunganini pointy-nose legless lizard �����������n. damburrng poison �����������������������������n. lungkarda n. marnngilija from mangrove tree ���������������������������������n. jilaminya poke ���������������������������������v. bunganini

cv. durrb v. langanini

poke around ���������������cv. murrb poke head out �����������cv. barangkaj poked (someone or something that has been) �������n. langaninja pokey grass �����������������n. burruru police �������������������������������n. jikalawurru n. murnungku n. ngarrambalyaka n. yibunguwurru policeman for ceremony �����������������n. jungkayi n. kulyungkulyungbi pollen and bee eggs of sugarbag n. kurla pollen of sugarbag � n. kundarri poo �������������������������������������n. ngirninja poor thing! �������������������n. mandiyala porcupine (echidna) �������������������n. nyinawurda possessing �����������������suf. -wurru possum �������������������������n. jakulaji n. jangana n. ngurrkudi potato �����������������������������n. babirda n. jikarrambini potato, bush ���������������n. yangunungku pouch �������������������������������n. majula n. bulwa n. kuda pour �����������������������������������cv. jurlurl cv. wulu powder ���������������������������n. bunku powder, baking �������n. bunku Powell Creek spring ���������������������������n. Bamayu prawn �������������������������������n. jalij praying mantis ���������n. wajirrki large �������������������������������n. jalibi precisely �����������������������suf. -karda pregnant �����������������������n. dinngarrwari n. karuwurru n. majula n. yarluba premonition ���������������n. jingkarrangarna prepare camp �����������cv. kurrma prepare ground �������cv. wirriny prepared �����������������������adv. kili present ���������������������������cv. duwa present (gift) �������������n. nyunganinja pretend ���������������������������adv. juku English to Mudburra word finder 333

pretty-face wallaby pretty-face wallaby �����������������������n. makiliwarnu previously ���������������������adv. kambarra adv. larrba prickle �����������������������������n. baka n. nyili prod �����������������������������������cv. durrb promiscuous �������������n. jabujabu properly �������������������������adv. bardakurrinykarra proud �������������������������������cv. wajalkarra provoke �������������������������cv. warakaji cv. yingi puffball ���������������������������n. yarrayalya puffed �����������������������������cv. ngangayarra puffed up (person) cv. wajalkarra pull �������������������������������������cv. wurr pull apart ���������������������cv. jurrk cv. wijuk pull off ��������������������������cv. yibuk pull out �������������������������cv. durlk cv. jurrk cv. yibuk cv. yirrk pull trigger �����������������cv. durlk pull up ���������������������������cv. durlk pus �������������������������������������n. wukurliji push ���������������������������������cv. jangan pussycat �����������������������n. bujikard n. nyurnam put �������������������������������������v. yuwarnini put away ���������������������cv. warduj put down ��������������������cv. lun put fire out �����������������cv. jibij cv. jiburn put high up ���������������cv. dad put in �����������������������������cv. wilngib put on ���������������������������cv. wilngib put on a leash ���������cv. dirrk put on charcoal to burn �������������������������cv. jilyiburr put onto a fire ���������cv. jib put together �������������cv. balyab

cv. jardal someone who puts �������������������������������n. yuwarnina something that has been put �n. yuwarninja

pygmy goanna, Gillen’s �������������������������n. kawurawura n. walbingkirra

334 English to Mudburra word finder

pygmy-goose, green �����������������������������n. warlabardbi python black-headed �����������n. mulyukuna Children’s �������������������n. kumaji olive �������������������������������n. kiwarlija n. kunudjarri rock ���������������������������������n. kiwarlija n. kunudjarri water �����������������������������n. baningkula n. jabardajabarda n. jimuruka

Qq quail ���������������������������������n. burrunjawurni quarters single men’s �������������n. malkirra single women’s �������n. birdibirdi n. jilimi quartz �����������������������������n. buyuka question ������������������������part. wayi quick ���������������������������������n. kayambala quickly �����������������������������adv. lurrija adv. ngadjangku quiet ���������������������������������cv. wambal n. wanganga cv. windarr cv. wurdunga quiet! �������������������������������interj. marriya quiet snake �����������������n. kumaji quinine tree �����������������n. marlungkarru quoll ���������������������������������n. barrjirda n. juburda

Rr rain �������������������������������������n. nguku v. wandiyini rain (falling) ���������������cv. wurr rain (sheets of) �������n. kala n. jarrumulu rain stone �������������������n. buyuka sprinkling rain ���������n. wurawura steady rain �����������������n. yibu yellow rain �����������������n. kalanybuka Rain Dreaming ���������n. kalanybuka

ring place rainbird ���������������������������n. jinbinbilyi n. kulkanya n. kurrakurraka n. mirrirribini rainbow �������������������������n. kiyingmi n. Yirrarndarna Rainbow Serpent ��� n. Ngurrkbana n. Yirrarndarna n. Walungku rainbow snake clan ���������������������������������n. Yuwakanga rash �����������������������������������n. kilyikilyikbari cv. yilyilyi rat (bandicoot) ���������n. bakuru rat, introduced ���������n. munyinyi rattle pods �������������������n. liyarrangarna raw �������������������������������������n. kurnka n. walyu razor blade �������������������n. marrimarri ready �������������������������������adv. kili reciprocate �����������������adv. wirlmija recognise ���������������������cv. jangkijbiyi cv. ngarrka recognise (fail to) ���cv. ngany recount ���������������������������cv. yurrk red �������������������������������������n. kiyikarrangarna red glow �������������������������cv. kiyikarra red flying fox, small �����������������������������n. bilkina red kangaroo female ���������������������������n. ngalijirri male �������������������������������n. kajangarna n. wawirri old male �����������������������n. kanjarlawirri n. wakwara n. yunumburrku red sap ���������������������������n. diyinu red turpentine wattle ���������������������������n. mulurrmi n. mungkurrja red-flowered kurrajong �������������������n. kinjirrka red-ground country �����������������������n. burdukawu red-legged stilt ���������n. nginginji red-tailed blackcockatoo �������������������n. dirrakin n. lirralirraka n. lirrawuna red-winged parrot � n. wilik

reflecting light ���������cv. bilirringkarra cv. biringkarra reflection �����������������������n. ngandayi refrain �����������������������������v. munyanganini refuse �������������������������������cv. mamam relative ���������������������������n. ngalurrunga n. ngarlina relaxed ���������������������������cv. yamaka cv. yawaka relocate �������������������������cv. wirrmal cv. yirrmal reluctant �����������������������cv. ngadjana remove ���������������������������cv. wijuk remove bark ���������������cv. dil remove entrails �������cv. burdak Renner Springs �������n. Bunarraban replacement name � n. ngambungambu report �������������������������������cv. jawuja rest �������������������������������������cv. yawarra restart �����������������������������suf. -kani resting �����������������������������cv. wayabi restrain ���������������������������cv. dirrk retaliate �������������������������adv. wirlmija return �������������������������������cv. lurrbu return something ��� adv. wirlmija rib ���������������������������������������n. janyburra ribcage �������������������������n. lungkurra short or floating ribs ���������������������������������n. jiminkina

rice short rice ���������������������n. ngabijimi wild rice �����������������������n. karlarlanjurru

n. kiyinkirra n. lukarrara n. mangurlu Richard’s pipit �����������n. kunkurdijarra ridge rocky ridge �����������������n. naraja sand ridge �����������������n. ludju rifle �������������������������������������n. durlkbari n. durlkkarrangarna n. luwarnina n. makirdi riflefish ���������������������������n. lawarra right �����������������������������������suf. -nya right hand ���������������������n. jirrbindi right here ���������������������suf. -karda right there �������������������suf. -karda ring place ���������������������n. bardardayi

English to Mudburra word finder 335

ring-tailed dragon ring-tailed dragon �n. karnari n. kidkilyi n. kilykilyi n. lakurda ripe �������������������������������������n. budala ripe bush orange ��� n. mawukala ripple �������������������������������n. ngarlangbalangku rise �������������������������������������cv. dijayili v. dumarnini rise (of dust) ���������������cv. jungun risen from bed ���������n. dumarninja riser (someone who gets up) �����������n. dumarnina river �����������������������������������n. binka n. jurrkulu river bank ���������������������n. jirrkilimi river-country people �������������������������n. Binkangarna river crossing �������������n. jarrmaka river gum tree �����������n. birijbirija river red gum �������������n. bilirna n. dimarlarn n. kunjimarra river wallaby ���������������n. makiliwarnu road �����������������������������������n. wandarri n. wurrumu road, fork in ����������������n. yalyalywari roast ���������������������������������cv. julbun rob �������������������������������������cv. kawarraj rock �����������������������������������n. bamarr n. bili n. wumara flat rock �����������������������n. kama rock fig ���������������������������n. nambula rock kangaroo �����������n. kanjalawuri n. ngalijirri n. wankurra n. wardabarnmarra female ���������������������������n. kanjalawuri n. ngalijirri n. wankurra male �������������������������������n. wardabarnmarra rock pigeon �����������������n. kilwilwirni rock python �����������������n. kiwarlija n. kunudjarri rock wallaby ���������������n. wukardij rock-country dragon lizard ���������n. bubulu rocket frog �������������������n. ngurlkuna rockhole �������������������������n. bidbulu n. luwan 336 English to Mudburra word finder

rocky outcrop, flat � n. mardardban roll up �������������������������������cv. dinimi rolling hair on thigh �����������������������������cv. winymurru rolypoly �������������������������n. jijal root (of tree) ���������������n. murrungu n. windurru rope �����������������������������������n. jalardu rosewood ���������������������n. kirriri rotten �������������������������������n. buka n. lungulyu rotten (of food) �������cv. nungulyu rotten (of wood) �����cv. jabulyuka n. jakirri n. buyuluka rough �������������������������������n. budubudu rough-tailed goanna �����������������������n. jarany n. kinja n. ladaja round (go around) � n. wankijbari round (shape) �����������n. marduju round rock outcrop �����������������������n. mardardban round yam �������������������n. jarrwana n. karrngayi row �������������������������������������cv. darridarri rub rub on ���������������������������cv. baly rub sticks to light fire �����������������������cv. binyinyib rub with implement �����������������cv. wirrb rubbish ���������������������������n. kanganinja

n. wangi rubbish collector ���n. kanganina rubbish dump (Elliott) �������������������������n. Marrini rufous whistler ���������n. nyurijngarna n. nyurujminji n. yurijminji run �������������������������������������adv. karrakarra cv. kayang runner �����������������������������n. kayangbarnina rustle �������������������������������cv. kalyarra cv. karrilyarra

shaking

Ss sacred place ���������������n. mamarrang sad �������������������������������������n. wangi saliva ��������������������������������n. jalkirra saltwater �����������������������n. marnkuwana n. ngabarlngabarl salty �����������������������������������n. wingki salty tree �����������������������n. bijiwuna same ���������������������������������suf. -rni sand ���������������������������������n. buyuda n. buyuluka n. nulka n. nuya hot sand ���������������������n. ngawurra sand storm ����������������n. jilyi sand frog �����������������������n. wardinji sand goanna, male �������������������������������n. jurrkubadi n. kirrawa n. warnkarranga sandalwood ���������������n. wurumburru sandhill ���������������������������n. yindirr sandhill people ��������n. kardajala sandpaper fig �����������n. bunjarri sandstone �������������������n. yurrabi Sandy Camp (at Sturt Plains) �����������n. Walirra sandy ground �����������n. ludju Sandy Lagoon �����������n. Wukalukalu sap, red ��������������������������n. diyinu satiated ��������������������������n. bundundurra n. dinngarrwari savannah �����������������������n. buwali sawdust �������������������������n. jakirri say �������������������������������������v. marnini scabies ���������������������������n. jangawurru scan the countryside �������������cv. mardkarra scar �����������������������������������n. barduru n. kurnbarra n. murrurru scar, ritual ���������������������n. kunybarra scarab beetle larvae ���������������������������n. wangku scared �����������������������������cv. burriyi school (send to) �������cv. lulub scoop out ���������������������cv. larlub scorpion land scorpion �����������n. mundarla

water scorpion �������n. kibilyibiyi scraping tool �������������n. juna n. ngarlaardku small �������������������������������n. minanga scratch ���������������������������cv. karal cv. warra cv. warrkuji scratch an itch ���������cv. jikirdikirdi screw up �����������������������cv. wadiyid scrub �������������������������������n. buji n. manja n. wimina scrunch up nose �����cv. nyiny sea eagle �����������������������n. warlawirri search for ���������������������cv. darumi see �������������������������������������v. nyanganini seed any �����������������������������������n. jilwi bauhina seed �����������n. ngabilibili blue wire grass seed �������������������������������n. mawurumi grass seed �����������������n. yidaaji pokey grass seed �n. mawurumi selfish �����������������������������n. dilyika

n. nyunganiwangka n. yilyi send send away �����������������cv. wujuk send halfway �����������cv. jularr send message ���������cv. bud send to learn ceremonies ���������������cv. lulub send to school ���������cv. lulub sensitive plant ���������n. warrbanji separate �������������������������cv. jarn

n. karumani cv. wijuk separately ���������������������cv. diyaj cv. jarrban set (of sun) �������������������cv. juny Seven Sisters constellation �����������n. Mirrinymirrirda shade �������������������������������n. ngaluba n. ngandayi shadow ���������������������������n. ngandayi shaft (of spear) ���������n. mirlarrang shake �������������������������������cv. wungan cv. wurrungkarra shake tree ���������������������cv. nyingin shaking ���������������������������cv. birrbirrara

English to Mudburra word finder 337

shallow shallow ���������������������������cv. kajub n. kalyja n. kurranyku n. nyinyinbari shame �����������������������������cv. mabu shape-shifter �������������n. munba sharp �������������������������������n. jaama n. marrimarri sharpen �������������������������v. jamarnini cv. wirrbiji sharpened �������������������n. jamarninja sharpener ���������������������n. jamarnina shatter �����������������������������cv. dambaj shave �������������������������������v. jabunganini cv. jimaj she/he and I do it for her/him/it �����aux. balyarla pro. -lyarla she/he and I do it for ourselves �����aux. balyarna pro. -lyarna she/he and I do it for you ���������������������aux. balyangku pro. -lyangku she/he and I do it to hers/his/its ���aux. balyarla pro. -lyarla she/he and I do it to our own �����������aux. balyarna pro. -lyarna she/he and I do it to ourselves �������aux. balyarna pro. -lyarna she/he and I do it to you �����������������������aux. balyangku pro. -lyangku she/he and I do it to yours �����������������aux. balyangku pro. -lyangku shear ���������������������������������v. jabunganini shed skin �����������������������cv. nyurru sheep �������������������������������n. yukulyarri sheet of rain ���������������n. jarrumulu shell �����������������������������������n. kawarla shellbush ���������������������n. likinimi shelter �����������������������������n. burdun n. dumuru n. nanji shield �������������������������������n. kurduju n. kuwarri n. mirda 338 English to Mudburra word finder

shift camp �������������������cv. wirrmal cv. yirrmal shift over �����������������������cv. wirrmal cv. yirrmal shimmer �������������������������n. waji shin �����������������������������������n. wulu n. wurdulyi shine ���������������������������������cv. dinyil shine red �����������������������cv. bilyingkarra shining ���������������������������cv. bilirringkarra cv. biringkarra cv. ngarramal shit �������������������������������������n. jirdi shitwood �����������������������n. kulunjurru n. ngimbija shivering �����������������������cv. birrbirrara shock �������������������������������cv. birrard shoo away �������������������cv. yuward shoo flies �����������������������cv. warlkumi shoot �������������������������������cv. dulyurr cv. durlk cv. duruk v. luwarnini shooting star �������������n. baribari short ���������������������������������n. dardarra n. dunkuja short wind �������������������cv. ngangayarra short ribs �����������������������n. jiminkina short rice grass �������n. ngabijimi shorten ���������������������������cv. dunkukuja cv. ngurrij short-necked turtle �����������������������������n. kulamandarri shot (someone who has been shot) �����������������������������n. luwarninja shotgun �������������������������n. durlkbari n. durlkkarrangarna n. luwarnina n. makirdi shoulder �����������������������n. labarn n. murlku shoulder blade �������n. birimilyi n. kurdujukurduju n. ngabikilyi top of shoulder �������n. ngabarn shout �������������������������������cv. jirrijirri shovel coolamon ���n. biyardu

skinned show ���������������������������������cv. lin cv. milij v. wujunganini cv. yuju show ceremonial knowledge ���������������cv. jawujbi shower (someone who shows) �������������n. wujunganina shufflewing �����������������n. jurruwuji shut �����������������������������������cv. jard shut up ���������������������������cv. windarr shut up! �������������������������interj. marriya shy �������������������������������������cv. mabu sibling, younger �����n. bardarda n. karlaja sick �������������������������������������n. janga cv. murrijkarra sick (very) ���������������������cv. warlard sickness country �����n. Jangawirri side by side �����������������cv. balkij cv. wanjirr side of creek ���������������n. darrajbi side of neck �����������������n. ngujbi side (go to other) ���cv. kal sigh �����������������������������������cv. ngard sight (poor) �����������������cv. bul silky browntop grass �����������������������������n. liwiji silly �������������������������������������n. kalyurra similar to �����������������������part. wali sing �����������������������������������v. yinbarnini sing corroboree �������cv. wajarra sing out �������������������������cv. wayarra singer �������������������������������n. yinbarnina singing bushlark �����n. kunkurdijarra single men’s quarters ���������������������n. malkirra single women’s quarters ���������������������n. birdibirdi n. jilimi sister elder sister �����������������n. karlu sister-in-law ���������������n. mungkaja n. ngajala n. wurdurdu sister’s child �������������n. juka n. kurdurdu sister’s husband �����n. banji n. ngumbarna sisters of initiand ��� n. birdibirdi

younger sister ���������n. bardarda

n. karlaja sit �����������������������������������������cv. dak v. kayini cv. kulardbi cv. lurlubkarra sit cross-legged �����cv. dinkija sit down �����������������������cv. waka sit up �����������������������������cv. kurdarr sit with legs folded back to one side �����cv. durdukuly sit with legs straight out ���������������cv. durrujki

cv. durrurr sit with spread bottom �������������������������cv. jalybuk sitting bones �������������n. miji

Six Mile (Beetaloo Station Bore) ���������n. Jurriyi skin �����������������������������������cv. buyurr n. kurrunyu n. marrkirri cv. wabalyu n. wardjuru skin cancer �����������������n. jangawurru skin group �������������������n. manyku n. ngurnanga skin name (female) n. Nalyirri n. Nambijina n. Namija n. Nanaku n. Nangala n. Nangari n. Nawurla n. Nimarra n. Ngamana skin name (male) ���n. Jabalyi n. Jabarda n. Jalyirri n. Jambijina n. Janama n. Jangala n. Jangari n. Jimarra n. Jimija n. Jurla skin off ���������������������������cv. ngakalyarra skin, dry �������������������������cv. yilyilyi skink ���������������������������������n. dangulinji Hosmer’s ���������������������n. mirrkabalyi skinned ���������������������������cv. ngakalyarra English to Mudburra word finder 339

skinny skinny �����������������������������n. dikawangka n. kardakarda n. kudbari n. larrkaja n. mayiwangka skip �����������������������������������cv. dibard skirt, traditional �������n. winanga sky �������������������������������������n. dimbu n. kulumarra sky (in song) ���������������n. kurlungarlijba slap �����������������������������������cv. wak sleep ���������������������������������cv. makina cv. manyan cv. mukuna sleepyhead �����������������n. nyinykarrangarna slender pigweed �����n. lukarrara slip �������������������������������������cv. barany slippery ��������������������������n. baranybaranya slippery lizard �����������n. dangulinji slow �����������������������������������n. walykarra slow person ���������������n. wayilkarrangarna slowly (go) �������������������cv. nangaj slowly (move) �����������cv. yamaka cv. yawaka smack �����������������������������cv. wurdik small ���������������������������������n. dardarra n. dungkuja n. wunyu small of back �������������n. jakabirdi smart �������������������������������n. bardakurru smash �����������������������������cv. jalybuk by dropping �������������cv. balyarr by falling ���������������������cv. balyarr smash up �������������������cv. dulyurr smell ���������������������������������cv. ngabu smile ���������������������������������cv. nginy smoke �����������������������������v. bumarnini n. jungkarna smoke or dust rising �����������������������������cv. julub smoke tree �������������������n. bularraku n. minburu smoke up ���������������������cv. jungun smooth ���������������������������n. baranybaranya n. bidbida snail �����������������������������������n. dinyingilan n. karlardari snake �������������������������������n. wari black and white �����n. walundirrindirrin carpet ���������������������������n. kumaji

