BIRDS & INSECTS
In the Dreamtime Buwarraja the Creation Dog Mardborrongo sang out, everything came to "still" in the country and some of the Spirit People changed into birds, some changed into insects. These two groups are special for the Wardaman and carry the Creation Story, song, Law and they are teaching us everyday. Yidumduma has a special feeling for the birds and insects in his country.
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Yidumduma's vast indigenous science is highlighted here in 20 minutes of bird calls and related wisdom. In one single campfire recording broken into 3 parts, Yidumduma teaches us about 40 birds on his land.
*Wardaman Language Translation in bold Italics
Bill's Birds 1:
blue-winged kookaburra gorrgorrman, diamond dove golordog, peaceful dove golorog, galah girrgilang, bar shouldered dove (pigeon) godjogodjog, (blue) crested pigeon ganbarlarla, spinifex pigeon garlawarra, willy wagtail jigirrija, helmeted friarbird (bald faced honey eater) gawurrngari, pied butcher bird jorlborrman, silver-crowned friarbird (crowned honey eater) gerdog, rainbow bee eater jorrerrngman, magpie-lark (peewee) gulirrida, black cockatoo lirragin, sulphur crested white cockatoo menngen, little egret (little crane) jarnarran, brolga (crane) gurdurrgban
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Bill's Birds 2:
crow wagwag, whistling kite gornbun, brown falcon garrgany, grey falcon barnangga, finch nilngman, northern fantail (little wren) jerrjerrman, nankeen night heron bulagaw, tawny frogmouth (frogface) judiyina, barking owl (incorrect: maybe log owl???TBD) jerregeg, white bellied sea eagle diwana, wedge tailed eagle bulyan, Australian bustard (bush turkey) jegban, channel-billed cuckoo (storm bird) gurragurragban, common koel juwogban, bower bird jorijjorij, bush stone-curlew wiliwuga.
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Bill's Birds 3:
nankeen night heron bulagaw, darter (cormorant) barragbarrag, emu gumerrinji, long tail pheasant coucal girribug, red wing parrot welejban, silver crowned friarbird gerdog, apostle bird (babbler?) girragirraman, silver crowned friarbird gerdog.
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Black Soil Termite Mound: Ngardan
Bush Medicine
Ngardan, the earth mound created by the black soil termite namulu is great medicine. Eaten straight it helps with arthritis and all your joints. Lying down on a heated mound earth bed covered with straw and a little water to create steam is a wonderful healer for your whole body. The black soil termite carries the healing song and leaves it in the earth mound when he makes it. Jarralu ngarban jarraling........the black soil termite cures the sickness.
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Grasshopper 1: Lidi & Nidban
We introduce our Grasshopper Series where Yidumduma identifies the first 2 of 8 groups of Grasshoppers and shares their role in the land as handed down from the spiritual Creation Time Buwarraja. Yidumduma's principal totem is Lidi the grasshopper, which represents one of the major species and for Bill can also refer to all the grasshoppers.
Lidi is strictly a katydid who invented many types of grass and traded these to the ants and termites who in turn made their nests and invented medicines for the people.
Nidban is a katydid who invented the woolly yam magulu and the long yam megerrman. He sang the long yam creating the milk poison which he traded to the poisonous snakes king brown, taipan and death adder.
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