Gulaka'puy Dhäwu

The Big Yam

Page 4:
Ŋäthil baman' gan nhinan worruŋu miyalk, djawuḻpa', yothu miyalk, waṯu ga butjikit.

A long time ago there lived an old woman, an old man, their little girl, a dog and a cat.

Page 6:
Waŋganymirriy waluy, walal marrtjin gulakaw'. Ga gäŋalnydja walal gan dhoṉa' ga bathi.

One day, they went to look for yams. They carried a digging stick and dilly bag.

Page 8:
Bala ŋayi worruŋuynydja miyalkthu nhäŋal yindin gulaka' marwat djinawa retjaŋur, ŋayi gan marra-ŋurrkaŋal nhakun djitama.

"Way! Nhä dhuwandja latju marra?
Mak dhuwana bili gulakany' ŋarraku."

The old woman saw big yam leaves deep in the bush, throwing their leaves out like (djitama) yams.

"What are these nice-looking leaves?
This could be a yam for me."

Page 10:

Bala worruŋuynydja miyalkthu yaw'yurra gulakany' nhanukiyingal ŋayi dhoṉay', ga maḻŋ'maraŋalnydja ŋayi yindin mirithirra ŋunhi ŋathany.

Yaw'yurrnydja ŋayi...i...i, ga yän bili...i...i, ga gulaka' rumbal maḻŋ'thurr.

Bala ŋayi marrtjin warryurra, yurr bäyŋu ŋayi dhawaṯthunany ŋunhi gulakany'.

Ga bulu ŋayi warryurr, ga warryurr, ga warryurr.

Yurr bäyŋu yan ŋunhi gulakany' dhawaṯthunany.

The old woman started digging the yam with her digging stick and the body of an enormous yam appeared.

She dug… and dug… until she found the body of the yam.

She started to pull but couldn't get the yam out.

She pulled, and pulled, and pulled, but that yam wouldn't come out.

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Beŋuryiny ŋayi worruŋuny miyalk wätthurr djawuḻpaw'nha bitjarr gam', “Way! Go! Guŋga'yurr ŋarrany, dhuwal ŋarra ga warryun marra gulaka', ga bäyŋu gi dhawaṯthurr dhuwal."

Bala djawuḻpany' marrtjinan guŋga'yunarawnha worruŋuwnha miyalkku, ga rrambaŋin maṉḏa gan warryurrnydja ŋunhi gulakany'.

Ga bulu maṉḏa warryurr, ga warryurr, ga warryurr.

Yurr bäyŋu yan ŋunhi gulakany' dhawaṯthunany.

The old woman called out to the old man like this, "Hey! Come here! Help me with this, I've tried pulling the leaves and I can't pull it out!"

The old man came to help the old woman, and together they pulled the yam.

They pulled, and pulled, and pulled, but that yam wouldn't come out.

Page 14:

Bala worruŋuny miyalk ga djawuḻpany' wätthurr maṉḏaŋgalaŋaw miyalkkun yothuw bitjarr gam', "Way! Go! Guŋga'yurr linyalany dhuwal. Bili linyu gan warryurr dhuwal gulaka' ga ḏaḏatj, bäyŋu dhuwal gi dhawaṯthurr bondi.”

Bala miyalktja yothu marrtjinan guŋga'yunarawnha djawuḻpaw'nha ga worruŋuwnha miyalkku, ga rrambaŋin walal gan warryurrnydja ŋunhi gulakany'.

Ga bulu walal warryurr, ga warryurr, ga warryurr.

Yurr bäyŋu yan ŋunhi gulakany' dhawaṯthunany.

The old woman and the old man called out to their little girl like this, "Hey! Come here! Help us with this! We've tried pulling it but it's no use, it won't come out easily.”

The little girl came to help the old man and the old woman, and together they pulled the yam.

They pulled, and pulled, and pulled, but that yam wouldn't come out.

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Worruŋu miyalk, djawuḻpa' ga yothu miyalk wätthurr waṯuw bitjarr, “Go! Mak nhe marrtji räli ga guŋga'yurr napurruny! Bili napurr gan dhuwal gulaka' warryurr, ga bäyŋu gi dhuwal dhawaṯthurr."

Bala waṯuny marrtjinan guŋga'yunarawnha miyalkku yothuw, djawuḻpaw'nha ga worruŋuwnha miyalkku, ga rrambaŋin walal gan warryurrnydja ŋunhi gulakany'.

Ga bulu walal warryurr, ga warryurr, ga warryurr.

Yurr bäyŋu yan ŋunhi gulakany' dhawaṯthunany.

The old woman, the old man and the little girl called out to the dog like this, "Come here! Maybe you'll come here and help us! Because we've tried pulling out this yam, but it won't come out."

The dog came to help the little girl, the old man and the old woman, and together they pulled the yam.

They pulled, and pulled, and pulled, but that yam wouldn't come out.

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Worruŋu miyalk, djawuḻpa', yothu miyalk ga waṯu, walal bukmak wätthurr butjikitku. “Way, butjikit! Go! Guŋga'yurr napurruny, bili dhuwal gulaka' ḏäl mirithirr. Warryurr napurr dhuwal ga ḏaḏatj."

Bala walal bukmakthun yan warryurr dhika.

Ga bulu walal warryurr, ga warryurr, ga warryurr.

Yurr bäyŋu yan ŋunhi gulakany' dhawaṯthunany.

