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| Jiwarli Traditional Mythology |
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This story was told by Jack Butler, the last native speaker of the Jiwarli language. It tells the story of kapakurta ‘spotted nightjar’ Eurostopodus argus and mikalyaji ‘bat’ (species unknown). These two, who are ngathal ‘same sex parallel cousins’, kill a man called Pipijunkurru, boss of all the people. After some travels they secretly spear him while he is lying in his bough shade. They are caught by the group and punished for their misdeeds by being speared and beaten with boomerangs and women’s yamsticks. Their legs are broken so that now they both lie on the ground when they land and they must both drink water on the wing, rather than being able to stand and drink like other animals.
You can hear this story read aloud (in Jiwarli or English) by Jack Butler, the last speaker of the language:
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Jiwarli
Kapakurta mantharta mikalyaji paja yananyja manthartawu. Yini pipijunkurru. Maatha ngunha manthartanyjarriyi pipijunkurru. Warri nhukuparnti ngunha paja yananyja. Ngunhakayi kajiriwari kamparninyjalu kajiriyi kamparninyja ngunhipa yirrara. Ngunha wirlkamanta ngurntinha. Ngurnuparntipa yananyja yartingka yapurrari. Paja kutharra ngunhirapa. Pakalyapurrathu manthartapurrathu ngunhapurra ngurrapularalapurra. Yananyja ngunhirapa parrunthurru kamparu kajiriyi. Yartingka wanthalarru ngunha. Ngunhipa juntalyala yapurru kamparninyja ngulapa. Julyunyjarri wangkaartu ngathala. Ngurnuparntipa yanararri ngunharru wurrumalu. Ngulapa kamparninyja kajiri. Murlurrurnirninyja. Yanararringu ngarramarri ngunha kumpiniya ngurntanhu malungka pipinyjila pipijunkurruthu. Nhaarringu ngunhirapa pajawurrinyja. Warri wantharninyjaparnti thurnti ngulupa maathalu. Yananyjarni ngunhirapa ngarramarri. Ngunha jina ngurntinhamanta marntangura. ngurntanhu kumpiniya nguwanma yirtijirra malungka Pinyanyja ngunhapa Kutharralu. mikalyajilukayi kapakurtalu pinyanyja. Kalyarru pinyanyja. Wirntupinyanyjarru. Piji wirripuka warntija patharru ngunhiranhapa. Kajirilu kurrjartalu pinyanyja. Nhaamalkarringu. Ngurnupanthi kumpiniya warntingu yarrpalpanthi. Ngurnupanthi winthikutharra ngunhirapa winthi wirripukalu pinyanyja. Patharninyja kurriyalu. Thangkarninyja purrartilu wanangku. Wangkirarringurru ngunhirapa kapakurtawungarla mikalyajiyi. Ngathalkarra ngunhirapathu. Ngathalkarra mananyja ngunhirapanha wulu walkarringurru. Wurntarninyja ngarta. Wuluwarninyja. Kalarru nhupalu kumpama warrirru minarlarringu yanararri. Maranyjirrirarringu. Payithalkarringu nhupalu yalhangka ngurntayi. Papa nhupaluru pajalkarringu wakararringu. Jantakutharra nhupalu kumpama.
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English
The nightjar and bat were angry with a man. His name was Pipijunkurru. That Pipijunkurru was the boss of the people. They didn’t go along angry from nearby. After they first heated (straightened) spears at Mt Florrie, they heated them there at the top. There is a gap there still. After that (they) went north in the (Ashburton) river. The two of them were angry. That was the time of good men when the earth was soft. They went again to straighten a spear. In the river, where was that now? They straightened it there in the river north at Jundalya. The old people used to tell me. After that they went to Globe Hill Station. There they straightened a spear. (They) straightened it. They walked along one behind another while that Pipijunkurru was lying in the shade at Pipinji. I don’t know why they were angry. The boss hadn’t given them food. They went along one behind the other. The tracks are still there on the flat rocks where he slept in the shade of a bough shade. They speared him. The two of them speared (him), bat first and then nightjar. (They) speared him in the armpit. (They) killed (him). The mob got up to spear the two of them. (They) speared (them) with spears. What will they do? After that (each time the mob threw a spear) they got up (ducked and came back) in reverse. After that (the mob) speared those two murderers. (They) pelted (them) with boomerangs. The women hit (them) with yam sticks. Then (they) talked about nightjar and bat. They were (same-sex) parallel cousins. They got those two cousins and broke their legs. (They) cut their legs. (They) broke their legs. You two will live like this unable to walk. You can land. You can land on the ground to lie down. You will drink water while flying.
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