Garniwa danyiwa garnkiny?
‘Where is that moon?’
Mabel Juli asks herself this while walking down the basalt flow in the bed of the Little Panton looking for the moon in the rock. The Moon left a crescent-shaped indentation there when he knelt down in the Dreaming when fishing with a roll of spinifex grass. Mabel finds it and tells the story.
Nginy garnkiny garlmi-ngarri nginini ngarranggarnin. Wanyanyagem, werrgeb nginini ngenengga-yoorroong, daa-yoorroong. Nawarrarral dal, werrgereb nginini wayini yoorloo nawarra-yoorroong goorloon yilag. Wanyanyagel ngenengga nyaniyanyji moornmoordel. Lilinyel, ngindany, werlngerreny, gawim, benayanyji jang-girrim. Ngeli nawarrarral, wayini nyaniyanyji yoorloo nawarran yilag goorloon. Moongoorr nginini-ngooyoo ngenengga. He didn't want-em that goorndarri here big one.
‘This is the Moon from the time when he was pushing a roll of spinifex through the water to catch fish in the Dreaming. He threw all the little fish this way, to my country. All those big fish species he sent downstream to the big water there. He put that small fish species, the spangled perch, here. He put the small bony bream, the little catfish, the eel-tailed catfish and the little tiny fish here to eat. Those big ones he put downstream in the big water like that. He was jealous[1] about the fish here. He did not want to let people here have those big fish species.’
FK And thoowoo-berrewa nginini way ini.
‘And why did he do that kind of thing?’
Wel roog-anyji nginiyin. Thamboorroogal dal Nyawanal roog-ngarri nginiyin-ngooyoo. Wayinigana werrgereb nginini dambi nawarrarram goorndarrim yilag nawarran goorloon.
‘Well maybe he was sulking. He was sulking because he wanted the woman of Nyawana skin, his mother-in-law. Because of that he sent all the big fish downstream to the big water.’
Ngenengga roord nginiwardji ngarranggarnin. Ngoorrooma berdija nginiyin gerloowoorr Yarin, laarne. Ngarayi-ngarri nyaniyidji dal thamboorroo-gal roord-ngarri nyanininya, warri-warri. Deg-ngarri nyanemanyji warri-warri. Jarnimoowam bemberramoorlardbe. Ngoowan, jarnim bemberramoorlardbe, nyagoom. Ngarayiwa nyaniyidji lirrinyga-biny danyi ngajiny. Wayinigana, wayinigana marrirri nyaniyidji. Balbirrin-ngarri nyanininya, roord-ngarri nyanininya ngarayi nyaniyidji warri-warri. Goornagboowa nginiwardji- ngooyoo thamboorroogal dal.
‘He sat down here [at the place in the river bed] in the Dreaming. Later on he climbed right up high over there at Yarin. He caught sight of that woman of his mother-in-law skin when she was sitting down, her private parts. When he was looking at her warri-warri [private parts - euphemism]. They had only a small pubic covering called jarnim. No, it was not the pubic covering called jarnim that they had, it was the smaller one called nyagoom.[2] That brother of mine caught sight of her from the side. [Mabel calls the Moon brother by skin]. That is how he came to love her. When she was sitting cross-legged, she was sitting there and he saw her warri-warri [euphemism]. He turned away from his promised wife to that woman of his mother-in-law skin.’
Woomberrama-ningi "Gangala warda jiyinnha? "Ngelelma?"
“Ng-ng:::, Dawiyan dawiyan.
They wanta kitch-em him where he bin talkin “Dawiyan dawiyan”. Melera wanemayinde "Dawiyan dawiyan”.
“Goowoo gangal gangal? Ngelelma ngelel?”
“Ng-ng::, Dawiyan, dawiyan.”
‘They asked him "Which woman do you love? Is this the one?"
"No, no, "Dawiyan dawiyan" [is the one I want]. [This is an avoidance word because he cannot name his mother-in-law]. They should have realised what he meant when he said "Dawiyan, dawiyan."
"But which one? Which one? Is this the woman?" [They kept asking him]. No, no “Dawiyan, dawiyan”.’
He bin love-em that thoowernde-manbel all the way, blue-head Snake. He bin doomaji balmarr there sitting down.
‘He always loved the Black-Headed Snake from the time he saw her kneeling down there.’
“Nga, goowoo gangal gangal? Ngelelma ngelel.”
"Yoowoo yoowoo yoowoo!" wanemayin.
"Wawoo! Marra biyarra!
Thamboorroo-goorrool-ninggi nyinggil-ninggi. Warlagil joomoorloonhangoo-ngooyoo. Waj janiyidja-ninggi warlagil, wigi-gal.
‘ “Ah, but which one, which one? Is she the one?”
"Yes, yes, yes!" he said [when they showed him the Black-Headed Snake woman].
"Oh goodness me, you go away!"
"She is your mother-in-law, your cousin who you should avoid. [Literally “she is a hairy caterpillar or itchy grub to you”]. You have her child [as a wife]. She gave you her child, her daughter.” ’
Ganybelgbe nginiyin naw. Gerloorroogoo berdijboowa nginiyin ngarrgarlen laarne. Gerliwirring deg nginini dam roorrji-ngarri berraniyin yilag, woolmoolmanbe woolgoowoolgoomenboo, yilgi-yilgoorroom. Ngoowan wiyawoogbe goorrayidbe "Marra biyarra." Gerloorroogoowa berdijbe nginiyin. Gerliwirring-biny thad nginiward.
‘They made him feel shame then. He climbed up high on the side of the hill then. He looked down from on high at all the old men and women sitting below. Oh no, they spoke to him with powerful words used to ward off danger "You go away." He climbed right up to the top. He stood up and looked down from there.’
Wanemayi-birri "Nenggerrewan nhanggayig narriyana, ngayi-moowan boora-boorab ngiliyande."
"Langany-langany nandemji-ni" wanema-birri. Wel damba langany-langany beniyinji naw. “Lawoony-lawoony nandemji-ni.”
‘He told them "You will all die for good, I am the only one who will keep on coming back."
"Let your bones be white in the sand" he said to them. Well he confirmed their fate to become white bones then. "Your bones will become white and dry."’
That lawoony[3] you know. Well he go dry indit, that skin bela im. People bin go like that all them skin where they dying, they bin die like that. All finish now.
‘That lemonwood. Well its bark goes dry doesn’t it. People also go that way when they die, their skin dries out. We all die now.’
Berab gidjende gerlirrang jag ngiyinjinde. Moorrgoornboom daam, nhang ngoowoonjiny berrem, Berrem ngayirr ngini li