Transcript Kaurna Language Reclamation and the use of Kaurna within

Methods and Strategies for
Reviving Kaurna: the
Formulaic Method.
Dr Rob Amery
University of Adelaide
& Kaurna Warra Pintyandi
[email protected]
Muna Tainga – first steps
• We started out in 1990 with songs (7 out of 33
songs in N, K &Ng Songs)
• From the start they wanted a welcome speech and
a school song at KPS
• In 1992, Aboriginal Education requested a Kaurna
translation of Tucker’s Mob – too hard
• In 1996, Paul Dixon (chair of KHC) wanted to know
if it would be possible for them to conduct their
meetings in Kaurna
Towards the Formulaic Method
• Paul’s request got me thinking
• I drafted up two pages of expressions that
I thought would be useful in the context of
meetings
• I thought about the ways that Kaurna
people were actually using the language:
Common Kaurna words and
expressions – learnt and used
beyond formal Kaurna courses
• Ngarpadla ‘auntie’ and Kauwanu ‘uncle’ (corrected
from Kauwawa used earlier), yunga ‘older brother’,
yakkana ‘older sister’, panyappi ‘younger sibling’
• Salient words – palti, yerta, pangkarra, burka,
tarnda, kari etc.
• Greetings – Ninna marni?, Naa marni?
• Leavetakings – Nakkota
• Welcomes – Marni ninna budni./ Marni naa budni.
• Thanking – Ngaityalya
• What’s up? – Waminna?
Kaurna Welcome Speeches
• First speech given in
1989
• Exponential increase
• Now almost accepted
protocol
• Large public events
(eg Adelaide Festival
of Arts)
Kaurna speeches in public
(1991-1997)
1 20
1 04
1 00
80
62
60
40
20
1
1
1 99 1
1 99 2
5
9
14
0
1 99 3
1 99 4
1 99 5
1 99 6
1 99 7
Number of individuals giving
Kaurna speeches in a given year
14
15
12
10
7
5
5
3
1
1
1 99 1
1 99 2
0
1 99 3
1 99 4
1 99 5
1 99 6
1 99 7
Opening of Yaitya Warra Wodli
Nelson Varcoe Feb. 1993
• Gadla Kaurna meyunna Mikawommangga paininggianna yakko
ngadlendi. Warlto ngadluko muinmonendi medarnendi. Ngadlu
wingko palta paltarendi ngadluko warra. Ngadlu tadlanyanna
padlondi warra wanggandi. Ngadlu yurrenna padlondi warra
yurringgarnendi. Ngadlu muka mukanna wingko takkandi muka
Kaurnarli. Ngadlu padlondi mukabandi warra Kaurnako.
• Ngadlu kundo punggorendi. Ngadlu tudno bidnandi iako.
Ngadluko tangkuinya tanendi.
• The campfires of the Kaurna people on the plains around Port
Adelaide have long since gone out, but we can still feel the
warmth in our hearts. We long for our languages again. Our
tongues long to say the words. Our ears want to hear the
words. Our brains still think as Kaurna brains. We want to
remember the Kaurna language.
• Our hearts are heavy, we have long been waiting for this
occasion. Our dreams are becoming a reality.
Minimalist Kaurna speech
• Meyunna! Na marni purrutye?
• Ngai narri Lester Irabinna Kudnuitya Rigney.
• Ngai wanggandi “Marni naa budni Kaurna yertaanna.
Irandi yerta!”
• Ngaityo yakkanandalya, yungandalya.
• Ladies and gentlemen, are you all good? (ie hello)
• My name is Lester Irabinna Rigney.
• I say “It’s good that you (all) came to Kaurna country.
Exclusively Indigenous (ie sovereign) land” (ie welcome)
• My dear sister(s) (and) brother(s). (ie thank you)
Kaurna Songs
Funerals
•
•
•
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Hymns
Prayers (Lord’s Prayer)
Condolences
Liturgy
• This employs a range of speech formulas
Kaurna Hymns
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•
•
•
Tattayainkialya – The Old Rugged Cross
Inbariadlu Yangadlitya – Till We Meet Again
Paia Paianda – Amazing Grace
Yiityu Ngadluko Yungaworta - What a
Friend We Have in Jesus
• Ninnandi Wilta - How Great Thou Art
• Ngaityo Kanggallanggalla - 23rd Psalm
Kaurna Sympathy Card
[FRONT COVER]
YAKKA ALYA.
‘We’re sorry’
[INSIDE]
[Ngarpadlalya] [NAME] taikurtinna kuma.
Auntie- dear__INSERT NAME___ family too
(to the family of Aunty ___________)
Ngadlu tangka waiendi naalitya natta naa wakkaringga
tikkandi.
Ngadluko taikurringga kuinyo murka.
‘We feel sorry for you all for your loss at this time. We share your grief.’
Towilla bukkiana meyunna naalityangga tikkandi.
‘May the spirits of the ancestors be with you all.’
Naako taikurtinna worta
Your relatives (extended family)
Statements of Acknowledgement
• KWP received a request from Catholic
Education for a Statement of
Acknowledgement
– Ngadlu tampendi Kaurna meyunna yerta
mattanya Womma Tarndanyako.
