It was a lovely warm day as Yinal and Ngirrinbai kicked pinna (sand) at each other as they murraliko (were running) along the wombul (beach). They were watching as their Tunkarn (mother) and Biyungbai (father) gathered food, some to eat now and some would be taken with them to the place they would koiyong (camp) .
Some Tunkarn were diving deep under the waves collecting lobsters, others were on the rocks collecting munbonkan (rock oysters) and putting them into their kinnun (string bags).
Their Biyungbai were standing on the flat rocks with their kullara (fishing spears) catching makoro (fish).
The Ngarongeen (old women) were yinbilliko (kindling a fire) in the koiyung (fireplace) that they used the last time they were here with kollai (wood) that Yinal and Ngirrinbai had collected and brought to the wombul.
As the makoro and lobsters were caught they were brought to the tirriki (fire) kimulliko (to cook) and ngiratimulliko (to feed) everyone. The fishing stopped when the konara (family) were kuttawaiko (satisfied with food).
Yinal and Ngirrinbai almost missed eating this meal as they were so busy enjoying murraliko and kurkulliko (jumping) in the pinna and splashing in the waves.
It had been a long time since they had been to this place.
They had finally come down from the mountains, now the bad weather had passed. It was the time to camp between the wombul and the big river. At a place where the mullubin (fern) grew.
While they were living in the mountains they ate food from there. Which was good, but they pirunkakilliko (were glad) of the change, that moving to the coast would bring in what they were now able to eat.
Soon Tunkarn and Biyungbai started kaipulliko (to call out) to the wonnai (children). It was time to leave and move to the place where they would koiyong beside the river.
They uwolliko (walked) through the pinna hills and down toward the river. To a koiyong that had been used by this konara since time began.
Punnul (the sun) was almost pillatoro (setting) over the mountains when they reached the koiyong. Everyone in the konara knew what needed to be done to get the koiyong ready before tokoi (night) came. Kollai was gathered from nearby trees and soon tiriki was in the koiyung.
When the koiyung was ready the munbonkan were thrown into pimpi (the ashes) by Tunkarn. Yinarl and Ngirrinbai knew that when the kulling (shells) opened they were ready to scrape out of the pimpi and left to cool. They didn’t like waiting too long in case they were grabbed by other wonnai. Everyone loved their pulli (salty) taste.
When the koiyong became quiet and the warea (little) wonnai were ngarobo (sleeping) the konara yellawolliko (sat on the ground) near the koiyung. Some would wittilliko (sing) stories of long ago. Nguraki (the wise one) would wiyelliko (to talk) of stories. The one tonight was about Wybagamba and the moane (the kangaroo) who lived there. Yinal and Ngirrinbai were afraid of that place, they would never go there.
Yinal nakilliko (observed, to watch) the Biyungbai hitting tunnung (stones) collected with other tunnung. He nakilliko them murrinupuliko (to sharpen) so they could use these tunnung as kullingtielta (a knife). Small fragments that were broken off fell onto the ground beside them. Yinal knew he would one day learn how to do that.
Ngirrinbai nakilliko the Tunkarn making their kinnun, she would learn to make these too as she grew older.
For this konara this was the rhythm of their lives for millennia, the river rose and went down again, sometimes sandhills shifted, but they lived their lives in their country and they both moved together at a gentle pace. Until the day a strange looking murrinauwai (a ship) was seen out in the ocean. It brought Englandkal (men belonging to England).
Everything changed in this place, Mullubinba.
The Englandkal cut down trees to build houses and buildings for themselves. Places that had always been home for this konara, they weren’t welcome and not able to be used anymore. They had to move their koiyong further away from the familiar places they had always known.
Each day became harder for this konara as the food and places that had been theirs were taken from them with no thought of how they would survive.
These new people changed the shape of the river and other important features of the country, the konara began to feel like strangers in their own land. Some survived, many didn’t as the invaders not only changed the purrai (earth/ land), they brought munni (sickness) that had never been seen before!.
Today, digging down deep in these places, evidence of the countless lives lived here for millennia can be found all around, if you know and care to look. Many lives have been lived on the banks of this river. It’s all still here, even if there are big cement buildings on top of it.
In another thousand years when someone else comes to have a look, they will find this koiyung place and the pieces of stones and kullung left by Yinahl, Ngirrinbai and their konara.
| Pin na | sand |
| Mur ra li ko | to run |
| Wom bul | beach |
| Tunkarn | mother |
| Bi yung bai | father |
| Ko i yong | camp |
| Mun bon kan | rock oysters |
| Kin nun | string bags women used |
| Kul la ra | fishing spears |
| Ma ko ro | fish |
| Nga ro nge en | old women |
| Yin bil li ko | kindle a fire |
| Ko i yung | fire |
| ko l lai | wood |
| Tir ri ki | fire flames |
| Kon a ra | family |
| Ki mul li ko | to cook |
| Ngi ra ti mul li ko | to feed |
| Kon ara | family |
| Kut ta wai ko | to be satisfied with food |
| Kur kul li ko | to jump |
| Mul lu bin | fern |
| Pi run ka kil li ko | to be glad |
| Kai pul li ko | to call out |
| Won nai | children |
| U wol li ko | to walk |
| Pun nul | the sun |
| Pil la to ro | to set , the sun, the moon |
| To ko i | night |
| Pim pi | ashes |
| Kul ling | shell |
| Pul li | salt |
| Wa re a | little |
| Nga ro bo | sleeping |
| Yel la wol li ko | sat on the ground |
| Wit til li ko | to sing |
| Ngu ra ki | the wise one |
| Wi yel li ko | to talk |
| Wy ba gam ba | Nobbys |
| Mo a ne | Kangaroo |
| Na kil li ko | to observe |
| Tun nung | stone |
| Mur rin u pu li ko | to sharpen |
| Kul ling ti el ta | a knife |
| Mur rin au wai | a ship |
| England kal | man from England |
| Mul lu bin ba | place where the fern grows Newcastle |
| Pur rai | earth/ land |
| Pur rai | sickness |
Awabakal words from The Principals and Natural Rules of the Language as Spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunters River, Lake Macquarie New South Wales, by Rev L.E Threlkeld. 1834. Used with the permission of Shane Frost, Awabakal Elder. First published in ‘where the fairy tales go’ by Hunter Writers’ Centre (2023).