340 English to Mudburra word finder

king brown �����������������n. jawulwarra

n. kiwarlija n. wari orange-naped ���������n. jarlmurunymuruny n. miyakakarra n. yindarangi pie-bald �����������������������n. mulyukuna western brown �������n. ngayiliji whip �������������������������������n. dalyi yellow tree �����������������n. kirnirriny n. kiyirnmini snake vine �������������������n. jarlardu snake-lizard, spinifex �����������������������n. mirniyirri snake-necked turtle �����������������������������n. wardjayi snapping turtle �������n. kulamandarri snappy gum ���������������n. wamba snarling ��������������������������n. nyinywari snatch �����������������������������cv. birrk cv. burrk sneak �������������������������������cv. nangaj sneak around not looking �������������������������cv. wurdkurdkuli sneak up ���������������������cv. karrajkarraj

cv. mulungu sneering �������������������������n. nyinywari snot �����������������������������������n. kudkulya cv. kulykulya n. nyijilirrinya so that �����������������������������part. amba soak �����������������������������������n. barlakuji n. bidbulu soakage �������������������������n. nankuna n. winji so-and-so ���������������������n. ngambungambu soap tree �����������������������n. bilangbilang n. kalkardi soft �������������������������������������n. bulya n. manmanbari n. manyamanya soft ground �����������������n. nuya soft spot (on baby’s head) �����������n. burrunjawuni softly (talk) �������������������cv. yamaka cv. yawaka someone �����������������������quest. ngana something �������������������n. nyamba son �������������������������������������n. yarriki man’s child �����������������n. ngalawuny son’s wife �������������������n. kurndaja

spring corkwood son-in-law for a man ���������������������n. lambarra for a woman �������������n. mali soon ���������������������������������adv. kurdikurdi sore �����������������������������������n. janga

n. marndara sores ���������������������������������n. jangawurru sorry ���������������������������������cv. mabu interj. mandiyala cv. milyarra cv. nguran sound of gun �������������cv. duwu soup ���������������������������������n. yingalka south �������������������������������n. kurlarra South Camp (Elliott) �������������������������n. Wilyuku spangled perch �������n. danyan speak up �����������������������cv. jirrijirri spear ���������������������������������n. bankili n. jimbilang cv. karna v. langanini n. mirlarrang barbed spear �����������n. kularda fighting spear ���������n. kularda hook spear �����������������n. wararang spear shaft �����������������n. mirlarrang spear shaft (shovel spear) ���������n. yurlanga spear (to hook up) � cv. jalk spearhead �����������������n. jimbilang wire spear �������������������n. wilmurr spear bush �������������������n. barrakarl

n. kalwakalwa spear grass �����������������n. buyirrin n. kirlirrwala spearhead metal �����������������������������n. biyanganina stone �����������������������������n. jarribili spear-thrower �����������n. bikirri n. jalkaji n. ngarlika n. warlmayi small �������������������������������n. jirrk spectacled hare-wallaby �����������n. wambana speed (top) �����������������adv. karrakarra spell (rest) �������������������cv. yawarra spell (cast) �������������������cv. nguj spicy ���������������������������������n. marrimarri

spider �������������������������������n. darru n. jirinyili n. karruji n. yumbu spider web �������������������n. karrujinginyi spike (of fish) �������������n. nyili spill ������������������������������������cv. jurlurl spindle (for weaving) �������������������n. winymurru spine ���������������������������������n. kumungku n. nyili spine of a fish �����������n. nyiliwurru spinifex ���������������������������n. manyangarna n. warrba spinifex hoppingmouse �������������������������n. ijibarda n. wijibarda spinifex lizard �����������n. damburrng spinifex pigeon �������n. kilwilwirni spinifex snakelizard �����������������������������n. mirniyirri spinifex wax ���������������n. kirnima spiny gooseberry ��� n. birdiyinjirrimi n. warnburrkbi spit �������������������������������������n. banga n. jalkirra cv. warn spit out ���������������������������cv. banyang spit rain ���������������������������cv. banyang spitfire grub ���������������n. munba splash �����������������������������cv. darndarn splatter ���������������������������cv. banyang split �����������������������������������cv. dil split (as of head) �����cv. jinkirr split lengthways �����cv. laj split up ���������������������������cv. jarn spoken to ���������������������n. marninja spoonbill �����������������������n. bulumburlirdi n. damburrngarna spots ���������������������������������n. kilyikilyikbari spotted ���������������������������n. jurdukuwurru spotted nightjar �������n. barnangka spouse’s crosscousin ��������������������������n. wururr spread something � cv. baly spread bottom ���������cv. jalybuk spring �������������������������������n. jinjimilirrinmi n. kuyuwa n. nankuna n. winji spring corkwood ���n. jangarla English to Mudburra word finder 341

spring grass spring grass ���������������n. dilji spring on Newcastle Waters station �������n. Lurriyangkujku spring up �����������������������cv. dibard springwater �����������������n. marnkuwana sprinkler �������������������������n. kunjanina sprint �������������������������������adv. karrakarra spurt ���������������������������������cv. darlk squash ���������������������������cv. bijarrk cv. jamburlk v. lamarnini squashed ���������������������n. lamarninja squasher (someone who squashes) �����n. lamarnina squawk ���������������������������cv. waakwaak cv. yakak squeeze �������������������������cv. bijarrk cv. wadiyid squirm �����������������������������cv. wardakurlkarra stab �����������������������������������cv. durrb stalk �����������������������������������cv. liward stand �������������������������������cv. duliny stand up ������������������������cv. jid cv. jirrk cv. kurdij cv. rawarra standing ������������������������cv. kurdij star �������������������������������������n. jajalya n. jinkiji n. kamirrinji shooting star �����������n. baribari stare at ���������������������������cv. kankil stared at �������������������������n. nyanganinja starer �������������������������������n. nyanganina stars (Seven Sisters constellation) ���������n. Mirrinymirrirda start �����������������������������������cv. ngarrijkarra start fire �������������������������cv. dun cv. lurrku startled ���������������������������cv. malngarl cv. nyimung stay �����������������������������������cv. lurd stay put �������������������������cv. yardi stay (make) �����������������cv. yardi steal �����������������������������������cv. jawurra stealing bird ���������������n. jiwarurru stench �����������������������������n. burrngayik step on ���������������������������cv. jamburlk v. lamarnini stick �����������������������������������n. karndi forked stick ���������������n. karlarla 342 English to Mudburra word finder

scraping stick �����������n. ngalardku stick for getting honey ���������������������������n. junji stick for leading people ���������������������������n. miliru

n. kanyjilku n. kabili walking stick �������������n. miliru kindling �����������������������n. imina n. wawurru n. wimina n. yimina stick in �����������������������������cv. kurrb stick insect �������������������n. jalibi n. wajirrki large �������������������������������n. jalibi stick on ���������������������������cv. banyang still �������������������������������������cv. karlbirl stilt, red-legged �������n. nginginji stink �����������������������������������n. burrngayik n. lungulyu cv. ngabu stink-bug �����������������������n. juju n. ngabukarrangarna stinking ���������������������������cv. nungulyu stinking turtle �����������n. lamurrangkurdi stinky �������������������������������n. lungulyu stir ���������������������������������������cv. mangan cv. wardid cv. yingi stomach �������������������������n. majula stone ��������������������������������n. bamarr n. bili n. wumara flat stone ���������������������n. kama white stone ���������������n. liwakbari stone axe �����������������������n. karnbalaja n. kurrwa stone chisel blade �n. kiyindan stone country �����������n. kaja stone knife �������������������n. jabirri n. kiyindan n. wardirrki stone knife for fighting �����������������������n. kajakaja stone for painting (white or silver) �����n. ngunjungunju stone trough �������������n. luwan Stony Creek ���������������n. Kilirrini stood up �����������������������cv. jid

swag stop �����������������������������������case. -mulu cv. warduj stop by ���������������������������cv. yardi stork (jabiru) ���������������n. karrinji storm �������������������������������n. yibu storm bird ���������������������n. kurrakurraka straight ���������������������������cv. juduk n. kurrbari straight for marriage ���������������������n. kurrbari n. linba n. minmiji n. yamarak straight out (sit with legs) �������������������cv. durrujki cv. durrurr straight (look at) �����cv. kankil stranger �������������������������n. warnayaka n. yajkangu strap ���������������������������������cv. wurdik straw-necked ibis ��� n. kurndindin stretch �����������������������������cv. wurr stretching ���������������������cv. wilyiwilyi striated pardalote �n. lunba string �������������������������������n. duwany n. jardukurru n. mundiri n. ngurrmana n. wili n. yibungu string made from hair ���������������������n. wirrkala stripe �������������������������������n. murrurru

stripe-faced dunnart �����������������������n. yarrukaji strong �����������������������������n. birlbu strong person ���������n. dardalya strong wind ���������������n. marlinbungu strut �����������������������������������cv. bundajbundaj cv. wajalkarra strychnine �������������������n. marnngilija stuck ���������������������������������cv. jambard stuck to ���������������������������cv. balyab stuck together ���������n. nyan stupid �������������������������������n. langajija n. langawangka n. warungka submerge ���������������������cv. ngilyiburr subsection �������������������n. manyku n. ngurnanga

female ���������������������������n. Nalyirri

n. Nambijina n. Namija n. Nanaku n. Nangala n. Nangari n. Nawurla n. Nimarra n. Ngamana male �������������������������������n. Jabalyi n. Jabarda n. Jalyirri n. Jambijina n. Janama n. Jangala n. Jangari n. Jimarra n. Jimija n. Jurla suck �����������������������������������cv. bunybunyi cv. nyunyuk suck out �������������������������cv. muk sucker way (walk) ��� cv. bundajbundaj sugar �������������������������������n. ngarlu sugarbag �����������������������n. ngarlu ground �������������������������n. nangkalinya tree ���������������������������������n. ngalyawurru yellow part of �����������n. kundarri n. kurla sugarleaf �����������������������n. bijardku n. nanjarrnga n. wandala sulk �����������������������������������cv. burdurl sulky ���������������������������������cv. bujarri n. jilyirrwari sulphur-crested cockatoo �������������������n. bangarra n. ngadaru sun �������������������������������������n. wangku sundown �����������������������n. wajurrajurra sung ���������������������������������n. yinbarninja sunset �����������������������������cv. juny n. junywarla until sunset ���������������adv. junyjuny suppertime �����������������n. burunjirrila supplejack �������������������n. walakarri surprised �����������������������cv. malngarl surprisingly �����������������suf. -kayi surrender ���������������������v. ngardanganini surround �����������������������cv. nganda swag ���������������������������������n. danku English to Mudburra word finder 343

swallow swallow ��������������������������cv. dukurl cv. kunyki cv. nginying swamp ����������������������������n. barlakuji n. langkana at Dunmarra �������������n. Jardbini swamp box ���������������n. bawulji n. jibibin n. jinjaraku swamp leech �����������n. nyurrnguli near railway ���������������n. Kuwajaja north of Murranji ��� n. Kilikilika n. Kurrakurraka on Murranji Station �������������������������n. Munmulka swamp wallaby �������n. makiliwarnu sway-backed �������������n. balnganbari swear �������������������������������v. junini swearer ���������������������������n. junina

n. juninangarna n. jununarrangarna sweat �������������������������������n. jilngida n. ngurnanga sweep �����������������������������cv. walkindi sweet �������������������������������n. kunja swell up �������������������������cv. rub cv. lungbirri swim ���������������������������������cv. darukarra cv. jakarajbi cv. jirrbu cv. kalyarrumi swim across �������������cv. ngajarl swim along ���������������cv. lilaj swing �������������������������������cv. wurrungkarra swing (on a swing) cv. kirrirdinkirrirdin sworn at �������������������������n. juninja

Tt Tablelands people � n. Kakarrinji taboo name �����������������n. ngambungambu tackle (for fishing) � n. warurrbu tadpole ���������������������������n. kibilyibilyi n. kirikira tail ���������������������������������������n. jawurd taipan-like snake �����n. burumana n. jurndakal take �����������������������������������v. kanganini take along �������������������cv. durru 344 English to Mudburra word finder

take away �������������������cv. jakba take away from �������cv. burrk take bark off �������������cv. ruwu take care of ���������������cv. ngidji take off �������������������������cv. wijuk take out �����������������������cv. dulurdulub take skin off ��������������cv. ruwu take (something) off (someone) ���������cv. burrk

taken (something that has been taken) ���������������������������n. kanganinja talk �������������������������������������v. marnini talk a lot �����������������������n. kankanbalarra talk about �������������������cv. jarrak talk to �����������������������������cv. dikal talkative person �������n. marnina tall ���������������������������������������n. wilirla talon ���������������������������������n. libi tamarix ���������������������������n. bijiwuna tap �������������������������������������cv. darl cv. jurrlnguny target (miss) ���������������cv. warrarra taste ���������������������������������cv. kuyu cv. malany tasteless �����������������������n. jalbu tasting �����������������������������adv. majka ta-ta lizard �������������������n. kaburi n. wijina n. yibijirrina big ta-ta lizard ���������n. marndaraji taunt ���������������������������������cv. warakaji tawny frogmouth ��� n. jurdiyina tea ���������������������������������������n. diyi n. lalija tea-leaf (bush) ���������n. lalija n. lambalambarr tea-leaves ���������������������n. jinarli teach ���������������������������������cv. binarrik cv. lin cv. mirrarda teach (ceremonial knowledge) �������������cv. jawujbi teacher ���������������������������n. wujunganina tease ���������������������������������cv. yingi teenage female ���������������������������n. wamala male �������������������������������n. yarrulan male, newly initiated �����������������������n. yaba telephone ���������������������n. ngurrmana

they do it to ours (not yours) tell ���������������������������������������cv. yurrk tell a story �������������������cv. dikal tell lies ���������������������������cv. marruk cv. ngulyi tell news ���������������������cv. jawuja tell off ���������������������������cv. bambaya tell to not do something �����������������cv. mamam tendon �����������������������������n. nganju

n. wili n. yarninjirra n. yarningkirra tendon on side of neck �������������������������n. jarrkuru Tennant Creek ���������n. Jukurraku n. Junkurraku termite �����������������������������n. jakirri n. munkuna flying termite �����������n. yirrban termite mound �������n. barlanji n. kindijku n. mardumardu n. nyindijku termite mound, large white �����������������n. wanbuni

test (of ceremonial knowledge) �������������cv. jawujbi thankfully ���������������������interj. madja that �������������������������������������part. abala part. amba dem. kadi dem. kadu dem. yaladem. yalithat one �������������������������dem. kadi dem. kadu that way �������������������������suf. -barda dem. kadi dem. kadu dem. yalangkurra that way (direction) �����������������adv. kuwabarda adv. kuwarni that’s all �������������������������adv. kuya that’s when �����������������part. kuyangka the runs �������������������������n. ngajkula theirs �������������������������������aux. bayina pro. -yina theirs (two of them) ���������������������������aux. bayili pro. -yili

them ���������������������������������aux. bayina pro. -yina then �����������������������������������adv. kardabun dem. kadu part. wabala suf. -wanya dem. yalingurlu adv. mujurni there ���������������������������������dem. kadu dem. yalangka dem. yali there (towards) �������adv. kuwarni dem. yalangkurra these ���������������������������������dem. nginyarra these ones �������������������dem. nginyarra they �����������������������������������aux. bali pro. -li they do it for her/him/it �����������������aux. balirla pro. -lirla they do it for me �����aux. bayili pro. -yili they do it for them �aux. bayinangulu pro. -yinangulu they do it for themselves �������������aux. balirna pro. -lirna they do it for us (including you) �����aux. bangalawangulu pro. -ngalawangulu they do it for us (not you) ���������������������aux. bangandangulu pro. -ngandangulu they do it for you ���aux. bangkulu pro. -ngkulu they do it for you mob ���������������������aux. banjurrangulu pro. -njurrangulu they do it to hers/his/its �������������aux. balirla pro. -lirla they do it to me �������aux. bayili pro. -yili they do it to mine ��� aux. bayili pro. -yili they do it to ours (including yours) � aux. bangalawangulu pro. -ngalawangulu they do it to ours (not yours) �������������������aux. bangandangulu pro. -ngandangulu English to Mudburra word finder 345

they do it to their own they do it to their own �������������������aux. balirna pro. -lirna they do it to theirs � aux. bayinangulu pro. -yinangulu they do it to them ��� aux. bayinangulu pro. -yinangulu they do it to themselves �������������aux. balirna pro. -lirna they do it to us (including you) �����aux. bangalawangulu pro. -ngalawangulu they do it to us (not you) ���������������������aux. bangandangulu pro. -ngandangulu they do it to you �����aux. bangkulu pro. -ngkulu they do it to you mob ���������������������aux. banjurrangulu pro. -njurrangulu they do it to yours (you mob) �����������������aux. banjurrangulu pro. -njurrangulu they do it to yours �aux. bangkulu pro. -ngkulu thigh ���������������������������������n. jarrumulu n. kala thighbone ���������������������n. bungbunga thin �������������������������������������n. dikawangka n. kudbari n. mayiwangka very thin �����������������������n. larrkaja thin-faced ���������������������n. nyinywari think ���������������������������������cv. barnbungku cv. kunguyarra cv. ngangaj thirsty �������������������������������n. kurranyku this �������������������������������������dem. minya dem. murlu dem. nginya this way �������������������������adv. kuya adv. kuwanjala suf. -njala dem. nginyangkurra thither �����������������������������suf. -barda adv. kuwarni thorn ���������������������������������n. baka n. nyili thorny devil �����������������n. yarlikiji

346 English to Mudburra word finder

those �������������������������������dem. kadu dem. yali those two ���������������������aux. bawula pro. -wula dem. yalikujarra pro. -yili those two do it for her/him/it ���������aux. bawularla pro. -wularla those two do it for me ���������������������aux. bayiwulayi pro. -yiwula those two do it for themselves �����aux. bawurna pro. -wurna those two do it for you �������������������������aux. bangkuwula pro. -ngkuwula those two do it to hers/his/its �������aux. bawularla pro. -wularla those two do it to me �����������������������������aux. bayiwulayi pro. -yiwula those two do it to mine �����������������������aux. bayiwulayi pro. -yiwula those two do it to their own �������������aux. bawurna pro. -wurna those two do it to themselves �������aux. bawurna pro. -wurna those two do it to you ���������������������������aux. bangkuwula pro. -ngkuwula those two do it to yours �����������������������aux. bangkuwula pro. -ngkuwula thrash �������������������������������cv. wub threaten �������������������������cv. ngurr three ���������������������������������n. murrkuna n. yukardu throat �������������������������������n. mankujbi n. ngirlkirri n. ngujbi throat pouch (bush turkey) ���������n. larraranga through �������������������������cv. birrk throw �������������������������������v. kurnini cv. wan

Top Springs throw something soft ���������������������������������cv. banyang thumb �����������������������������n. marndamarnda thunder ���������������������������cv. durdurdarra n. jujumana Thursday �����������������������n. kurranyku thus �����������������������������������dem. kadi adv. kuya tick �������������������������������������n. bidara n. midilyi tickle ���������������������������������cv. kijikijik cv. kinkilarri tie up �������������������������������cv. dibid cv. dirrk tight �����������������������������������n. birlbu n. dardalya n. kudbari n. madbari tin ���������������������������������������n. barrakud n. buludin n. jawaranya n. kardak tiny �������������������������������������n. wunyuwunyu tip up �������������������������������cv. jalalang tired �����������������������������������cv. wayabi cv. yawarra v. yamarnini tea-tree ���������������������������n. bakarli n. ngarlingarli to �����������������������������������������case. -jirri case. -ku case. -kurra case. -ngkurra case. -wu case. -yirri to her �������������������������������aux. barla pro. nyanunya pro. -rla to him �������������������������������aux. barla aux. nyanunya pro. -rla to it �������������������������������������aux. barla pro. nyanunya pro. -rla to me �������������������������������aux. bayi pro. ngayinya pro. -yi to them ���������������������������aux. bayina pro. -yina to this one �������������������dem. nginyawu

to those two ���������������aux. bayili pro. -yili to us (including you) �������������������������������aux. bangalawa pro. -ngalawa to us (not you) �����������aux. banganda pro. -nganda to us two (her/him and me) aux. bangaliya pro. -ngaliya to us two (you and me) �����������������������aux. bangali pro. -ngali to you �������������������������������aux. bangku pro. -ngku pro. nyununya to you mob �����������������aux. banjurra pro. -njurra to you two �������������������aux. bangkuwurna pro. -ngkuwurna tobacco �������������������������n. janyungu n. warlayarra n. warnu bush tobacco �����������n. walmalmaj tobacco, no ashes n. kurnka today �������������������������������n. jalya toddler ���������������������������n. winymingarna toe �������������������������������������n. jamana n. jina n. yunba toenail �����������������������������n. milinji n. ngardjida together �������������������������cv. balkij adv. muju cv. wanjirr cv. warrb tomahawk �������������������n. dawurdawu n. mayingka tomato bush tomato �������������n. birdiyinjirrimi n. warnburrkbi desert tomato ���������n. kurangkujku tomorrow ���������������������n. jardila n. jawardila tongue �����������������������������n. jalanya too �������������������������������������suf. -ja too much �����������������������part. dumaji part. waju tooth ���������������������������������n. lirra top speed ���������������������adv. karrakarra Top Springs ����������������n. Yingawunarri English to Mudburra word finder 347

torso torso ���������������������������������n. lungkurra totem (matrilineal) �n. ngurlu totem name (matrilineal)  �����������n. Ninibi n. Wurrbujangi n. Burruburrurda touch �������������������������������cv. julnguny touching �����������������������cv. balkij towards �������������������������case. -jirri case. -ka case. -kurra suf. -njala case. -ngkurra case. -yirri towards here �������������dem. nginyangkurra towards that ���������������dem. yalangkurra towards there �����������dem. yalangkurra towards this ���������������dem. nginyangkurra track ���������������������������������n. jamana n. jina cv. karduk n. wandarri cv. wirling n. wurrumu cv. yangkarra n. yili n. yunba traditional owner ���n. ngurramala travel (overnight) ���cv. yajka traveller �������������������������n. yajkangu traverse �������������������������cv. kal tread on �������������������������cv. jamburlk tree (any) �����������������������n. karndi tree root �������������������������n. murrungu n. windurru tree sugarbag �����������n. ngalyawurru tree trunk ���������������������n. murrngu trench (for fishing) � n. nijiniji trim �����������������������������������v. jabunganini cv. ngurrij trip (go on) �������������������cv. yajka tripe �����������������������������������n. burlu trod on ���������������������������v. lamarnini tropical cyclone �������n. marlinbungu trouble (to cause) ��� cv. nguj trousers �������������������������n. birirdangarna n. kalangarna true �����������������������������������interj. yijarni trunk of tree ���������������n. murrngu truth ���������������������������������interj. yijarni try to ���������������������������������suf. -birri 348 English to Mudburra word finder

trying �������������������������������adv. majka tucker �������������������������������n. nanbari turkey bush �����������������n. lilimbi n. marliyana turn �����������������������������������cv. wadiyid cv. wilmij cv. yilmij turn around ���������������cv. jajurr cv. wirrminy turn back ���������������������cv. jajurr turn lights off �����������cv. jibij turn off �������������������������cv. jarrbard turn over ���������������������cv. jadurr cv. warrngalab cv. wirrminy turpentine wattle ���n. mulurrmi n. mungkurrja turpentine wattle, red �����������������������������������n. mulurrmi n. mungkurrja turtle long-necked �������������n. wardjayi short-necked �����������n. kulamandarri snake-necked ����������n. wardjayi stinking �����������������������n. lamurrangkurdi twigs ���������������������������������n. wimina two �������������������������������������suf. -birra suf. -kujarra n. kujarra two of them ���������������aux. bawula pro. -wula pro. -yili aux. bayili two of us �����������������������aux. balya aux. bangali aux. bangaliya aux. barli pro. -lya pro. -ngali pro. -ngaliya pro. -rli two of you �������������������aux. banbula pro. -ngkuwurna pro. nyundukujarra pro. -nbula aux. bangkuwurna

wallaby

Uu ugly �����������������������������������n. wangi umbilical cord �����������n. julu n. ngajurrujurru unable �����������������������������cv. wilajkarra uncle ���������������������������������n. ngamirni wife of uncle �������������n. muluriyi under �������������������������������n. kanju undercooked �������������n. kurnka underneath �����������������n. kanju undo ���������������������������������cv. wijuk unexpectedly �������������suf. -kayi unfamiliar ���������������������n. warnayaka Union Camp ���������������n. Mardardban n. Naranaraja unripe �����������������������������n. kurnka unwilling �����������������������a. nyukunyuku up ���������������������������������������n. kankulu upright ���������������������������cv. jid upright, standing up �����������������������������������cv. jirrk uproot �����������������������������cv. dambaj upside down �������������cv. jadurr upstream �����������������������n. kankarra urinate �����������������������������cv. ngundu urine ���������������������������������n. kumbu n. mijuku n. ngundu us �����������������������������������������pro. ngayuwalija us (including you) �aux. bangalawa pro. -ngalawa us (not you) �����������������aux. banganda pro. -nganda us two �����������������������������aux. bangali aux. bangaliya pro. -ngali pro. -ngaliya pro. ngayukujarra uvula ���������������������������������n. ngujbi

vehicle �����������������������������n. karrakarrangarna n. kayangbarnina n. kurrurrij n. murdika victim �������������������������������n. barninja view �����������������������������������n. binki view (come into) �����cv. dibij vine �����������������������������������n. jalardu caustic vine ���������������n. jinyjinymi dodder vine ���������������n. jakudakuda milk vine ���������������������n. jinyjinymi necklace vine �����������n. birrilibala opilia vine �������������������n. ngabulkulyu snake vine �����������������n. jarlardu violent �����������������������������n. barnina visit �����������������������������������cv. jarrbajarrba vista �����������������������������������n. binki voice ���������������������������������n. ngujku vomit �������������������������������cv. baku cv. kak v. kurnini cv. wujkurrarra

