Stories by Peter Blacksmith Japanangka

Lajamanu, 1984

translation from Warlpiri by Barbara Gibson Nakamarra

 

1. Fighting in the Jilbili 

My mother, Nampijinpa, was a Warlpiri woman from Kamira, my father was Kartangarrurru tribe from the Ngarti group (like Warnayaka group belongs to Warlpiri tribe). Always they lived mixed in Jilbili. Long time we fellow bin living there, longa bush longa Jilbili. I bin little boy. That time people came, Warnayaka (Warlpiri). Alright, they bin come there, lots of people, one old man, he bin run away, old man Japanangka. He bin run away and he fell down in the water, and he bin save himself in the water. Nobody could find him in the water.

 

One fellow Jampijinpa, my old man, my uncle Japanangka bin kill him, kill him with spear, right through, and he finish him there. And then they all went back. They go back Warnayaka side now. East side they camped. All the countrymen killed themselves longa Yinapaka, lot of people bin longa Yinapaka, through to Kurlungalinpa. That’s the way they bin live, Yapa.

 

People from that place, side way all the Warnayaka now. After fighting south and north, they turned west. They chased people to the west. They went up to Jilbili. That road on top, when climbing up that hill, there is a spring this side. Well, we fellow bin camp in there.

 

The Warlpiri men took with them the children and some fellow women from the Kartangarrurru. Alright. They stopped in Yinapaka to live there with the women, this side longa Kulpulunu, in Waranja where the Mala Dreaming went underground. They were camping there now, all the kirda bosses of the country, Jungarrayi and Japaljarri. Jakamarra, Jampijinpa, Jangala, Jupurrurla, all the Easterners.

 

Two fellows start argument. Old man there, his name Jiilpa Jungarrayi, he threw boomerang. Mine granny, jaja (mother’s mother) belong me, Nungarrayi, there he bin kill him, got him with a 7-shaped wilki boomerang. This one finish, dead.

 

Yumburaja and other men, bin jump in there. Old man, my jaja (mother’s mother’s brother) fought with a young man. But he took a spear and threw it on Jiilpa. He speared him and sat down. He left his spear in the body. Finished, knocked down two fellow there, sister and brother. Finished my grannies. Two fellow finished there longa Waralya.

 

The group left, splitting south and east, back to Yinapaka. Lot of people bin there, right up to Willowra. No station bin Willowra, nothing, only bush. Lot of people bin camping there all over right through this side longa Yuendumu, right through Mount Theo. From Duck Pond like that. This one Warnayaka side, they bin fight all the Warnayaka. And some people of the Kartangarrurru tribe, who bin live here on that hill, Jilbili.

 

I can’t remember that language now, Kartangarrurru, well you know I missed it when I bin with different different people.

 

Alright big mob people came, to the camp where we were sitting. We saw a fire from Kurlungalinpa. Big bush fire people brought right up to Parnta, the old station. They slept there. Early part they travelled again. Little bit light now, sun come up. We bin there on the hill. We look. Oh, dust get up, still like a bullock, blackfellow bin come up, all the Warnayaka.

 

They bin come up. Father belong this Billy Jumbarra, he bin front cause he had language from Pawurinji, he was the boss, longa Kartangarrurru and Warnayaka, big boss. When they came close, he said

'We did not come to fight, we just come for visit!'

 

Some fellow they bin come, ‘ABC’, never talk, they wanted to try to kill us, kill all lot, longa that Jilbili. But all men there, we bin have father belong this Juburrurla here, Jumparra, he is the boss belong Warnayaka, and to the west Kartangarrurru, and Kurintji this side too, river side. Ngurlu, lukarrara Seeds Dreaming and this one kalawuru and kurlukuku Dove, big boss, really, boss, that Jakamarra two brothers, fathers belong Jumparra. Two fellows, Karinji and Jilamini. Two Jakamarra, that two fellow bin talk to stop the trouble.

