LUKUMAN2020

Title: A short documentary titled 'Lärr' from the Ngukurr Language Centre featuring traditional message stick manufacture

Description: At 04:25: "This is my maralkur, Lukuman, my mother-in-law's brother. I'm his guruŋ – his son-in-law. [Lukuman:] This is a letterstick. From the old days. No pencil, no nothing. They talked to each other with this, with this here letterstick. Letterstick. Back in the day, this is what we used. This is how they let each other know about things. These are people, these lines that I've made. These are clans. This one is a djuŋgayi. He's sent a message to this mob. He says 'We want you mob.' And they said back to them 'Ok!' 'We're coming!' is what they said. 'Send us a smoke signal.' They'd light a fire. They'd see it. 'Oh yeah, there they are'. They'd travel ... Through Arnhem Land they used to travel. They arrived – this group. And this group. They met them first, ahead of the others. [Finishes at 05:52]

Creator of Object: Andy Lukuman Peters

Date Created: 2020

Item type: footage of a message stick

Subtype: replicative_traditional

Notes on linguistic areas: The origin of the message stick is Ŋilipidji Outstation; Filmed at Ŋilipidji Outstation. The language is Wägilak, which is the name given to the variety of speech belonging to one of the Dua clans. Conventionally this language is called Ritharrngu (the term used by the clans of the Yirritja moiety)

Cultural region: TopEnd_arnhem_east

Coordinates: 13°32'40.898400"S,135°31'32.199600"E  (-13.544694, 135.525611)

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates Ŋilipidji Outstation, also spelled Ngilipitji

Notes: Film credits: Language: Wägilak English Subtitles: Yes Location: Ŋilipidji Outstation, NT, Australia Genre: Oral Histories & Bush Trips Duration: 00:16:55 Year Completed: 2020 Producer or Facilitator: Ngukurr Language Centre Director: Nicola Bell Camera: Nicola Bell Editor: Nicola Bell Writer: Roy Natilma, Andy Lukuman Peters, Peter Djudja Wilfred, Bruce Liyamunyan Wilfred Narrator: Roy Natilma Other Crew: Jordan Hollis Translator: Roy Natilma, Mickey Blagan Hall, Andy Lukuman Peters, Peter Djudja Wilfred, Bruce Liyamunyan Wilfred, David Wilfred, Andrew Wunungmurra, Moses Wirrpanda, Wayne Birdingal, Salome Harris, Celeste Humphris Music & Musician: - Sound Recordist: Salome Harris, Celeste Humphris Custodians: Wägilak People from Ngukurr area, NT.

Media Files:

Data Entry: Piers Kelly