Ww wait �����������������������������������cv. kurdi cv. liward cv. lurd wait for long time ��� cv. didikarra wake up �������������������������cv. kajimi cv. lanba walk �����������������������������������cv. kija cv. winymi walk around �������������cv. kiwardakarra cv. jarrbajarrba walk with tiny steps �����������������������������n. durrbul walkabout �������������������cv. jarrbajarrba walking stick �������������n. miliru

wallaby

Vv valley �������������������������������n. barlanganjanganja varied lorikeet �����������n. kumbulyurra vegetable food ���������n. nanbari n. mangarri

grass wallaby �����������n. wambana pretty-face wallaby �������������������������n. makiliwarnu river wallaby �������������n. makiliwarnu rock wallaby �������������n. wukardij swamp wallaby �������n. makiliwarnu

English to Mudburra word finder 349

wallaroo wallaroo �������������������������n. kanjalawuri n. ngalijirri n. wankurra n. wardabarnmarra walnut, desert �����������n. dardaji Wambaya people ��� n. Kakarrinji wander ���������������������������cv. kiwardakarra want to keep something for yourself �����������������������v. ngardjanini war �������������������������������������cv. ngarimi adv. warnangka Wardaman mixed with Mudburra �����n. Karranga n. Karrangburru n. Kayilariny Warlmanpa people and language ���������n. Warlmana warm ��������������������������������n. mangarrbari warm up �������������������������cv. darl warn ���������������������������������cv. langarak cv. lirndarr wash ���������������������������������cv. darukarra cv. jirrbu cv. wuluk wasp mud wasp �������������������n. burrmurumura paper wasp ���������������n. nurnurnuminji water goanna �����������n. diyarrngarna water python �������������n. baningkula n. jabardajabarda n. jimuruka water scorpion ���������n. kibilyibiyi water weed (green-hair) �������������n. banbanya water ��������������������������������n. nguku running �������������������������n. lurlularra inside bloodwood lump �������������������������������n. karrinbirri spurting out �������������cv. darlk

water-carrier coolamon �����������������n. kardiyi waterbug �����������������������n. kibilyibiyi waterlily blue ���������������������������������n. kaminarrinymi white �����������������������������n. yarraji wattle black �������������������������������n. kamangarna n. kurabuka grey weeping �����������n. kalkardi needle-leaf �����������������n. mayibi 350 English to Mudburra word finder

turpentine �����������������n. mulurrmi

n. mungkurrja weeping �����������������������n. barlungbarlung wave ���������������������������������n. ngarlangbalangku wave away �������������������cv. warlkumi

Wave Hill Station new ���������������������������������n. Jamanku old �����������������������������������n. Jinbarrak wax �������������������������������������n. jikala wax, spinifex �������������n. kirnima we ���������������������������������������pro. ngayuwalija we (including you) � aux. barlawa

pro. -rlawa we (including you) do it for her/him/it �����������������aux. barlawarla pro. -rlawarla we (including you) do it for ourselves �������������������aux. barlawarna pro. -rlawarna we (including you) do it for them ���������aux. barlawangulu pro. -rlawangulu we (including you) do it to hers/his/its �������������aux. barlawarla pro. -rlawarla we (including you) do it to our own ���aux. barlawarna pro. -rlawarna we (including you) do it to ourselves � aux. barlawarna pro. -rlawarna we (including you) do it to theirs ���������aux. barlawangulu pro. -rlawangulu we (including you) do it to them �����������aux. barlawangulu pro. -rlawangulu we (not you) ���������������aux. barnali pro. -rnali we (not you) do it for her/him/it ���������aux. barnalirla pro. -rnalirla we (not you) do it for ourselves �����������aux. barnalirna pro. -rnalirna we (not you) do it to hers/his/its �������aux. barnalirla pro. -rnalirla

whinge we (not you) do it to our own ���������������aux. barnalirna pro. -rnalirna we (not you) do it to ourselves �������������aux. barnalirna pro. -rnalirna we do it for them ���aux. barnayinangulu pro. -rnayinangulu we do it for you �������aux. barnangkulu pro. -rnangkulu we do it for you mob �������������������������������aux. barnanjurrangulu pro. -rnanjurrangulu we do it to theirs �����aux. barnayinangulu pro. -rnayinangulu we do it to them �����aux. barnayinangulu pro. -rnayinangulu we do it to you ���������aux. barnangkulu pro. -rnangkulu we do it to you mob �������������������������������aux. barnanjurrangulu pro. -rnanjurrangulu we do it to yours (you mob’s) �������������aux. barnanjurrangulu pro. -rnanjurrangulu we do it to yours �����aux. barnangkulu pro. -rnangkulu we two ���������������������������aux. balya aux. barli pro. -lya pro. ngayukujarra pro. -rli weak ���������������������������������cv. wayabi weather, hot ���������������cv. bilyak weave ������������������������������cv. rarr wedge-tailed eagle �����������������������������n. diwarna n. warlawirri weebill �����������������������������n. bijbija week ���������������������������������n. wik weeping wattle �������n. barlungbarlung weigh down ���������������cv. nurd well �������������������������������������adv. bardakurrinykarra n. bardakurru n. bidbulu part. marri conj. ngaa well then �����������������������adv. kardabun west �����������������������������������n. karlarra western brown snake ���������������������������n. ngayiliji

Western Mudburra people and language �������������������n. Kuwirrinji western subdivision of Mudburra �����������n. Yalarra wet �������������������������������������n. bandij cv. jirrbu v. kunjanini n. kurrumunmulu n. wirdbala n. wujbala wet (make wet) �������cv. jurlurl wet season �����������������n. ngukuburu n. yibu whack �����������������������������cv. wirnbud what ���������������������������������n. nyamba what (do what, do something) �������cv. ngadayini what about �����������������part. marri conj. ngarla what did it �������������������quest. nyambali what for �������������������������quest. nyambawu what kind ���������������������quest. nyamba quest. ngadarra quest. nyadarra what time ���������������������quest. nyangurla what’s-its-name �������n. nyambala when ���������������������������������quest. abala part. abala suf. -baa quest. nyangurla when (just at the time) �����������������������������adv. mujurni when (that time when) ���������������������������part. wabala where �������������������������������quest. nganangka quest. wanjika quest. wanjuwarra where from �����������������quest. wanjingurlu which �������������������������������part. abala part. amba quest. wanji which way �������������������quest. wanjika quest. wanjuwarra which way (how) �����quest. ngadarra quest. nyadarra while ���������������������������������part. abala suf. -jaru suf. -yaru while, a ���������������������������n. mandajala-yaru whinge ���������������������������cv. burdurl English to Mudburra word finder 351

whip whip ���������������������������������cv. wurdik whip snake �����������������n. dalyi whirlwind ���������������������n. mayamba whisker ���������������������������n. jalyangbalyangku n. jawulungbulungka whistling duck ���������n. jibilyaku n. jibilyuku n. kibilyuku whistling kite �������������n. dilkurni n. kalbuna white ���������������������������������cv. liwakarra n. liwakbari n. yadu white ant �����������������������n. jakirri n. munkuna white cloud �����������������n. nguku liwakarra white cockatoo ���������n. birrilyi white currant �������������n. juwurlana n. ngaburrayimi white gum �������������������n. darralyaka n. ngarramili n. ngurlkuku n. wubala n. wabilungu white plum �������������������n. juwurlana n. ngaburrayimi white rain ���������������������n. nguku liwakarra white top of black storm clouds ���������n. mingkiyini white waterlily ����������n. yarraji white-breasted sea-eagle �������������������n. warlawirri white-breasted woodswallow ���������n. janba white-faced owl �������n. kuyarru n. ngajakurra white-necked heron ���������������������������n. darliwa n. jarlwa n. karnbakakurni whitefella ���������������������n. kardiba n. kardiya whitewood tree �������n. jakirlirra who �����������������������������������quest. ngana who did it ���������������������quest. nyambali why �����������������������������������quest. nyambanginyi quest. nyambangurlu quest. ngadarrarla quest. nyambawu widow �����������������������������n. wangu wife �����������������������������������n. mungkaja 352 English to Mudburra word finder

wife of brother �������n. mungkaja wife of your son �����n. kurndaja wife’s brother �����������n. banji

n. ngumbarna wife’s mother �����������n. mali wife’s uncle ���������������n. muluriyi wild carrot �������������������n. nyinmi

wild curry kurrajong �������������������n. miyaka wild curry kurrajong yam �������n. wanyanda wild ebony �������������������n. yumulun wild grain ���������������������n. mangula wild onion yam ���������n. mundubarli wild orange �����������������n. babingi wild passionfruit �����n. babingi wild pawpaw �������������n. babingi wild peanut �����������������n. kirriri wild potato �����������������n. babirda n. jikarrambini wild rice �������������������������n. karlarlanjurru n. kiyinkirra n. lukarrara n. mangurlu willie wagtail ���������������n. jikirrija n. jindikirrija willy-willy ���������������������n. mayamba wind ���������������������������������n. burriyib wind, strong ���������������n. malywa wind (blow) �����������������adv. bub windbreak �������������������n. dumuru n. narranjarna n. nijiniji windside �����������������������n. marrangan windy time �������������������n. karrinya wing ���������������������������������n. bijinka n. binkirr n. liyimbu n. marramarra n. mayamaya winnow ���������������������������cv. barak cv. barang wipe with implement ���������������cv. wirrb wire �����������������������������������n. ngurrmana n. wilmurr wire spear ���������������������n. wilmurr wire grass (blue) �����n. burruru witchetty grub ���������n. laju n. lamawurda

you and I with �����������������������������������suf. -jaru suf. -yaru without ���������������������������suf. -wangka without anything else ���������������������������������suf. -bijirni woman ���������������������������n. kirri old woman �����������������n. jabaka n. kajirri woman’s child ���������n. juka n. kurdurdu women’s dance �����cv. jarra cv. jujirrki cv. mulyurrbkarra cv. murdu women’s dancing, fast ���������������������������������n. jurruki women’s quarters � n. birdibirdi

n. jilimi won’t give anything ���������������������n. dilyika n. yilyi wood �������������������������������n. karndi wood duck �������������������n. wububukarri wooded country �����n. buwali wooden spear shaft �����������������������������n. birlkurung woodswallow black �������������������������������n. janbarrimana n. jinbinbilyi white-breasted �������n. janba word ���������������������������������n. mulwa n. yurrwa work ���������������������������������cv. warangali worm �������������������������������n. jawarla worried ���������������������������cv. ngadjana worry about ���������������cv. ngidji cv. nguran wrap up �������������������������cv. wukuk wriggle ���������������������������cv. wardakurlkarra wriggle about (as of grub) �������������cv. wuyakwuyakkarra wring �������������������������������cv. bijarrk cv. wadiyid wrinkle ���������������������������n. murrurru wrong-way partner �������������������������n. karndikari n. waji

Yy yabby �������������������������������n. jalij yam �����������������������������������n. babirda n. jikarrambini young ���������������������������n. ngabilyi black-soil ���������������������n. kamara n. milakurr bush �������������������������������n. warnmirri cheeky �������������������������n. jarrwana n. karrngayi kurrajong ��������������������n. wanyanda little ���������������������������������n. nyinmi long ���������������������������������n. kamara onion �����������������������������n. mundubarli pencil �����������������������������n. wayida pigweed �����������������������n. kilimi pink-flowered �����������n. yangunungku round �����������������������������n. jarrwana n. karrngayi wild curry kurrajong �����������������n. wanyanda yam stick �����������������������n. kabili

n. kiyarri yawning �������������������������cv. wayabi yellabala �������������������������n. bilyingbilyinga yellow ������������������������������n. dankurra yellow honey �������������n. ngunyju yellow tree snake ��� n. kirnirriny n. kiyirnmini yellow-jacket �������������n. kambulumi yellow-spotted goanna large �������������������������������n. walanja small �������������������������������n. wardaba yellow-throated miner �����������������������������n. bijbija yes �������������������������������������part. ngawayi interj. yuu interj. yuwayi yesterday ���������������������n. bayinda n. wajurra you �������������������������������������aux. ban aux. bangku pro. -n pro. -ngku pro. nyundu you all �����������������������������pro. nyunduya you and I �����������������������aux. barli pro. -rli pro. -lya English to Mudburra word finder 353

you and I do it for her/him/it you and I do it for her/him/it ���������aux. barlirla pro. -rlirla you and I do it for ourselves �����������aux. barlirna pro. -rlina you and I do it to hers/his/its �������aux. barlirla pro. -rlirla you and I do it to our own ���������������aux. barlirna pro. -rlirna you and I do it to ourselves �������������aux. barlirna pro. -rlirna you and me �����������������aux. bangali pro. -ngali you do it for her/him and me ��� aux. bangaliyan pro. -ngaliyan you do it for her/him/it �����������������aux. bankurla pro. -nkurla you do it for me �������aux. bayin pro. -yin you do it for the two of us ����������aux. bangaliyan pro. -ngaliyan you do it for them �aux. bayinan pro. -yinan you do it for those two �����������������aux. bayilin pro. -yilin you do it for us (including you) �����aux. bangalawan pro. -ngalawan you do it for us (not for yourself) � aux. bangandan pro. -ngandan you do it for you and me �����������������������aux. bangalin pro. -ngalin you do it for yourself �����������������������aux. bannyanun pro. -nnyanun you do it to her/him and me ��� aux. bangaliyan pro. -ngaliyan you do it to hers/his/its �������������aux. bankurla pro. -nkurla 354 English to Mudburra word finder

you do it to me ���������aux. bayin pro. -yin you do it to mine �����aux. bayin pro. -yin you do it to ours (hers/his and mine) �����������������������������aux. bangaliyan pro. -ngaliyan you do it to ours (including yours) � aux. bangalawan pro. -ngalawan you do it to ours (not yours) ���������������aux. bangandan pro. -ngandan you do it to ours (yours and mine) � aux. bangalin pro. -ngalin you do it to the two of us �������������������aux. bangaliyan pro. -ngaliyan you do it to theirs ��� aux. bayinan pro. -yinan you do it to them ���aux. bayinan pro. -yinan you do it to those two �����������������aux. bayilin pro. -yilin you do it to theirs (those two) ���������������aux. bayilin pro. -yilin you do it to us �����������aux. bangandan pro. -ngandan you do it to your own �������������������aux. bannyanun pro. -nnyanun you do it to yourself �����������������������aux. bannyanun pro. -nnyanun you mob ������������������������aux. banda aux. banjurra pro. -nda pro. -njurra pro. nyunduya aux. banjurra pro. -njurra pro. nyunduya you mob do it for each other �������aux. bandarnan pro. -ndarnan

yours (two of you) you mob do it for her/him/it �����������������aux. bandarla pro. -ndarla you mob do it for me ���������������������������aux. bayindan pro. -yinda you mob do it for them ���������������������aux. bayinanngulu pro. -yinanngulu you mob do it for us �����������������������������aux. bangandanngulu pro. -ngandanngulu you mob do it for yourselves �������aux. bandarnan pro. -ndarnan you mob do it to each other ���������aux. bandarnan pro. -ndarnan you mob do it to hers/his/its �������aux. bandarla pro. -ndarla you mob do it to me �����������������������������aux. bayindan pro. -yinda you mob do it to mine �����������������������aux. bayindan pro. -yinda you mob do it to ours �������������������������aux. bangandanngulu pro. -ngandanngulu you mob do it to theirs ����������������������aux. bayinanngulu pro. -yinanngulu you mob do it to them �����������������������aux. bayinanngulu pro. -yinanngulu you mob do it to us �������������������������������aux. bangandanngulu pro. -ngandanngulu you mob do it to your own �������������aux. bandarnan pro. -ndarnan you mob do it to yourselves ���������aux. bandarnan pro. -ndarnan you two �������������������������aux. banbula pro. -nbula pro. -ngkuwurna pro. nyundukujarra pro. -wula

you two do it for her/him/it �����������������aux. banbularla pro. -nbularla you two do it for me �����������������������������������aux. bayinbula pro. -yinbula you two do it for yourselves ���������������aux. banburnan pro. -nburnan you two do it to each other ���������aux. banburnan pro. -nburnan you two do it to hers/his/its �������aux. banbularla pro. -nbularla you two do it to me �����������������������������aux. bayinbula pro. -yinbula you two do it to mine �����������������������aux. bayinbula pro. -yinbula you two do it to yourselves ���������aux. banburnan pro. -nburnan you two to do it to your own �������������aux. banburnan pro. -nburnan young man (newly initiated) ��� n. yaba young rainbow serpent �����������������������n. ngayikngayikbarn younger brother or sister �����������������������n. bardarda n. karlaja youngest child ���������n. mijinykurra your �����������������������������������aux. bangku suf. -marnany pro. -ngku pro. nyununya yours ���������������������������������aux. bangku pro. -ngku pro. nyununya yours (two of you) � aux. bangkuwurna pro. -ngkuwurna

English to Mudburra word finder 355

8 English to Mudburra

SCIENTIFIC NAME FINDER

Aa Abrus precatorius �������������������n. kajuwa Acacia auriculiformis �����������n. kamangarna Acacia difficilis �������������������������n. bilangbilang n. kalkardi Acacia hemignosta ���������������n. kalkardi Acacia lysiphloia ���������������������n. mulurrmi n. mungkurrja Acacia maconochieana �������n. kunandurru Acacia monticola ���������������������n. mulurrmi n. mungkurrja Acacia orthocarpa �����������������n. mayibi Acacia shirleyi ���������������������������n. karnawuna n. manjarna n. warraka Acacia spp. ���������������������������������n. mangula Acacia stenophylla �����������������n. barlungbarlung Acacia stipuligera �������������������n. bilangbilang n. kalkardi Acacia torulosa �������������������������n. kamangarna n. kurabuka Acacia victoriae �����������������������n. mininmi Acanthophis hawkei �������������n. jiyibi Amitermes �����������������������������������n. barlanji n. kindijku n. mardumardu n. nyindijku n. wanbuni Amphibolurus spp. ���������������n. kaburi n. marndaraji n. wijina n. yibijirrina Amyema spp. �����������������������������n. ngamari Anas (Nettion) gracilis ���������n. warlabardbi Anas superciliosa �������������������n. wububukarri Anhinga melanogaster �������n. karrangkarrang Annelida ���������������������������������������n. jawarla n. nyurrnguli Anseranas semipalmata �����n. nguknguk n. warlidaji Antaresia childreni �����������������n. kumaji Aprosmictus erythropterus �������������������������n. wilik Aquila audax �����������������������������n. diwarna n. warlawirri

Arachnida �������������������������������������n. darru n. jirinyili n. karruji n. mundarla n. yumbu Araneae �����������������������������������������n. darru n. jirinyili n. karruji n. yumbu Aristida pruinosa ���������������������n. burruru Artamus leucorynchus �������n. janba Artamus spp. �����������������������������n. janbarrimana n. jinbinbilyi Aspidites melanocephalus �������������������n. mulyukuna Atalaya hemiglauca ���������������n. jakirlirra Aythya australis �����������������������n. jurluwardbini n. ngurrujuruka

Bb Barringtonia acutangula �������������������������������n. jilawanmani Bauhinia cunninghamii �������n. banjibanji n. jingi n. wanyarri Blattodea �������������������������������������n. mijikungarna Blumea axillaris �����������������������n. manyanyi n. warnamburrngu Bos indicus ���������������������������������n. buliki n. didbakarnu Bos taurus �����������������������������������n. buliki n. didbakarnu Bothriochloa ewartiana �������n. liwiji Brachychiton diversifolius �����������������������������n. dardaka n. yingki Brachychiton megaphyllus ���������������������������n. kinjirrka Brachychiton multicaulis �������������������������������n. miyaka n. wanyanda English to Mudburra scientific name finder 357

Brachychiton paradoxus ���n. kinjirrka

Cc Cacatua galerita �����������������������n. bangarra n. ngadaru Cacatua leadbeateri �������������n. dakudbari n. yakakak n. yarrkankuna Cacatua roseicapilla �������������n. kilikilika n. kilinykiliny n. wajilan Cacatua sanguinea ���������������n. birrilyi Caelifera ���������������������������������������n. waniyi Calyptorhynchus banksii �����������������������������������������n. dirrakin n. lirralirraka n. lirrawuna Calytrix exstipulata ���������������n. lilimbi n. marliyana Canis familiaris �������������������������n. kunyarrba n. warlaku Canis familiaris dingo �����������n. jurruwuji n. ngurrakina n. winkuwarnu n. wurrakina n. yiminji Capparis lasiantha �����������������n. babingi Capparis umbonata ���������������n. bambilyi n. bunayingmi n. kurlinyaka Capra hircus �������������������������������n. bilikud n. jirrmiriny n. nanikud n. yukulyarri Carissa spinarum �������������������n. baka n. ngamanburru Cassytha filiformis �����������������n. jakudakuda Centropus phasianinus �������n. bukbukbini n. wurruburdkarra n. yirribudbudba Chalmydera nuchalis �����������n. jiwarurru Chara spp. �����������������������������������n. banbanya Chelodina canii �������������������������n. lamurrangkurdi Chelodina oblonga �����������������n. wardjayi Chenonetta jubata �����������������n. wububukarri Chilopoda �������������������������������������n. lirrimi n. warrbanji

358 English to Mudburra scientific name finder

Chlamydosaurus kingii �������n. jamankula n. kadangula Chrysopogon �����������������������������n. wurrbudja Chrysopogon fallax ���������������n. kurrubuja Cicadidae �������������������������������������n. nirrungarna Clerodendrum floribundum ���������������������������n. kungkulimi n. nyambalanyambala Cochlospermum gregorii ���������������������������������������n. kalidba n. karlwakarlwa Coleoptera �����������������������������������n. linyarda n. wangku Coracina spp. �����������������������������n. jurruwuji Corvus bennetti �����������������������n. waakwaak n. wakalabala n. wangkina n. wangkurinya Corvus orru ���������������������������������n. waakwaak n. wakalabala n. wangkina n. wangkurinya Corymbia aspera ���������������������n. kurruda Corymbia bleeseri �����������������n. jardburru n. jidburdbu Corymbia dichromophloia �������������������n. jardburru n. jidburdbu Corymbia drysdalensis �������n. kunjird Corymbia ferruginea �������������n. kunjird Corymbia terminalis �������������n. kunduwa Cosmozosteria spp. �������������n. mijikungarna Cossidae larval stage �����������n. laju n. lamawurda Coturnix spp. �����������������������������n. burrunjawurni Cracticus nigrogularis ���������n. bilkurr n. kurrbulawuji Crinum arenarium �������������������n. jajarlkin Crocodylus johnstoni �����������n. warrija Cryptoblepharus carnabyi �������������������������������������n. bala Ctenophorus caudicinctus ���������������������������n. karnari n. kidkilyi n. kilykilyi n. lakurda Ctenophorus spp. �������������������n. kaburi n. marndaraji n. wijina n. yibijirrina Ctenotus spp. ���������������������������n. dangulinji

Cucumis melo ���������������������������n. kawujin n. mikalinbi Culicidae ���������������������������������������n. bangkula n. kanamurrmurra Cymbopogon bombycinus ���������������������������n. warrinjalan Cymbopogon procerus �������n. warrinjalan Cyperus bulbosus ������������������n. jundayunda n. kinyuwurru Cyperus vaginatus �����������������n. dilji

