Life story by Rosy Napangardi

to Barbara Glowczewski, Lajamanu 1984

translated from Warlpiri by Barbara Gibson Nakamarra

STORY 1

Yartuluyartulu (The Granites) is the first time I saw white man with camel. I ran away first with my two kids, then I come back and lived for good now in Granites. That camel people bin go right up to the Ilanguru sand dunes of Yinapaka. Camel went cross, and top up they come cross yapaji, they look that camel track. Whiteman kept gone west... (that was before the gold rush...).

STORY 2

When camel go cross they go. Other lot in Granites, Yapa bin sit down with them alright. You know that Yapukaji (a Jupurrurla ‘Afghan’, or ‘half-caste’ who came from the West), that's the one he bin go with camel and he work for Kardiya and that Kardiya and Yapa they bin shoot him. Dead one yapukaji they bin bring to Wave Hill (he got kids, big mob from three mothers).

STORY 3

'Kardiya luwarnu (White man shoot people)?'

'Yes! Yapa people when hide he bin look and he bin hide himself, that Kardiya got wagon and camel when shoot about.'

'Who was killed?'

'Mummy and daddy... young fellow me. Luwarnu, they shoot in the creek big mob people and then they went east with the camels. Bushfire he made in the bush, in Mawukurlangu. Yinapaka not far (halfway to Patilirri).'

STORY 4

Mukuluwarnujarna (shooting) they got away, one by one, to different directions. They split near Walangarni, a big hill. They went north from Yinapaka... kurdu (kids), marukuja (women), wati (men), pimirdi (aunties), jaja (grandmothers), a lot they killed. They ran to Yuendumu. That Yapukaji was with the shooting party.

'And he had many kids that were taken to Darwin?'

'From Yuendumu, that Yapukaji, they brought back to Wave Hill. I ran away.'

'You lost your husband then?'

'Yes, but not through shooting. And I met new husband in Yarturluyarturlu. My husband bin work digging for gold. Lots of people were working looking for gold in Tanami before... from Granites they took us to Hooker Creek.'

'War time?'

'They made the road then (from Tanami to Lajamanu).'

When I was a young girl, I travelled to Pawurunji, after that one I went again to Yinapaka, after I went west to Putunari. After Putunari I bin go carrying one (pregnant) with my big son. I went back to Yinapaka (Lake Surprise). Then I went to Ngarilpi, place belonging to Yawakiyi Dreaming, then to Jarralku and Yinapaka. I walked with my eldest son now. I went back to Yinapaka, right there I got big mob sons and daughters. I went to Pawurinji, the Wallaby place and Putunarikirlangu, a Water Dreaming place. I had a daughter now, I walked between Yinapaka and Pawurinji, when I bin young, taarngajuku (all the time). Plenty Yapa Aboriginal people used to live there then, when I bin walk with two children. When I bin young one I bin get round one place before going to Yuendumu (reserve created in the late 1940s).