Growing up Gudjuk

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.

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)

Listen in Yolŋu Matha

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

Listen in Yolŋu Matha

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.

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)

Dhuwandja Gudjukku dhäwu nhaltjan ŋayi ga nhäma märrma dhukarr

This is Gudjuk's story - how he sees and connects into two worlds

Listen in Yolŋu Matha

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.

Dhuwandja Gudjukku dhäwu nhaltjan ŋayi ga nhäma märrma dhukarr

This is Gudjuk's story - how he sees and connects into two worlds

Listen in English

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 is on the next island.

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

Listen in Yolŋu Matha

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) 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.

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.