Talking To The Ancestors 1
Yidumduma and nephew Jonas Doctor share traditional Wardaman sign language and modern usage from the streets of Katherine. Sign language was handed down from the Dreamtime Buwarraja, to communicate across distances and languages, in ceremony, mourning, hunting and for the deaf. Featuring signs for: initiated men, women, fighting, water, big rain, swimming, wife, tracking, hungry, listen, eat……
• Transcript
I get up now
I sing out to the old men
We are coming up top now
Over there now
You can wait for me sitting down
I am going to sit beside you
Later on I am going to sing for you
Warrangin song
I come here just today
You two are staying in the drawing in the rock
We are coming up to the rock
To make you feel happy
You are going to stay good in the belly
You will be happy
Make your belly feel happy
I am coming up to visit you now
This is it now
You two are staying in the drawing
Two old people
We are coming now
We are coming closer now
There are all these rocks here everywhere
This is it now
I am walking up with a walking stick
We are coming to sit down with you
There, those two are now
Two old men
Hello old man
We are going to sit down beside you
Later on I am going to tell a story to this mob
All the white men I brought up here
I am going to talk in language now
I am going to speak in the language of Ngaliwurru and Wardaman
There’s those two sitting down
There’s an old lady sitting in this drawing too
Yes, this a blue-tongue (lizard) lady
Lungurra , blue-tongue lizard.
I sing out to the old men
We are coming up top now
Over there now
You can wait for me sitting down
I am going to sit beside you
Later on I am going to sing for you
Warrangin song
I come here just today
You two are staying in the drawing in the rock
We are coming up to the rock
To make you feel happy
You are going to stay good in the belly
You will be happy
Make your belly feel happy
I am coming up to visit you now
This is it now
You two are staying in the drawing
Two old people
We are coming now
We are coming closer now
There are all these rocks here everywhere
This is it now
I am walking up with a walking stick
We are coming to sit down with you
There, those two are now
Two old men
Hello old man
We are going to sit down beside you
Later on I am going to tell a story to this mob
All the white men I brought up here
I am going to talk in language now
I am going to speak in the language of Ngaliwurru and Wardaman
There’s those two sitting down
There’s an old lady sitting in this drawing too
Yes, this a blue-tongue (lizard) lady
Lungurra , blue-tongue lizard.