← Table of contents
Australian Legendary Tales

Introductory material (continued 3)

Reading edition

Dinewandoo gooneejayn gooway cooleer noo noo boonoong gurrahlee goo comeboo goo.

Baiyan noo gaiathah noonoo boonoong gurray. Baiyan, neh bunnerhgahoonee Goomblegubbon. Dinewan gooway Goomblegubbon:

"Boonoong nayr gurray." Goomblegubbon gindabnunnee, barnee, bunna gunnee dirrah gunnee numerhneh. Boonoong beeyonemay, baiyan noo gooway Dinewan.

"Dungneemay ninnerhneh nayr byjundool boonoong. Mayerboo nay, nay boonoong, gurrah wahl dunerh. Wombah ninderh byjundool boonoong. Dinewan bunna gunnee boomahlee-goo Goomblegubbon, baiyan Goomblegubbon burrunnee. Narahgahdool myrenay boonoong. Baiyan Dinewan eelaynerhginnee nahnee illah nayahe ninnernah gullahrah gimbehlee. Illah lah noo noo winnanunnee. Baiyan noo doorimbai birrahleegul boollarhyel nuddahnooway booroolah binnamayahgahway. Baiyan neh moorillah die gahraymo noo-noo, boollarh noo garwannee. Baiyan neh woggee goo nahnee. Goomblegubbondoo birrahleegul oodundi gunoonoo garwil. Baiyan boollarhgneh gwallannee. Dinewan gooway Goomblegubbon."

"Minyah goo ninderh booroolah birrahleegulgah gillunnah. Wahl ninder booroolah goo garwil ooday. Tuggil ninderh boollarhyel gargillay baiyan boollarhgnah, booral giggee, wahl ninderh booroolah goo gooloon marlday." Goomblegubbon buthdi ginnee nalmee.

"Gullarh nayr nay birrahleegul boorool luggeray Dinewan? Boollarhyel nay gillundi yahmerh boollarhgnah boorool giggee luggeray Dinewan."

Winnanunnee noo dungeway. Baiyan noo nurray Dinewan, nurray noo boorool.

Baiyan noo gooway:

"Boomahlee doo gunnoono boollarhyel nayr gurrahwulday. Dinewan wahl doorunmai gillay woggee goo. Goomblegubbon weel gillay doorunmai. Goomblegubbon boorool giggee luggeray Dinewun, boonoong gunnoo goo gurrahwulday. Baiyan noo boomay gunnoono birrahlee gul boollarhyel noo gurrahway. Baiyanneh durrahwallunee nummerh nayr Dinewan doo duldundigoo. Dinewandoo guggay."

"Minyah ninnoo birrahleegul?"

"Gunnoono nayr boomay boollarhyel gargillunnah."

"Wullundoo youlloo ninderh boomay! Booroolah nay birrahleegul, gooloonmul dunnerli nayr gunnoonoo. Booroolah gunnoonoo. Nurraleh noill doowar yu booloobunnee. Nurraleh boonboon. Nummerh nayr bayah muldunnerh nay birrahlee gulloo."

"Boollarhyel ninnoo birrahlee garlee."

"Booroolah boollarh nay. Nayr di gargee ninnoonderh nurranmullee goo."

Dinewan bunnagunnee binnamayahgoo nayr noo doorimbundigoo birrableegul. Baiyan naiyah durrabwullunee, dirralabeel ginnee noo boobootella, gwallandy, "Boom, boom." Birrahleegul noo noo bunna gairlehwahndi, beweererh nurrahwahndi, weeleer, weerleeer, Tuwerh munneh doorundi, baiyanneh eelay nurrunnee. Baiyan noo gooway.

"Geeroo nayr ninnunnerh gooway. Gunnoono nayr nay birrahleegul gurrahwuldunnerh. Nurullah Numerh nayr ninnoo nurragah birrahleegul! Boomay ninderh ninnoo birrahleegul, ninderh nunnoo dung eemai! Tuggil nayr lahnylay nayr boonoong ninderh boomah boollarhyel birrahleegarlee gargillay. Gurrahwuldare ninnoo boonong nayr luggeeroo, gurrahwulday nay birrahleegul."

Mrs. Parker writes: "The old black woman who first told me the tale is away, but I got another old woman of the pre-white era to tell it again to me yesterday; it is almost the same, minus one of the descriptive touches immaterial to the story as such; in fact, to all intents and purposes, the same."

