Notes on Kurnai 150 pages

Transcription - Page 59

36
Jimmy Clark (and Bobby Coleman)
I was at the mouth of the Nicholson many years
ago. The Kurnai of Binnajerra, Bruthen, Wy Yung
were there - there was a great corroboree. The
Dinna Birrark Mūnjauin was there with his
two wives. In the night he slipped out of the
camp while his wives were asleep; one then
woke up and called out to the Kurnai that
he was away - and to look out for him.
The men then got ready and one shouted
out "Wūnmanda Kŭrnai?" (Where
is the man?) Then we heard him up in
the sky, shout out "Hoy!" We heard the
boughs of a tree making a great noise and
then the sound of the Mrarts jumping
down onto the ground. The Kurnai
asked "are there any Brajerak or Loan
after us?" The Mrarts said "ngatbŭn"
(no white men - no Brajerak) Then they
were asked "Who are you?" The reply was
"Blackfellows belonging to this place".
They (Kŭrnai) talked in very strange voices
(the narrator here imitated it by talking into
the hollow of his hand - at the same time
holding his nose between [the - crossed out] his thumb and
forefinger). The mrarts men said
"We must go home, or else the
gwerraale Kraura (great west wind)
may come and blow us out to sea")
In the morning we found Mūnjanin
lying on the ground as if asleep where the mrarts
had been, and there were the marks of the footprints
where the mrarts had jumped down, a foot
deep in the hard earth.

[written in left side margin]
Harry Stevens' father
"Wizards who chirp, peep + mutter"