Burarra-Gun-Nartpa Dictionary with English Finder's List

2 Pages·1994·0.29 MB·English

by  Glasgow, Kathleen

THE LANGUAGE ANDITS SPEAKERS
TheBurarraandGurwiartpapeopleareAustralianAborigineswhose
homelandsareintheBlythandCadellRiverregions.Theynumber
approximately600;makingupthepredominantpartoftheBurarraLanguage
Family2 beingalsogeographicallycentralandspeakingthreeverydose
,
dialects Linguisticallythesedialectsareidentifiedbytheirpronunciationsofthe
termfor'thatonenearyou',either^n-fwr^gwn^narda,orgun-narfpavTliefirst
twodialectgroupsareknownbytheirregionaltribenames:Ari^barraatthe
'base' (mouth)oftheBlythRiver,locatedonthewestside,andMartayonthe
easternsideoftheBlythRiver.TheGun-nartpadialectisspokenbythe
Mu-golarraregionaltribe(alsoknownasMukarli)intheCadellRiverregion.
TheAn-barraandMartaypeoplewerefirstcalledBurarrabytheireastern
neighbours;theyrefertotteirdialectsjointlyasGu-jingarliya 'itwithtongue'.
TheGun-nartpapeoplerefertotheirx>wndialectasGu~jarlabiya 'itmovesalong'.
Thesethreeregionaltribes,withtheirttireeclosedialects,ortwo^dependingon
perspective,areproudoftheirseparateidentities,butcloselysupportone
anotherinculturalandsocialinteraction,andparticipatetogetherintheBparra
BilingualEducationProgrambasedatManingridaSchool.
In1957,withtheestablishmentofManingridaSettlementonGunabidji
landatthemouthoftheLiverpoolRiver,peoplefromalltheneighbouringtribes
cametoenjoythebenefitsoffoodrations,amarketforhandcrafts,medicalhelp
etc.—andtheBurarraandGun-nartpapeoplecameinlargenumbers.Theywere
thelanguagemajorityand,toacertainextent,Burarrabecamethelinguafranca.
Therewereinevitableproblemsinthisnewlife.Now,insteadofsmall
familyclanslivingintheirindividualhomelands,wholetribes,anddiverse
tribes,livedsidebysideinasemi-circlerangingaroundManingrida.Therewere
newopportunitiesfortransgressionoftriballawsandresultingfeuds.Easyfood
couldreplacethedignityofhuntingandfoodgathering.Theauthorityand
responsibilityforthechildrenwassoonsharedwiththeschool,andnighttime
activitiessuchasmoviesandlaterthe 'twisf,etc.,wereprovidedbythe
Europeans,withtheeffectofdispersingthefamilycampfiregroup.Butduring
thistime,theseasonalreturntohomelandsforhuntingandceremonies
remainedastrengthtothepeoples.
In1964,oneoftheGun-nartpaleaders,NymMarnalpuy,togetherwith
JimmyGerlgerl,tookmyhusband,DaveGlasgow,tohishomeland,Gochan
Jiny-jirra,ontheCadellRiver.Theysawthatithadallthequalitiesformakinga
producegardensimilartothegardensatManingrida.Andin1966,the
Gun-nartpapeoplemade aplan,enlistedmyhusband'shelpinlocatingaboat
tobuy,andtookoutsweetpotatocuttingsandcoconutstoplant.Fromthere,
'CadellGardens' grew,receivedaloanfromtheManingridaProgress
Association,whosoldtheproduceinitsshop;hadinitsemployfirstBobCollins
(wholaterbecameapolitician),andlater ViangaVeikosa fromTonga.Todaythe
^etwootherdialectsbelongingtotheBurarraLanguageFamilyareGurrgonior
Gun-gurrgonitothewest,ontheeasternsideoftheTomkinsonRiver,andYanyangu,spokenby
theMaringaRegionalTribetotheeast,ontheeasternsideofCapeStewart.Theseareprefixing
dialects,characteristicoftheBurarraLanguageFamily,butthereisamuchgreaterdifference
betweenthemandtheBurarra-Gun-nartpadialects.
Glasgow, Kathleen. 1994. Burarra-Gun-Nartpa Dictionarywith
English Finder's List. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
CadellGardensarebacktoclanproportions,thepeoplestilltakingprideinthem
andmaintainingthemasCommunityDevelopmentEmploymentProgram
workers.TheGun-nartpapeoplewerethefirstintheareatore-settletheir
homelandinanewway.
Intheearly1970s,whencontemporaryAboriginalissuesheavilyinvolved
thestruggleforlandrights,manyBurarrapeoplebegantomovebacktoresettle
theirhomelands,andasupportsystemwasdevelopedtoservicesuch
communitiesfromManingrida:theManingridaProgressAssociation,providing
'tuckerruns';the BawinangaHomelandsCentre(largelythevisionof
DaveBond)providingradiocontact,vehiclemaintenance,boresandtanksfor
watersupply,andhousing,aswellasacontinuingmarketforhandcrafts;and
ManingridaSchoolassistingAboriginalteachers,inorderthatthechildrencould
haveschoolintheirhomelands.Since 1980,GochanJiny-jirrahashaditsown
schoolundertheNorthernTerritoryDepartmentofEducation. Burarraand
Gun-nartpahomelandcommunitieswhichareresettledanddevelopedtoday
include:GochanJiny-jirraandJi-barlbarl(Gun-nartpaTribe);Ji-bena(An-barra
Tribe);andYilan,Ji-marda,Gu-mugumuk,Ji-mulawa,MewirnbaandWurdeja
A
(MartayTribe). fairnumberofBurarraandGun-nartpapeoplestillliveat
ManingridaandsomeliveinDarwin,buttheymovebackandforth,toandfrom
theirhomelands.
134°30'E
Glasgow, Kathleen. 1994. Burarra-Gun-Nartpa Dictionarywith
English Finder's List. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
8