Growing up Gudjuk

In this book you will hear and read stories about Gudjuk growing up. There are two versions, one in Yolŋu Matha and one in Balanda language (English). They are similar but not the same. The audio recordings are in Yolŋu Matha and they are longer because that story is more in-depth. Abbey is giving more depth and detail about how Gudjuk learnt from early childhood and growing up until he was 7 years old. That's how we want to explore and explain the story to Yolŋu. When you see writing in the English language, that's the summary of the story. Abbey wrote this English version with Emily's help. This story is told so that everyone can share the main story that needs to be understood. It's the same meaning, the same story in both languages, but there's a more in-depth story for Yolŋu to understand when Abbey adds more details. If we bring more of our own language into that Yolŋu Matha then Yolŋu will understand - the story and pictures will have more meaning in them. A/Prof Ḻäwurrpa Maypilama (Senior Yolŋu Researcher, Charles Darwin University)

Introduction from Gudjuk’s Märi’mirriŋu (Maternal Grandmother)

Dhuwal dhäwu Yolŋuw’ djamarrkuḻi’w, mirithirr manymak nhumalaŋ marŋgithinyaraw ga dharaŋanaraw. Dhuwal ŋanapurr ga milkum nhumalaŋ nhaltjan ŋanapurruny ŋuli ga Yolŋu yothu wo djamarrkuḻi marŋgithirr märrmaw’ dhukarrw - Yolŋuw ga wurrapandaw. Marŋgithirr ŋayi ga ŋunhi warrpamku mala dhukarrw balanya nhakun dhuwal ‘holistic’ mayali Yolŋu rom ga Balanda rom ga wirripu churchku rom ga communityŋur ga wukirriŋur. Dhuwal märrma dhukarr - Balandakurr ga Yolŋukurr, ŋunhi ŋayi dhu yothu marŋgithirr bukmakku gakalwu mala.&nbsp;

By Abbey Guyula, Emily Armstrong, Helen Nyomba, Rene Darnmirrwuy and the 'Growing up children' research team

Yolŋu ways of listening

Marŋgithirr dhuwalatjan rom’gurr ga bungul’kurr ga manikay’kurr märr ŋayi dhu marŋgi wanhaŋuwuy ŋayi ga yol ŋayi Knowing who he is - learning through the law, dance and songlines so he can learn to identify himself

From when he was a baby – about 6 months old – Gudjuk started to learn his connections through songlines and buŋgul. The first thing that he started to learn was making the sounds with his lips. His first words were copying the sounds that men make in the songs from his waku tribe [Marraŋu-clan nation western DI]– like brbrbr and ‘Ga’y-ga’y! Ya’y-ya’y!’. When he started walking he started dancing. The first dancing in this video was in his homeland in Dakurra. The second one was in his grandmother’s land, Galawarra. His grandfather (Ŋathi)&nbsp;is teaching him his Ŋathi’s Märi’s song – his galaypulu clan – in English this is his sister in law or brother in law tribe’s songline. But it is also his great-great grandmother’s songline. At the end of the video Gudjuk is paying his respects to his Ŋathi who taught him when he was little. He is dancing at his Ŋathi’s funeral with Dhuwa and Yirritja clans – everybody gets together. His mother’s father (another Ŋathi) is singing at this funeral. Gudjuk knows who he’s dancing with and who he is dancing for and his confidence is growing.

Dhuwandja Gudjukku dhäwu nhaltjan ŋayi ga nhäma märrma dhukarr This is Gudjuk's story - how he sees and connects into two worlds

Dhuwandja Rene’ Ḏanmirrwuy Gaykamaŋu. Ga mälk’tja ŋayi Gutjuk, ga Yolŋukurr yaku ŋayi Ḏanmirrwuy - Ḏanmirrŋa ŋayi ŋunha Martjanba, yakuny ŋayi dhuwal Mari’mirriŋuwal wäŋa’ŋur. Ga yothuny ŋayi dhuwal Yirrtja, waŋarrnydja nhaŋu garanyirrnyirr. Ga wäŋany nhaŋu dhuwal dharrwa’ muka, waŋgany dhuwal banydji ŋaraka ŋupan dhuwal wäŋa Galiwin’ku ga ḏuwak – Wadaŋka’wu, Ḏakurra, Gitan, Gaṉburra, ga wirripuny maka yindiŋur Nikawu.&nbsp;

Buku gurrupan ga gurruṯumirriny mala ŋarraku ga Emily, CDU, Lowitja ga SNAICC. Guŋgayunaraw dhiyak djorraw dhawarmaranharaw, mirithirr yan ga buku gurrupan nhumalany. Dhäwu Gudjukkalaŋawuy nhaltjan ŋayi ga ŋuthan. Thank you to all our family, mine (Abbey's) and Emily’s, Charles Darwin University, Lowitja Institute and SNAICC for helping make this talking book. That’s the story of Gudjuk growing up until 7 years old.

