26 GAPUWIYAK – Dhunumbu Guyula.

They all went back to Dhamiyaka and were ready to teach the Tuesday night class, which Michael was taking. Unfortunately the satellite connection didn’t work. We still don’t know why. They tired for nearly an hour and drove back to Gapuwiyak where they called using the wireless modem. John introduced Yiŋiya’s son Dhunumbu who introduced himself to the class.

This transcription starts some way through the video and is not complete.

John (JG) is with Yiŋiya’s son Dhunumbu (DG) and other young men including Samuel (SG) on the street in Gapuwiyak.  Michael (MC) is taking the class in Darwin, which includes Milminydjarrk (MG) who  calls Dhunumbu grandson.

JG: I’ll put on the microphone and just explain what happened…

1:00

MC: Okay

 

JG: I’ll try the camera…

 

DG: Hello. Lakaranhami walal ya!

Dhunumbu talking to the other men telling them to say something

SG: Nhuŋu ga waŋa.

Samuel talking to Dhunumbu.
He’s talking to you

JG: This is Yiŋiya’s son. Dhunumbu.

JG introducing Dhunumbu.

MC: On the left with the blue shirt? No. Dhamburru?

1:30
solid

MG: Bura ya’-dhuwal.

 

In the middle..

MC: Yeah bura okay.

 

Now we are back. We just got back into town. We were trying forty-five minutes.Everything was ready but the satellite refused to take our connection.

 

MC: Okay. Can you just hang on a second.

 

JG: Yeah.

 

MC: Everybody’s outside having their tea. So I’ll go and round them up. Hang on.

 

MG: Yow bilin.

 

MC: Bili?

 

SB: Yow wanhan?

 

MG: Dhuwandja mandany?  Märi. Dhuwandja manda ga nhina? Nhina manda ga?

Telling Michael to introduce the other Yolŋu in the class to Dhunumbu

MC: Ma! Whats happening?

 

JG: From Dhamiyakaŋur.

 

MC: No from Gapuwiyakŋur ŋani?

 

JG: Bitjarr? Nhe roŋiyirr?

 

JG: Yeah, well we’ve come back from a Dhamiyaka, and we’ve needed to let you know what has happened. We’ve just arrived now thirty seconds ago.

2:30

MC: Oh okay.

 

JG: We’ve put the next G modem on to my computer…

 

Okay so that’s disappointing, did you have a good time out there?

 

Well we spent 45 minutes trying to get….

3:00 John explains the connection failure in detail…. This bit not fully transcribed…

MC: … Lets just introduce ourselves. We’ve got Milminydjarrk here again and her gäthu and also got a Wany’tjuŋ here from Milingimbi and a nhanŋu gäthu’mirriŋu, Muŋapiyawuy.
Marŋgi nhuma walalaŋ?

4:00 Michael introducing yolŋu class members to the young men at Gapuwiyak

 

His gäthu..

DG: Ma nhumany waŋi walalaŋ.

Laughter at the back ground.

MG: Dhuwal waŋganydja nhe moŋal.

 

PM: Gäthu’mirriŋu bitjarr ŋarra.

 

MC: Ma waŋi walalany.

 

Mil: Burralaŋ. Burralaŋ. Nhe waŋi walalaŋ.

Milminydjarrk talking from the classroom.
Burralaŋ, say something to them…

DG: My name is Merril Dhunumbu.

4:40 Dhunumbu introducing himself and homeland.

Waŋi mirithi.

Talk louder

MC: Okay. Dhunumbu.

 

MC: Bulu lakaraŋ mirithi.

 

DG: My name is Merryl Dhunumbu and I live in barge landing which is in Bunhaŋura.
That’s where my homeland is.

 

MC: Bunhaŋura. Manymak.

 

DG: Yow Bunhaŋura.

 

MG: Buwa. Buwa burralaŋ, burralaŋ. Ŋarra mänyi.

Milminydjarrk talking from the classroom, “Burralaŋ, I’m your grandmother”

DG: Yow this is……….

 

MC: Burralaŋ, burralaŋ. Ŋäma ga?

Can you hear

DG: Yow.

 

MC: Burralaŋ, Ŋäma ga?

Can you hear

Yeah.

5:00

MC: Waŋa nhuŋu ga.

She’s talking to you…

MG: Ŋarra mänyi.

I’m your grandmother”

MC: Bäyŋu mak galkithi.

Can’t hear, move closer…

Nhe galkiyi.

move closer…

JG: ??? yan nhuŋu gurrutumirr.

5:30 Trying to make dhunumbu feel relaxed.. only your relations

DG: ?? let them go.

