Title
A-Ngarryi Yagatiya = Emu Dreaming : Ancestral Knowledge of the Marri Ngarr Yek Kungarlbarl People
Author
Tjerrwudi Mary Jongmin
Illustrators
Donna Williams-Sowter, Maxie Richard Jongmin
Publisher, Date
Batchelor Press, 2003
Audience
3-4yrs, 5-8yrs, Lower Primary, Primary
ISBN
0724560289
Language
English, Marri Ngarr
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Subjects
- Bilingual books
- Bush tucker
- Culture
- Dreaming
- Emus
- Food
- Glossaries and vocabularies
- Maringarr / Gidjingali people (N102) (NT SD52-11)
- Northern Territory
- Wild foods
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Annotation
This story is the ancestral knowledge of the Marri Ngarr Ma Thawurr Yek Kungarlbarl peoples, and as such it contains more than one layer of meaning. As well as the literal story, the narrative relates to the law and spirituality of the Marri Ngarr people. The literal story tells of an emu family moving through the country, with the parent emus finding bush tucker along the way, and sharing it with their chicks. Eventually they make camp at Ngarnmarriyanga, the dreaming place.
The text is in Marri Ngarr, with an English translation below. The Foreword explains that it is not a direct translation, but broader, to allow English speakers a better understanding of the story’s open meaning. The literal translation and other linguistic information are available from the publisher. The book is accompanied by a sound recording of the text in Marri Ngarr, and there is a DVD of the book available as well.
The illustrations are computer-generated, compiled from photographs. The page borders contain elements from the acrylic paintings of Maxie Richard Jongmin, described as the Clan Artist. Each double page spread has the text on one side and illustrations on the other. There are no white spaces. Instead each page is filled by the illustrations.
At the end of the book there is biographical information about the language custodians and the Clan Artist, plus more information about the people and the country, including a map. There is also a list of Marri Ngarr words and their English translations, and a guide to Marri Ngarr pronunciation.Series title: Ancestral Knowledge, unnumbered three-volume set
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Teaching Resources
- Batchelor Press, 2017. A-ngarryi yagatiya DVD preview http://batchelorpress.com/dvd_preview/EmuDreaming
- Department of Education, 2018. NT Indigenous Languages and Cultures. (Contains a section on bush foods in the Northern Territory) https://education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/715230/ntilc-cultural-knowledge-nov18-02.pdf
- Australians Together, 2020. The importance of land https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/the-importance-of-land/
- Australians Together by Uncle Graham Paulson, 2020. Aboriginal Spirituality https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/aboriginal-spirituality/
- ABC Education. Bush tucker. https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/topic/494500/bush-tucker (multiple videos)
- ABC Education, 2000. Emu families. https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/2528433/emu-families