The old woman, the old man, the little girl and the dog called out to the cat. "Hey, cat! Come here! Help us because this yam is too hard for us. We've tried pulling it and it's no use."

Then they all pulled it together.

They pulled, and pulled, and pulled, but that yam wouldn't come out.

Page 20:

Warryurr walal, ga warryurr, ga yän bili..i..i ga dhawaṯmaraŋal walal yan ŋunhi yindiny gulakany'. Bala walal bukmaknha yan galkirrinany.

Worruŋu miyalk galkirrin djawuḻpa'wal, ga djawuḻpa' galkirrin miyalkkal yothuwal, ga miyalktja yothuny galkirrin waṯuwal, ga waṯuny galkirrin ŋapalil butjikitkala, ga butjikittja galkirrin munathalilnha.

Bala warrpam'nha walal gan ŋapa-ŋal'maranhaminan ŋorrany munathaŋurnydja, bala walal nhäŋalnha yindin gulaka', ŋayi gan ŋorran warraŋul munathaŋur.

They pulled and pulled until… they got out that huge yam! They all fell on top of each other.

The old woman fell on top of the old man, and the old man fell on top of the little girl, and the little girl fell on top of the dog, and the dog fell on top of the cat, and the cat fell onto the ground.

They were all lying on top of each other on the ground, and then they saw a huge yam, laying on top of the ground.

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Ga ŋunhi gulakany' yindin mirithirra, bala walal bukmak waŋan bitjarr, “Yoy, yuy… nhän dhuwandja yindin gulaka' mirithirra, muka?"

"Yindi dhuwal gulaka' mirithirr, nhaliynha limurr dhu gämany dhuwal bala wäŋalilnydja?" bitjarr ŋayi waŋan worruŋuny miyalk.

Bala walal mel-nhänhaminan, worruŋuy miyalkthu nhäŋal yothuny miyalknha, ga yothuy miyalkthu nhäŋal waṯuny, ga waṯuynydja nhäŋal butjikitnhan.

The yam was so big that they all said, "Wow! What a huge yam, hey!"

"This yam is really big, how are we going to carry it back to the camp?" asked the old woman.

They all looked at each other, the old woman looked at the little girl, and the little girl looked at the dog, and the dog looked at the cat. 

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Bala walal ḻiya-ŋamaŋamayunminan, nhakun nhaliy walal dhu ḏubukthun ŋunhiyi yindi gulaka' bala wäŋalil. Bala yothuynydja miyalkthuny guyaŋanan!

They were all trying to decide how to carry the huge yam home, then the little girl had an idea!

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Bala ŋayi waŋan bitjarr walalaŋ, "Nhämirr limurr dhu dhuwalawurr bili mala, marrtji bala wäŋalil, ga waŋa wiripuwurruny yolŋuny walalany, walal dhu guŋga'yun limurruny. Manymak?"

Ga yoraŋal walal nhanŋu bala walal marrtjinan roŋiyinan wäŋalila, märr walal dhu waŋa wiripuwurruny yolŋuny walalany guŋga'yunaraw. Ga dharrwan yolŋuny marrtjin, ga nhäŋal ŋunhi yindiny gulaka'.

She said to them all, “How about we all go to the camp and ask the other people there to help us. Okay?"

They all agreed with her, so they all went back to the camp, so they could ask the other people to help. Many people came and saw that huge yam.

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Walal märra'-marraŋal yolŋuny walalany, bala walal marrtjin wäŋgaŋalnha gumurr-retjalil, ŋunhi wanhal gan gulaka' ŋorran. Bala walal birrka'yurra ḻaw'maraŋalnha.

“WAŊGANY, MÄRRMA', ḺURRKUN'!” bitjarr ŋayi worruŋuny miyalk waŋan walalaŋ.

"Mak, limurr warrpam'thu law'maram, bili yindi dhuwal gulaka'. Yurr dhuwandja yaka yindi mirithirr nhakun gukunat dharpa! Ga mirithirr ŋanak-ḏumurr nhakun yindi guṉḏa!"

Bala walal ḻaw'maraŋalnha ŋunhi gulakany'. Ga gurrukaŋala walal marrtjin ŋunhi gulakany' ḻambarryun wäŋalilnydja.

They took the other people with them and headed towards the edge of the bush, where the big yam was. They tried to lift it up.

“ONE, TWO, THREE!” said the old woman to them. "We'll try to lift it all together, because it is such a big yam. But not as huge as a coconut tree, or as heavy as a big rock!"

So they all lifted the yam, and carried it back to the camp on their shoulders.

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Ga yindin mirithirra gurthany walal dhaŋalkkuŋal, bala walal bathara ŋunhi gulakany', ga bäy ŋunhi gulaka' borumdhin, bala walal warrpam'thun ḻukanany.

Ga bukmak ŋunhi yolŋu'-yulŋuny ŋunhi walal gan guŋga'yurr warryurr ŋunhi gulaka' ŋatha, ŋuriŋiwurruy ḻukanany ŋunhi gulakany'. Yurr ḻirrma'yunawuy walal gan ŋunhi gulakany' nyaŋ'thurr.

Yurr dhäkaynydja ŋunhi, latjun dhika mirithirra.

They prepared a really big fire, and then they cooked the yam, and when it was ready, they all ate it.

All the people who had helped to pull out that huge yam had a share of the yam. They ate all of that yam, which had been cooked on the coals.

The flavour was delicious!

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