Dd Dacelo leachii ���������������������������n. dalmurrana n. jalkururru Dasyurus hallucatus �������������n. barrjirda n. juburda Delma borea �������������������������������n. mirniyirri Delma nasuta ����������������������������n. damburrng Delta spp. �������������������������������������n. burrmurumura n. nurnurnuminji Demansia �������������������������������������n. dalyi Dendrelaphis punctulata �������������������������������n. kirnirriny n. kiyirnmini Dendrocygna arcuata ���������n. jibilyaku n. jibilyuku n. kibilyuku Dendrocygna eytoni �������������n. jibilyaku n. jibilyuku n. kibilyuku Dicaeum hirundinaceum ���������������������n. jindiminya Dichrostachys spicata ���������n. kiyilmi n. nyili Dioscorea bulbifera ���������������n. jarrwana n. karrngayi Diospyros humilis �������������������n. yumulun Diplopoda �����������������������������������n. juna Diporiphora spp. ���������������������n. bubulu Diptera �������������������������������������������n. bangkula n. kanamurrmurra n. warangarra Dolichandrone heterophylla ���������������������������n. lawa Dromaius novaehollandiae �������������������n. karnanganja n. yibarrardu

Ee Egernia hosmeri �����������������������n. mirrkabalyi Egretta alba ���������������������������������n. kawukawu n. liwirni Egretta pacifica �����������������������n. darliwa n. jarlwa n. karnbakakurni Eleocharis brassii �������������������n. mundubarli Elseya dentata ���������������������������n. kulamandarri Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus �������������������������������������n. karrinji Equus caballus �������������������������n. dimana n. yarraman n. yarrarrawirra n. yawarda Eragrostis spp. �������������������������n. ngabijimi Eragrostis tenellula ���������������n. karlarlanjurru n. kiyinkirra Eremophila bignoniflora �����n. kurubi Erythrogonys cinctus �����������n. bijbija n. dijbijbini Erythrophleum chlorostachys �������������������������n. marndarlngarra Eucalyptus camaldulensis �����������������������n. bilirna n. dimarlarn n. kunjimarra Eucalyptus coolabah �����������n. bidbidarra Eucalyptus leucophloia �������n. wamba Eucalyptus microtheca �������n. bidbidarra Eucalyptus phoenicea ���������n. kunjird Eucalyptus pruinosa �������������n. bularraku n. minburu Eucalyptus victrix �������������������n. wabilungu Eudynamys orientalis �����������n. mirrirribini Eulalia aurea �������������������������������n. liwiji Eurostopodus argus �������������n. barnangka Eurystomus orientalis ���������n. jinbinbilyi n. kulkanya Excoecaria parvifolia �������������n. manyingila n. marrija

Ff Falco cenchroides �����������������n. dirdila n. waruburluburlu Falco spp. �������������������������������������n. karrkanya English to Mudburra scientific name finder 359

Felis catus �����������������������������������n. bujikard n. manburrwari n. nyurnam Ficus aculeata ���������������������������n. bunjarri Ficus platypoda �����������������������n. nambula Fulica atra �������������������������������������n. birringbarlirni Furina ornata �����������������������������n. jarlmurunymuruny n. miyakakarra n. yindarangi

Gg Gallinula ventralis �������������������n. yakakurrumini Gardenia ewartii ���������������������n. kabal Gekkonidae ���������������������������������n. kangbi n. kumbali n. warlwara Geopelia cuneata �������������������n. kularnkurridi n. kulukuk n. kulunkurru Geopelia striata �����������������������n. kularnkurridi n. kulukuk n. kulunkurru Geophaps plumifera leucogaster �����������������������������n. kilwilwirni Gomphrena canescens �������n. marlirrawurru Grallina cyanoleuca ���������������n. didiyija n. dirridirrija n. kurlirrida Grevillea dimidiata �����������������n. walarrbaji Grevillea mimosoides ����������n. walarrbaji Grevillea pyramidalis �����������n. walarrbaji Grevillea striata �����������������������n. jalwilyi n. jawilyi Grevillea wickhamii ���������������n. bijalaba n. marrabarla Grewia breviflora ���������������������n. wilirda Grewia retusifolia �������������������n. kinginymi n. manamburran Grus rubicunda �����������������������n. kurrarndala Gryllidae ���������������������������������������n. dalydalyngarna Gryllotalpidae ���������������������������n. dalydalyngarna Gymnorhina tibicen ���������������n. bilkurr n. kumurlawurra Gyrocarpus americanus �����n. kulunjurru n. ngimbija

360 English to Mudburra scientific name finder

Hh Hakea arborescens ���������������n. bilyilyungku n. mirndiwirri Hakea chordopylla �����������������n. bukumarra n. wuwarrajkala Hakea macrocarpa �����������������n. bilyilyungku Hakea lorea ���������������������������������n. bukumarra n. wuwarrajkala Halacrocorax carbo ���������������n. kuwandanbinyaka Haliaeetus leucogaster �������n. warlawirri Hamirostra melanosternon ���������������������n. warliyangka Hemiptera �����������������������������������n. juju n. kibilyibiyi n. kulindirnda n. nikuru n. nirrungarna n. ngabukarrangarna n. nyikirriri n. nyikirrurru Hepialidae larval stage �������n. laju n. lamawurda Hirudinea �������������������������������������n. nyurrnguli Holthuisana transversa �������n. marnababurni n. ngardarda Hymenoptera �����������������������������n. burrmurumura n. kijakija n. lirrkinkinya n. nurnurnuminji n. yibaba

Ii Ipomoea abrupta ��������������������n. yangunungku Ipomoea aquatica �������������������n. milakurr Ipomoea costata ���������������������n. babirda n. jikarrambini n. ngabilyi Ipomoea diamantinensis ���������������������n. kamara Irediparra gallinacea �������������n. dijirrirna Isoodon auratus �����������������������n. bakuru

Isoptera �����������������������������������������n. barlanji n. jakirri n. kindijku n. mardumardu n. munkuna n. nyindijku n. wanbuni n. yirrban

Ll Lagorchestes conspicillatus �������������������������n. wambana Lampyridae ���������������������������������n. linyarda Leichhardtia australis �����������n. kilibi Leiopotherapon unicolor �������������������������������������n. danyan Lepidoptera �������������������������������n. kungmarna n. marlimarli n. munba Lepidoptera larval stage �����n. laju n. lamawurda Lethocerus spp. �����������������������n. kibilyibiyi Liasis fuscus �������������������������������n. baningkula n. jabardajabarda n. jimuruka Liasis olivaceus ������������������������n. kiwarlija n. kunudjarri Litoria caerulea �������������������������n. ngurlkuna Litoria nasuta �����������������������������n. ngurlkuna Liza alata ���������������������������������������n. mibirri Lobelia arnhemiaca ���������������n. walmalmaj Lophognathus spp. ���������������n. kaburi n. marndaraji n. wijina n. yibijirrina Lophostemon grandiflorus �����������������������������n. bawulji n. jibibin n. jinjaraku Luciola �������������������������������������������n. linyarda

Mm Macrobrachium spinipes �������������������������������������n. jalij

Macrotermes spp. �����������������n. jakirri n. munkuna Macrotis lagotis �����������������������n. jalbawurru n. jilbi n. yalbawurru n. yarningki Malacorhynchus membranaceus ���������������������n. jurluwardbini n. ngurrujuruka Malurus lamberti ���������������������n. jijirrmirni n. jirrjirrmirni n. kirnjirlmirna Malurus melanocephalus �������������������n. jijirrmirni n. jirrjirrmirni n. kirnjirlmirna Manorina flavigula �����������������n. bijbija Mantodea �������������������������������������n. jalibi n. wajirrki Marsdenia australis ���������������n. ngimirrikimi Marsdenia viridiflora �������������n. kilibi n. ngimirrikimi Melaleuca lasiandra ���������������n. bakarli n. ngarlingarli Melaleuca nervosa �����������������n. bakarli n. ngarlingarli Melaleuca viridiflora �������������n. bakarli n. ngarlingarli Melopsittacus undulatus ���������������������������������n. nguruwaji n. wujuwujurna Milvus migrans �������������������������n. dirdingarnu Milvus sphenurus �������������������n. dilkurni n. kalbuna Muehlenbeckia florulenta �����������������������������������n. likinimi Mus musculus ���������������������������n. munyinyi Musca spp. ���������������������������������n. warangarra Muscidae �������������������������������������n. warangarra Myriapoda �����������������������������������n. lirrimi n. warrbanji Myrmeleontidae ���������������������n. mirnjirnirriny

Nn Nauclea orientalis �������������������n. jamba Neosilurus hyrtlii ���������������������n. jalarlka n. kirirni n. ngirnngirda English to Mudburra scientific name finder 361

Neptunia monosperma �������n. warrbanji Nettapus pulchellus �������������n. warlabardbi Neuroptera ���������������������������������n. mirnjirnirriny Ninox connivens ���������������������n. kurrkurrji n. manbulu Ninox novaeseelandiae �������n. kurrkurrji n. manbulu Notamacropus agilis �������������n. makiliwarnu Notomys alexis �������������������������n. ijibarda n. wijibarda Nycticorax caledonicus ������n. karlina n. karliwaku n. kawula Nyctophilus geoffroyi ���������n. ngarlaminymirna Nymphaea sp. ���������������������������n. yarraji Nymphaea violacea ���������������n. kaminarrinymi Nymphicus hollandicus �����n. wirriwurna

Oo Ochetellus spp. �����������������������n. yibaba Ochrogaster sp. �����������������������n. munba Ocimum caryophyllinum ���n. lalija n. lambalambarr Ocyphaps lophotes ���������������n. bilangkurridi Odontomachus spp. �������������n. kijakija n. lirrkinkinya Oligochaeta �������������������������������n. jawarla Onychogalea unguifera �����n. jambukarra n. junma n. junguwarn n. ngungungmarna Opilia amentacea �������������������n. ngabulkulyu Orthoptera �����������������������������������n. dalydalyngarna n. waniyi Osphranter robustus �����������n. kanyjalawuri n. ngalijirri n. wankurra n. wardabarnmarra Osphranter rufus ���������������������n. kajangarna n. kanjarlawirri n. ngalijirri n. wakwara n. wawirri n. yunumburrku Owenia reticulata �������������������n. dardaji n. dardaji Oxyuranus? ���������������������������������n. burumana n. jurndakal 362 English to Mudburra scientific name finder

Pp Pachycephala rufiventris ���������������������������������n. nyurijngarna n. nyurujminji n. yurijminji Pardalotus striatus �����������������n. lunba Pediculus capitis ���������������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. wurdu n. yingkila Pediculus humanus ���������������n. wawuyawuru Pelecanus conspicillatus �������������������������n. walanybirri Pentatomoidea �������������������������n. juju n. ngabukarrangarna Petalostigma pubescens �������������������������������n. marlungkarru Petalostylis cassioides �������n. warrbanji Petrochelidon ariel �����������������n. bijiwiriwiriya n. jurnalinja n. wurrujulajula n. wurrujulujula Petrogale brachyotis ������������n. wukardij Phalacrocorax carbo �������������n. durdba n. kirringkirringma n. kirrkilanji Phalacrocorax sulcirostris �������������������������������n. nardburrunjini n. narli Phalacrocorax varius �����������n. kalangarriya Phaps chalcoptera �����������������n. marrababirni n. wandarrkurrini Phaps histrionica �������������������n. marrababirni n. wandarrkurrini Phasmatodea ���������������������������n. jalibi n. wajirrki Phthiraptera �������������������������������n. juwuda n. mubunjini n. wawuyawuru n. wurdu n. yingkila Pisolithus tinctorius �������������n. yarrayalya Platalea spp. �������������������������������n. bulumburlirdi n. damburrngarna Podargus strigoides �������������n. jurdiyina Podaxis pistillaris �������������������n. yarrayalya Pomatostomus temporalis �������������������������������n. barlakaka n. kulanginyirni

Porochilus argenteus �����������n. jalarlka n. kirirni n. ngirnngirda Portulaca bicolor ���������������������n. kilimi Portulaca filifolia ���������������������n. lukarrara Portulaca oleracea �����������������n. mangurlu Portulaca pilosa �����������������������n. nyinmi Pseudechis australis �������������n. kiwarlija Pseudonaja nuchalis ������������n. ngayiliji Psitteuteles versicolor ���������n. kumbulyurra Pterocaulon serrulatum �����n. manyanyi n. warnamburrngu Pterocaulon sphacelatum ���������������������������n. manyanyi n. warnamburrngu Pteropus alecto �����������������������n. barnkiji n. walijidbarri Pteropus scapulatus �������������n. bilkina Ptilotus exaltatus �������������������n. marlirrawurru Pulicidea ���������������������������������������n. midilyi

Ss Santalum lanceolatum ���������n. wurumburru Sarcophagidae �������������������������n. kungurlurla Sarcostemma viminale �������n. jinyjinymi Sclerolaena bicornis �������������n. bajara Scorpiones ���������������������������������n. mundarla Scythrops novaehollandiae �������������������n. kurrakurraka Senna notabilis �������������������������n. liyarrangarna Senna venusta �������������������������n. liyarrangarna Sesbania cannabina �������������n. barrakarl n. kalwakalwa Sesbania formosa �������������������n. jangarla Smicrornis brevirostris �������n. bijbija Sminthopis macroura �����������n. yarrukaji Solanum chippendalei ���������n. kurangkujku Solanum echinatum �������������n. birdiyinjirrimi n. warnburrkbi Solanum tumulicola �������������n. yukulurrubi Sorghum matarankense �����n. kirlirrwala Sorghum timorense �������������n. kirlirrwala Sphaeranthus indica �������������n. manyanyi n. warnamburrngu Sternorrhyncha �����������������������n. kulindirnda n. nikuru n. nyikirriri n. nyikirrurru

Streptoglossa bubakii ���������n. manyanyi n. warnamburrngu Streptoglossa odora �������������n. manyanyi n. warnamburrngu Strongylura krefftii �����������������n. diwurru Struthidea cinerea �����������������n. kirrarayimirni

Tt Tabanidae spp. ���������������������n. burrju Tachybaptus novaehollandiae �������������������n. birrirda n. kiwinji Tachyglossus aculeatus �����n. nyinawurda Taeniopygia spp. ���������������������n. nyiyinyi n. nyunumi Tamarix aphylla �����������������������n. bijiwuna Terminalia arostrata ���������������n. bardiki n. dardaji Terminalia bursarina �������������n. birijbirija Terminalia canescens �����������n. kambulumi Terminalia platyphylla ���������n. marndayanga Terminalia volucris �����������������n. kirriri Termitaria �������������������������������������n. bilaya n. kirininyma Termitidae �����������������������������������n. yirrban Threskiornis spp. �������������������n. kunymirni n. kurndindin Tiliqua multifasciata �������������n. lungkura n. mabaya n. ngalbaya Tiliqua scincoides �������������������n. jurlurlurra Tinospora smilacina �������������n. jarlardu Todiramphus spp. �������������������n. marrinkili Toxotes chatareus �����������������n. lawarra Tribulus terrestris �������������������n. darladarla n. nyili n. wurlurnmi Trichodesma zeylanica �������n. ngunungunu Trichosurus vulpecula ���������n. jakulaji n. jangana n. ngurrkudi Triodia bitextura �����������������������n. manyangarna n. warrba Triodia pungens �����������������������n. manyangarna n. warrba Turnix spp. �����������������������������������n. burrunjawurni Tympanocryptus cephalus �����������������������������������n. jabandurra English to Mudburra scientific name finder 363

Tyto alba ���������������������������������������n. kuyarru n. ngajakurra

Vv Vanellus miles ���������������������������n. dirrjirrirna Varanus acanthurus �������������n. jarany n. kinja n. ladaja Varanus gilleni ���������������������������n. kawurawura n. walbingkirra Varanus gouldii �������������������������n. walanja n. wardaba Varanus mertensi �������������������n. diyarrngarna Varanus panoptes �������������������n. jurrkubadi n. kirrawa n. warnkarranga Varanus storri ���������������������������n. jarany n. kinja n. ladaja Velesunio wilsonii �������������������n. dangkila n. dugu n. kurdijalaka n. marlangayi Ventilago viminalis �����������������n. walakarri Vermicella annulata ���������������n. walundirrindirrin Vespidae ���������������������������������������n. burrmurumura n. nurnurnuminji Vigna lanceolata ���������������������n. warnmirri n. wayida Vitex glabrata �����������������������������n. kiyindinymi

364 English to Mudburra scientific name finder

9 Mudburra verbs This section contains the full set of Mudburra inflecting verbs. See Section 4.7 for further explanation of verb use and formation. Note that not all of these verbs could be checked with Mudburra speakers but they are reasonble guesses based on other verbs in the same conjugation.

Bb bala v. hits. barnana v. has hit. VARIANT: barna. barnani v. has come and hit. barnanybala v. is always hitting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barnanybarna v. has been hitting. VARIANT: banjibarna. barnanybarnani v. is coming while hitting, has been coming while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarnani. barnanybarnarra v. is going while hitting, has been going while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarnarra. barnanybarnarra v. might keep hitting. VARIANT: banjibarnarra. barnanybarnarrara v. might go while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarnarrara. barnanybarnarrarni v. might come while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarnarrarni. barnarra v. has gone and hit. barnarra v. might hit. barnarrara v. might go and hit. barnarrarni v. might come and hit. barni v. to hit. VARIANT: barnu. barni v. had hit. barnini v. hit, kill, chop. barninybarni v. was hitting (before). VARIANT: banjibarni. barninybarnini v. keeps hitting. VARIANT: banjibarnini. barninybarnirra v. was hitting (a long time ago). VARIANT: banjibarnirra. barninybarnirrara v. went while hitting (a long time ago). VARIANT: banjibarnirrara. barninybarnirrarni v. came while hitting (a long time ago). VARIANT: banjibarnirrarni. barninybarniwu v. used to keep hitting.

VARIANT: banjibarniwu. barnirra v. hit (a long time ago). barnirrara v. went and hit (a long time ago). barnirrarni v. came and hit (a long time ago). barniwu v. used to hit. barra v. hit. barrala v. may hit. barralarni v. may come and hit. barralarra v. may go and hit. barranybarra v. keep hitting. VARIANT: banjibarra. barranybarrala v. may be hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrala. barranybarralarni v. may come while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarralarni. barranybarralarra v. may go while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarralarra. barranybarrara v. go while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrara. barrara v. go and hit. barrarn v. come and hit. barrarnbarrarn v. come while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrarn. barrarnbarrarnda v. should be hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrarnda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barrarnbarrarndala v. was not hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrarndala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barrarnbarrarnku v. was just hitting, would have been hitting, was going to be hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrarnku. barrarnbarrarnnginyi v. will come while hitting, wants to come while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarrarnnginyi. barrarnda v. should hit. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. barrarndala v. did not hit. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

Mudburra verbs 365

barrarnku v. just hit, would have hit, was going to hit. barrarnnginyi v. will come and hit, wants to come and hit. barru v. will hit, wants to hit. barrunybarru v. will keep hitting, wants to keep hitting. VARIANT: banjibarru. barrunybarruru v. will go while hitting, wants to go while hitting. VARIANT: banjibarruru. barruru v. will go and hit, wants to go and hit. bila v. bites. birnana v. has bitten. birnani v. has come and bitten. birnanybala v. is always biting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. birnanybirna v. has been biting. birnanybirnani v. is coming while biting, has been coming while biting. birnanybirnarra v. is going while biting, has been going while biting. birnanybirnarra v. might keep biting. birnanybirnarrara v. might go while biting. birnanybirnarrarni v. might come while biting. birnarra v. might bite. birnarra v. has gone and bitten. birnarrara v. might go and bite. birnarrarni v. might come and bite. birni v. to bite. VARIANT: birnu. birni v. bit (before). birnini v. bite, drink. USAGE: This word only means ‘drink’ in Western Mudburra birninybirni v. was biting (before). birninybirnini v. keeps biting. birninybirnirra v. was biting (a long time ago). birninybirnirrara v. went while biting (a long time ago). birninybirnirrarni v. came while biting (a long time ago). birninybirniwu v. used to keep biting. birnirra v. bit (a long time ago). birnirrara v. went and bit (a long time ago). birnirrarni v. came and bit (a long time ago). birniwu v. used to bite. biya v. bite. biya v. will bite, wants to bite. biyala v. may bite. biyalarni v. may come and bite. biyalarra v. may go and bite. biyan v. come and bite. biyanbiyan v. come while biting. 366 Mudburra verbs

biyanbiyanda v. should be biting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyanbiyandala v. was not biting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyanbiyanku v. was just biting, would have been biting, was going to be biting. biyanbiyannginyi v. will come while biting, wants to come while biting. biyanda v. should bite. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyandala v. did not bite. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyanku v. just bit, would have bitten, was going to bite. biyannginyi v. will come and bite, wants to come and bite. biyangan v. come and cut. biyangana v. has cut. biyangananybala v. is always cutting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyanganarni v. has come and cut. biyanganarra v. might cut. biyanganarra v. has gone and cut. biyanganarrara v. might go and cut. biyanganarrarni v. might come and cut. biyangani v. to cut. VARIANT: biyanganu. biyangani v. cut (before). VARIANT: biyanya. biyanganini v. cut. SEE: lurlurl. biyanganirra v. cut (a long time ago). VARIANT: biyanyarra. biyanganirrara v. went and cut (a long time ago). biyanganirrarni v. came and cut (a long time ago). biyanganiwu v. used to cut. VARIANT: biyanyawu. biyanganjingan v. come while cutting. biyanganjingana v. has been cutting. biyanganjinganarni v. is coming while cutting, has been coming while cutting. biyanganjinganarra v. might keep cutting. biyanganjinganarra v. is going while cutting, has been going while cutting. biyanganjinganarrara v. might go while cutting. biyanganjinganarrarni v. might come while cutting. biyanganjingani v. was cutting (before). biyanganjinganini v. keeps cutting. biyanganjinganirra v. was cutting (a long time ago).

biyanganjinganirrara v. went while cutting (a long time ago). biyanganjinganirrarni v. came while cutting (a long time ago). biyanganjinganiwu v. used to keep cutting. biyanganjingannginyi v. will come while cutting, wants to come while cutting. biyangannginyi v. will come and cut, wants to come and cut. biyangka v. cut. biyangkada v. should cut. VARIANT: biyanganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyangkadala v. did not cut. VARIANT: biyangandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyangkajingka v. keep cutting. biyangkajingkada v. should be cutting. VARIANT: biyanganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyangkajingkadala v. was not cutting. VARIANT: biyanganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. biyangkajingkaku v. was just cutting, would have been cutting, was going to be cutting. VARIANT: biyanganjinganku. biyangkajingkala v. may be cutting. biyangkajingkalarni v. may come while cutting. biyangkajingkalarra v. may go while cutting. biyangkajingkarra v. go while cutting. biyangkaku v. just cut, would have cut, was going to cut. VARIANT: biyanganku. biyangkala v. cuts. VARIANT: biyanga; biyangala. biyangkala v. may cut. biyangkalarni v. may come and cut. biyangkalarra v. may go and cut. biyangkarra v. go and cut. biyangku v. will cut, wants to cut. biyangkujangku v. will keep cutting, wants to keep cutting. biyangkujangkurru v. will go while cutting, wants to go while cutting. biyangkurru v. will go and cut, wants to go and cut. biyanybiya v. keep biting. biyanybiya v. will keep biting, wants to keep biting. biyanybiyala v. may be biting. biyanybiyalarni v. may come while biting.