I would like to introduce this project about how Yolŋu children are growing and learning. That’s what this book is all about. It’s part of a research project called Ŋuthanmaram djamarrkuḻiny’ märrma’kurr romgurr: Growing up children in two worlds. It’s very important and we want to let other people know. This book is showing the development and growth of Gudjuk. I feel really proud of the way that he’s learning in both worlds, in two pathways. In Yolŋu Rom he is good at hunting – he is learning from watching his father and Ŋapipi (uncles) and family - making spears, using fishing line, getting bait. He loves hunting and now he is 7 and he caught 2 big fish last time we went out. He’s good at dancing – he dances a lot at buŋgul (ceremonies). And he has strong learning about who he is – his identity including his homeland, his mälk (skin name), his clan, his sister’s clan, his grandmother’s (Märi) clan. He is learning about holistic Yolŋu pathways. He is also feeling confident in his learning in Balanda (non-Indigenous) pathways – sitting and communicating with Balanda, because he learnt about communication in the family first. Now he has been achieving a lot of skills for school – he listens carefully, and he’s really trying hard in the Balanda world like with reading, writing and mathematics. In his Yolŋu skills he’s already capable. We want to share this knowledge and story with other people – we are all connected like relatives. It’s also showing the other part of education. We want to share information about Yolŋu ways of raising children, with Balanda (non-Indigenous people). So that you can know about how Yolŋu children are growing up in real life. Yolŋu education is real, positive and holistic and it’s there. We know it already.

Nyomba Gandaŋu (Gudjuk’s Märi – Maternal Grandmother)&nbsp;

Nhaltjan Gudjuk ŋuli ga buthurutjun ga waŋa Djambarrpuyŋukurr How Gudjuk listens and speaks Djambarrpuyŋu language

Gudjuk speaks Djambarrpuyŋu which is the common language in Galiwin’ku and also his mother language. He understands and speaks some Gälpu with his Ŋathi – Maternal grandfathers. That is their language and it is Gudjuk’s waku’mirriŋu language (Great-Grandmother language). Since he was little he has learned some English by talking with Balanda (non-Indigenous people) who have been adopted into his family, and at school. First he started responding to English and as he grew he started speaking some English. Gudjuk loves playing ‘I spy with my two little eyes’ in both English and Djambarrpuyŋu and he has good awareness of the sounds. He is starting to read and write Djambarrpuyŋu at school first, and also some English. He likes asking his mother to read books for him in English.

At school Gudjuk wrote about his homeland, Ganpurra.

This book is one output from a research project called Ŋuthanmaram djamarrkuḻiny' märrma'kurr romgurr: Growing up children in two worlds. Gudjuk and his family participated in a longitudinal community-initiated study of Yolŋu children's development. Children and families were videoed engaging in everyday activities over six years. Families and other community members participated in interviews. Family members and the research team worked together to analyse the information gathered. All families have given their permission for images and recordings to be used in this talking book.

Please see www.growingupyolngu.com.au for more information.

Gudjuk learns about how to socialise with other kids and how to communicate with children and making friends and playing at school. He loves to make friends but he doesn’t want miscommunication or teasing to make him sad but he still overcomes it and makes himself brave to go to school the next day. He has support from his family. His other favourite hobbies are sports – every term, especially athletics. Sports are an important part of his life. He listens very carefully to his teachers, both Yolŋu and Balanda. He is a very happy student and he likes going to school.&nbsp;

Building a shelter

Gudjukwalaŋawuy dhäwu nhaltjan ŋayi ŋuli ga dhakay-ŋama yolŋuny wiripuny - manymak ga yätjkurr How Gudjuk senses and feels other people – positive or negative

Gudjuk dhu li bitjan bili dhakayŋama nha manymak wo yatjkurr. Ga ŋayaŋu rrambaŋiyirr ŋalapalmirr ga yothu’w ga wayin mala nhakun (miyapunu) . Ŋayi li mala djarryun marrma’kum ga ŋaṉḏi’mirriŋuny ŋayi Gudjuk dhu li bitjan bili yan dhakayŋama ŋunhi li ŋaṉḏimirriŋu warwumirri’yirr. Ga manymak dja ŋayili dhakaŋama ŋayi li galŋa’goŋmirriyirr ga buḻ’yun djamarrkuḻi’wal ga ŋaḻapaḻmirri’wal manymakum. Ga wiripuny ŋayi Gudjuk li gora ŋayi dhu buku’djuḻkulyun yurr gurruṯu’mirrdja li guŋgayun ŋayi dhu djuḻkmaram

