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Guwaabal 2 Burraalga bulaarr Dhinawan / The Brolga and the Emu


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  In the right-hand column the story is broken down into individual sentences. The first line is in Gamilaraay, the third is an English 'free' translation. The second line is an 'interlinear' translation; it shows the various parts of each Gamilaraay word (verb, noun, suffix etc). By examining this line you can see how words and sentences are built in Gamilaraay.
Go back to Version 1 or go to the Notes page to find out the background to the story.

00
Dhinawan bulaarr Burraalga
emutwobrolga
The Emu and the Brolga
01
Dhinawan bulaarr Burraalga yana-y-la-nhi wudhugaa-gu.
emu two brolga go-continuous-Past tar vine-for
The emu went with the brolga to gather wudhugaa (tar vine) roots.
02
Ngaarri-nga mawu-gi-la-nhi.
there-then dig-continuous-Past
They were digging there.
03
Bulaarr-uu burrulaa-gu gaaynggal.
two-all many-of baby
Both of them had many children.
04
Maal-u winanga-nhi, yiyal-i[?] ngurra-gu
one-doer.to think-Past just-from camp-to
yana-waa-ndaay.
go-moving-Rel.suff
One of them [the emu] thought of a trick (to play on the other) as she walked with him/her to camp. [Note: The word yiyali is not understood with our current knowledge of Gamilaraay.]
05
Yaluu ngami-laa-ngindaay ngaarrima Burraalga ngarri-nyi.
again see-moving-Rel.suff over.there brolga sit-Past
Next morning she saw the brolga over the way.
06
Burraalga-gu gaga-y:
brolga-doer.to call-Past
The brolga called out:
07
"Dhalarr-a nginu gaaynggal?"
where-in,at,on your(1) baby
"Where are your children?"
08
[Dhinawan:] "Aa, buma-y."
[Emu:] aa, kill-Past
"Ah, I killed them."
09
[Burraalga:] "Minya-gu?"
[Brolga:] what?-for
"Why?"
10
[Dhinawan:] "Gamila wuu-dha-y-la-ndaay."
[Emu:] can't give-eating-continuous-Rel.suff
"I was unable to feed them all."
11
[Burraalga:] "Ngarragaa, minya-gu?"
[Brolga:] poor what?-for
"Poor things, why?"
12
[Dhinawan:] "Aa, gamila wuu-dha-y-la-ndaay
[Emu:] aa, can't give-eating-continuous-Rel.suff
dhuwarr-minya."
food what?
"I cannot give them food enough."
13
[Dhinawan:] "Nginda-bula guliirr guwaa-la, dhaya-la,
[Emu:] you[1]-also husband.wife tell-command ask-command
buma-l-aaba-li-gu."
kill-l-all-Future-purpose
"You ask your husband whether you can kill yours also."
14
[Dhinawan:] "Gami-nda burrulaa wuu-dha-lda-y-gu."
[Emu:] no,not-you[1] many give-eating-continuous-Future-purpose
"Then you won't have to feel so many."
15
[Dhinawan:] "Ngalingundi dhuwarr garra-lda-nha."
[Emu:] from.us[2] food cut-continuous-Present
"They take too much food from us."
16
[Burraalga:] "Giirr, ngaya guwaa-y guliirr ngay."
[Brolga:] really I tell-Past husband.wife my
"Yes, I will tell (told) my husband about it."
17
[Burraalga:] "Yaama ngali buma-li gaaynggal gulbirr-i[?]."
[Brolga:] question we2 kill-Future baby few-from[?]
"Husband, will we kill some of our children?" [Note: The exact meaning of gulbirri is not understood.]
18
[Burraalga:] "Minya-gu ngalingundi garra-lda-nha
[Brolga:] what?-for from.us[2] cut-continuous-Present
minyaminyabal?"
everything
"Why are they eating all our food?"
19
[Burraalgagu guliirr:] "Ngaa, giirr, buma-li gaaynggal
[Brolga's husband:] yes really kill-Future baby
burrul-galgaa."
big-many
"Oh yes. [we will] Kill most of the children." (The next day the female brolga meets the emu woman again while food gathering.)
20
[Dhinawan:] "Yaamagarra?"
[Emu:] How's,things?
"How's things?"
21
[Burraalga:] "Ngaa, giirr, buma-l-aaba-y, giirr."
[Brolga:] yes really kill-l-all-Past really
"Oh yes, we killed them, too right."
22
[Burraalga:] "Nhadjil bulaarr yiyal gaa-waa-nha."
[Brolga:] [meaning.unknown] two just carry-moving-Present
"Now I have only two."
23
[Dhinawan:] "Aa, giirruuma-y?"
[Emu:] aa, really.do-Past
"Oh, you really did it?" [This sentence may also contain a Wayilwan word, ma-y = 'did']
24
[Dhinawan:] "Marra-badhaay yana-yana-y-la-y."