biyanybiyalarra v. may go while biting. biyanybiyarra v. go while biting. biyanybiyarru v. will go while biting, wants to go while biting. biyarra v. go and bite. biyarru v. will go and bite, wants to go and bite. buma v. blow. buma v. will blow, wants to blow. bumala v. blows. bumanjima v. will keep blowing, wants to keep blowing. bumanjima v. keep blowing. bumanjimarna v. has been blowing. bumanjimarnani v. is coming while blowing, has been coming while blowing. bumanjimarnarra v. might keep blowing. bumanjimarnarra v. is going while blowing, has been going while blowing. bumanjimarnarrara v. might go while blowing. bumanjimarnarrarni v. might come while blowing. bumanjimarni v. was blowing (before). bumanjimarnini v. keeps blowing. bumanjimarnirra v. was blowing (a long time ago). bumanjimarnirrara v. went while blowing (a long time ago). bumanjimarnirrarni v. came while blowing (a long time ago). bumanjimarniwu v. used to keep blowing. bumanjimarra v. go while blowing. bumanjimarrala v. may be blowing. bumanjimarralarni v. may come while blowing. bumanjimarralarra v. may go while blowing. bumanjimarrarn v. come while blowing. bumanjimarrarnda v. should be blowing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bumanjimarrarndala v. was not blowing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bumanjimarrarnku v. was just blowing, would have been blowing, was going to be blowing. bumanjimarrarnnginyi v. will come while blowing, wants to come while blowing. bumanjimarru v. will go while blowing, wants to go while blowing. bumarna v. has blown. bumarnani v. has come and blown. Mudburra verbs 367

bumarnanybala v. is always blowing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bumarnarra v. has gone and blown. bumarnarra v. might blow. bumarnarrara v. might go and blow. bumarnarrarni v. might come and blow. bumarni v. blew (before). bumarni v. to blow. VARIANT: bumarnu. bumarnini v. blow, smoke, play didgeridoo. bumarnirra v. blew (a long time ago). bumarnirrara v. went and blew (a long time ago). bumarnirrarni v. came and blew (a long time ago). bumarniwu v. used to blow. bumarra v. go and blow. bumarrala v. may blow. bumarralarni v. may come and blow. bumarralarra v. may go and blow. bumarrarn v. come and blow. bumarrarnda v. should blow. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bumarrarndala v. did not blow. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word bumarrarnku v. just blew, would have blown, was going to blow. bumarrarnnginyi v. will come and blow, wants to come and blow. bumarru v. will go and blow, wants to go and blow. bungan v. come and dance. bungana v. has danced. bungananybala v. is always dancing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bunganarni v. has come and danced. bunganarra v. might dance. bunganarra v. has gone and danced. bunganarrara v. might go and dance. bunganarrarni v. might come and dance. bungani v. danced (before). VARIANT: bunya. bungani v. to dance. VARIANT: bunganu. bunganini v. dance, poke. bunganirra v. danced (a long time ago). VARIANT: bunyarra. bunganirrara v. went and danced (a long time ago). bunganirrarni v. came and danced (a long time ago). bunganiwu v. used to dance. VARIANT: bunyawu. bunganjingan v. come while dancing. 368 Mudburra verbs

bunganjingana v. has been dancing. bunganjinganarni v. is coming while dancing, has been coming while dancing. bunganjinganarra v. might keep dancing. bunganjinganarra v. is going while dancing, has been going while dancing. bunganjinganarrara v. might go while dancing. bunganjinganarrarni v. might come while dancing. bunganjingani v. was dancing (before). bunganjinganini v. keeps dancing. bunganjinganirra v. was dancing (a long time ago). bunganjinganirrara v. went while dancing (a long time ago). bunganjinganirrarni v. came while dancing (a long time ago). bunganjinganiwu v. used to keep dancing. bunganjingannginyi v. will come while dancing, wants to come while dancing. bungannginyi v. will come and dance, wants to come and dance. bungka v. dance. bungkada v. should dance. VARIANT: bunganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bungkadala v. did not dance. VARIANT: bungandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bungkajingka v. keep dancing. bungkajingkada v. should be dancing. VARIANT: bunganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bungkajingkadala v. was not dancing. VARIANT: bunganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. bungkajingkaku v. was just dancing, would have been dancing, was going to be dancing. VARIANT: bunganjinganku. bungkajingkala v. may be dancing. bungkajingkalarni v. may come while dancing. bungkajingkalarra v. may go while dancing. bungkajingkarra v. go while dancing. bungkaku v. just danced, would have danced, was going to dance. VARIANT: bunganku. bungkala v. may dance. bungkala v. dances. VARIANT: bunga; bungala. bungkalarni v. may come and dance.

bungkalarra v. may go and dance. bungkarra v. go and dance. bungku v. will dance, wants to dance. bungkujungku v. will keep dancing, wants to keep dancing. bungkujungkurru v. will go while dancing, wants to go while dancing. bungkurru v. will go and dance, wants to go and dance.

Dd duma v. will rise, wants to rise, rise. dumala v. rises. dumanjima v. keep rising, wants to keep rising. dumanjimarna v. has been rising. dumanjimarnani v. is coming while rising, has been coming while rising, is coming up, has been coming up. dumanjimarnarra v. might keep rising. dumanjimarnarra v. is going while rising, has been going while rising, is going up, has been going up. dumanjimarnarrara v. might go while rising, might be going up. dumanjimarnarrarni v. might come while rising, might be coming up. dumanjimarni v. was rising (before). dumanjimarnini v. keeps rising. dumanjimarnirra v. was rising (a long time ago). dumanjimarnirrara v. went while rising (a long time ago), was going up (a long time ago). dumanjimarnirrarni v. came while rising (a long time ago), was coming up (a long time ago). dumanjimarniwu v. used to keep rising. dumanjimarra v. go while rising, keep going up. dumanjimarrala v. may be rising. dumanjimarralarni v. may come while rising, may be coming up. dumanjimarralarra v. may go while rising, may be going up. dumanjimarrarn v. come while rising, keep coming up. dumanjimarrarnda v. should be rising.

USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dumanjimarrarndala v. was not rising. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dumanjimarrarnku v. was just rising, would have been rising, was going to be rising. dumanjimarrarnnginyi v. will come while rising, wants to come while rising, will be coming up, wants to be coming up. dumanjimarru v. will go while rising, wants to go while rising, will be going up, wants to be going up. dumarna v. has risen. dumarnani v. has come and risen, has come up. dumarnanybala v. is always rising. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dumarnarra v. has gone and risen, has gone up. dumarnarra v. might rise. dumarnarrara v. might go and rise, might go up. dumarnarrarni v. might come and rise, might come up. dumarni v. rose (before). dumarni v. to rise. VARIANT: dumarnu. dumarnini v. rise, go up, get up. dumarnirra v. rose (a long time ago). dumarnirrara v. went and rose (a long time ago), went up (a long time ago). dumarnirrarni v. came and rose (a long time ago), came up (a long time ago). dumarniwu v. used to rise. dumarra v. go and rise, go up. dumarrala v. may rise. dumarralarni v. may come and rise, may come up. dumarralarra v. may go and rise, may go up. dumarrarn v. come and rise, come up. dumarrarnda v. should rise. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dumarrarndala v. did not rise. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. dumarrarnku v. just rose, would have risen, was going to rise. dumarrarnnginyi v. will come and rise, wants to come and rise, will come up, wants to come up. dumarru v. will go and rise, wants to go and rise, will go up, wants to go up.

Mudburra verbs 369

Jj jabungan v. come and trim. jabungana v. has trimmed. jabungananybala v. is always trimming. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jabunganarni v. has come and trimmed. jabunganarra v. might trim. jabunganarra v. has gone and trimmed. jabunganarrara v. might go and trim. jabunganarrarni v. might come and trim. jabungani v. to trim. VARIANT: jabunganu. jabungani v. trimmed (before). VARIANT: jabunya. jabunganini v. trim, shear, shave. jabunganirra v. trimmed (a long time ago). VARIANT: jabunyarra. jabunganirrara v. went and trimmed (a long time ago). jabunganirrarni v. came and trimmed (a long time ago). jabunganiwu v. used to trim. VARIANT: jabunyawu. jabunganjingan v. come while trimming. jabunganjingana v. has been trimming. jabunganjinganarni v. is coming while trimming, has been coming while trimming. jabunganjinganarra v. might keep trimming. jabunganjinganarra v. is going while trimming, has been going while trimming. jabunganjinganarrara v. might go while trimming. jabunganjinganarrarni v. might come while trimming. jabunganjingani v. was trimming (before). jabunganjinganini v. keeps trimming. jabunganjinganirra v. was trimming (a long time ago). jabunganjinganirrara v. went while trimming (a long time ago). jabunganjinganirrarni v. came while trimming (a long time ago). jabunganjinganiwu v. used to keep trimming. jabunganjingannginyi v. will come while trimming, wants to come while trimming. jabungannginyi v. will come and trim, wants to come and trim. jabungka v. trim. jabungkada v. should trim. VARIANT: jabunganda. USAGE: This is a 370 Mudburra verbs

Western Mudburra word. jabungkadala v. did not trim. VARIANT: jabungandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jabungkajingka v. keep trimming. jabungkajingkada v. should be trimming. VARIANT: jabunganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jabungkajingkadala v. was not trimming. VARIANT: jabunganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jabungkajingkaku v. was just trimming, would have been trimming, was going to be trimming. VARIANT: jabunganjinganku. jabungkajingkala v. may be trimming. jabungkajingkalarni v. may come while trimming. jabungkajingkalarra v. may go while trimming. jabungkajingkarra v. go while trimming. jabungkaku v. just trimmed, would have trimmed, was going to trim. VARIANT: jabunganku. jabungkala v. trims. VARIANT: jabunga; jabungala. jabungkala v. may trim. jabungkalarni v. may come and trim. jabungkalarra v. may go and trim. jabungkarra v. go and trim. jabungku v. will trim, wants to trim. jabungkujungku v. will keep trimming, wants to keep trimming. jabungkujungkurru v. will go while trimming, wants to go while trimming. jabungkurru v. will go and trim, wants to go and trim. jamala v. grinds. jamanjima v. will keep grinding, wants to keep grinding. jamanjima v. keep grinding. jamanjimarna v. has been grinding. jamanjimarnani v. is coming while grinding, has been coming while grinding. jamanjimarnarra v. might keep grinding. jamanjimarnarra v. is going while grinding, has been going while grinding. jamanjimarnarrara v. might go while grinding. jamanjimarnarrarni v. might come while grinding. jamanjimarni v. was grinding (before).

jamanjimarnini v. keeps grinding. jamanjimarnirra v. was grinding (a long time ago). jamanjimarnirrara v. went while grinding (a long time ago). jamanjimarnirrarni v. came while grinding (a long time ago). jamanjimarniwu v. used to keep grinding. jamanjimarrala v. may be grinding. jamanjimarralarni v. may come while grinding. jamanjimarralarra v. may go while grinding. jamanjimarrara v. go while grinding. jamanjimarrarn v. come while grinding. jamanjimarrarnda v. should be grinding. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jamanjimarrarndala v. was not grinding. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jamanjimarrarnku v. was just grinding, would have been grinding, was going to be grinding. jamanjimarrarnnginyi v. will come while grinding, wants to come while grinding. jamanjimarruru v. will go while grinding, wants to go while grinding. jamarna v. has ground. jamarnani v. has come and ground. jamarnanybala v. is always grinding. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jamarnarra v. might grind. jamarnarra v. has gone and ground. jamarnarrara v. might go and grind. jamarnarrarni v. might come and grind. jamarni v. ground (before). jamarni v. to grind. VARIANT: jamarnu. jamarnini v. grind, sharpen. jamarnirra v. ground (a long time ago). jamarnirrara v. went and ground (a long time ago). jamarnirrarni v. came and ground (a long time ago). jamarniwu v. used to grind. jamarrala v. may grind. jamarralarni v. may come and grind. jamarralarra v. may go and grind. jamarrara v. go and grind. jamarrarn v. come and grind. jamarrarnda v. should grind. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jamarrarndala v. did not grind. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

jamarrarnku v. just ground, would have ground, was going to grind. jamarrarnnginyi v. will come and grind, wants to come and grind. jamarruru v. will go and grind, wants to go and grind. jama(rra) v. grind. jama(rru) v. will grind, wants to grind. janki v. burn. VARIANT: jankiya. janki v. will burn, wants to burn. VARIANT: jankiya. jankijanki v. will keep burning, wants to keep burning. VARIANT: jankijankiya. jankijanki v. keep burning. VARIANT: jankijankiya. jankijankila v. may be burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyala. jankijankilarni v. may come while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyalarni. jankijankilarra v. may go while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyalarra. jankijankinya v. was burning (before). jankijankinyarra v. was burning (a long time ago). jankijankinyarrara v. went while burning (a long time ago). jankijankinyarrarni v. came while burning (a long time ago). jankijankinyawu v. used to keep burning. jankijankirri v. go while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyarra. jankijankirri v. will go while burning, wants to go while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyarru. jankijankiyina v. has been burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyana. jankijankiyinarn v. come while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyan. jankijankiyinarnda v. should be burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jankijankiyinarndala v. was not burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jankijankiyinarni v. is coming while burning, has been coming while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanani. jankijankiyinarnku v. was just burning, would have been burning, was going to be burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanku. jankijankiyinarnnginyi v. will come while burning, wants to come while burning. Mudburra verbs 371

VARIANT: jankijankiyannginyi. jankijankiyinarra v. is going while burning, has been going while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanarra. jankijankiyinarra v. might keep burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanarra. jankijankiyinarrara v. might go while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanarrara. jankijankiyinarrarni v. might come while burning. VARIANT: jankijankiyanarrarni. jankijankiyini v. keeps burning. jankila v. burns. jankila v. may burn. VARIANT: jankiyala. jankilarni v. may come and burn. VARIANT: jankiyalarni. jankilarra v. may go and burn. VARIANT: jankiyalarra. jankinya v. to burn. VARIANT: jankinyu. jankinya v. burnt (before). jankinyarra v. burnt (a long time ago). jankinyarrara v. went and burnt (a long time ago). jankinyarrarni v. came and burnt (a long time ago). jankinyawu v. used to burn. jankirri v. will go and burn, wants to go and burn. VARIANT: jankiyarru. jankirri v. go and burn. VARIANT: jankiyarra. jankiyina v. has burnt. VARIANT: jankiyana. jankiyinanybala v. is always burning. VARIANT: jankiyananybala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jankiyinarn v. come and burn. VARIANT: jankiyan. jankiyinarnda v. should burn. VARIANT: jankiyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jankiyinarndala v. did not burn. VARIANT: jankiyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. jankiyinarni v. has come and burnt. VARIANT: jankiyanani. jankiyinarnku v. just burnt, would have burnt, was going to burn. VARIANT: jankiyanku. jankiyinarnnginyi v. will come and burn, wants to come and burn. VARIANT: jankiyannginyi. jankiyinarra v. might burn. VARIANT: jankiyanarra. jankiyinarra v. has gone and burnt. VARIANT: jankiyanarra.

372 Mudburra verbs

jankiyinarrara v. might go and burn. VARIANT: jankiyanarrara. jankiyinarrarni v. might come and burn. VARIANT: jankiyanarrarni. jankiyini v. burn, heat up. juna v. swears. junana v. has sworn. junanjuna v. has been swearing. junanjunarni v. is coming while swearing, has been coming while swearing. junanjunarra v. is going while swearing, has been going while swearing. junanjunarra v. might keep swearing. junanjunarrara v. might go while swearing. junanjunarrarni v. might come while swearing. junanybala v. is always swearing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. junarn v. come and swear. junarnda v. should swear. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. junarndala v. did not swear. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. junarni v. has come and sworn. junarnjunarn v. come while swearing. junarnjunarnda v. should be swearing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. junarnjunarndala v. was not swearing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. junarnjunarnnginyi v. was just swearing, would have been swearing, was going to be swearing. junarnjunarnnginyi v. will come while swearing, wants to come while swearing. junarnku v. just swore, would have sworn, was going to swear. junarnnginyi v. will come and swear, wants to come and swear. junarra v. might swear. junarra v. has gone and sworn. junarrara v. might go and swear. junarrarni v. might come and swear. junda v. swear. jundajunda v. keep swearing. jundajundala v. may be swearing. jundajundalarni v. may come while swearing. jundajundalarra v. may go while swearing. jundajundarra v. go while swearing. jundala v. may swear. jundalarni v. may come and swear. jundalarra v. may go and swear.

jundarra v. go and swear. jundu v. will swear, wants to swear. jundujundu v. will keep swearing, wants to keep swearing. jundujundurru v. will go while swearing, wants to go while swearing. jundurru v. will go and swear, wants to go and swear. juni v. to swear. VARIANT: junu. juni v. swore (before). junini v. swear, growl. juninjuni v. was swearing (before). juninjunini v. keeps swearing. juninjunirra v. was swearing (a long time ago). juninjunirrara v. went while swearing (a long time ago). juninjunirrarni v. came while swearing (a long time ago). juninjuniwu v. used to keep swearing. junirra v. swore (a long time ago). junirrara v. went and swore (a long time ago). junirrarni v. came and swore (a long time ago). juniwu v. used to swear.

Kk kamba v. cook. kambada v. should cook. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kambadala v. did not cook. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kambajibarna v. has been cooking. kambajibarnarni v. is coming while cooking, has been coming while cooking. kambajibarnarra v. is going while cooking, has been going while cooking. kambajibarnarra v. might keep cooking. kambajibarnarrara v. might go while cooking. kambajibarnarrarni v. might come while cooking. kambajibarni v. was cooking (before). kambajibarnini v. keeps cooking. kambajibarnirra v. was cooking (a long time ago). kambajibarnirrara v. went while cooking (a long time ago).

kambajibarnirrarni v. came while cooking (a long time ago). kambajibarniwu v. used to keep cooking. kambaku v. just cooked, would have cooked, was going to cook. kambala v. may cook. kambala v. cooks. kambalarni v. may come and cook. kambalarra v. may go and cook. kambarn v. come and cook. kambarna v. has cooked. kambarnanybala v. is always cooking. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kambarnarni v. has come and cooked. kambarnarra v. has gone and cooked. kambarnarra v. might cook. kambarnarrara v. might go and cook. kambarnarrarni v. might come and cook. kambarni v. cooked (before). kambarni v. to cook. VARIANT: kambarnu. kambarnini v. cook, heat up, treat with antbed. kambarnirra v. cooked (a long time ago). kambarnirrara v. went and cooked (a long time ago). kambarnirrarni v. came and cooked (a long time ago). kambarniwu v. used to cook. kambarnnginyi v. will come and cook, wants to come and cook. kambarra v. go and cook. kambu v. will cook, wants to cook. kamburru v. will go and cook, wants to go and cook. kangan v. bring. kangana v. has carried. kangananybala v. is always carrying. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kanganarni v. has brought. kanganarra v. has taken. kanganarra v. might carry. kanganarrara v. might take. kanganarrarni v. might bring. kangani v. carried (before). VARIANT: kanya. kangani v. to carry. VARIANT: kanganu. kanganini v. carry, take, bring, drive. kanganirra v. carried (a long time ago). VARIANT: kanyarra. kanganirrara v. took (a long time ago). kanganirrarni v. brought (a long time ago). kanganiwu v. used to carry. Mudburra verbs 373

VARIANT: kanyawu. kanganjingan v. keep bringing. kanganjingana v. has been carrying. kanganjinganarni v. is bringing, has been bringing. kanganjinganarra v. might keep carrying. kanganjinganarra v. is taking, has been taking. kanganjinganarrara v. might be taking. kanganjinganarrarni v. might br bringing. kanganjingani v. was carrying (before). kanganjinganini v. keeps carrying. kanganjinganirra v. was carrying (a long time ago). kanganjinganirrara v. was taking (a long time ago). kanganjinganirrarni v. was bringing (a long time ago). kanganjinganiwu v. used to keep carrying. kanganjingannginyi v. will be bringing, wants to be bringing. kangannginyi v. will bring, wants to bring. kangka v. carry. kangkada v. should carry. VARIANT: kanganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kangkadala v. did not carry. VARIANT: kangandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kangkajingka v. keep carrying. kangkajingkada v. should be carrying. VARIANT: kanganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kangkajingkadala v. was not carrying. VARIANT: kanganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kangkajingkaku v. was just carrying, would have been carrying, was going to be carrying. VARIANT: kanganjinganku. kangkajingkala v. may be carrying. kangkajingkalarni v. may be bringing. kangkajingkalarra v. may be taking. kangkajingkarra v. keep taking. kangkaku v. just carried, would have carried, was going to carry. VARIANT: kanganku. kangkala v. carries. VARIANT: kanga; kangala. kangkala v. may carry. kangkalarni v. may bring. kangkalarra v. may take. kangkarra v. take. kangku v. will carry, wants to carry. kangkujangku v. will keep carrying, wants to

374 Mudburra verbs

keep carrying. kangkujangkurru v. will be taking, wants to be taking. kangkurru v. will take, wants to take. karlamala v. approaches. karlamanjima v. will keep approaching, wants to keep approaching. karlamanjima v. keep approaching. karlamanjimarna v. has been approaching. karlamanjimarnani v. is approaching this way, has been approaching this way. karlamanjimarnarra v. might keep approaching. karlamanjimarnarra v. is approaching that way, has been approaching that way. karlamanjimarnarrara v. might be approaching that way. karlamanjimarnarrarni v. might be approaching this way. karlamanjimarni v. was approaching (before). karlamanjimarnini v. keeps approaching. karlamanjimarnirra v. was approaching (a long time ago). karlamanjimarnirrara v. was approaching that way (a long time ago). karlamanjimarnirrarni v. was approaching this way (a long time ago). karlamanjimarniwu v. used to keep approaching. karlamanjimarrala v. may be approaching. karlamanjimarralarni v. may be approaching this way. karlamanjimarralarra v. may be approaching that way. karlamanjimarrara v. keep approaching that way. karlamanjimarrarn v. keep approaching this way. karlamanjimarrarnda v. should be approaching. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlamanjimarrarndala v. was not approaching. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlamanjimarrarnku v. was just approaching, would have been approaching, was going to be approaching. karlamanjimarrarnnginyi v. will be approaching this way, wants to be approaching this way.

karlamanjimarruru v. will be approaching that way, wants to be approaching that way. karlamarna v. has approached. karlamarnani v. has approached this way. karlamarnanybala v. is always approaching. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlamarnarra v. might approach. karlamarnarra v. has approached that way. karlamarnarrara v. might approach that way. karlamarnarrarni v. might approach this way. karlamarni v. to approach. VARIANT: karlamarnu. karlamarni v. approached (before). karlamarnini v. approach, go up to, get together. karlamarnirra v. approached (a long time ago). karlamarnirrara v. approached that way (a long time ago). karlamarnirrarni v. approached this way (a long time ago). karlamarniwu v. used to approach. karlamarrala v. may approach. karlamarralarni v. may approach this way. karlamarralarra v. may approach that way. karlamarrara v. approach that way. karlamarrarn v. approach this way. karlamarrarnda v. should approach. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlamarrarndala v. did not approach. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlamarrarnku v. just approached, would have approached, was going to approach. karlamarrarnnginyi v. will approach this way, wants to approach this way. karlamarruru v. will approach that way, wants to approach that way. karlama(rra) v. approach. karlama(rru) v. will approach, wants to approach. karlula v. holds. karluna v. has had. karlunanybala v. is always holding. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlunarni v. has come and held. karlunarra v. has gone and held. karlunarra v. might have. karlunarrara v. might go and hold. karlunarrarni v. might come and hold. karluni v. had (before). karluni v. to have. VARIANT: karlunu.

karlunini v. have, hold, keep. karlunirra v. had (a long time ago). karlunirrara v. went and held (a long time ago). karlunirrarni v. came and held (a long time ago). karluniwu v. used to have. karlunykarluna v. has been holding. karlunykarlunarni v. is coming while holding, has been coming while holding. karlunykarlunarra v. might keep holding. karlunykarlunarra v. is going while holding, has been going while holding. karlunykarlunarrara v. might go while holding. karlunykarlunarrarni v. might come while holding. karlunykarluni v. was holding (before). karlunykarlunini v. keeps holding. karlunykarlunirra v. was holding (a long time ago). karlunykarlunirrara v. went while holding (a long time ago). karlunykarlunirrarni v. came while holding (a long time ago). karlunykarluniwu v. used to keep holding. karlunykarluya v. keep holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliya. karlunykarluya v. will keep holding, wants to keep holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliya. karlunykarluyala v. may be holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyala. karlunykarluyalarni v. may come while holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyalarni. karlunykarluyalarra v. may go while holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyalarra. karlunykarluyan v. come while holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyan. karlunykarluyanda v. should be holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlunykarluyandala v. was not holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karlunykarluyanku v. was just holding, would have been holding, was going to be holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyanku. karlunykarluyannginyi v. will come while holding, wants to come while holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyanginyi. karlunykarluyarra v. go while holding. Mudburra verbs 375

VARIANT: karlinykarliyarra. karlunykarluyarru v. will go while holding, wants to go while holding. VARIANT: karlinykarliyarru. karluya v. hold. VARIANT: karliya. karluya v. will have, wants to have. VARIANT: karliya. karluyala v. may have. VARIANT: karliyala. karluyalarni v. may come and hold. VARIANT: karliyalarni. karluyalarra v. may go and hold. VARIANT: karliyalarra. karluyan v. come and hold. VARIANT: karliyan. karluyanda v. should have. VARIANT: karliyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karluyandala v. did not have. VARIANT: karliyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. karluyanku v. just had, would have had, was going to have. VARIANT: karliyanku. karluyannginyi v. will come and hold, wants to come and hold. VARIANT: karliyanginyi. karluyarra v. go and hold. VARIANT: karliyarra. karluyarru v. will go and hold, wants to go and hold. VARIANT: karliyarru. karra v. is. karri v. will be, wants to be. karri v. be. karrila v. may be. karrilarni v. may come and be. karrilarra v. may go and be. karrinya v. to be. VARIANT: karrinyu. karrinya v. was (before). karrinyarra v. was (a long time ago). karrinyarrara v. went and was (a long time ago). karrinyarrarni v. came and was (a long time ago). karrinyawu v. used to be. karrinykarri v. keep being. karrinykarri v. will keep being, wants to keep being. karrinykarrila v. may be being. karrinykarrilarni v. may come while being. karrinykarrilarra v. may go while being. karrinykarrinya v. was being (before). karrinykarrinyarra v. was being (a long time ago). karrinykarrinyarrara v. went while being (a long time ago).