Cannot hear what Dhunumbu is saying. Milminydjarrk talking at the same time.

MC: Burralaŋ. Way Burralaŋ.

Burralaŋ is dhunumbu’s ‘skin name’.

MC: Ŋäma nhe ga?

Can you hear?

DG: Ŋe. Ŋäma muka ŋarra..

I can hear…

MG: Ga yow. Ŋarra mänyi.

I’m märi

DG: Yow.

 

MG: Yow ga, dhäwunydja nhe yätjkurrnydja bili märraŋal? Ŋäkul?

Did you hear the bad news?

DG: Nhäpuynydja?

 

MG: Dhäwu yätjkurr nhe bili ŋäkul?

 

DG: Ŋe. Yan bili ŋarra ŋäkul.

Yes I heard…

MG: Yow.

6:00

DG: Ŋe. Bäpurrukurr dhuwandja?

About the death?

MG: Bipi, bipi.

Your Uncle Uncle

DG: Yow.

 

MG: Yow. Dhuwal banydji muka.

It happened here…

DG: Yow, yow.

 

MG: Dhuwal watjpil Darwin.

Here in the Darwin hospital

DG: Ŋe.

 

MG: Yow. Ma.

 

Dhunumbu: Ma. Ŋarra dhu introducing dhuwal mandany.

I’ll introduce these two….

DG: Go. This is Samuel Budiyawuy.

6:30

MC: Yol? Budiyawuy?

 


MG: Yow. Ŋe.

Dhunumbu introducing Samuel Budiyawuy in blue shirt.

DG: My eldest brother. Which is the son of, oldest father lives in Mirrŋatja homeland.

 

In Landin yeah.

In between could not hear the two men talking to each other, calling out to the other man to be introduced.

MC: In London?

Landing is pronounced ‘London’ because of the barge ‘landing’, and also is the place where Dhunumbu lives, is where the landing is.

JG: Ŋapipi go!

7:00 come here uncle!

DG Nhawiku. Nhä, wanhaŋur ŋarra wo yol mala ga landin nhina, wo nhaku nhe ga landintja nhina? Yol nhuma ga nhina Landin?

Okay, what, where am I from, or who lives at the landing, or why do you live at the landing, who do you live with at the landing?

DG: Yow I live at barge landing with my grandmother, and I work as a CDEP worker, and I do a little bit of part time work here which is at that CDEP workshop to, attending all homelands….one of, nhä muka ŋunhi?

 

 

7:30 What’s it called?

DG: Nhä muka ŋunhi?

What’s it called?

Apprenceship.

 

DG: Yow. Apprenceship ŋani?

Is that right?

Nhäma walal ga?

Can they hear us? Some one asking question in the back.

DG: Ŋe. Nhuma marrtjin go.

Giggling going on in the back.

JG: Yol nhuŋu bäpa’mirriŋu?

Who is your father?

DG: Nhä?

 

JG:Bäpa’mirriŋu nhuŋu yol?

Who is your father?

DG: And my father is Mark Yiŋiya.

8:00

MG: Yow. Ŋäma ga.

 

 

A whisper.

Nhä?

07:55 Laughter.

DG: Aye?

 

MC: Napurruŋ teacher muka.

He’s our teacher of course!

DG: Yow.

 

MC: Ah ma!

Okay

JG: Yow.

 

MC: Yow. Manymak.

 

JG: I don’t know whether you can see I’ll move around into the sun. Yiŋiya had to get out on the way back, and spend some time with some people, but we just wanted to ring you up and apologise for the problem with the technology.

8:30

MC: That’s okay we’ve had a good time anyway doing our story about  djarrak and the maralmaral.

 

The tern and the young women

All right then

 

When are you coming back?

 

Leaving tomorrow morning.. We’re hoping to go to Badaypaday on the way and just call in there and a do a …  there and do a reporting if the satellite is working.

Michael talks a bit about arrangements with Trevor…

MC: Yeah good.

 

JG: We’ll stay at the landing tonight because that’s a Yiŋiya’s country down there and a these two men here, their country, a good homeland down there. And a lots of a, the family, Yiŋiya’s mukul and other relatives live down there. So we’ll get going it’s getting pretty dark here. 

 

MC: Manymak. Well thank you very much. Nice to talk to you. And we’ll see you when you get back.

 

JG: Good.

 

MC: All right and thank Yiŋiya for his effort too. And my yukuyuku manda.

 

My two younger brothers…

JG: Alright then.

 

MC: Okay. Liŋgun djutjutj.

Finish, keep going

Goodnight.

 

Byebye. Yow djutjutj.