GLOSSARY

Bahloo, moon. Beeargah, hawk. Beeleer, black cockatoo. Beereeun, prickly lizard. Bibbee, woodpecker, bird. Bibbil, shiny-leaved box-tree. Bilber, a large kind of rat. Billai or Billay, crimson-wing parrot. Bindeah, a prickle or small thorn. Bingah wingul, needle bush, a tall thorny shrub. Birrahgnooloo, woman's name, meaning "face like a tomahawk handle." Birrahlee, baby. Birrableegul, children. Boobootella, the big bunch of feathers at the back of an emu. Boolooral, an owl. Boomerang, a curved weapon used in hunting and in warfare by the blacks; called Burren by the Narran blacks. Bootoolgah, blue-grey crane. Borah, a large gathering of blacks where the boys are initiated into the mysteries which make them young men. Bou-gou-doo-gahdah, the rain bird. Like the bower or mocking bird. Bouyou, legs. Bowrah or Bohrah, kangaroo. Bralgahs, native companion, bird. Bubberah, boomerang that returns. Buckandee, native cat. Buggoo, flying squirrel. Bulgahnunnoo, bark-backed. Bumble, a fruit-bearing tree, sometimes called wild orange and sometimes wild pomegranate tree. Capparis. Bunbundoolooey, brown flock pigeon. Bunnyyarl, flies. Burreenjin, magpie, lark, or peewee Budtha, rosewood-tree, also girl's name. Byamee, man's name, meaning "big man." Comebee, bag made of kangaroo skins. Comeboo, stone tomahawk. Cookooburrah, laughing jackass. Coorigil, name of place, meaning sign of bees. Corrobboree, black fellows' dance. Cunnembeillee, woman's name, meaning pig-weed root. Curree guin guin, butcher-bird. Daen, black fellows. Dardurr, bark, humpy or shed. Dayah minyah, carpet snake. Dayoorl, large flat stone for grinding grass seed upon. Deegeenboyah, soldier-bird. Decreeree, willy wagtail. Dheal, the sacred tree of the Noongahburrahs, only used for putting on the graves of the dead. Dinewan, emu. Dingo, native dog. Doonburr, a grass seed. Doongara, lightning. Dummerh, pigeons. Dungle, water hole. Dunnia, wattle. Durrie, bread made from grass seed. Eär moonan, long sharp teeth. Euloo marah, large tree grubs. Edible. Euloo wirree, rainbow. Galah or Gilah, a French grey and rose-coloured cockatoo. Gayandy, borah devil. Gidgereegah, a species of small parrot. Girrahween, place of flowers. Gooeea, warriors. Googarh, iguana. Googoolguyyah, turn into trees. Googoorewon, place of trees. Goolahbah, grey-leaved box-tree. Goolahgool, water-holding tree. Goolahwilleel, top-knot pigeon. Gooloo, magpie. Goomade, red stamp. Goomai, water rat. Goomblegubbon, bastard or plainturkey. Goomillah, young girl's dress, consisting of waist strings made of opossum's sinews with strands of woven oppossum's hair, hanging about a foot square in front. Goonur, kangaroo rat. Goug gour gahgah, laughing-jackass. Literal meaning, "Take a stick." Grooee, handsome foliaged tree bearing a plum-like fruit, tart and bitter, but much liked by the blacks. Gubberah, magical stones of Wirreenum. Clear crystallised quatty. Guddah, red lizard, Guiebet, a thorny creeper bearing masses of a lovely myrtle-like flower and an edible fruit somewhat resembling passion fruit. Guinary, light eagle hawk. Guineboo, robin redbreast. Gurraymy, borah devil. Gwai, red. Gwaibillah, star. Mars. Kurreah, an alligator. Mahthi, dog. Maimah, stones. Maira, paddy melon. May or Mayr, wind. Mayrah, spring wind. Meainei, girls. Midjee, a species of acacia. Millair, species of kangaroo rat. Moodai, opossum. Moogaray, hailstones. Mooninguggahgul, mosquito-calling bird. Moonoon, emu spear. Mooregoo, motoke. Mooroonumildah, having no eyes. Morilla or Moorillah, pebbly ridges. Mubboo, beefwood-tree. Mullyan, eagle hawk. Mullyangah, the morning star. Murgah muggui, big grey spider. Murrawondah, climbing rat. Narahdarn, bat. Noongahburrah, tribe of blacks on the Narran. Nullah nullah, a club or heavy-headed weapon. Nurroo gay gay, dreadful pain. Nyunnoo or Nunnoo, a grass humpy. Ooboon, blue-tongued lizard. Oolah, red prickly lizard. Oongnairwah, black diver. Ouyan, curlew. Piggiebillah, ant-eater. One of the Echidna, a marsupial. Quarrian, a kind of parrot. Quatha, quandong; a red fruit like a round red plum. U e hu, rain, only so called in song. Waligoo, to hide. A game like hide-and-seek. Wahroogah, children. Wahn, crow. Wayambeh, turtle. Waywah, worn by men, consisting of a waistband made of opossum's sinews with bunches of strips of paddymelon skins hanging from it. Weedall, bower or mocking-bird. Weeownbeen, a small bird. Something like a redbreast, only with longer tail and not so red a breast. Widya nurrah, a wooden battleaxe shaped weapon. Willgoo willgoo, pointed stick with feathers on top. Wirree, small piece of bark, canoe-shaped. Wirreenun, priest or doctor. Womba, mad. Wondah, spirit or ghost. Wurranunnah, wild bees. Wurrawilberoo, whirlwind with a devil in it; also clouds of Magellan. Wurranunnah, bee. Wurrunnah, man's name, meaning standing. Yaraan, white gum-tree. Yhi, the sun. Yuckay, oh, dear!

Explore with AITake your curiosity a little further.

Reading settings