The Emu and the Jabaru Story

Yo, Galikali dhuwal nhuŋu dhawu, ŋarra dhu lakaram.

Yes, Galikali, I will tell you a story.

wurrpanpuy ga gandji

about the emu and the jabiru

Wurrpan gan marrtjin, ga lukan ŋayi marrtjin,ŋatha ŋunha nhakun wurryara

Emu was walking along and eating food such as the Cabbage Palm.

- wurryara, dhuwal yäku dhalpi, ga dhakalnha ŋunhi nhanŋu molnha. Ŋunhi ŋayi marrtjin lukan.

- It is also called dhalpi and the outer appearance is black. That is what it was eating -

lukan ŋayi marrtjin bala waŋan, marrtjinan ŋayi gan

While it ate it, he was talking to himself.

ga nhaku mak ŋayi djal'thin bala yarrupthurra ŋayi gulunlila

and she probably wanted something so went down to the waterhole.

ŋayi yarrputhurr ŋayi balaŋ ŋuli mak gapu lukana

She went down to the waterhole to drink water.

ŋayi djäl'thin ŋunhi ŋayi bala lukana gulunlil, gulunŋur gapu.

she wanted to have something in her stomach – water form the waterhole,

Bili ŋayi diltjikurr gan marrtjin, bäyŋu ŋayi malŋ'maraŋal gapu.

because she had been through the bush and hadn’t found any water

Ga ŋayi gan ŋunhi gapu ŋorran,

and there, (at the waterhole) water lay.

ŋunhilin bili ŋunhi ŋayi gan ŋayathaŋal gapu yäkuy gandjiy

Right there, at the waterhole was the one that owned it,the one called Jabiru.

gandji ŋunhi ŋayi gan buŋgawa nhinan ŋunhili gapuw'

Jabiru was in charge of the waterhole.

ga lukan ŋayi gan, ga ŋarirri' mala ŋayi gan lukan ŋayi gandjinydja, ga bäyŋu nhanŋu gan ŋunhi yolthuwiripuŋuy lukan warrakan'thu.

The Jabiru was eating fish and no other animals were allowed to feed from it.

ga ŋayi gan wurrpandja marrtjin diltjikurr bala ŋayi, … ŋar'ŋaryurra ŋayi, ranhdhakthinan ŋayi gapuw'nha.

The emu was walking through the bush then he became thirsty, parched of water.

ga nhäŋal ŋayi gulun, gulun nyuŋalamirr

Then he say the waterhole, the waterhole with Oxeye Herring.

ŋunhi gulundja wakwakmirr,

The waterhole had waterlilies.

yurr ŋayi gan ŋunhilin gandjin buŋgawakunhamin ŋurukiny gulunkuny

but the Jabiru was making himself the boss of that waterhole.

ga marrtjini ŋayi, ga luku yarrupthurra ŋayi nhawiku gulungu

The emu walked and came down for the waterhole,

muyukurra XX bala yarrupthun marrtjin, bewiyakurra yarrupthurra nhäŋala gulunnha

went down through the grass, through the wetlands, the bullrush, came down and saw the waterhole.

ga ŋunhi ŋayi bala ŋ lukanhan, ŋayi ŋunhi gandjitja ŋaŋ’ŋaŋdhurr "way!"

And when she was about to have some the Jabiru chased her “Hey!”

ŋayi gandjiny waŋanan "way! roŋiyi! Yaka gapu rraku luki!"

The Jabiru spoke. “Hey, go back! Don’t drink my water.”

" dhuwaliny yaka nhuŋu gapu , nhuŋu nhe dhu gäna malŋ'maram gapudhuwal rraku gapu", bitjarr ŋayi gandji waŋan

“That is not your water. Find your own water! That water is mine,” said the Jabiru.

