Gunditjmara: Deen Maar

Tarn Weerreeng peenpa keetnan meerteeyt moongay, ngakapa deen maar.

Weerreeng tharn moongay, pakarr meerreeng ba deen maar.

Kalpeerna-k-ya kalpoornity-nyoong pootoong-ee yoowoo-k moorraka-yee.

Ngoolang-I tarn weerreeng tyama-ngeen Pooyeet Pooyeet Tyeepeety-ei wampan kalpeernitj-ngat kana-nyoong ba pangoneeyt-nyoong yunyin Tarn Weerreeng nhoompi Deen Maar nhoolampi wampan weerreeng kanoo moorna-nyoong-ee/yakeenitj-ee.

Ngaken-u-ya ngeeram teena tyama-ngeen weeyn-yee wampan kanoo.

Ngaken-u-ya teena tarn Weerreeng-i-ngooty pootoong waloong teekoornayko moorrakan maara parta-n pangyana-wan waloong moongay kalo pootoong kalpeerna wampan poorray

English Translation:

On the coast across from Deen Maar there is a haunted cave called Tarn Weerreeng which has a path between the land and Deen Maar.When someone dies the body is wrapped in grass and put in the burial place.

When the grass is found at the mouth of Tarn Weerreeng you know that Pooyeet Pooyeet Tyeepeety took the body and its belongings through Tarn Weerreeng to Deen Maar and carried the person’s spirit to the clouds.

If maar see a meteor at the same time it is believed that fire has been taken up with it.

If there is fresh grass found near Tarn Weerreeng someone was killed and no one will go near until the grass decays or is removed.

A shared story of the Gunditjmara Traditional Custodians

* Gunditjmara comprises of the following language groups – Dhauwurd Wurrung, Wooloowoorroong, Kee woorroong, Koornkopanoot, Peek woorroong, Keerray woorroong, Tyakoort Woorroong and Gadubanud.

Sounds of Dhauwurd Wurrung:

a/aa as in car

ai as in eye

e as in bed

ee as in feet

oo/uu as in foot

u as in but

b/p as in big/pig

k as in kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nail

ng as in sing

r as in road

nh the middle of the tongue at the back of the teeth while making an ‘n’ sound

t as in tea

dj/tj as in church

Sounds of Keerray Woorroong:

a as in father

e as in bed

o as in pot

u as in put

oo as in foot

ee as in feet

b/p as in big or pig

d as in deer

g/k as in goat or kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nine

ng as in sing

r as in red

rr as in road

t as in try

ty as in chin yt at end of words

Dhauwurd Wurrong: The Creation of Budj Bim

At the start of the Yakinitj, bolitabolita Creator Beings were sent by the Prenheal to muyuban the different features that cross the mirring. The Creator Beings were of giant form and first arrived at a secret sacred location in the Stony Rises country just to the kuurreen of Kerup. Kerup is also known by some clans as Koon Doon.

These bolitabolita Creator Beings took the shape of maara and became the kaiap of a long line of Law maara who had special spiritual and ceremonial powers and responsibilities. The Gunditjmara believe that the escendants of these bolitabolita maara continue to perform their special duties through generations.

Ngathangan paleeya of the original Law maara moved to other parts of the mirring, to the laahlaar kuurn, and the kameetngunnang. The bolitabolita Law maara crouched down and his giant koong transformed to muyuban the peaks of Tappoc and Budj Bim.

When Budj Bim erupted molten lava and kuulorr some 30,000 years ago, he Gunditjmara witnessed the Creator Being reveal himself in the mirring. The scoria stones are his tun gatt.

