Description
This split log tells the story of Galaŋgamirrpuy (Dugong) and Waymirri (Whale) travelling together – they are gathu ga bäpa (son and father). They went from Laŋarra to Martjanba (at Wessel Islands). There was a big boat there that caught the whale, they speared him and cut him with a knife. Galaŋgamirrpuy was scared of the big boat and swam far away. Waymirri is represented in the top panel of the painting by its tail.
The artists uncle, Raymond Bulambula tells a bigger story about Galaŋgamirrpuy (Dugong):
Buḏapthurr ŋayi Marranyamanaŋguli ga Galawanŋur
He passed through Marranyamanaŋguli and Galawanŋur
ga buḏapthurr ŋayi mak ŋayi ŋatha nhumar guḻun’ŋur,
and passed through, maybe he smelled food in the billabong,
mak yän ŋayi buḏapthurr gapulil, ḏamurruŋ’lil ga yindilil,
maybe he just crossed over into the deep ocean,
ŋayi yarrwupthurr ŋayi Baḏarrlil Baḻawaḻa’lil.
and went down to Baḏarrlil, to Baḻawaḻa’lil.
Nhawi ŋayi djarrany’tjurr ga yän ŋayi gakanŋan maḻŋ’maraŋal,
He dug something there and only found gakanŋan (an itchy round plant),
bala ŋayi bitjarr, “Way! Nhäliy ŋarrany ŋayathaŋal?”
and he said, “Hey, what’s got hold of me?”
Ga ŋunhi gakanŋan’thu ŋayi ŋayathaŋal.
Those gakanŋan had got hold of him.
Bala ŋayi ḏawurrmirriyinan,
Then he grew fur,
ŋunhi nhanŋu ḏawurr ḻarryurr ŋunhi gakanŋan gan dhärra’tharran nhanukal.
that fur of his fell out – the gakanŋan was all over him.
Ga ŋunhi djarrany’tjunawuy, ŋayi rulaŋdhurra ŋunhi buthalak.
And in that digging spot, he put yellow ochre.
Ḏiku nhe dhu djarrany’tjun yellow.
When you dig it raw, it is yellow.
Ga ŋunhi nhe dhu yellow bathan ŋanya, ŋayi dhu mikuthirr.
And when you heat yellow, it becomes red.
Ŋunhi nhe marŋgi.
You know this.
Gumurr-marŋgi nhe, nhe dhu bitjan bathan.
If you know what you’re doing, you can heat it like so.
Dhuwali miku nhanŋu yan wäŋa Ḻaŋarraw.
That red ochre only belongs to Ḻaŋarra.
Beŋuryi ŋayi yarrwupthurra ŋunhi yindilila gapulil ḏamurruŋ’lil, moṉuklila.
From there, he went down to the saltwater, to the deep ocean.
Ga ŋunhiyi ŋunhi ḏiltjiŋur nhanukal ḏiltjiŋur bawalamirri ŋunhi nhanukal rumbalŋur.
It was there in the bush something happened to get onto him.
Ŋunhi ŋayi ḻupmaraŋal ŋunhi gakanŋan.
There he swam in the gakanŋan.
Nhanŋu bayŋu, yupthuna.
It fell out there, it became nothing
Ŋunhi nhanŋuny bilin.
That was the end [of his fur].
Dhuwali Ḻaŋarrapuy dhäwu ga dhawar’yurra.
That’s where the Ḻaŋarra story ends.
Dhuwala gaḻaŋgamirri dhäwu.
That’s the dugong story.
Ŋunhi dhawar’yurra ŋayi.
It finishes there.
Ŋayi dhuwal gaḻaŋgamirri dhäwu yindimirri.
The dugong story is a big story.
Ga ŋunhili yolthu dhu märram dhäwu bulu?
And who will tell the rest of the story?
Short story by Darryl Yatjany, recorded by Hetty Watts.
Long story translated and transcribed by Raymond Bulambula and Salome Harris