 

All the men slept there. All went away now, and split. The Warnayaka took charcoal too, go back Yinapaka. Our mob went west to Birindudu and Gordon Downs. There was no homestead there then, only bough shade. We bin live longa bough shade, not in a house. And no homestead in Inverway either, all that country. We did not know Kardiya.

 

2. Ritual Business 

My father bin take me to Yinapaka, and I bin look all about. All the Yapa dead, no live Yapa, no one left all finished. The White men killed them long Yinapaka, longa Puturlu, in the sand dunes, and the Lander River. That way they bin run Jardiwanpa, and this one people, we bin living we never understand Jardiwanpa. Japanangka Fencer Runpakulangu only (Mt Doreen) when we bin savy Jardiwanpa.

 

Kajirri, nothing. They bin have business, we never do that. Very dangerous that way we never open up this country people. They had to pay kunari first for all the boss. This time we makim everybody because (cattle) station was everywhere, that's how we make it this time. But before early time, that business they bin run it longa Warnayaka side, that's all, finished longa East, in Yinapaka.

 

Wirntiki long way come through longa Yiningarra, that hill country, belong that country. They bin have business belong Jarini, he bin have own business, same, same that two fellow Kajirri they bin havim. Not all over nothing. This time we make it all over. But before no business. One time then, for three-four years, no Kajirri (ceremony), nothing.

 

Kurdiji alright, and purlapa that’s all, they had all the time. Different purlapa they bin have they callim Wuungkulu they bin dancing that. Me too I bin dancing, I bin big enough now. Coming from Warnayaka that purlapa from Yinapaka. And we dance this side Tanami, Yirinjiwunju, a camping place other side from Parnta, like that. There we bin dance purlapa and passim up longa Parnta! Lot of people bin longa Parnta. They bin dancing there.

 

3. Gold

They bin go together Yiningara and Jarluwangu longa me mob and all that country this side from Balgo. Gordon Downs, right down Sturt Creek, we bin come back again, straight back we bin go longa Tanami. Tanami desert no Kardiya bin there.

 

No camels yet. Later camel bin come. They found that mining (gold) now. My father bin findim and he bin tell story longa Kardiya tell him

'Something I bin findim there in the rocks.'

'Alright show me!'

 

So he bin take him to show him. But he never let him know, my father, he don't know no more savy that mining. And they bin take it that gold and put it in bag longa camel to Alice Springs. There now they put it. They callim that big boss now. Alright big mob coming now, they bin come up there. Big mob camel they bin come making place there, putting up tent.

 

I bin there, this wild country, no Kardiya we never know. I never savy Kardiya too. Me fellow bin mayawul. My father bin little bit understand English, no talk, only short way he never talk, speak up properly English. 

 

Kardiya bin make big mining, he bin digging hole now. We came back Lajamanu side. My father bin bring me through Kamira. From Kamira we bin come up Jilbili. From Jilbili he bin go Kamalinyungu, Catfish station. 

 

Might be three, four days we bin camp and we come back again. More through the west, this way, now through Nankuru lake. From Nankuru we bin go Birindudu and we bin meetim lot of people there. They bin come up from what-you-callim Gordon Downs. We bin there.'

 

4. Bullock

We bin work me in the stations. I bin big man now. Not married yet, just lover (laugh)! Stock camp now. They bin give me job longa Wave Hill. I bin work longa bullock now. This other lot here when they bin killim behind me, I bin longa Wave Hill country, I bin work stock camp now. I bin understand little bit now, some kid, we bin talk English, we bin understand. Other lot bin tell me. And I bin get learned. Yapa bin tell me. I bin work all around that country now.

 

Kardiya make me understand bullock work from horse ride, all that, little big young one me fellow, we bin understand longa bullock and longa horse. We never bin come back country now. Nothing. I never bin come back here until I bin come back married one this woman (Flora). I bin leave that country. I bin go droving Queensland now. Long way, travel on roads, we bin go to Mount Isa. We droving Mount Isa. I bin grew him up this one (Rastus Japanangka) and his brother (Andy).

