Warrell Creek Song

WARRELL CREEK SONG

Widing || Wirraal-wirraada ngaya.

pained Warrell-creek.at I

Widing || Wirraal-Wirraada ngaya.

pained Warrell-creek-at I

Widing || gulun-gulunda.

pained rain-rain-in

Nyuurrgu||-wa bawgi-langmi

smoke-in bathe- ?d

ngaanya || jumbulbangga;

me big-smoke-in

biganybada* || nyurram-nyurramba ngaya.

lake-at southerly-buster-in I

Emma’s translation:

‘Hurting at Warrell Creek was I; hurting at Warrell Creek was I. In the smoke I was bathed; in the massive smoke, on the lagoon, in the sea-storm.

Unknown singer (LA1396b):

“One dark fellow, he was on his own, wandering about on his own, always. So one day he went down to the beach, got on top of the headland, and seen a boat way out on the sea... and a big smoke was coming from the funnel, and he was having a look at that song for a long time and that’s what he sang then.”

Also sung by Harry Buchanan (LA2763, 4501) (*he has gilanmaya a Dhungguti words instead of *biganybada in the song; and by Florrie Ballangarry – who has a slightly different version.

Music:

Sung to a drum (buljurr)

The only drums I know about were made of material (originally no doubt skins) which were filled with solid matter and held at the hip and beaten by women. There may have been other kinds of drums.

The beat? I have marked with || - a break that seems to come in each line

Possibly x (x) || x x x (x)

Four beats to a line with a pause between

Dancers sway from side to side

Possibly: ???

Left (pause) || right left right (pause)

Music: A rare example of an accompanying dance to a song.

The following explanation by Tiger Buchanan is from Terry Crowley’s field notes

‘The song is sung with the following dance: Two rows of thirty boys and girls in alternation stand facing each other with a fire in the middle. There is also a fire at each end. The boys and girls sharpen sticks at one end and paint them. The girls’ sticks are painted red with white spots, and the boys are painted with white stripes. One man and one-woman singer sit at each of the two end fires and a drummer sits at the middle fire. Also, at each end fire are three young men ‘swimmers’ and two young men swimmers are at the middle fire. As the singers sing the young men ‘swim’ through the smoke. Also, two young men dressed as ghosts move up and down the row of children who are swaying with their sticks.’ The significance of this song and dance is not known.’

Social: This re-enacts in dance the movement of an early steamship, an incorporation into the Gumbaynggirr world. (cf. the Tiwi aeroplane dance.

Granny Florrie Ballangarry has a version that shows women’s style singing. Only two women have been recorded: four songs.

A beautiful lilting style that unlike that of the men allows decorations above and below the sung notes. She is not interested in maintaining strict tempo but keeping the song fluid. She starts in the middle of the song and transposes a couple of words