[Emu:] there-might walk-walk-continuous-Future
[this sentence is very uncertain] "They (my children) must be walking around out there."
25
[Burraalga:] "Marra-dhaay dhurra-li gaaynggal-galgaa."
[Brolga:] there-to.here come-Future baby-many
"My many children will come to here."
26
[Dhinawan:] "Yalaygu marra-badhaay ngaya burrulaa
[Emu:] this.way there-might I many
gaaynggal gaa-gi."
baby have-Future
[this sentence is very uncertain] "I will bring my children over this way."
27
Ngiima-bala-nga yana-nhi burraalga.
here-contrast-then go-Past brolga
The brolga went away from there.
28
Ngayrr dhalaa ngaarri wi-y-la-nhi.
there where[?] far lie-continuous-Past
The brolga stayed far away for a long time. (The brolga was very sad at being tricked into killing her children. She remains away twelve months and returns. She sees the emu walking about gathering food as before.)
29
[Dhinawan:] "Ngaa, dhalaa-waa-nda ngaarri-dha wi-y-la-nhi?"
[Emu:] yes where?-some-you[1] there-in,at,on lie-continuous-Past
"Oh, where were you staying so far away from here?"
30
[Burraalga:] "Uu, ngiilay-minya yana-wayi-nyi gamil
[Brolga:] uu from here-what? go-far-Past no, not
winanga-ngaya-li-gu."
hear-all.day-Future-purpose
"Oh, I went away from here so as not to be thinking of them all the time." (The brolga woman is feeding with her mouth, her arms are hidden behind her back. She is acting a part to trick the emu.)
31
[Dhinawan:] "Ngaa, minya dha-lda-nhi?"
[Emu:] yes what? eat-continuous-Past
"Hey, Why are you eating like that?"
32
[Burraalga:] "Aa, baawaa-dhi, aa, maayrrngay
[Brolga:] aa, sister-my aa, none
bungun gi-nyi, garra-l-wayi-nyi."
wing get-Past cut-l-far-Past
"Ah, sister, we've got no wings, we cut them a long time ago."
33
[Dhinawan:] "Minya-gu?"
[Emu:] what?-for
"What for?"
34
[Burraalga:] "Yalay-badhaay marra dha-lda-y-gu,
[Brolga:] this.way-might there eat-continuous-Past-purpose
"This way you can eat better,
35
[Burraalga:] bungun-dhalibaa-ga."
[Brolga:] arm-without-in,at,on
when you've got no wings."
36
[Dhinawan:] "Ngaayay."
[Emu:] all.right
"All right."
37
[Burraalga:] "Nginda-badhaay bungun gara-ngiili-y-aa."
[Brolga:] you[1]-might wing answer-oneself-Future-might
"You could maybe cut off your wings."
38
[Dhinawan:] "Minya-gu wara?"
[Emu:] what?-for wara
"What for?" [Note: The meaning of wara is not known]
39
[Burraalga:] "Uu, marra-badhaay dha-lda-y-nda,
[Brolga:] uu there-might eat-continuous-Future-you[1]
yalay ngaya."
this.way I
"Oh, you might eat better, just like me."
40
[Dhinawan:] "Ngaa, yilaala-badhaay yana-w-uwi-ndaay."
[Emu:] yes directly-might go-w-back-Rel.suff
"Yes, I might when I go back later on."
41
[Dhinawan:] "Giirr! Dhaya-la-mi-y guliirr ngay
[Emu:] really ask-command-ironic-Future husband.wife my
wayrra[?] guwaa-li 'giirruu.'"
[meaning unknown] say-Future absolutely
"Definitely! I'll be brave and ask my husband if he will say 'yes'".
42
[Dhinawan.gu guliirr:] "Ngaa, giirr. Garra-ngaya-la-y-gu,
[Emu's husband] yes really cut-all.day-each.other-Future-purpose
dhurra-w-uwi-ngindaay yilaala."
come-w-back-Rel.suff then
"Yes, sure. We will cut each other's wings, when we are going back later."
43
Gulibaa-ga yaraaygan-da.
three-in,at,on day-in,at,on
Three days later.
44
[Burraalga:] "Yaama garra-ngaya-y?"
[Brolga:] question cut-all.day-Past
"Did you really cut them?"
45
[Dhinawan:] "Giirr bungun garra-ngiili-nyi."
[Emu:] really wing cut-oneself-Past
"Yes we did cut off our arms."
46
[Burraalga:] "Ngaayay! Ngaya-badhaay baragi-y-la-y.
[Brolga:] all.right I-might fly.around-continuous-Future
"You know what? I can still fly around."
47
[Burraalga:] "Dhawun-da yana-y-la-y."
[Brolga:] ground-in,at,on go-continuous-Future
"You can only walk on the ground."
48
[Burraalga:] "Ngaya-bala barra-y, bungun-baraay."
[Brolga:] I-contrast fly-Future wing-with
"But I can fly, because I've got wings."