Gudjuk has always been a sensitive boy – he feels other people. He knows emotions and feelings – both when people are feeling good or when they are feeling upset. He understands what little babies want and he senses the emotions of adults too. For example, if his mother feels sad he always checks on her. He worries about how everyone feels when someone passes away and he thinks about animals feelings too, if they get hurt. He gets excited when he sees family members arrive and runs towards family and friends, giving big welcoming smiles. He tunes in to people’s feelings and straight away feels connected to them – especially kids. Like, if he sees his brothers and sisters laughing and playing, he will feel happy too and join in with the group. Sometimes he feels shy, for example if other people tease him, but he is always, always a good listener and his family encourage him and he overcomes it.&nbsp;

In this picture, Gudjuk is talking with his family while they are out hunting. He likes telling funny stories. He listens well. Sometimes he’s busy concentrating on his own things but he will still listen and remember what people say. Gudjuk is confident and helpful with his language skills. He is good at remembering which words you can’t use if it sounds like the name of someone who has passed away. He corrects older children and adults if they forget. Sometimes when he’s at school and the teacher speaks in English, he tries to help explain it to the other kids in Djambarrpuyŋu.&nbsp;

Dhäwu goḻpuy ga nhaltjan ŋayi ga marŋgithirr Stories about school and how he is learning

This is a story about Gudjuk going to school every day and learning new things here at Shepherdson College in Galiwin’ku. His favourite things to do in school are learning, reading, writing and educational games like ‘Eye spy with my two little eyes’. He knows both letters and sounds in both English and Yolŋu matha.

This resource was developed in 2019 as part of a collaborative research project: Ŋuthanmaram djamarrkuḻiny’ märrma’kurr romgurr – Growing up children in two worlds (funded by the Lowitja Institute and Charles Darwin University). For more information please see <a href="http://www.growingupyolngu.com.au/">www.growingupyolngu.com.au</a>

Marŋgithirr ga yalalaŋumirriw nhaltjan dhu warraw' djäma Learning for the future - how to build a shelter

Gudjuk is learning to build a shelter in this video. This kind of shelter could be for funerals or for hunting or if we go down to the beach. If there’s no shade, we make one. There are a lot of different kinds of shade – at least four different ways to build a shelter. First we find a fork in the tree – here they have four sticks holding up the shelter. The eldest cousin-brother is teaching them. He is learning to pass knowledge on from one generation to the next generation, by older brothers showing younger brothers. He is showing them and they are watching and helping. This is how to survive in the future. The important part of this learning is building a strong mind. If they get lost they can look after themselves and not get dehydrated or sick. It’s also important as a ceremonial shelter. At a funeral, for example, they might need four or five shelters for people to sit in the shade and sing – especially men. The boys will build those shelters.&nbsp;

The most important part about this video is learning his connections about kinship (gurruṯu) and building confidence to dance and to know the songlines and to know where he’s standing between the songlines and the people who he’s dancing with. He’s communicating with his family and understanding the gurruṯu and building up the relationships through the dancing and learning. In these ways he feels more confident and comfortable about who he’s learning with and dancing with. It’s very important for him to know the songline and the route of where he comes from. And also to know about the identity of Yolŋu culture. And it’s very important for him to carry on to the next generation with confidence to train his children. Gudjuk has always been interested in dancing. Every time there is another tribe dancing, he picked up his gaḻpu (woomera) and leaves and ran to join them. He likes using his Ŋapipi (Uncle)’s gaḻpu. This is part of his learning how to become a leader in the future.&nbsp;

Bapa bapa

This is Rene’ Ḏanmirrwuy Gaykamaŋu. His skin (mälk) name is Gudjuk, his Yolŋu name is Ḏanmirrwuy - Ḏanmirrŋa that’s the place called Martjanba (Wessel Island). He’s named after his Märi (Maternal Grandmother) land. He’s Yirrtja (moiety). His totem is Garanyinyi (cicada or locust). He has a lot of homelands - one of them is in near Galiwin'ku up the island and another is in Nikawuy homeland which&nbsp;is on the next island.

Mari’kurr dhalagarr’kurr ŋuli ga dhunupayam gurruṯu djamarrkuḻiw märr walal dhu dharaŋanmirr Through understanding relationships children can help solve problems

Gurruṯu (kinship) helps solve problems. When children have a problem or are fighting, they can use their kinship to solve it. It helps create respect for themselves and for each other. Through fighting, they are learning to understand who they are and knowing that gurruṯu is really important for them so that they can protect themselves. It helps them when they are in trouble and connects them as they are relatives. Gudjuk is 18 months old in this video. The children are fighting over a toy and Gudjuk is telling the other boy “I’m your Dad” because that is their kinship connection. As the children grow up, they might still have problems like not sharing or teasing. They still use their connections when they get upset.&nbsp;If someone is lost one day, they will miss seeing each other. Gurruṯu helps them keep their connections strong. In ten years time, if they meet again, they will always know how they are connected. When adults have a conflict, we still talk about our connections but it is much more complex then. For young children, we start by binding them by gurruṯu.&nbsp;

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