376 Mudburra verbs

karrinykarrinyarrarni v. came while being (a long time ago). karrinykarrinyawu v. used to keep being. karrinykarriri v. will go while being, wants to go while being. karrinykarriri v. go while being. karriri v. will go and be, wants to go and be. karriri v. go and be. kayina v. has been. kayinanybala v. is always being. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kayinarn v. come and be. kayinarnda v. should be. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kayinarndala v. did not be. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kayinarni v. has come and been. kayinarnku v. was just, would have been, was going to be. kayinarnnginyi v. will come and be, wants to come and be. kayinarra v. might be. kayinarra v. has gone and been. kayinarrara v. might go and be. kayinarrarni v. might come and be. kayini v. be, sit. kayinykayinarnnginyi v. will come while being, wants to come while being. kayinykayina v. has been being. kayinykayinarn v. come while being. kayinykayinarnda v. should be being. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kayinykayinarndala v. was not being. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kayinykayinarni v. is coming while being, has been coming while being. kayinykayinarnku v. was just being, would have been being, was going to be being. kayinykayinarra v. might keep being. kayinykayinarra v. is going while being, has been going while being. kayinykayinarrara v. might go while being. kayinykayinarrarni v. might come while being. kayinykayini v. keeps being. kula v. throws. kunjala v. wets. kunjana v. has wet. kunjananjana v. has been wetting. kunjananjanarni v. is coming while wetting, has been coming while wetting.

kunjananjanarra v. is going while wetting, has been going while wetting. kunjananjanarra v. might keep wetting. kunjananjanarrara v. might go while wetting. kunjananjanarrarni v. might come while wetting. kunjananybala v. is always wetting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kunjanarni v. has come and wet. kunjanarra v. has gone and wet. kunjanarra v. might wet. kunjanarrara v. might go and wet. kunjanarrarni v. might come and wet. kunjani v. to wet. VARIANT: kunjanu. kunjani v. wet (before). kunjanini v. wet, drench. kunjaninjani v. was wetting (before). kunjaninjanini v. keeps wetting. kunjaninjanirra v. was wetting (a long time ago). kunjaninjanirrara v. went while wetting (a long time ago). kunjaninjanirrarni v. came while wetting (a long time ago). kunjaninjaniwu v. used to keep wetting. kunjanirra v. wet (a long time ago). kunjanirrara v. went and wet (a long time ago). kunjanirrarni v. came and wet (a long time ago). kunjaniwu v. used to wet. kunjarra v. wet. kunjarrala v. may wet. kunjarralarni v. may come and wet. kunjarralarra v. may go and wet. kunjarranjarra v. keep wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarra. kunjarranjarrala v. may be wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarrala. kunjarranjarralarni v. may come while wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarralarni. kunjarranjarralarra v. may go while wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarralarra. kunjarranjarrara v. go while wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarrara. kunjarrara v. go and wet. kunjarrarn v. come and wet. kunjarrarnda v. should wet. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kunjarrarndala v. did not wet. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

kunjarrarnjarrarn v. come while wetting. kunjarrarnjarrarnda v. should be wetting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kunjarrarnjarrarndala v. was not wetting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kunjarrarnjarrarnku v. was just wetting, would have been wetting, was going to be wetting. kunjarrarnjarrarnnginyi v. will come while wetting, wants to come while wetting. kunjarrarnku v. just wet, would have wet, was going to wet. kunjarrarnnginyi v. will come and wet, wants to come and wet. kunjarru v. will wet, wants to wet. kunjarrunjarru v. will keep wetting, wants to keep wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarru. kunjarrunjarruru v. will go while wetting, wants to go while wetting. VARIANT: kunjanjarruru. kunjarruru v. will go and wet, wants to go and wet. kurnana v. has thrown. VARIANT: kurna. kurnani v. has come and thrown. kurnanybala v. is always throwing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kurnanykurna v. has been throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurna. kurnanykurnarni v. is coming while throwing, has been coming while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurnani. kurnanykurnarra v. might keep throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurnarra. kurnanykurnarra v. is going while throwing, has been going while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurnarra. kurnanykurnarrara v. might go while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurnarrara. kurnanykurnarrarni v. might come while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurnarrarni. kurnarra v. has gone and thrown. kurnarra v. might throw. kurnarrara v. might go and throw. kurnarrarni v. might come and throw. kurni v. to throw. VARIANT: kurnu. kurni v. threw (before). kurnini v. throw, drizzle, vomit, emit. kurninykurni v. was throwing (before). VARIANT: kunjikurni. kurninykurnini v. keeps throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurnini. Mudburra verbs 377

kurninykurnirra v. was throwing (a long time ago). VARIANT: kunjikurnirra. kurninykurnirrara v. went while throwing (a long time ago). VARIANT: kunjikurnirrara. kurninykurnirrarni v. came while throwing (a long time ago). VARIANT: kunjikurnirrarni. kurninykurniwu v. used to keep throwing. VARIANT: kunjikurniwu. kurnirra v. threw (a long time ago). kurnirrara v. went and threw (a long time ago). kurnirrarni v. came and threw (a long time ago). kurniwu v. used to throw. kuya v. throw. kuya v. will throw, wants to throw. kuyala v. may throw. kuyalarni v. may come and throw. kuyalarra v. may go and throw. kuyan v. come and throw. kuyanda v. should throw. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kuyandala v. did not throw. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kuyanku v. just threw, would have thrown, was going to throw. kuyankuyan v. come while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyan. kuyankuyanda v. should be throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kuyankuyandala v. was not throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. kuyankuyanku v. was just throwing, would have been throwing, was going to be throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyanku. kuyankuyannginyi v. will come while throwing, wants to come while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyannginyi. kuyannginyi v. will come and throw, wants to come and throw. kuyanykuya v. keep throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuya. kuyanykuya v. will keep throwing, wants to keep throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuya. kuyanykuyala v. may be throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyala. kuyanykuyalarni v. may come while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyalarni. kuyanykuyalarra v. may go while throwing. 378 Mudburra verbs

VARIANT: kunjikuyalarra. kuyanykuyarra v. go while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyarra. kuyanykuyarru v. will go while throwing, wants to go while throwing. VARIANT: kunjikuyarru. kuyarra v. go and throw. kuyarru v. will go and throw, wants to go and throw.

Ll lamala v. squashes. lamanjima v. keep squashing. lamanjima v. will keep squashing, wants to keep squashing. lamanjimarna v. has been squashing. lamanjimarnani v. is coming while squashing, has been coming while squashing. lamanjimarnarra v. is going while squashing, has been going while squashing. lamanjimarnarra v. might keep squashing. lamanjimarnarrara v. might go while squashing. lamanjimarnarrarni v. might come while squashing. lamanjimarni v. was squashing (before). lamanjimarnini v. keeps squashing. lamanjimarnirra v. was squashing (a long time ago). lamanjimarnirrara v. went while squashing (a long time ago). lamanjimarnirrarni v. came while squashing (a long time ago). lamanjimarniwu v. used to keep squashing. lamanjimarrala v. may be squashing. lamanjimarralarni v. may come while squashing. lamanjimarralarra v. may go while squashing. lamanjimarrara v. go while squashing. lamanjimarrarn v. come while squashing. lamanjimarrarnda v. should be squashing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lamanjimarrarndala v. was not squashing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lamanjimarrarnku v. was just squashing, would have been squashing, was going to be squashing.

lamanjimarrarnnginyi v. will come while squashing, wants to come while squashing. lamanjimarruru v. will go while squashing, wants to go while squashing. lamarna v. has squashed. lamarnani v. has come and squashed. lamarnanybala v. is always squashing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lamarnarra v. might squash. lamarnarra v. has gone and squashed. lamarnarrara v. might go and squash. lamarnarrarni v. might come and squash. lamarni v. squashed (before). lamarni v. to squash. VARIANT: lamarnu. lamarnini v. squash, step on, tread on. lamarnirra v. squashed (a long time ago). lamarnirrara v. went and squashed (a long time ago). lamarnirrarni v. came and squashed (a long time ago). lamarniwu v. used to squash. lamarrala v. may squash. lamarralarni v. may come and squash. lamarralarra v. may go and squash. lamarrara v. go and squash. lamarrarn v. come and squash. lamarrarnda v. should squash. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lamarrarndala v. did not squash. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. lamarrarnku v. just squashed, would have squashed, was going to squash. lamarrarnnginyi v. will come and squash, wants to come and squash. lamarruru v. will go and squash, wants to go and squash. lama(rra) v. squash. lama(rru) v. will squash, wants to squash. langan v. come and poke. langana v. has poked. langananybala v. is always poking. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. langanarni v. has come and poked. langanarra v. might poke. langanarra v. has gone and poked. langanarrara v. might go and poke. langanarrarni v. might come and poke. langani v. poked (before). VARIANT: lanya. langani v. to poke. VARIANT: langanu. langanini v. dig, poke, pierce, spear. langanirra v. poked (a long time ago).

VARIANT: lanyarra. langanirrara v. went and poked (a long time ago). langanirrarni v. came and poked (a long time ago). langaniwu v. used to poke. VARIANT: lanyawu. langanjingan v. come while poking. langanjingana v. has been poking. langanjinganarni v. is coming while poking, has been coming while poking. langanjinganarra v. is going while poking, has been going while poking. langanjinganarra v. might keep poking. langanjinganarrara v. might go while poking. langanjinganarrarni v. might come while poking. langanjingani v. was poking (before). langanjinganini v. keeps poking. langanjinganirra v. was poking (a long time ago). langanjinganirrara v. went while poking (a long time ago). langanjinganirrarni v. came while poking (a long time ago). langanjinganiwu v. used to keep poking. langanjingannginyi v. will come while poking, wants to come while poking. langannginyi v. will come and poke, wants to come and poke. langka v. poke. langkada v. should poke. VARIANT: langanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. langkadala v. did not poke. VARIANT: langandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. langkajingka v. keep poking. langkajingkada v. should be poking. VARIANT: langanjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. langkajingkadala v. was not poking. VARIANT: langanjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. langkajingkaku v. was just poking, would have been poking, was going to be poking. VARIANT: langanjinganku. langkajingkala v. may be poking. langkajingkalarni v. may come while poking. langkajingkalarra v. may go while poking. langkajingkarra v. go while poking. langkaku v. just poked, would have poked, was going to poke. VARIANT: langanku.

Mudburra verbs 379

langkala v. pokes. VARIANT: langa; langala. langkala v. may poke. langkalarni v. may come and poke. langkalarra v. may go and poke. langkarra v. go and poke. langku v. will poke, wants to poke. langkujangku v. will keep poking, wants to keep poking. langkujangkurru v. will go while poking, wants to go while poking. langkurru v. will go and poke, wants to go and poke. luwa v. shoot. luwa v. will shoot, wants to shoot. luwala v. shoots. luwala v. may shoot. luwalarni v. may come and shoot. luwalarra v. may go and shoot. luwanjuwa v. keep shooting. luwanjuwa v. will keep shooting, wants to keep shooting. luwanjuwala v. may be shooting. luwanjuwalarni v. may come while shooting. luwanjuwalarra v. may go while shooting. luwanjuwarn v. come while shooting. luwanjuwarna v. has been shooting. luwanjuwarnani v. is coming while shooting, has been coming while shooting. luwanjuwarnarra v. is going while shooting, has been going while shooting. luwanjuwarnarra v. might keep shooting. luwanjuwarnarrara v. might go while shooting. luwanjuwarnarrarni v. might come while shooting. luwanjuwarnda v. should be shooting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luwanjuwarndala v. was not shooting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luwanjuwarni v. was shooting (before). luwanjuwarnini v. keeps shooting. luwanjuwarnirra v. was shooting (a long time ago). luwanjuwarnirrara v. went while shooting (a long time ago). luwanjuwarnirrarni v. came while shooting (a long time ago). luwanjuwarniwu v. used to keep shooting. luwanjuwarnku v. was just shooting, would have been shooting, was going to be shooting. 380 Mudburra verbs

luwanjuwarnnginyi v. will come while shooting, wants to come while shooting. luwanjuwarra v. go while shooting. luwanjuwarru v. will go while shooting, wants to go while shooting. luwarn v. come and shoot. luwarna v. has shot. luwarnani v. has come and shot. luwarnanybala v. is always shooting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luwarnarra v. might shoot. luwarnarra v. has gone and shot. luwarnarrara v. might go and shoot. luwarnarrarni v. might come and shoot. luwarnda v. should shoot. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luwarndala v. did not shoot. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. luwarni v. to shoot. VARIANT: luwarnu. luwarni v. shot (before). luwarnini v. shoot. luwarnirra v. shot (a long time ago). luwarnirrara v. went and shot (a long time ago). luwarnirrarni v. came and shot (a long time ago). luwarniwu v. used to shoot. luwarnku v. just shot, would have shot, was going to shoot. luwarnnginyi v. will come and shoot, wants to come and shoot. luwarra v. go and shoot. luwarru v. will go and shoot, wants to go and shoot.

Mm mala v. says. marnana v. has said. VARIANT: marna. marnani v. has come and said. marnanybala v. is always saying. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marnanymarna v. has been saying. VARIANT: manjimarna. marnanymarnani v. is coming while saying, has been coming while saying. VARIANT: manjimarnani. marnanymarnarra v. is going while saying, has been going while saying.

VARIANT: manjimarnarra. marnanymarnarra v. might keep saying. VARIANT: manjimarnarra. marnanymarnarrara v. might go while saying. VARIANT: manjimarnarrara. marnanymarnarrarni v. might come while saying. VARIANT: manjimarnarrarni. marnarra v. has gone and said. marnarra v. might say. marnarrara v. might go and say. marnarrarni v. might come and say. marni v. to say. VARIANT: marnu. marni v. said (before). marnini v. say, talk, do. marninymarni v. was saying (before). VARIANT: manjimarni. marninymarnini v. keeps saying. VARIANT: manjimarnini. marninymarnirra v. was saying (a long time ago). VARIANT: manjimarnirra. marninymarnirrara v. went while saying (a long time ago). VARIANT: manjimarnirrara. marninymarnirrarni v. came while saying (a long time ago). VARIANT: manjimarnirrarni. marninymarniwu v. used to keep saying. VARIANT: manjimarniwu. marnirra v. said (a long time ago). marnirrara v. went and said (a long time ago). marnirrarni v. came and said (a long time ago). marniwu v. used to say. marra v. say. VARIANT: ma. marrala v. may say. marralarni v. may come and say. marralarra v. may go and say. marranymarra v. keep saying. VARIANT: manjima. marranymarrala v. may be saying. VARIANT: manjimarrala. marranymarralarni v. may come while saying. VARIANT: manjimarralarni. marranymarralarra v. may go while saying. VARIANT: manjimarralarra. marranymarrara v. go while saying. VARIANT: manjimarrara. marrara v. go and say. marrarn v. come and say. marrarnda v. should say. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marrarndala v. did not say. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word.

marrarnku v. just said, would have said, was going to say. marrarnmarrarn v. come while saying. VARIANT: manjimarrarn. marrarnmarrarnda v. should be saying. VARIANT: manjimarrarnda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marrarnmarrarndala v. was not saying. VARIANT: manjimarrarndala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. marrarnmarrarnku v. was just saying, would have been saying, was going to be saying. VARIANT: manjimarrarnku. marrarnmarrarnnginyi v. will come while saying, wants to come while saying. VARIANT: manjimarrarnnginyi. marrarnnginyi v. will come and say, wants to come and say. marru v. will say, wants to say. VARIANT: ma. marrunymarru v. will keep saying, wants to keep saying. VARIANT: manjima. marrunymarruru v. will go while saying, wants to go while saying. VARIANT: manjimarruru. marruru v. will go and say, wants to go and say. minjala v. is cold. minjana v. was cold. minjananjana v. has been being cold. minjananjanarni v. is coming while being cold, has been coming while being cold. minjananjanarra v. might keep being cold. minjananjanarra v. is going while being cold, has been going while being cold. minjananjanarrara v. might go while being cold. minjananjanarrarni v. might come while being cold. minjananybala v. is always being cold. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjanarni v. has come and was cold. minjanarra v. has gone and was cold. minjanarra v. might be cold. minjanarrara v. might go and be cold. minjanarrarni v. might come and be cold. minjani v. to be cold. VARIANT: minjanu. minjani v. was cold (before). minjanini v. be cold. minjaninjani v. was being cold (before). minjaninjanini v. keeps being cold. minjaninjanirra v. was being cold (a long time Mudburra verbs 381

ago). minjaninjanirrara v. went while being cold (a long time ago). minjaninjanirrarni v. came while being cold (a long time ago). minjaninjaniwu v. used to keep being cold. minjanirra v. was cold (a long time ago). minjanirrara v. went and was cold (a long time ago). minjanirrarni v. came and was cold (a long time ago). minjaniwu v. used to be cold. minjarra v. be cold. minjarrala v. may be cold. minjarralarni v. may come and be cold. minjarralarra v. may go and be cold. minjarranjarra v. keep being cold. VARIANT: minjanjarra. minjarranjarrala v. may be being cold. VARIANT: minjanjarrala. minjarranjarralarni v. may come while being cold. VARIANT: minjanjarralarni. minjarranjarralarra v. may go while being cold. VARIANT: minjanjarralarra. minjarranjarrara v. go while being cold. VARIANT: minjanjarrara. minjarrara v. go and be cold. minjarrarn v. come and be cold. minjarrarnda v. should be cold. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjarrarndala v. was not cold. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjarrarnjarrarn v. come while being cold. minjarrarnjarrarnda v. should be being cold. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjarrarnjarrarndala v. was not being cold. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. minjarrarnjarrarnku v. was just being cold, would have been being cold, was going to be cold. minjarrarnjarrarnnginyi v. will come while being cold, wants to come while being cold. minjarrarnku v. was just cold, would have been cold, was going to be cold. minjarrarnnginyi v. will come and be cold, wants to come and be cold. minjarru v. will be cold, wants to be cold. minjarrunjarru v. will keep being cold, wants to keep being cold. VARIANT: minjanjarru. minjarrunjarruru v. will go while being cold, wants to go while being cold. 382 Mudburra verbs

VARIANT: minjanjarruru. minjarruru v. will go and be cold, wants to go and be cold. munyangan v. come and avoid. munyangana v. has avoided. munyangananybala v. is always avoiding. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munyanganarni v. has come and avoided. munyanganarra v. has gone and avoided. munyanganarra v. might avoid. munyanganarrara v. might go and avoid. munyanganarrarni v. might come and avoid. munyangani v. to avoid. VARIANT: munyanganu. munyangani v. avoided (before). VARIANT: munyanya. munyanganini v. avoid, refrain, ignore. munyanganirra v. avoided (a long time ago). VARIANT: munyanyarra. munyanganirrara v. went and avoided (a long time ago). munyanganirrarni v. came and avoided (a long time ago). munyanganiwu v. used to avoid. VARIANT: munyanyawu. munyanganjingan v. come while avoiding. munyanganjingana v. has been avoiding. munyanganjinganarni v. is coming while avoiding, has been coming while avoiding. munyanganjinganarra v. is going while avoiding, has been going while avoiding. munyanganjinganarra v. might keep avoiding. munyanganjinganarrara v. might go while avoiding. munyanganjinganarrarni v. might come while avoiding. munyanganjingani v. was avoiding (before). munyanganjinganini v. keeps avoiding. munyanganjinganirra v. was avoiding (a long time ago). munyanganjinganirrara v. went while avoiding (a long time ago). munyanganjinganirrarni v. came while avoiding (a long time ago). munyanganjinganiwu v. used to keep avoiding. munyanganjingannginyi v. will come while avoiding, wants to come while avoiding. munyangannginyi v. will come and avoid, wants to come and avoid.

munyangka v. avoid. munyangkada v. should avoid. VARIANT: munyanganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munyangkadala v. did not avoid. VARIANT: munyangandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munyangkajingka v. keep avoiding. munyangkajingkada v. should be avoiding. VARIANT: munyanganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munyangkajingkadala v. was not avoiding. VARIANT: munyanganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. munyangkajingkaku v. was just avoiding, would have been avoiding, was going to be avoiding. VARIANT: munyanganjinganku. munyangkajingkala v. may be avoiding. munyangkajingkalarni v. may come while avoiding. munyangkajingkalarra v. may go while avoiding. munyangkajingkarra v. go while avoiding. munyangkaku v. just avoided, would have avoided, was going to avoid. VARIANT: munyanganku. munyangkala v. avoids. VARIANT: munyanga; munyangala. munyangkala v. may avoid. munyangkalarni v. may come and avoid. munyangkalarra v. may go and avoid. munyangkarra v. go and avoid. munyangku v. will avoid, wants to avoid. munyangkujangku v. will keep avoiding, wants to keep avoiding. munyangkujangkurru v. will go while avoiding, wants to go while avoiding. munyangkurru v. will go and avoid, wants to go and avoid.

