Makéddja barrúra barra-ngódjbara-nja

Makéddja barrúra barra-ngódjbara-nja
Life cycle of the sea turtle
A text in the Ndjébbana language of central coastal Arnhem Land, for use in the bilingual program at Maningrida Community Education Centre.
Ndjébbana text by Lena Djabíbba, Monica Wilton and Carol Galawidja, Heather Giese, Mavis Mawarrídja, Rachel Djibbáma, Melanie Mamariyi, Henry Wilton, Alistair James
Information from Kamárrang of the Rdukúrrdji clan (dec. Jan. 1995), Mr Jockey Búndubundu, Mr Johnny Nalíba, and Búlanj of the Karddúrra clan (dec. Jan. 1995). 
Checking supervised by Tommy Wokburra, Kate Miwúlkku, Daisy Naddjundánga and Millie Djamúddjana, Rita Djitmu, Betty Mirrilwanga, Elizabeth Warrangamba, Peter marralwanga, Willie ?, Claire ?, Susan ?, Esther ?
English translation by Carolyn Coleman and Rebecca Green
Illustrations by Anne Taylor and Greenpeace Australia
The information used in this text was initially collected during the 1994 Aboriginal Language Fortnight workshop by Monica Wilton and Carol Galawidja, Remote Area Teacher Education students at Batchelor College. Further work was done during 1994 by language workers in the Ndjébbana Bilingual Unit (Literacy Worker Lena Djabíbba and classroom teachers Heather Giese, Mavis Mawarrídja), and during Seasons workshops during 2005–08. We thank the older members of the Kunibidji community who were the source of our information: Kamárrang of the Rdukúrrdji clan (dec. Jan. 1995), Mr Jockey Búndubundu, Mr Johnny Nalíba, and Búlanj of the Karddúrra clan (dec. Jan. 1995).
© NT Government, Department of Employment, Education and Training, Maningrida Community Education Centre
Printed ??
Produced at Maningrida Literature Production Centre
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Private Mail Bag 67
Winnellie NT 0822
ISBN 1 74087 128 6

Nga-rakáya kénkala djámbarra malóya ká-rama ka-rénjdjeya. Makéddja bólkkarda wíba-ngáya, marládja, ka-nádja  ka-nádja, yaláwa búkkurlurl lárla-na ka-wála yángaya, barrábarra yá-rama barra-yirríya-nja.

Balarrírra ya-nangarddjína yaláwa yaka-yíya. Ngayámala nakémala barra-marlakkarlayína-nja. Nakémala ki-yirríya, ngayámala yi-yirríya.

Karlómerr ká-ba yi-yirríya yaláwa dírrngdirrng ká-rama, barrúra ka-ngódjbara.

Kénkala yáka-bbo, yabarra-ngabbabó-nja, makéddja barrúra barra-ngódjbara-nja. Dílkarra ka-nádja ka-nádja naké-keyakka rénjmarla ka-yóra. Kábba nga-néyabba ka-nmarrabarlúyara. Nga-néyabba yaláwa marládja yaka-wála, barrúra ya-kkúndja.

Yi-yirríya, rénjmarla ka-yóra, yaka-wála ránba. Djakóra ka-rénjdjeya ká-rakarawo, nga-néyabba yá-bakabanja yaka-nóra. Njarra-yirríya njarra-nádja njá-marnabba ya-wála yi-yirríya mándarla ká-raya, yi-yirríya nga-náwarla, ya-lakaláya njárlkkidj yaláwa ka-bbánjdja.

Barrúra ya-kkúndja yaka-nóra. Ka-bbúra ka-nmarabúya, yaláwa barakángka ya-nóra ka-mánga ya-renjdjína, yaláwa ya-kkamíya walákka yaka-wákka yaka-rlábaya bana-kkábba.

Marládja nja-barrábarra barrúra ya-kkúndja n-karrówa, njána nja-wálirrng warábba-ngaya, karrówa kóma. Nja-wálirrng wórrbbom ya-kkúndja.

Barrúra ka-yóra. Kurlúmburrk-kurlúmburrk ka-yóra yaláwa, kárlbbambam. Dírrngdirrng ká-rama yaláwa karókadja ka-ngódjbara.

Barrúra n-marládja na-kkáyala ka-yóra n-karrówa, njána na-wórrbbom ka-yarrárlma. Barra-karrówa bárra-yana baka-móya barra-ngúddja.

Kárlbbambam na-kkáyala ka-yóra. Nganéya yaláwa na-bbarlángkareya ká-bakabanja, ka-mángka, ká-ba.

Karrabba n-kálakarra ka-nádja ka-nádja kádjbarl díla-na ká-rama, kénkala wára, yaláwa ránba ki-yirríya barrúra káya-na. Ka-bala-yírriya ka-nádja n-kódda na-bbarlángkaraya ká-ba ká-rawo, ká-bakabanja ká-yana n-djídjabba wébba.