– ‘We recognise (that) Kaurna people are the
landowners and custodians of the Adelaide
Plains.’
Similar request from Anglicare
• Original Anglicare Wording:
• “We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional owners
of this land. We acknowledge their living culture and unique role
in the life of this region”
• Kaurna translation:
• Ngadlu Kaurna meyunna tampendi. Parna yerta mattanya
bukkiunangko.
• Ngadlu tampendi Kaurna meyunna burro purruna.
• Pangkarra Womma Kaurna, Kaurnakundi yerta.
• Literal translation of Kaurna version:
• We acknowledge the Kaurna people. They are the land owners
from a long time ago.
• We recognise (that) the Kaurna people are still alive (ie have
survived)
• The territory of the Kaurna Plains is exclusively Kaurna land.
The Formulaic Method
• Introduce the language in whole utterances
• Three principles:
– Begin with the most useful utterances
– Begin with the shortest utterances
– Begin with the ones that are easiest to pronounce
• It doesn’t matter is the surrounding utterances
are in English
• Don’t insert Kaurna words into English
sentences
Useful One-worders
• Ne! ‘yes’, Yakko! ‘No!’, Madlanna ‘nothing’, Wointye
‘maybe’, Ko ‘OK’
• Question words: Wa? ‘where?’, Wanti? ‘Where to?’,
Wadangko? ‘Where from?’, Waminna? ‘what’s up?,
what’s going on?’, Ngaintya? ‘what?’, Nganna?
‘who?’, Ngando? ‘who did it?’, Ngangko? ‘Whose?,
Whose is it?’
• Exclamations: Paitya! ‘Deadly!’, Yakka! ‘Yuk!’, Paia!
‘expression of admiration’, Yakkaalya ‘I’m sorry!’
• Thanking: Ngaityalya ‘thanks’
• Leavetaking: Nakkota! ‘See you later!’ Madlari
‘finished’
Useful One-worders ctd
• Commands: Nakkondo! ‘Look!’,
Yurringgarninga! ‘Listen!’
• Don’t commands: Warratti! ‘Be quiet!’,
Waietti! ‘Don’t move!’, Tauaringutti! ‘Stop
quarrelling!’,
• Let’s: Nattadlu! ‘Now let’s …’, Padniadlu
‘let’s go!’ Ngarkadlu ‘Let’s eat!’
• One word answers: ngai ‘me’, ninna ‘you’,
wodlingga ‘at home’ etc.
Useful two-worders
• Greetings: Ninna marni?, Niwa marni?,
Naa marni?
• Parni kawai! ‘Come here!’
• Ngai padnendi. ‘I’m going’
• Bakkadla parniappendo! ‘Pass me the
salt!’
• Wa nurlitti? ‘Where are the keys?’
Useful longer utterances
• Marni naa budni! ‘Welcome!’
• Kaurna meyunna yaitya mattanya Womma
Tarndanyako. ‘Kaurna people are the
owners/custodians of the Adelaide Plains’
• Marni ngai kudnawodlianna padnendi?
‘Can I go to the toilet?’
Talking with Children
• At a workshop in 2000 we devised a range
of expressions needed by parents and
caregivers for use with babies and young
children
– Pinyattalya ‘sweetie’
– Ngannaitya ninna murkandi? ‘Why are you
crying’
• We included some of these within our
Learner’s Guide
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
•
Endearment - expressing affection
•
Positive reinforcement
•
Warnings
•
Placating, reassuring, comforting
•
Calling, beckoning, attention seeking
•
Naming and Categorizing
•
- Body awareness, parts & functions
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- Introducing Kin
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Commands
•
Verbal games - eg. same & different
•
Greetings
•
Leave takings
•
Counting
•
The Environment - weather & seasons
•
Places & Placenames
• (from Amery & Gale, 2000: 20)
• LANGUAGE SITUATIONS
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•
Feeding & Mealtime (& Cooking)
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Bathing
•
Getting Dressed & ready to go out
•
Nappy changing & Toilet training
•
Sleep time & Story time
•
Play - around the house & in garden
•
Kindy & Early Childhood Centre
•
School - in classroom & yard
•
Outings - going for walks & in car
•
Crying Baby & Sickness
•
Shopping
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Sport
•
Dealing with Pets and Animals
• (from Amery & Gale, 2000: 20)
Football Expressions
• Mekuamarti! ‘May the Crows pick out
your eyes!’
• Karndo kundarna! ‘Let lightning strike!’
• Parni tattondo! ‘Kick it here!’
• Burnbondo! ‘Tackle him!’
• Paitya! ‘You beauty!’
• Ngaintya nindo yailtyatti? ‘What were
you thinking?’ etc
Piri-wirkindi - Fishing
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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Wa kuyawodli? ‘Where’s the fishing spot?’
Kuya paiandi? ‘Are the fish biting?’
Ngatto kuya manki. ‘I’ve got one’
Pa paintya! ‘He’s a beauty!’
Yakka! Tailtyalai! ‘Oh no! I lost him.’
Muinmo kiwidi? ‘Any more squid?’
Wa kuyabirri? ‘Where’s a fishhook?’
Tukkuintyerla? ‘Is it too small (undersize)’