Nn ngadayarra v. does something. ngadayarri v. will do something, wants to do something. ngadayarri v. do something. ngadayarrila v. may do something. ngadayarrilarni v. may come and do something.

ngadayarrilarra v. may go and do something. ngadayarrinjarri v. keep doing something. ngadayarrinjarri v. will keep doing something, wants to keep doing something. ngadayarrinjarrila v. may be doing something. ngadayarrinjarrilarni v. may come while doing something. ngadayarrinjarrinya v. was doing something (before). ngadayarrinjarrinyarra v. was doing something (a long time ago). ngadayarrinjarrinyarrara v. went while doing something (a long time ago). ngadayarrinjarrinyarrarni v. came while doing something (a long time ago). ngadayarrinjarrinyawu v. used to keep doing something. ngadayarrinjarriri v. will go while doing something, wants to go while doing something. ngadayarrinjarriri v. go while doing something. ngadayarrinjlarra v. may go while doing something. ngadayarrinya v. to do something. VARIANT: ngadayarrinyu. ngadayarrinya v. did something (before). ngadayarrinyarra v. done something (a long time ago). ngadayarrinyarrara v. went and did something (a long time ago). ngadayarrinyarrarni v. came and did something (a long time ago). ngadayarrinyawu v. used to do something. ngadayarriri v. go and do something. ngadayarriri v. will go and do something, wants to go and do something. ngadayayinanybala v. is always doing something. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngadayina v. has done something. VARIANT: ngadayayina. ngadayinarn v. come and do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarn. ngadayinarnda v. should do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarnda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngadayinarndala v. did not do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarndala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. Mudburra verbs 383

ngadayinarni v. has come and done something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarni. ngadayinarnku v. just did something, would have done something, was going to do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarnku. ngadayinarnnginyi v. will come and do something, wants to come and do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarnnginyi. ngadayinarra v. has gone and done something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarra. ngadayinarra v. might do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarra. ngadayinarrara v. might go and do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarrara. ngadayinarrarni v. might come and do something. VARIANT: ngadayayinarrarni. ngadayini v. do something, happen to. VARIANT: ngadayayini. ngadayinjayina v. has been doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayina. ngadayinjayinarn v. come while doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarn. ngadayinjayinarnda v. should be doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarnda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngadayinjayinarndala v. was not doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarndala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngadayinjayinarni v. is coming while doing something, has been coming while doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarni. ngadayinjayinarnku v. was just doing something, would have been doing something, was going to be doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarnku. ngadayinjayinarra v. might keep doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarra. ngadayinjayinarra v. is going while doing something, has been going while doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarra. ngadayinjayinarrara v. might go while doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarrara. ngadayinjayinarrarni v. might come while doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarrarni. ngadayinjayini v. keeps doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayini. ngadayinjayinarnnginyi v. will come while doing something, wants 384 Mudburra verbs

to come while doing something. VARIANT: ngadayayinjayinarnnginyi. ngala v. eats. ngalu v. will eat, wants to eat. ngalunyngalu v. will keep eating, wants to keep eating. ngalunyngalurru v. will go while eating, wants to go while eating. ngalurru v. will go and eat, wants to go and eat. nganja v. eat. nganjala v. may eat. nganjalarni v. may come and eat. nganjalarra v. may go and eat. nganjarra v. go and eat. ngardangan v. leave this way. ngardangana v. has left. ngardangananybala v. is always leaving. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardanganarni v. has left this way. ngardanganarra v. might leave. ngardanganarra v. has left that way. ngardanganarrara v. might leave that way. ngardanganarrarni v. might leave this way. ngardangani v. left (before). VARIANT: ngardanya. ngardangani v. to leave. VARIANT: ngardanganu. ngardanganini v. leave, abandon, surrender, give up. ngardanganirra v. left (a long time ago). VARIANT: ngardanyarra. ngardanganirrara v. left that way (a long time ago). ngardanganirrarni v. left this way (a long time ago). ngardanganiwu v. used to leave. VARIANT: ngardanyawu. ngardanganjingan v. keep leaving this way. ngardanganjingana v. has been leaving. ngardanganjinganarni v. is leaving this way, has been leaving this way. ngardanganjinganarra v. is leaving that way, has been leaving that way. ngardanganjinganarra v. might keep leaving. ngardanganjinganarrara v. might be leaving that way. ngardanganjinganarrarni v. might be leaving this way. ngardanganjingani v. was leaving (before). ngardanganjinganini v. keeps leaving.

ngardanganjinganirra v. was leaving (a long time ago). ngardanganjinganirrara v. was leaving that way (a long time ago). ngardanganjinganirrarni v. was leaving this way (a long time ago). ngardanganjinganiwu v. used to keep leaving. ngardanganjingannginyi v. will be leaving this way, wants to be leaving this way. ngardangannginyi v. will leave this way, wants to leave this way. ngardangka v. leave. ngardangkada v. should leave. VARIANT: ngardanganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardangkadala v. did not leave. VARIANT: ngardangandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardangkajingka v. keep leaving. ngardangkajingkada v. should be leaving. VARIANT: ngardanganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardangkajingkadala v. was not leaving. VARIANT: ngardanganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardangkajingkaku v. was just leaving, would have been leaving, was going to be leaving. VARIANT: ngardanganjinganku. ngardangkajingkala v. may be leaving. ngardangkajingkalarni v. may be leaving this way. ngardangkajingkalarra v. may be leaving that way. ngardangkajingkarra v. keep leaving that way. ngardangkaku v. just left, would have left, was going to leave. VARIANT: ngardanganku. ngardangkala v. may leave. ngardangkala v. leaves. VARIANT: ngardanga; ngardangala. ngardangkalarni v. may leave this way. ngardangkalarra v. may leave that way. ngardangkarra v. leave that way. ngardangku v. will leave, wants to leave. ngardangkujangku v. will keep leaving, wants to keep leaving. ngardangkujangkurru v. will be leaving that way, wants to be leaving that way. ngardangkurru v. will leave that way, wants to leave that way.

ngardjala v. retains. ngardjana v. has retained. ngardjananjana v. has been retaining. ngardjananjanarni v. is coming while retaining, has been coming while retaining. ngardjananjanarra v. is going while retaining, has been going while retaining. ngardjananjanarra v. might keep retaining. ngardjananjanarrara v. might go while retaining. ngardjananjanarrarni v. might come while retaining. ngardjananybala v. is always retaining. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardjanarni v. has come and retained. ngardjanarra v. has gone and retained. ngardjanarra v. might retain. ngardjanarrara v. might go and retain. ngardjanarrarni v. might come and retain. ngardjani v. to retain. VARIANT: ngardjanu. ngardjani v. retained (before). ngardjanini v. retain, keep for oneself. ngardjaninjani v. was retaining (before). ngardjaninjanini v. keeps retaining. ngardjaninjanirra v. was retaining (a long time ago). ngardjaninjanirrara v. went while retaining (a long time ago). ngardjaninjanirrarni v. came while retaining (a long time ago). ngardjaninjaniwu v. used to keep retaining. ngardjanirra v. retained (a long time ago). ngardjanirrara v. went and retained (a long time ago). ngardjanirrarni v. came and retained (a long time ago). ngardjaniwu v. used to retain. ngardjarra v. retain. ngardjarrala v. may retain. ngardjarralarni v. may come and retain. ngardjarralarra v. may go and retain. ngardjarranjarra v. keep retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarra. ngardjarranjarrala v. may be retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarrala. ngardjarranjarralarni v. may come while retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarralarni. ngardjarranjarralarra v. may go while retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarralarra. ngardjarranjarrara v. go while retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarrara. Mudburra verbs 385

ngardjarrara v. go and retain. ngardjarrarn v. come and retain. ngardjarrarnda v. should retain. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardjarrarndala v. did not retain. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardjarrarnjarrarn v. come while retaining. ngardjarrarnjarrarnda v. should be retaining. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngardjarrarnjarrarndala v. was not retaining. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word ngardjarrarnjarrarnku v. was just retaining, would have been retaining, was going to be retaining. ngardjarrarnjarrarnnginyi v. will come while retaining, wants to come while retaining. ngardjarrarnku v. just retained, would have retained, was going to retain. ngardjarrarnnginyi v. will come and retain, wants to come and retain. ngardjarru v. will retain, wants to retain. ngardjarrunjarru v. will keep retaining, wants to keep retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarru. ngardjarrunjarruru v. will go while retaining, wants to go while retaining. VARIANT: ngardjanjarruru. ngardjarruru v. will go and retain, wants to go and retain. ngarnana v. has eaten. ngarnani v. has come and eaten. ngarnanybala v. is always eating. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngarnanyngarna v. has been eating. ngarnanyngarnani v. is coming while eating, has been coming while eating. ngarnanyngarnarra v. might keep eating. ngarnanyngarnarra v. is going while eating, has been going while eating. ngarnanyngarnarrara v. might go while eating. ngarnanyngarnarrarni v. might come while eating. ngarnarra v. might eat. ngarnarra v. has gone and eaten. ngarnarrara v. might go and eat. ngarnarrarni v. might come and eat. ngarni v. to eat. VARIANT: ngarnu. ngarni v. ate (before). ngarnini v. eat, drink. ngarninyngarni v. was eating (before). ngarninyngarnini v. keeps eating. 386 Mudburra verbs

ngarninyngarnirra v. was eating (a long time ago). ngarninyngarnirrara v. went while eating (a long time ago). ngarninyngarnirrarni v. came while eating (a long time ago). ngarninyngarniwu v. used to keep eating. ngarnirra v. ate (a long time ago). ngarnirrara v. went and ate (a long time ago). ngarnirrarni v. came and ate (a long time ago). ngarniwu v. used to eat. ngila v. poos. ngirnana v. has pooed. ngirnani v. has come and pooed. ngirnanybala v. is always pooing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngirnanyngirna v. has been pooing. ngirnanyngirnani v. is coming while pooing, has been coming while pooing. ngirnanyngirnarra v. is going while pooing, has been going while pooing. ngirnanyngirnarra v. might keep pooing. ngirnanyngirnarrara v. might go while pooing. ngirnanyngirnarrarni v. might come while pooing. ngirnarra v. has gone and pooed. ngirnarra v. might poo. ngirnarrara v. might go and poo. ngirnarrarni v. might come and poo. ngirni v. pooed (before). ngirni v. to poo. VARIANT: ngirnu. ngirnini v. poo, excrete, defecate. ngirninyngirni v. was pooing (before). ngirninyngirnini v. keeps pooing. ngirninyngirnirra v. was pooing (a long time ago). ngirninyngirnirrara v. went while pooing (a long time ago). ngirninyngirnirrarni v. came while pooing (a long time ago). ngirninyngirniwu v. used to keep pooing. ngirnirra v. pooed (a long time ago). ngirnirrara v. went and pooed (a long time ago). ngirnirrarni v. came and pooed (a long time ago). ngirniwu v. used to poo. ngiya v. poo. ngiya v. will poo, wants to poo.

ngiyala v. may poo. ngiyalarni v. may come and poo. ngiyalarra v. may go and poo. ngiyan v. come and poo. ngiyanda v. should poo. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngiyandala v. did not poo. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngiyanku v. just pooed, would have pooed, was going to poo. ngiyannginyi v. will come and poo, wants to come and poo. ngiyanngiyan v. come while pooing. ngiyanngiyanda v. should be pooing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngiyanngiyandala v. was not pooing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. ngiyanngiyanku v. was just pooing, would have been pooing, was going to be pooing. ngiyanngiyannginyi v. will come while pooing, wants to come while pooing. ngiyanyngiya v. will keep pooing, wants to keep pooing. ngiyanyngiya v. keep pooing. ngiyanyngiyala v. may be pooing. ngiyanyngiyalarni v. may come while pooing. ngiyanyngiyalarra v. may go while pooing. ngiyanyngiyarra v. go while pooing. ngiyanyngiyarru v. will go while pooing, wants to go while pooing. ngiyarra v. go and poo. ngiyarru v. will go and poo, wants to go and poo. nyangan v. come and look. nyangana v. has looked. nyangananybala v. is always looking. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyanganarni v. has come and looked. nyanganarra v. has gone and looked. nyanganarra v. might look. nyanganarrara v. might go and look. nyanganarrarni v. might come and look. nyangani v. to look. VARIANT: nyanganu. nyangani v. looked (before). VARIANT: nyanya. nyanganini v. look, look for, see, perceive, blame. nyanganirra v. looked (a long time ago). VARIANT: nyanyarra. nyanganirrara v. went and looked (a long time ago).

nyanganirrarni v. came and looked (a long time ago). nyanganiwu v. used to look. VARIANT: nyanyawu. nyanganjingan v. come while looking. nyanganjingana v. has been looking. nyanganjinganarni v. is coming while looking, has been coming while looking. nyanganjinganarra v. might keep looking. nyanganjinganarra v. is going while looking, has been going while looking. nyanganjinganarrara v. might go while looking. nyanganjinganarrarni v. might come while looking. nyanganjingani v. was looking (before). nyanganjinganini v. keeps looking. nyanganjinganirra v. was looking (a long time ago). nyanganjinganirrara v. went while looking (a long time ago). nyanganjinganirrarni v. came while looking (a long time ago). nyanganjinganiwu v. used to keep looking. nyanganjingannginyi v. will come while looking, wants to come while looking. nyangannginyi v. will come and look, wants to come and look. nyangka v. look. nyangkada v. should look. VARIANT: nyanganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkadala v. did not look. VARIANT: nyangandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkajingka v. keep looking. nyangkajingkada v. should be looking. VARIANT: nyanganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkajingkadala v. was not looking. VARIANT: nyanganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyangkajingkaku v. was just looking, would have been looking, was going to be looking. VARIANT: nyanganjinganku. nyangkajingkala v. may be looking. nyangkajingkalarni v. may come while looking. nyangkajingkalarra v. may go while looking. nyangkajingkarra v. go while looking. nyangkaku v. just looked, would have looked, Mudburra verbs 387

was going to look. VARIANT: nyanganku. nyangkala v. may look. nyangkala v. looks. VARIANT: nyanga; nyangala. nyangkalarni v. may come and look. nyangkalarra v. may go and look. nyangkarra v. go and look. nyangku v. will look, wants to look. nyangkujangku v. will keep looking, wants to keep looking. nyangkujangkurru v. will go while looking, wants to go while looking. nyangkurru v. will go and look, wants to go and look. nyungan v. come and give. nyungana v. has given. nyungananybala v. is always giving. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyunganarni v. has come and given. nyunganarra v. has gone and given. nyunganarra v. might give. nyunganarrara v. might go and give. nyunganarrarni v. might come and give. nyungani v. to give. VARIANT: nyunganu. nyungani v. gave (before). VARIANT: nyunya. nyunganini v. give, pay. nyunganirra v. gave (a long time ago). VARIANT: nyunyarra. nyunganirrara v. went and gave (a long time ago). nyunganirrarni v. came and gave (a long time ago). nyunganiwu v. used to give. VARIANT: nyunyawu. nyunganjingan v. come while giving. nyunganjingana v. has been giving. nyunganjinganarni v. is coming while giving, has been coming while giving. nyunganjinganarra v. is going while giving, has been going while giving. nyunganjinganarra v. might keep giving. nyunganjinganarrara v. might go while giving. nyunganjinganarrarni v. might come while giving. nyunganjingani v. was giving (before). nyunganjinganini v. keeps giving. nyunganjinganirra v. was giving (a long time ago). nyunganjinganirrara v. went while giving (a long time ago). 388 Mudburra verbs

nyunganjinganirrarni v. came while giving (a long time ago). nyunganjinganiwu v. used to keep giving. nyunganjingannginyi v. will come while giving, wants to come while giving. nyungannginyi v. will come and give, wants to come and give. nyungka v. give. nyungkada v. should give. VARIANT: nyunganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word nyungkadala v. did not give. VARIANT: nyungandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyungkajingka v. keep giving. nyungkajingkada v. should be giving. VARIANT: nyunganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyungkajingkadala v. was not giving. VARIANT: nyunganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. nyungkajingkaku v. was just giving, would have been giving, was going to be giving. VARIANT: nyunganjinganku. nyungkajingkala v. may be giving. nyungkajingkalarni v. may come while giving. nyungkajingkalarra v. may go while giving. nyungkajingkarra v. go while giving. nyungkaku v. just gave, would have given, was going to give. VARIANT: nyunganku. nyungkala v. gives. VARIANT: nyunga; nyungala. nyungkala v. may give. nyungkalarni v. may come and give. nyungkalarra v. may go and give. nyungkarra v. go and give. nyungku v. will give, wants to give. nyungkujungku v. will keep giving, wants to keep giving. nyungkujungkurru v. will go while giving, wants to go while giving. nyungkurru v. will go and give, wants to go and give.

Ww wandi v. fall. VARIANT: wandiya. wandi v. will fall, wants to fall.

VARIANT: wandiya. wandijwandi v. will keep falling, wants to keep falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiya. wandijwandi v. keep falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiya. wandijwandila v. may be falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiyala. wandijwandilarni v. may come while falling, may be coming down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyalarni. wandijwandilarra v. may go while falling, may be going down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyalarra. wandijwandinya v. was falling (before). wandijwandinyarra v. was falling (a long time ago). wandijwandinyarrara v. went while falling (a long time ago), was going down (a long time ago). wandijwandinyarrarni v. came while falling (a long time ago), was coming down (a long time ago). wandijwandinyawu v. used to keep falling. wandijwandirri v. go while falling, keep going down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyarra. wandijwandirri v. will go while falling, wants to go while falling, will be going down, wants to be going down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyarru. wandijwandiyina v. has been falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiyana. wandijwandiyinarn v. come while falling, keep coming down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyan. wandijwandiyinarnda v. should be falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wandijwandiyinarndala v. was not falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wandijwandiyinarni v. is coming while falling, has been coming while falling, is coming down, has been coming down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanani. wandijwandiyinarnku v. was just falling, would have been falling, was going to be falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanku. wandijwandiyinarnnginyi v. will come while falling, wants to come while falling, will be coming down, wants to be coming down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyannginyi.

wandijwandiyinarra v. might keep falling. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanarra. wandijwandiyinarra v. is going while falling, has been going while falling, is going down, has been going down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanarra. wandijwandiyinarrara v. might go while falling, might be going down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanarrara. wandijwandiyinarrarni v. might come while falling, might be coming down. VARIANT: wandijwandiyanarrarni. wandijwandiyini v. keeps falling. wandila v. falls. wandila v. may fall. VARIANT: wandiyala. wandilarni v. may come and fall, may come down. VARIANT: wandiyalarni. wandilarra v. may go and fall, may go down. VARIANT: wandiyalarra. wandingana SEE: wandinyana. wandingina SEE: wandinyana. wandinya v. to fall. VARIANT: wandinyu. wandinya v. fell (before). wandinyarra v. fell (a long time ago). wandinyarrara v. went and fell (a long time ago), went down (a long time ago). wandinyarrarni v. came and fell (a long time ago), came down (a long time ago). wandinyawu v. used to fall. wandirri v. will go and fall, wants to go and fall, will go down, wants to go down. VARIANT: wandiyarru. wandirri v. go and fall, go down. VARIANT: wandiyarra. wandiyina v. has fallen. VARIANT: wandiyana. wandiyinanybala v. is always falling. VARIANT: wandiyananybala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wandiyinarn v. come and fall, come down. VARIANT: wandiyan. wandiyinarnda v. should fall. VARIANT: wandiyanda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wandiyinarndala v. did not fall. VARIANT: wandiyandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wandiyinarni v. has come and fallen, has come down. VARIANT: wandiyanani. wandiyinarnku v. just fell, would have fallen, was going to fall. VARIANT: wandiyanku. wandiyinarnnginyi v. will come Mudburra verbs 389

and fall, wants to come and fall. VARIANT: wandiyannginyi. wandiyinarra v. has gone and fallen, has gone down. VARIANT: wandiyanarra. wandiyinarra v. might fall. VARIANT: wandiyanarra. wandiyinarrara v. might go and fall, might go down. VARIANT: wandiyanarrara. wandiyinarrarni v. might come and fall, might come down. VARIANT: wandiyanarrarni. wandiyini v. fall, go down, get down, rain, die (of people, polite). wanjala v. leaves. wanjana v. has left. wanjananjana v. has been leaving. wanjananjanarni v. is leaving this way, has been leaving this way. wanjananjanarra v. might keep leaving. wanjananjanarra v. is leaving that way, has been leaving that way. wanjananjanarrara v. might be leaving that way. wanjananjanarrarni v. might be leaving this way. wanjananybala v. is always leaving. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanjanarni v. has left this way. wanjanarra v. has left that way. wanjanarra v. might leave. wanjanarrara v. might leave that way. wanjanarrarni v. might leave this way. wanjani v. to leave. VARIANT: wanjanu. wanjani v. left (before). wanjanini v. leave, abandon. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanjaninjani v. was leaving (before). wanjaninjanini v. keeps leaving. wanjaninjanirra v. was leaving (a long time ago). wanjaninjanirrara v. was leaving that way (a long time ago). wanjaninjanirrarni v. was leaving this way (a long time ago). wanjaninjaniwu v. used to keep leaving. wanjanirra v. left (a long time ago). wanjanirrara v. left that way (a long time ago). wanjanirrarni v. left this way (a long time ago). wanjaniwu v. used to leave. wanjarra v. leave. wanjarrala v. may leave. 390 Mudburra verbs

wanjarralarni v. may leave this way. wanjarralarra v. may leave that way. wanjarranjarra v. keep leaving. VARIANT: wanjanjarra. wanjarranjarrala v. may be leaving. VARIANT: wanjanjarrala. wanjarranjarralarni v. may be leaving this way. VARIANT: wanjanjarralarni. wanjarranjarralarra v. may be leaving that way. VARIANT: wanjanjarralarra. wanjarranjarrara v. keep leaving that way. VARIANT: wanjanjarrara. wanjarrara v. leave that way. wanjarrarn v. leave this way. wanjarrarnda v. should leave. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanjarrarndala v. did not leave. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanjarrarnjarrarn v. keep leaving this way. wanjarrarnjarrarnda v. should be leaving. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanjarrarnjarrarndala v. was not leaving. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wanjarrarnjarrarnku v. was just leaving, would have been leaving, was going to be leaving. wanjarrarnjarrarnnginyi v. will be leaving this way, wants to be leaving this way. wanjarrarnku v. just left, would have left, was going to leave. wanjarrarnnginyi v. will leave this way, wants to leave this way. wanjarru v. will leave, wants to leave. wanjarrunjarru v. will keep leaving, wants to keep leaving. VARIANT: wanjanjarru. wanjarrunjarruru v. will be leaving that way, wants to be leaving that way. VARIANT: wanjanjarruru. wanjarruru v. will leave that way, wants to leave that way. warnda v. get. warndada v. should get. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warndadala v. did not get. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warndajwarnda v. keep getting. warndajwarndada v. should be getting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warndajwarndadala v. was not getting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warndajwarndala v. may be getting.

