Wanbala olmen bin abum fobala waif Brenda Forbes Wanbala olmen bin abum fobala waif Brenda Forbes bin raitim dijan stori en Ross Tukumba bin droim ola pitja. KRIOL Bamyili Press 1982 © Copyright Bamyili Press 1982 ISBN 0 86822 135 X Longtaim langa bush wan olmen bin abum fobala waif en im nomo bin ladim olabot go hanting miselp. Imin rili jaliswan en im nomo ladim ola yangboi go langa im kemp. Wandei imin dalim im dubala waif bid go en lugaran bush daga en jugabeg. Wal dubala yangboi deibin go aidim miselp langa ola lif. Deibin luk jad dubala yanggel bin digimbat bush daga en deibin ran en deigimawei dubala longwei langa bush. Jad olmen bin kaminap brom biain gadim loda spiya. Imin go en imin faindim wea jad dubala yanggel bin digimbat bush daga bat im nomo bin faindim trek bla dubala. Jad olmen bin gibgon wok en jea imin faindim fut trek bla olabat en Imin bolurrum trek. Jea imin faindim wanbala keib en olabat bin insaid langa keib. Imin dak insaid en jad olmen nomo bin luk olabat. Wal jad olmen bin jingibat en imin sei, "mi labda weit gadim mai naja dubala waif." Jad olmen bin dalim dubala "wi weit iya, maitbi olabat kamat naittaim." Jad olmen bin klaimap tri en imin weit jea. Bromjea imin luk jad yangboi bin kamat en Jad dubala yanggel bin bolurrum im brom biain. Jad olmen bin gidap slobala en imin grebum dubala. Jad yangboi bin lukbek en imin ran, en dubala bin stat fait. Jad olmen bin kilim im langa im hed en jad yangboi bin dalim im, "Yu gin abum bla yu dubala waif." Jad olmen bin deigimbek dubala en jea na langa kemp jad olmen bin hitim dubala dumaji dubala bin ranawei brom im. Wandei imin dalim im fobala waif, "wi go hanting bla bush daga en keinggurru," Jad olmen bin go en im faindim keinggurru bin silip la sheidi tri en imin jinigap brabliwei til imin spiya jad keinggurru. Jad fobala yanggel bin kambek gadim loda bush daga en gowena. Bambai jad olmen bin dalim dubala waif bla gidim woda langa bilabong, Dubala yangboi bin aidim miselp la gras en deibin grebum jad dubala yanggel en olabat bin ranawei longwei wea jad olmen gan faindim olabat. Jad olmen bin go lugaran trek bla olabat bat im nomo bin faindim jad dubala yanggel. Deibin gowei olagija langa bush. Bambai imin rili olmenolmen en imin dai jea langa jad pleis, Bla im dubala waif bin go la naja pleis en dubala bin fain-dim najalot olgamen en olmen en olabat bin jidan langa jad kantri. English Translation Title: A man and his four wives Author: Brenda Forbes Illustrator: Ross Tukumba A long time ago in the bush, an old man had four wives. He didn't let them go hunting by themselves. He was really jealous and never let any young men come to his camp. One day, he told two of his wives to go and look for some bush food and honey. Two young men were hiding in the trees. They saw the young women digging for bush food and ran and took them away into the bush. The old man followed with his spears. He found the place where the two young women had been digging for bush food, but he couldn't find their tracks. He kept going, and then found their tracks and followed them. Then he found a cave where they were all hiding. It was dark insaid and he couldn't see them. The old man thought to himself, "I'll have to wait here with my other two wives." The old man told his wives, "We'll wait here and they might come out when its night." He climbed up a tree and waited there. After that, he saw a young man come out and the two women were following him. The old man got up slowly and grabbed them. The young man looked up and ran and they started to fight. The old man hit him on the head and the young man said, "You can have your two wives." The old man took them back to his camp and hit them because they had run away from him. One day, he said to his four wives, "We'll go hunting for bush food and kangaroo." The old man found a kangaroo asleep under a shady tree, and he sneaked up very carefully until he speared the kangaroo. The four young women went back with lots of bush food and goannas. Later, the old man told two of his wives to get some water from the water hole. The two young men were hiding in the grass, and they grabbed the women and they all ran away a long way away so that the old mem couldn't find them. The old man looked around for their tracks but he couldn't find them. They had escaped into the bush. Later, the old man grew very old and died in his camp. His two remaining wives left, and went to another place and found the other women and men and they stayed with them in that place. PRINTED BY BAMYILI PRESS with assistance from AUSTRALIA COUNCIL ABORIGINAL ARTS BOARD Private Mail Bag 25 Katherine, N T. 5780