The old Noongahburrah woman who told the emu story
storyteller · New South Wales, Australia · 19th century
One of the Noongahburrah people of the Narran River in New South Wales, described only as "an old woman of the pre-white era". She told the tale of the emu and the bustard in her own language to K. Langloh Parker, who lived on a station there; Parker wrote it down by ear and printed it at the end of her 1896 book. Her name is not recorded.
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1890s · The bustard, jealous of the emu's high flight, folds her wings out of sight and says this to the emu, who is taken in and has her wings cut off. The original is given exactly as Parker wrote it down by ear. The English is Parker's own telling of the same passage in the same book, so it does not match the original word for word. In a later book (1905) Parker called these people the Euahlayi tribe.
Why do you not imitate me and do without wings? Every bird flies. The Dinewans, to be the king of birds, should do without wings. When all the birds see that I can do without wings, they will think I am the cleverest bird and they will make a Goomblegubbon king.
Minyah goo ninderh wahl boonoong dulleebah gillunnee? Gunnoono diggayah burraylunneh. Wahl boonoong ninderh doorunmai. Myrenay boonoong gillunneh Gunnoogoo nunnahlah doorunmai gimbehlee.
"Dinewan the Emu, and Goomblegubbon the Bustard" · the native text printed at the end of K. Langloh Parker, Australian Legendary Tales (1896)
1890s · The last words of the tale. The wingless emu comes with only two of her young and tells the bustard that only two can be reared to grow big; the bustard keeps only two of her own. That, the tale ends, is why the emu cannot fly and the bustard lays only two eggs. The English is Parker's own wording of the same passage.
You have your wings and I my children.
Gurrahwuldare ninnoo boonong nayr luggeeroo, gurrahwulday nay birrahleegul.
"Dinewan the Emu, and Goomblegubbon the Bustard", the end · the native text printed at the end of K. Langloh Parker, Australian Legendary Tales (1896)
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