Dhauwurd Wurrung language facts for kids

Dhauwurd Wurrung is a name for a group of languages spoken by the Gunditjmara people. They live in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. These languages are also called the Gunditjmara language or the Warrnambool language.

Some people think Keerray Woorroong (also spelled Girai Wurrung) is a separate language. Others see it as a dialect, which is like a different version of the same language. There were many closely related ways of speaking, like Kuurn Kopan Noot and Gai Wurrung. Today, people are working hard to bring these languages back to life.

Where the Language Was Spoken

The Gunditjmara languages were spoken across a large area. This area stretched from Glenelg to the Gellibrand. It also went about 95 kilometers (60 miles) inland.

When Europeans settled in Victoria, it had a very bad effect on these languages. Events like the Eumeralla Wars and policies that led to the Stolen Generations caused many Gunditjmara people to lose their language. Today, the descendants of these speakers proudly call themselves Gunditjmara.

Different Names and Dialects

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) uses "Dhauwurd Wurrung" as the main name. This follows what the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages and historian Ian Clark suggest. There are many other spellings and names for this language group. Some examples include Djargurd Wurrung and Thaguwurung.

• Keerray Woorroong (also spelled Girai Wurrung) is seen by some as a separate language. It was spoken by the Girai wurrung people.
• Gadubanud was spoken by a group near Cape Otway. Some experts think it was a dialect of the Warrnambool language, while others do not.
• Djargurd Wurrong was the language of the Djargurd Wurrong people.

Other dialects or names include:

• Koornkopanoot
• Bi:gwurrung (spoken by the "Port Fairy tribe")
• Gaiwurrung
• Wulluwurrung
• Wirngilgnad dhalinanong (a sub-dialect of Giraiwurrung)

Special Ways of Speaking

Speakers of these languages had a special way of talking called gnee wee banott. This means "turn tongue." It was used when a man and his mother-in-law were in the same conversation. They would use different words and grammar.

For example, to ask "Where are you going just now?" in normal speech, you would say:

• Wuunda gnin kitneean?

But in the special gnee wee banott avoidance speech, it would be:

• Wuun gni gnin gninkeewan?

The Word Ngamadjidj

The word ngamadjidj was used by the Gunditjmara people to describe white people. This same word was also used in the Wergaia dialect of the Wemba Wemba language. It also meant "ghosts." This is because people with pale skin were sometimes thought to be the spirits of ancestors.

The first known use of this word was for William Buckley. He was an escaped convict who lived with the Wathaurong people from 1803 to 1856. The term was also used for John Green, who managed an Aboriginal reserve called Coranderrk.

Using ngamadjidj for someone was a compliment. It meant the local people thought the person was like an Aboriginal person. This was often because they could speak the local language.

Ngamadjidj is also the name of a rock art site in a cave. This cave is in the Grampians National Park. It is sometimes called the "Cave of Ghosts."

Bringing the Language Back

By 1880, only a few people still spoke the Gunditjmara language fluently. No fluent speakers have been recorded since 1975.

However, there are many efforts today to bring the Gunditjmara language back to life. These include online lessons on YouTube and the Laka Gunditj Language Program. People like Vicki Couzens and Corey Theatre are working hard on this. Corey Theatre even uses music to help revive the language.

In Popular Culture

Corey Theatre, a Gunditjmara musician, worked with Australian composer Iain Grandage. They created "Gunditjmara Six Seasons." This music piece is sung entirely in the Gunditjmara language. It was performed with Archie Roach, another Aboriginal Australian musician.

Australian composer and singer Deborah Cheetham wrote a special musical piece called a requiem. It is about the Australian frontier wars between Aboriginal Australians and settlers in Victoria. This requiem, "Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace," is sung completely in the Gunditjmara language. It was first performed in 2019 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

See also

In Spanish: Idioma dhauwurd wurrung para niños