For the sake of a song: Wangga songmen and their repertories

TRACK 1 (Moy68-05-s02) Song 1: Ya Bangany-nyung Nga-bindja Yagarra

Sung text	Free translation
ya!	Ya!
bangany-nyung nga-bindja yagarra	I’m singing in order to give you this song, yagarra!
bangany-nyung nga-bindja ngaradj[a]	I’m singing in order to give you this song, daughter
bangany-nyung nga-bindja yagarra	I’m singing in order to give you this song, yagarra!
bangany-nyung nga-bindja-ya	I’m singing in order to give you this song, ya!

ya!	Ya!
ngaradja bangany nga-bindja	Daughter! I’m singing a song
ngaradja bangany nga-bindja	Daughter! I’m singing a song
ngaradja bangany nga-bindja	Daughter! I’m singing a song

yagarra!	Yagarra!
ya di	Ya di

All wangga songs originate as the utterances of song-giving Wunymalang ghosts singing to the songman in his dream. But the words that we hear are also the words of the songman as he reproduces what the Wunymalang has taught him for an audience of living humans. In the course of rendering the song suitable for human consumption the songman massages what he has received from the ghost in a variety of ways. For example, all or part of the original song language of the Wunymalang may be ‘turned over’ into human language and references to individuals or local events may be added. In this song, almost all the words of the Wunymalang are rendered in Batjamalh. In text phrases 1-2 he announces that he is appearing (in the songman’s dream) in order to give this new song: ‘I [the Wunymalang] am singing in order to give you [the songman] this song, Yagarra!’ Yagarra, an exclamation expressing strong emotion, is often used in Barrtjap’s songs. These same words can be heard by the living audience as meaning, ‘I [the songman] am singing in order to provide this song [for ceremony or for entertainment], Yagarra!’ In text phrase 3, the Wunymalang addresses this comment directly to his daughter and in text phrase 7 he again addresses her directly, ‘Daughter! I’m singing a song.’ Perhaps the Wunymalang’s daughter was also present in the songman’s dream; certainly in many performances one of the Barrtjap’s daughters would have been amongst those dancing.

Just as the didjeridu begins, we hear the dancers perform a malh, that is, a ritual invocation in which the performers call to attention the living, sentient ground upon which they dance.