Told by John Lovett – Gunditjmara

Translated by Vicki Couzens

Dhauwurd wurrong word list:

bolitabolita four, fourth

Budj Bim high head Mt Eccles

kaiap one/first

kameetngunnang west

Kerup/Koon Doon Lake Condah

koong body

kuulorr stone

kuurreen south

laahlaar kuurn north

maara men

mirring land/country

muyuban make

ngathangan paleeya three

Prenheal Great Creator Spirit

Tappoc Mt Napier

tun gatt teeth

Yakinitj Dreaming

Sounds of Dhauwurd wurrong:

a/aa as in car

ai as in eye

e as in bed

ee as in feet

oo/uu as in foot

u as in but

b/p as in big/pig

k as in kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nail

ng as in sing

r as in road

nh the middle of the tongue at the back of the teeth while making an ‘n’ sound

t as in tea

dj/tj as in church

Tyakoort Woorroong: Derrinallum ba Buninyong

Maleeyeeto Derrinallum ba Buninyong pooleetya marr

Derrinallum-ngat moorreetyeerr-an

Buninyong ngaki-n Derrinallum-ngat moorreetyeerr ba wana-n teen

Buninyong wana-n yalkoornpan Derrinallum Ngootyoong marree wanyoo moorreetyeerr

noongala laka-n korr ba yalkoornpan-n Baribial

kalo Buninyong wana-n ngootyoong marree-nyoong weelkyka

Derrinallum Ngatook parng

Buninyong yampeen Derrinallum teen karratpeeteen ween patpakal

noongala wayapawanh Baribial

Derrinallum katyat Buninyong ngeenan pa teen pakweeyt ngatook ngakee makatepa

Derrinallum Buninyong maneen poorta peem moorreetyeerr

Derrinallum leengkeel meeng peem ngootook ngakee makatepa

Marr-arra matay tanu weelkyka meerreeng-u ba wata-u-ngal kalpeerran

Marr-arra kalpeerran-anyeen meerreeng-i pa koong-ngal wata karrang-ngal

Translated by Joel Wright 2011

This story was told using Keerray woorroong sounds and spellings

English Translation:

Mount Elephant and Mount Buninyong were once men.

Elephant was in possession of a stone axe.

Buninyong saw his axe and wanted it.

Buninyong offered him some gold for it.

Having agreed, they met at what is now Pitfield Diggings for the exchange.

Some time later Buninyong reconsidered, and desired his gold back.

Elephant refused.

Buninyong sent him a fighting message and the challenge was accepted.

They met at Pitfield Diggings.

Elephant buried his spear in Buninyong’s side and the hole can be seen to this day.

Elephant received a deadly blow on the head from Buninyong’s stone axe.

The gaping hole in elephant’s head can also be seen.

The two men, mortally wounded, retired in opposite directions.

Their bodies turned into mountains at the spot where they died.

Sounds of Keerray woorroong:

a as in father

e as in bed

o as in pot

u as in put

oo as in foot

ee as in feet

b/p as in big or pig

d as in deer

g/k as in goat or kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nine

ng as in sing

r as in red

rr as in road

t as in try

ty as in chin yt at end of words

Placename Meanings:

Mount Buninyong–Buninyong–Man lying on his back with raised knees.

Mount Elephant–Derrinallum–home of sea swallows or terns frequenting neighbouring marshes.

Keerray Woorroong: Kayap Keeleeng

One very dry season when there was ngeeye bareeyt in all the meerreeng and animals were perishing of thirst. Tooleep lakan Kookap. Deelakal could not understand why Bareem was never thirsty. Deelakal knew noong would not tell them so they decided to watch and find out where noong tatan.

Deelakal flew high into moornong. Bareem yanan to a flat marree. Before lifting the marree, Bareem, afraid of being discovered, nakenan the mootalarra but deelakal were so high and kept so steady he thought deelakal moornoong.

Bareema lifted the marree and drank from the ngooyt bareeyt running out of the cleft in the marree. He replaced the marree and flew away. The buleetya spies came down and removed the marree and drank and took a bath saying ‘keeng ngako ngal!’

Deelakal flapped their weerreetoong with joy and pareeyt rose until it formed a keeleeng. Deelakal then flew all over the parched meerreng,

flapping their weerreetoong and forming keeleeng which have been drinking places ever since.