Nganéyabba njarra-karláraya mandarlangúrrnga, njarra-mankawákkaya, njarra-karláraya kúrla ka-rníbaya,  njarra-ráya warábba-ngáya marddól ya-yéngka. Njarra-wárrbba, n-kárla njarra-nádja, yaláwa njárra-bakabanja káyala njárra-rawo. Njarra-ddjórrbara nja-mardárda njárra-rawo, njarra-nádja yaláwa barrúra, dírrngdirrng. Dírrngdirrng njárra-ba, barrúra njárra-ba, nja-rnamíddja.

Ka-bábba ki-yirríya nga-rnamíddja ka-ngódjbara.

Barrábarra ka-nabíya yaláwa ki-yírriya.

Yaláwa ngárda ka-bbúra; marládja nga-namánda ka-rnawárrbara barrúra n-kódda, ka-míba ka-yóra yaláwa.

Barra-nabélbiliba barra-rríkkaya ránba. Barra-warayémaya nganjónganjiba-ká-rawo nakébba búna-ba. Barra-bíwanga kábba warríwarra, barra-rlábaya kómabba barra-yirríya yaláwa bólkkarda. Bárreya kómabba.

Marládja barra-nabélbiliba ka-míba mardárda ka-rlawíya, ka-rríkkaya ki-yirríya, yaláwa djambalówa málaya ka-bala-yirríya, ka-nádja, ka-karlábaya ka-ráya, ka-mángka.

Yaláwa barra-yirríya ngána bólkkarda, bana-kkábba, kábba kánkarra bana-ngádja. Yárrkyarrk barra-bbúra, barrémala barra-bbéngka. Barra-yarrárlma yaláwa.

Bakkándja yaláwa marládja njárlkkidj bana-kkábba ki-yirríya; nganéya yaláwa djabbarnbókka kaya-móya. Karrabba n-kálakarra ki-yirríya ká-yana kayáka-ra kaya-móya.

Yaláwa barra-yirríya barra-yarrárlmanga, yaláwa lárla-na, ngarráma barra-nabíya-nja.

Yaláwa nga-rakáya kénkala ká-rama, djámbarra malóya, yaláwa lárla-na ka-wála yángaya yá-rama barra-yirríya-nja.

Yá-nmarramarlo yi-yirríya yaláwa barrúra ka-ngódjbara. Yúrnka-ngaya ka-rlawíya, “Ngaya-wákka n-barrúra  ngaya-bbánjdja.” Yaka-wákka yi-yirríya wíbbara n-djídjabba, ngayábba ngárda ka-bbóna barrúra.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Life cycle of the sea turtle
2. Pandanus gets fruit in the wet season, the showery season. Turtles that live in the sea watch for it, then the male climbs on her and stays holding her. At full moon time, the male mounts her, he holds her back as they go along.
4. When speargrass breaks, he leaves her. They split up; he goes off on his own, she goes off on her own.
6. She goes along eating seagrass, and she is fertile, she develops her eggs.
8. When the pandanus nuts fall, and are harvested, turtles produce their eggs. She watches for the new moon. That’s when the tide comes up high. At that time the female turtle comes up to lay her eggs.
10. She goes until new moon, then she goes up the beach. Where the spinifex grows along the foredune, there she digs. We go and see the turtle’s tracks climbing up; she finds it’s too hard and goes on to another place and feels that it’s soft so she digs.
12. She lays her eggs. She covers them over, then she heads back to the water.
14. Large turtles lay many eggs, but immature females lay only one, never many. Immature females lay just a few.
16. The eggs lie there. They lie there in a clutch with developing yolks. They have embryos inside, making babies.
18. Many turtle eggs lie in the sand, but few grow up. Many animals hunt them.
20. The eggs lie in the sand. That’s when a goanna digs, gets them [and] eats them.
22. Similarly a man waits for the acacias to flower, or for the pandanus fruits, then goes to the beach to look for eggs. He comes along [and] sees the skins which the goanna has discarded, [then] he digs in search of them in just the same way.
24. We prod the sand—it’s hard, so we move on, when we prod the stick sinks in, we stab an egg and it bursts, when we pull the stick out we see that it’s wet, so we dig and remove the sand. We cook them and discard the shells, then we see eggs, embryos. We eat the embryos, we eat the eggs, and the meat.
26. They eat and eat and gradually they form their bodies.
28. At last they have finished growing.
30. Then they hatch; the little turtles crack the egg shell, and emerge.
32. The little ones wriggle across the beach. They are afraid that a sand goanna might eat them. They smell the salt water, and go down to it. They all go into the water and head for deep water. All of them.

34. Once the baby turtles come out of their shells, and stop, then crawl along, the brahminny kite flies over, sees them, goes down into the water [and] spears them [in its talons], [and] gets them.
36. At last they are all in the deep water, the water saves their skins (literally, ‘the water saves their flesh’). Then they go their separate ways, each swims off separately. They grow.
38. After that, when the baby turtles are swimming about in the water, that’s when a shark might eat one. Also men hunt them to harpoon [and] eat.
40. At last they grow up, they become male and female [turtles].
42. When the pandanus gets fruit in the wet season, the showery? season, then the male climbs on her and they go along with him holding her.
44. She swims along, developing her eggs. She thinks, “I’ll go back and lay my eggs.” She returns to the same place where she hatched as an egg.

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