ŋayi nhakun ŋunhi, ranhdhakthinan ŋayiny

She was parched

nhawin wurrpannha ŋayi dhu luka yan ŋunhi ŋayi dhu gapu bili ŋayi diltjilkurr gan marrtjinwaluy dälyu

um, the emu, she was determined to drink that water because she had walked through the bush on a hot day.

ga ŋayi ŋunha lukanhany gapuny.

Therefore, she drank the water.

ŋayi ŋanya beŋurnydja dhirrimul'yun wirriw'yurr

From where stood the Jabiru started to throw a stone at her.

gunda ya' dhirrimul yurr buyuwuyu

That stone was smooth.

Wirriw'yurrtja ŋayi, bala ŋayi burakinan diltjin

When he threw it, it hit her on the back.

ga ŋayi malwiya waŋan bitjar "baydhin, ŋunhi ŋarra gunday wutthurr.’

The emu replied “I don’t care that I was hit by a stone.”

"Dhuwal rraku mapun" bitjar.

“This is my egg.” came the answer.

bala ŋayi märraŋala. Ŋayi bati märraŋal, ga badatjtjurra ŋanyanhany balany nhawililtja gulunlil gandjinhany

Then she grabbed it, she grabbed a barbed spear but missed him, the Jabiru in the waterhole.

ga ŋayi gandji waŋan bitjar "yo”

And the Jabiru replied, “Yes,”

ŋuruŋiyi ŋayi badatjurr ŋanya garay yäku ba=i - djinbulk.

He was missed by the spear called bati – a sharp one.

ga "yo" ŋayi gandji bitjar "yo, manymak, nhe ŋarrany djawaryurr dhuwal dhiyaŋiyi batiyi" bitjarnhaŋayi gandjin

“Yes” said the Jabiru, “yes, very well, you have speared me here with that spear.” said the Jabiru

"yurr ŋarraku ŋarra dhuwal märraŋaltja rrakuwunydja ŋarra ga ŋurrun rraku

“but I have got myself a beak here.”

“ŋurrun rraku dhuwanydja weyinnha ŋararriw'nha bitjar, djinbulknha.

“This will become my long beak for fish and it’s a sharp one too.”

bili ŋayi ŋunhi märraŋaltja bala ŋurrun ŋayi ŋunhi gandji

So what he got became the beak of the Jabiru.

ga beŋuri manda ga ŋunhi ŋaŋ’ŋaŋdhunminany gulunŋur

It was form that waterhole and both of them telling each other off

märr ŋayi dhu yaka gandjiw luka gapu ga guya

so that she won’t drink any of Jabiru’s water or eat his fish

nyuŋala ŋunhawuy bili raypinybuy gulunbuy.

nyuŋala only live in fresh waterholes –

ga nhawi dhuwal djalŋiny, märr ŋayi dhu yaka nhawi

Then there is the leech, so it does not …

ŋunhi ŋayi ŋaŋ’ŋaŋdhurr walalany ŋanyanhany malwiyanhany wurrpan'nhany ŋaŋ'ŋandhurrbeŋuri gulunŋur

When he chased them, particularly the Emu from the waterhole,

ga ŋunhi ŋayi ŋunhi ŋanya dhirrimul'yun wirriw'yurr ŋayi wurrpannha waŋan bitjar

and when he threw the smooth stone at the Emu, she answered,

"bäy'dhin mapu rraku dhuwal"

“Leave it. This is my egg”.

balanya bili nhakun nhawin dhirrimulnha green-onenha

exactly like a smooth green stone

ga ŋayi ŋunhi gara märraŋal ŋurru bala ŋurrulil nhirrpar ŋunhi garany, ba=iny' yäku

When he took the point of the spear – called batI - and placed it on his nose

ŋayi nhawuyuny gandjinydja manda gan ŋunhi wäŋaŋurnydja ŋarrtjunmin ŋaŋ'ŋaŋthunmin

They were the ones who were fighting and telling each other off at that place,

warrakan manda, wurrpan ga gandji

those two birds, Emu and Jabiru

ga balanya nhuŋu dhäwuny galikali,

And that is your story, Galikali