warndajwarndalarni v. may come while getting. warndajwarndalarra v. may go while getting. warndajwarndana v. has been getting. warndajwarndanarni v. is coming while getting, has been coming while getting. warndajwarndanarra v. is going while getting, has been going while getting. warndajwarndanarra v. might keep getting. warndajwarndanarrara v. might go while getting. warndajwarndanarrarni v. might come while getting. warndajwarndani v. was getting (before). warndajwarndanini v. keeps getting. warndajwarndanirra v. was getting (a long time ago). warndajwarndanirrara v. went while getting (a long time ago). warndajwarndanirrarni v. came while getting (a long time ago). warndajwarndaniwu v. used to keep getting. warndajwarndarra v. go while getting. warndala v. gets. warndala v. may get. warndalarni v. may come and get. warndalarra v. may go and get. warndan v. come and get. warndana v. has got. warndananybala v. is always getting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. warndanarni v. has come and got. warndanarra v. might get. warndanarra v. has gone and got. warndanarrara v. might go and get. warndanarrarni v. might come and get. warndani v. to get. VARIANT: warndarnu. warndani v. got (before). warndanini v. get, handle, catch (fish), pick up, acquire. warndanirra v. got (a long time ago). warndanirrara v. went and got (a long time ago). warndanirrarni v. came and got (a long time ago). warndaniwu v. used to get. warndanku v. just got, would have got, was going to get. warndannginyi v. will come and get, wants to come and get. warndanwarndan v. come while getting.

warndanwarndanku v. was just getting, would have been getting, was going to be getting. warndanwarndannginyi v. will come while getting, wants to come while getting. warndarra v. go and get. warndu v. will get, wants to get. warndujwarndu v. will keep getting, wants to keep getting. warndujwarndurru v. will go while getting, wants to go while getting. warndurru v. will go and get, wants to go and get. wujungan v. come and show. wujungana v. has shown. wujungananybala v. is always showing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wujunganarni v. has come and shown. wujunganarra v. has gone and shown. wujunganarra v. might show. wujunganarrara v. might go and show. wujunganarrarni v. might come and show. wujungani v. to show. VARIANT: wujunganu. wujungani v. showed (before). VARIANT: wujunya. wujunganini v. show, point at. wujunganirra v. showed (a long time ago). VARIANT: wujunyarra. wujunganirrara v. went and showed (a long time ago). wujunganirrarni v. came and showed (a long time ago). wujunganiwu v. used to show. VARIANT: wujunyawu. wujunganjingan v. come while showing. wujunganjingana v. has been showing. wujunganjinganarni v. is coming while showing, has been coming while showing. wujunganjinganarra v. is going while showing, has been going while showing. wujunganjinganarra v. might keep showing. wujunganjinganarrara v. might go while showing. wujunganjinganarrarni v. might come while showing. wujunganjingani v. was showing (before). wujunganjinganini v. keeps showing. wujunganjinganirra v. was showing (a long time ago). wujunganjinganirrara v. went while showing (a long time ago). Mudburra verbs 391

wujunganjinganirrarni v. came while showing (a long time ago). wujunganjinganiwu v. used to keep showing. wujunganjingannginyi v. will come while showing, wants to come while showing. wujungannginyi v. will come and show, wants to come and show. wujungka v. show. wujungkada v. should show. VARIANT: wujunganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wujungkadala v. did not show. VARIANT: wujungandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wujungkajingka v. keep showing. wujungkajingkada v. should be showing. VARIANT: wujunganjinganda. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wujungkajingkadala v. was not showing. VARIANT: wuju+nganjingandala. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. wujungkajingkaku v. was just showing, would have been showing, was going to be showing. VARIANT: wujunganjinganku. wujungkajingkala v. may be showing. wujungkajingkalarni v. may come while showing. wujungkajingkalarra v. may go while showing. wujungkajingkarra v. go while showing. wujungkaku v. just showed, would have shown, was going to show. VARIANT: wujunganku. wujungkala v. shows. VARIANT: wujunga; wujungala. wujungkala v. may show. wujungkalarni v. may come and show. wujungkalarra v. may go and show. wujungkarra v. go and show. wujungku v. will show, wants to show. wujungkujungku v. will keep showing, wants to keep showing. wujungkujungkurru v. will go while showing, wants to go while showing. wujungkurru v. will go and show, wants to go and show.

392 Mudburra verbs

Yy yama v. will be tired, wants to be tired. yama v. be tired. yamala v. is tired. yamanjima v. keep being tired. yamanjima v. will keep being tired, wants to keep being tired. yamanjimarna v. has been tired. yamanjimarnani v. is coming while being tired, has been coming while being tired. yamanjimarnarra v. is going while being tired, has been going while being tired. yamanjimarnarra v. might keep being tired. yamanjimarnarrara v. might go while being tired. yamanjimarnarrarni v. might come while being tired. yamanjimarni v. was being tired (before). yamanjimarnini v. keeps being tired. yamanjimarnirra v. was being tired (a long time ago). yamanjimarnirrara v. went while being tired (a long time ago). yamanjimarnirrarni v. came while being tired (a long time ago). yamanjimarniwu v. used to keep being tired. yamanjimarra v. go while being tired. yamanjimarrala v. may be tired. yamanjimarralarni v. may come while being tired. yamanjimarralarra v. may go while being tired. yamanjimarrarn v. come while being tired. yamanjimarrarnda v. should be tired. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yamanjimarrarndala v. was not tired. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yamanjimarrarnku v. was just tired, would have been tired, was going to be tired. yamanjimarrarnnginyi v. will come while being tired, wants to come while being tired. yamanjimarru v. will go while being tired, wants to go while being tired. yamarna v. has been tired. yamarnani v. has come and been tired. yamarnanybala v. is always being tired. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yamarnarra v. has gone and been tired. yamarnarra v. might be tired.

yamarnarrara v. might go and be tired. yamarnarrarni v. might come and be tired. yamarni v. was tired (before). yamarni v. to be tired. VARIANT: yamarnu. yamarnini v. be tired. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yamarnirra v. been tired (a long time ago). yamarnirrara v. went and was tired (a long time ago). yamarnirrarni v. came and was tired (a long time ago). yamarniwu v. used to be tired. yamarra v. go and be tired. yamarrala v. may be tired. yamarralarni v. may come and be tired. yamarralarra v. may go and be tired. yamarrarn v. come and be tired. yamarrarnda v. should be tired. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yamarrarndala v. was not tired. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yamarrarnku v. was just tired, would have been tired, was going to be tired. yamarrarnnginyi v. will come and be tired, wants to come and be tired. yamarru v. will go and be tired, wants to go and be tired. yana v. goes around. yanana v. has gone around. yananjana v. has been going around. yananjanarni v. is coming, has been coming. yananjanarra v. might keep going around. yananjanarra v. is going, has been going. yananjanarrara v. might keep going. yananjanarrarni v. might keep coming. yananybala v. is always going around. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yanarn v. come. yanarnda v. should go around. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yanarndala v. did not go around. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yanarni v. has come. yanarnjanarn v. keep coming. yanarnjanarnda v. should be going around. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yanarnjanarndala v. was not going around. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yanarnjanarnnginyi v. will keep coming, wants to keep coming. yanarnjanarnnginyi v. was just going around,

would have been going around, was going to be going around. yanarnku v. just went around, would have gone around, was going to go around. yanarnnginyi v. will come, wants to come. yanarra v. has gone. yanarra v. might go around. yanarrara v. might go. yanarrarni v. might come. yanda v. go around. yandajanda v. keep going around. yandajandala v. may be going around. yandajandalarni v. may keep coming. yandajandalarra v. may keep going. yandajandarra v. keep going. yandala v. may go around. yandalarni v. may come. yandalarra v. may go. yandarra v. go. yandu v. will go around, wants to go around. yandujandu v. will keep going around, wants to keep going around. yandujandurru v. will keep going, wants to keep going. yandurru v. will go, wants to go. yani v. to go. VARIANT: yanu. yani v. went around (before). yanini v. go, come. yaninjani v. was going around (before). yaninjanini v. keeps going around. yaninjanirra v. was going around (a long time ago). yaninjanirrara v. was going (a long time ago). yaninjanirrarni v. was coming (a long time ago). yaninjaniwu v. used to keep going around. yanirra v. went around (a long time ago). yanirrara v. went (a long time ago). yanirrarni v. came (a long time ago). yaniwu v. used to go around. yarra v. becomes. yarri v. become. yarri v. will become, wants to become. yarrila v. may become. yarrilarni v. may come and become. yarrilarra v. may go and become. yarrinjarri v. will keep becoming, wants to keep becoming. yarrinjarri v. keep becoming. yarrinjarrila v. may be becoming. yarrinjarrilarni v. may come while becoming. Mudburra verbs 393

yarrinjarrinya v. was becoming (before). yarrinjarrinyarra v. was becoming (a long time ago). yarrinjarrinyarrara v. went while becoming (a long time ago). yarrinjarrinyarrarni v. came while becoming (a long time ago). yarrinjarrinyawu v. used to keep becoming. yarrinjarriri v. will go while becoming, wants to go while becoming. yarrinjarriri v. go while becoming. yarrinjlarra v. may go while becoming. yarrinya v. to become. VARIANT: yarrinyu. yarrinya v. became (before). yarrinyarra v. became (a long time ago). yarrinyarrara v. went and became (a long time ago). yarrinyarrarni v. came and became (a long time ago). yarrinyawu v. used to become. yarriri v. go and become. yarriri v. will go and become, wants to go and become. yayina v. has become. yayinanybala v. is always becoming. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yayinarn v. come and become. yayinarnda v. should become. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yayinarndala v. did not become. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yayinarni v. has come and become. yayinarnku v. just became, would have become, was going to become. yayinarnnginyi v. will come and become, wants to come and become. yayinarra v. might become. yayinarra v. has gone and become. yayinarrara v. might go and become. yayinarrarni v. might come and become. yayini v. become, get (become). yayinjayina v. has been becoming. yayinjayinarn v. come while becoming. yayinjayinarnda v. should be becoming. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yayinjayinarndala v. was not becoming. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yayinjayinarni v. is coming while becoming, has been coming while becoming. yayinjayinarnku v. was just becoming, would have been becoming, was going to be 394 Mudburra verbs

becoming. yayinjayinarra v. is going while becoming, has been going while becoming. yayinjayinarra v. might keep becoming. yayinjayinarrara v. might go while becoming. yayinjayinarrarni v. might come while becoming. yayinjayini v. keeps becoming. yayinjayinarnnginyi v. will come while becoming, wants to come while becoming. yinba v. sing. yinba v. will sing, wants to sing. yinbada v. should sing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yinbadala v. did not sing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yinbajiba v. will keep singing, wants to keep singing. yinbajiba v. keep singing. yinbajibala v. may be singing. yinbajibalarni v. may come while singing. yinbajibalarra v. may go while singing. yinbajibarn v. come while singing. yinbajibarna v. has been singing. yinbajibarnani v. is coming while singing, has been coming while singing. yinbajibarnarra v. is going while singing, has been going while singing. yinbajibarnarra v. might keep singing. yinbajibarnarrara v. might go while singing. yinbajibarnarrarni v. might come while singing. yinbajibarni v. was singing (before). yinbajibarnini v. keeps singing. yinbajibarnirra v. was singing (a long time ago). yinbajibarnirrara v. went while singing (a long time ago). yinbajibarnirrarni v. came while singing (a long time ago). yinbajibarniwu v. used to keep singing. yinbajibarnngingi v. will come while singing, wants to come while singing. yinbajibarra v. go while singing. yinbajibarru v. will go while singing, wants to go while singing. yinbaku v. just sang, would have sung, was going to sing. yinbala v. sings. yinbala v. may sing. yinbalarni v. may come and sing.

yinbalarra v. may go and sing. yinbarn v. come and sing. yinbarna v. has sung. yinbarnanybala v. is always singing. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yinbarnarni v. has come and sung. yinbarnarra v. might sing. yinbarnarra v. has gone and sung. yinbarnarrara v. might go and sing. yinbarnarrarni v. might come and sing. yinbarni v. to sing. VARIANT: yinbarnu. yinbarni v. sang (before). yinbarnini v. sing, call out. yinbarnirra v. sang (a long time ago). yinbarnirrara v. went and sang (a long time ago). yinbarnirrarni v. came and sang (a long time ago). yinbarniwu v. used to sing. yinbarnngingi v. will come and sing, wants to come and sing. yinbarra v. go and sing. yinbarru v. will go and sing, wants to go and sing. yuwala v. puts. yuwanjuwarna v. has been putting. yuwanjuwarnani v. is coming while putting, has been coming while putting. yuwanjuwarnarra v. might keep putting. yuwanjuwarnarra v. is going while putting, has been going while putting. yuwanjuwarnarrara v. might go while putting. yuwanjuwarnarrarni v. might come while putting. yuwanjuwarni v. was putting (before). yuwanjuwarnini v. keeps putting. yuwanjuwarnirra v. was putting (a long time ago). yuwanjuwarnirrara v. went while putting (a long time ago). yuwanjuwarnirrarni v. came while putting (a long time ago). yuwanjuwarniwu v. used to keep putting. yuwanjuwarra v. keep putting. yuwanjuwarrala v. may be putting. yuwanjuwarralarni v. may come while putting. yuwanjuwarralarra v. may go while putting. yuwanjuwarrara v. go while putting. yuwanjuwarrarn v. come while putting.

yuwanjuwarrarnda v. should be putting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yuwanjuwarrarndala v. was not putting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yuwanjuwarrarnku v. was just putting, would have been putting, was going to be putting. yuwanjuwarrarnnginyi v. will come while putting, wants to come while putting. yuwanjuwarru v. will keep putting, wants to keep putting. yuwanjuwarruru v. will go while putting, wants to go while putting. yuwarna v. has put. yuwarnani v. has come and put. yuwarnanybala v. is always putting. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yuwarnarra v. might put. yuwarnarra v. has gone and put. yuwarnarrara v. might go and put. yuwarnarrarni v. might come and put. yuwarni v. to put. VARIANT: yuwarnu. yuwarni v. put (before). yuwarnini v. put, place. yuwarnirra v. put (a long time ago). yuwarnirrara v. went and put (a long time ago). yuwarnirrarni v. came and put (a long time ago). yuwarniwu v. used to put. yuwarra v. put. yuwarrala v. may put. yuwarralarni v. may come and put. yuwarralarra v. may go and put. yuwarrara v. go and put. yuwarrarn v. come and put. yuwarrarnda v. should put. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yuwarrarndala v. did not put. USAGE: This is a Western Mudburra word. yuwarrarnku v. just put, would have put, was going to put. yuwarrarnnginyi v. will come and put, wants to come and put. yuwarru v. will put, wants to put. yuwarruru v. will go and put, wants to go and put.

Mudburra verbs 395

10 Mudburra hand signs

In Mudburra, signing is called marnamarnda, which is also the word for ‘hand’. Sign is sometimes used with speech, but it also used to replace it. For example, sign is useful when people are hunting and silence is required, and sign is used to communicate when people are too far away from each other to hear each other talking. Sign is also used by Indigenous deaf. There are signs for plants and animals, for family, for time, and for human actions. There are also signs for new things such as ‘money’, ‘aeroplane’, ‘keycard’ and ‘school’. In this dictionary, we have photos and QR code links to 170 videos of Mudburra signs. This represents just some of the Mudburra signs — there are more Mudburra signs that are not in this dictionary. Many of the photos have arrows added to show you how to do the sign action. The examples are arranged in groups with similar meanings, so for example all the signs for family are grouped together, as are the signs for plants and those for animals. Some signs mean different things; for example, the signs for kirda ‘father’, mukurla ‘aunty’ and ngalinya ‘man’s child’ are made the same way with the index finger of one hand touching the chin (see p. 399). Some signs have the same handshape but different movement; for example, the signs for kird ‘break’, bijarrk ‘wring out’ and dudji ‘knead’ (p. 425). Some things also have more than one sign, for example there are two signs for jurlaka ‘bird’ and three for wumara ‘money’ (pp. 409 and 420, respectively). If you scan the QR code with a mobile phone the video will play. Your mobile phone needs to have a QR code reader to be able to play the videos, but you can download a QR code reader onto your phone for free.

Recording Mudburra sign at Elliott in May 2017. The signers sat in front of the blue curtain for the videoing and then afterwards we played the video back to check the signs. Shannon Dixon, Pompey Raymond, Wendy Hughes, David Osgarby and Felicity Meakins. Photos: Jennifer Green.

Mudburra hand signs 397

PEOPLE AND KINSHIP

kirri woman

wamala

ngarrka

girl

man

yaba

karu

young man

child

398 Mudburra hand signs

manjala baby

PEOPLE AND KINSHIP

kardiba whitefella

ngarrambalyaka police

mukurla aunty, father’s sister

kirda father, father’s brother

ngalinya man’s child

Mudburra hand signs 399

PEOPLE AND KINSHIP

jakardi

juka

mother, mother’s sister

woman’s child

barnkurdi cross-cousin

lambarra father-in-law

400 Mudburra hand signs

PEOPLE AND KINSHIP

kaku paternal grandfather

jaju maternal grandmother

jawiji maternal grandfather

ngabuju paternal grandmother

Mudburra hand signs 401

PEOPLE AND KINSHIP

ngumbarna

mungkaja

husband

wife

ngajala sister-in-law

ngumbarnarra husband and wife, married couple

402 Mudburra hand signs

PEOPLE AND KINSHIP

karlu older sister

kaminjarra maternal grandchild

baba older brother

bardarda

mali

younger sister or brother

man’s mother-in-law, woman’s son-in-law

karlaja younger sister or brother

Mudburra hand signs 403

FIRE, WATER AND FOOD

warlu

nguku

kandirri

fire

water

damper or bread

ngarina

kidba

meat

egg

404 Mudburra hand signs

FIRE, WATER AND FOOD

ngarlu

ngabulu

sugar, sugarbag

milk

ANIMALS

wawirri

ngalijirri

red kangaroo, desert kangaroo (male)

red kangaroo, desert kangaroo (female)

junma nail-tail kangaroo

Mudburra hand signs 405

ANIMALS

jakulaji brush-tailed possum

munyinyi mouse

buliki

manburrwari

cow, bullock

buffalo

406 Mudburra hand signs

nyinawurda echidna or porcupine

ANIMALS

dongki donkey

dimana

warlaku

bujikard

horse

dog

cat

Mudburra hand signs 407

INSECTS AND GRUBS

kunanga

karruji

house fly, bush fly

spider

laju witchetty grub

408 Mudburra hand signs

BIRDS

jurlaka

jurlaka

bird (general)

bird (general)

kurrkabadi

karnanganja

warlawirri

bush turkey

emu

wedge-tailed eagle

Mudburra hand signs 409

BIRDS

dakudbari

walanybirri

pink cockatoo

pelican

kurrarndala

jindikirrija

brolga

willie wagtail

410 Mudburra hand signs

LIZARDS, SNAKES AND FISH

walanja

jurrkubadi

goanna (general)

male sand or plains goanna

lungkura

wari

blue-tongue lizard

snake (general)

marndaraji ta-ta lizard

kiwarlija olive python, king brown snake

Mudburra hand signs 411

LIZARDS, SNAKES AND FISH

mulyukuna

kakuwi

black-headed python

fish (general)

kakuwi fish (general)

412 Mudburra hand signs

PLANTS

karndi

miringmi

yuka

tree, branch, stick

edible gum

grass

nginja

warnmirri

seed

bush yam

Mudburra hand signs 413

PLANTS

windurru

babirda

root of plant

wild potato

kinyuwurru bush onion

414 Mudburra hand signs

PLANTS

lukarrara

baka

wild rice

conkerberry

miyaka wild curry kurrajong

ngarlingarli paperbark

Mudburra hand signs 415

TOOLS, WEAPONS AND MUSIC

kabili

kawarla

kundalnga

digging stick

coolamon

clapsticks

kurrubardu

jalkaji

kurduju

boomerang

woomera

shield

416 Mudburra hand signs

TOOLS, WEAPONS AND MUSIC

mirlarrang

luwarnina

spear

gun, rifle

jabujabunganina

mayingka

binymala

scissors

axe

knife

Mudburra hand signs 417

BUILDINGS, SHELTER AND TRANSPORT

marru

dumuru

house

windbreak

ngandayi shade

418 Mudburra hand signs

church

BUILDINGS, SHELTER AND TRANSPORT

dimbungarna

murdika

aeroplane

car

OTHER THINGS

warnu

warnu

buna

tobacco

tobacco

ashes for tobacco

Mudburra hand signs 419

OTHER THINGS

jungkarna

warlu

warlu

cigarette

lighter

matches

wumara

wumara

wumara

money

money

money

420 Mudburra hand signs

OTHER THINGS

keycard

dikidiki

ngurrmana

playing cards

telephone

abaaba

jalyu

clothes

bed

Mudburra hand signs 421

ACTIONS

ngarnini

birnini

nyanganini

eat

drink

look

kamamurru

marnini

lankaj

blind

talk

listen, hear

422 Mudburra hand signs

ACTIONS

langajija deaf

marndamarnda hand signs

Mudburra hand signs 423

ACTIONS

manyan

dumarnini

bardaj

sleep

get up from sleep

climb

jirrbu

darukarra

warrard

dive in, dive down

shower, bathe

dry clothes

424 Mudburra hand signs

ACTIONS

jurlurl

darndarn

kakarra

pour

put in

vomit

kird

bijarrk

dudji

break

wring out

knead

Mudburra hand signs 425

ACTIONS

karal

langanini

jabunganini

dig with hands

dig with stick

trim, shear, shave

bunba fight

426 Mudburra hand signs

football, play football

DESCRIPTIONS

wunyubaka

bardakurru

dija

little, small

good

big

dikawurru fat person

wangi

ngulyingarna

no good, bad

liar

Mudburra hand signs 427

DESCRIPTIONS

warlkbari open

jard shut

428 Mudburra hand signs

FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS

balika

warrajkalu

janga

hungry

cold

sick

warungka

wirlarnkarra

mabu

crazy

frightened

shame

Mudburra hand signs 429

FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS

mandiyala poor thing

lungkarra cry

430 Mudburra hand signs

lungkarra cry

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND COMMANDS

wanjuwarra

yuu

yandurra

where?

yes

go away

nyamba what?

yanarn come here

Mudburra hand signs 431

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND COMMANDS

yamaka

kurdi

slow down

wait

wakurni nothing

432 Mudburra hand signs

TIME AND COUNTING

nyangarlu

kujarra

murrkuna

one

two

three

dinangka midday

dardu many

what time?

dinangka midday

Mudburra hand signs 433

TIME AND COUNTING

wajurrajurra*

larrbarni*

late afternoon, evening

long time ago

*pointing to the west

*action goes with a fingersnap

434 Mudburra hand signs