 

I bin breaking horse now, longa Mount Isa, I bin sit down that country now, working in that country. I come back, straight through longa Manbulu (station) near Katherine, that Katherine they bin call after the war. I bin here now. After the war they put it. No bitumen, no nothing, only bush, right through from Alice Spring, no bitumen, no nothing. All along bush, right through road belong Tennant Creek. They bin just start mustering now. I bin live in that country with different people. I bin live there for four years, in that country, good people we never savy for money too, we never know. We only bin working for clothes, tin of sugar, and flour, that’s all.

 

First one we see him that pamarr (dollar), I bin seen longa Manbulu. And when I come back in Wave Hill, one Kardiya bin loading. Before I only bin seen Kardiya bin drunk. I bin think about all this lot drunk, all about mad (laugh)!

 

I bin live in that stockcamp Wave Hill old station, Horse creek. Lot of people bin there. Where Dagoragu now that lot bin pull out now from that station. Some fellow Yapa they bin strike. 

 

This one station, this one settlement, they bin have water. Some fellow Kardiya bin talk about, stockmen

'This one, we gonna call it Crocodile hole or Catfish.'

 

Yapa bin call the place Muluguru ngurra. After that they bin callim Lajamanu this one. I bin talk me, I bin tellim two fellow

'We callim Lajamanu different place, 14-mile bore to the west... You see that scrub there? We callim Jurparnta, we call all that scrub, Yapa bin call it, to the East, Six Mile.'

 

Right through we call Jurparnta, he belong Warlpiri Kartangarrurru. They bin cleanim right out, nothing left, this country, right to Yinapaka, no one live nothing.

 

5. Tribal punishment

I bin promise a wife in the station. They came from east, from Pawurinji mob, that girl there he belong Ali Curong. That woman him there I bin let him go. That's the first woman I bin havim. You know I bin have that girl (Theresa). Mother belong Jumala (Japangardi).

 

And we bin have big fight longa road (with another single Japanangka). Me fellow bin fight there now from that karnta (woman) now. This side Ngarnaja two fellow bin fight there. Me fellow bin fight big mob people from Yinapaka. All the blackfellow bin go that way. They bin come back from Philip Creek. That settlement bin there. I bin little silly. Like they bin calim my lubra (sing lovesong and call her name). And they bin talk talk, singim Yilpinji for my woman, in the yampiri (single men's camp).

 

I bin get up first thing in the morning breaking day... got him boomerang, wurumpurdu spear. I bin use him one time, finished. That spear bin go right through here (stomach). I bin do him murder, no life, nothing. This one Asian (boy) working, that Jalara (brother). That biggest one that belong him me fellow bin fight longa bush when I bin chuckim wurumpurdu finish. I bin go back, right back. And from Wave Hill I bin go cross and I bin havim that lubra anyway from Ali Curong.

 

I bin go back myself now. No woman, I bin go myself. I bin go two nights, no camp, travel. I had fright somebody might kill me longa road. But nothing. I bin go no stop longa road. No water, you know, I sit bush, watchim road for foot prints. They might chase me. Still I bin go longa Wave Hill. All lot finish (punish with a spear on the thigh) longa me.

 

They bin after me longa Wave Hill and they talk to me nothing all the family. Can’t do it make bad, some fellow bin kill (hit) me all the Jakamarra (fathers-in-law) bin kill me and one of them Jungarrayi, young one, not old men, nothing, they bin leave me.

 

Ngulajuku. That’s all I have to say. I bin live here now. Never go back. I bin lose my mother, two my mother (Nampijinpa in Wave Hill). I never go back nothing and I still live in this country now, no go away. That’s all I can tell you.

 

Peter Blacksmith Japanangka passed away in 1989.