TRACK 16 (Mar98-14-s11) Song 7: Malhimanyirr
Sung text | Free Translation |
malhimanyirr karri-mi-ga-kap kavulhmungirini kapil karri-gap kavulh(repeated) | Jungle fowl is always making her nest and calling outIn the dense jungle, she is always piling up and calling out |
Tracks 16 and 17 are about malhimanyirr, the Jungle Fowl (Megapodius freycinet), a large ground-dwelling bird that creates its nest by piling soil into a mound, continually scratching and turning the material. It is common in coastal areas of the Northern Territory. Its Dreaming Site is at Anggaleni in the south of Marri Ammu country. This bird was Maurice Ngulkur’s personal totem, a fact that he repeatedly makes explicit in the rendition on track 17. Kanyi-ngin is short for kanyirra-ngin (literally, ‘my Dreaming,’ or ‘my totem’).