emu

Jimmy Kalarriya, Peter Billis and Don Namundja talk about the names for emus.

JK: Dabbarrabbolk barringeybuni ngurrurdu.

The name the old people used for emu was ‘ngurrurdu’.

DN: Yo ngurrurdu.

Yes, ‘ngurrurdu’.

JK: alwanjdjuk Djawonj kunu.

In Jawoyn they say ‘alwanjdjuk’.

DN: Djawonj

Jawoyn

PN: Yo us mob we say ‘alwanjdjuk’.

JK: Ngad kunu.

Yes, us here [on the Arnhem Land plateau]

JK: Dja Gundjeihmi, anekke rerri.

And in Kundjeyhmi is the same.

JK: Alwanjdjuk

[they say] ‘Alwanjdjuk’

PN: Yo same way

JK: Djawonj Djeyhmi.

Jawoyn and Kundjeyhmi

JK: Dalabon ...

In Dalabon language…

PN: ngurrurdu

(the word for emu is) ngurrurdu

PN: Ngurrurdu Dangbon mob, um wurrbbarn that Rembarrnga

In the Dalabon the word is ngurrurdu and in Rembarrnga language I think the word is wurrbbarn.

JK: Kurih Kunbarlanja kabirri-yime kurdukadji.

There at Oenpelli (in Kunwinjku) they use the word ‘kurdukadji’.

DN: Karrikad

To the west.

PN: Kudjekbinj mob and Mamardawerre.

[People from] Kudjekbinj and Mamardawerre.

JK: Ngali bininj-ni ngalu ngurrurdu borled... borledkerrinj birridolkang kungol, ngalih wanjh ngale birri-bawong kukurlk ka-wake.

This emu was once a human being. They were humans who changed into animals. They flew up into the sky and they left the emu on the ground to walk around.