Translated by Wayne Harradine from a Dhauwurd Wurrung and Gunditjmara story

Keerray woorroong word list:

bareem turkey bustard

bareeyt water

buleetya two

deelakal they

kayap one, first

keeleeng lake

keeng ngako ngal! we got him!

kookap gigantic crane

lakan speak, talk

marree stone

meerreeng earth, country

moornong sky, clouds

mootalarra birds

nakenan see, look

ngeeye our/s

ngooyt good, fresh

noong he, his

pareeyt water

tatan drank

tooleep magpie lark

weerreetoong wings

wunda when

yanan went/gone

Sounds of Keerray woorroong:

a as in father

e as in bed

o as in pot

u as in put

oo as in foot

ee as in feet

b/p as in big or pig

d as in deer

g/k as in goat or kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nine

ng as in sing

r as in red

rr as in road

t as in try

ty as in chin yt at end of words

Kee Wooroong: How the Gunditjmara Got Fire

Malayeeto weeyngunditj waa-ngarra poonteen teen Gariwerd.

Teelakal moorrkapoo pa meeneerr pangteenay waa tyama weeyn ngamarrang ngootyoong.

Koornong leenyoong Yuuloinkeear ngaka ngaka pa wa mayapa meeleer pakan yanta weeynlat kananoong.

Kayap weeynlat yoonkeen meerreeng pa Yuuloinkeear tampeen yumgart pa meerta keelkateen.

Waa warrymang koornong Yuuloinkeear pa noong karreeta wawonga meerreng noong yanta weeynlat pa Tarrakuuk kalo.

Pa leenyoong Tarrakuuk, wampa mana pa pakap weeynlat mangnoorroo watanoo Yuuloinkeear pa thalap takoort teen Meerreeng watkanan noong.

Mangnoorroo watanoo maleeyeeto teena weeyn wanyoo Gunditjmara.

Translated by Yarran Bundle from a Kee woorroong Gunditjmara story

English Translation:

A long time ago fire belonged to the crows who lived at Gariwerd, the Grampian Mountains.

They were greedy crows and knew that fire was of great value.

A little bird, Yuuloinkeear, firetail wren, was watching the crows making fun and games with fire-sticks.

One fire-stick fell to the ground and Yuuloinkeear picked it up and flew away.

The crows chased him and Yuuloinkeear soon grew tired. So he passed the fire-stick to Tarrakuuk.

Tarrakuuk, the kestrel hawk, took the fire-stick from Yuuloinkeear and lit all the Country behind him.

From that time there has been fire for all the Gunditjmara.

Kee woorroong Gunditjmara

Sounds of Kee woorroong (using Keerray woorroong spelling):

a as in father

e as in bed

o as in pot

u as in put

oo as in foot

ee as in feet

b/p as in big or pig

d as in deer

g/k as in goat or kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nine

ng as in sing

r as in red

rr as in road

t as in try

ty as in chin yt at end of words

Kee woorroong: Kuurokeheaar, the Story of the Seven Sisters

Maleeyeetoo, marrang ba pooleeyt maramarambul, keertnapee wananda – deengalanaba. Pangat-tja wooka-koo deenpee wooka-koo nhoongalanaba kayap maar, pangat-tja tura-turama-koo.

Waa ngakee maramarambul. Yarndaputiya-nyoong kiyan tupu leeyn-yoong Ngeeanggarr-a. Pangat Ngeeanggarr-a Waa. Pangat wooka ngeerangoon. Waa warrakeeleek.

Kayap nganoong, maramarambul mooteeytook weetka-n yana-n-da ngakee-da thaka-da kiyan-toopoo-da mooteetyook. Waa ngakee-noo deengalanaba. Mooteetyook-mayapa ba koowiyoon kanee mataypaleep-ee ba koopa wanyoo ngeerangoon.

Ngeerrangoon yamkoot-anda parreen-a-tjeen. Ngeerrangoon-a parreen walar-oo, Waa keernda-tjeen parreen. Ngeeanggar- parrin walar-oo yamkutnyoong Waa.

Weentagatha-nyoong ween-oo-kana Waa-muyupa ba walatoo ngeeanggarr moornong-kanoo.

Wart-kat Marrang ba kayap ngeerrangoon warta ngeeanggarr ba waa moornong-kanoo ngakee-da kakayee. Ngeeanggarr Sirius-mayapa ba Waamayapa Canopus. Wart-kat marrang ba kayap ngeerrangoon Kuurokeheaar-mayapa, the Pleiades.

English Translation:

Long ago there were seven young women who were sisters. They were always together. They only wanted to marry one man so they would not be separated.

Waa, the Crow, saw the young women. He fell in love with one whose name was Ngeeanggar, the Eagle. Ngeeanggar was not interested in Waa because he would not marry her sisters as well. Waa was angry.

One day the seven sisters went looking for grubs which they loved to eat. Waa saw them. He changed himself into a grub, and bored a hole in a tree and waited for the sisters.

Before long they found him. Each of the sisters tried to catch him with their wooden hooks. As each sister put their wooden hooks into the hole, Waa the grub, broke the ends. When Ngeeanggar put her hook in Waa let her catch him.

When he was pulled out he turned back into Waa the Crow and carried Ngeeanggar off to the sky.

The six sisters left behind followed Ngeeanggar and Waa into the skies searching for their sister.

Ngeeanggar became the star Sirius and Waa became the star Canopus.

The sisters became Kuurrokeheaar, the Pleiades.

Re-told and translated by Vicki Couzens

Sounds of Keerray woorroong:

a as in father

e as in bed

o as in pot

u as in put

oo as in foot

ee as in feet

b/p as in big or pig

d as in deer

g/k as in goat or kick

l as in like

m as in milk

n as in nine

ng as in sing

r as in red

rr as in road

t as in try

ty as in chin yt at end of words

Gadubanud: Pirt Koorrook

Ngulla ngulla ngeear Yarroweitch meerreng-i.

Leenyoong Pirt Koorroook. Thanampool karrang-kil

Weerreek-nyoong karray-nyoong.

Parta-n-da-ooeeya thingalanaba karray ba thaka-n-tja-ooeeya thingalanaba

karray pangat-tja nhungalanaba ngooytnganoong. Pirt Koorrook-nyoong

yunggama-k-tja nhunglanaba pangatngooyt poorroyn yakeenitj-i.

Translated by Peter and Richard Collopy

English Translation:

In Yarroweitch Country there are female devil spirits.

The name of one is Pirt Koorrook who takes the form of a woman,

‘as tall as a gum tree’.

Her companion is the dark coloured bandicoot.

If the bandicoot is killed and eaten by the people, they will have bad luck and

Pirt Koorrook will haunt them every night.

Gadubanud Custodians

More on the story of Pirt Koorrook:

There is a legend that she carried off a woman from the mouth of the Hopkins River to

her home on the top of the Cape Otway Ranges, and compelled her to eat raw possums

for six moons.

Various parts of the country are supposed to be haunted by these female devils but

none so celebrated for their great size as those frequenting the Cape Otway Ranges.

Sounds of Gadubanud/Keerray woorroong:

This story was translated using some Gadubanud and Keerray woorroong, a neighbouring language. There is only a very little recorded Gadubanud at this point in time.

a as in father

e as in bed

i as in feet

o as in pot

oo as on foot

u as in foot

k/g as in kick/goat

l as in look

m as in milk

n as in not

p/b as in pig/big

ny/yn as in onion

ng as in sing

rn ‘n’ sound made but with the tongue curled back behind the gum ridge

rt ‘t’ sound but with the tip of the tongue curled backwards behind the gum ridge

rr as in road

th as in the

tj as in bridge

ty/yt as in itch

y as in you