Puldri Thuli
“I belong to two distinct groups, the Ngemba is my mothers tribe, and Wongkamurra which is my fathers tribe. The Wongkamurra occupied the area around North West NSW, South West QLD, right up in the channel country.”
“During the time of the policy of assimilation, people were removed from their country to mission settlements like Brewarrina, that’s what happened to my Great Grand Mother”
“In the 1970’s linguists were documenting a lot of language groups that were around in Bourke. My Great Grandmother was one of the confident ones who were able to speak about her language. She made 62 tapes recording all aspects of the Wongkamurra language, including names, flora and fauna, etc. These tapes show that the language is very descriptive, the language explains what the object or medicine does.”
“In English, this object is a shield which is quite a broad term. In the Wongkamurra language, this is called ‘Puldri Thulli, which approximates to ‘cover and protect your meat’, meaning ‘protect you body, your vital organs’”
“Understanding the different approaches to language is important, because it is the start of understanding other cultures. This is the starting point for the questions to begin, and for the answers to be delivered”
Jason Dixon
Ngemba, Wongkamurra
Carved by Cypress Macrocarrpa
Designed by Andrew Hull
Crafted by John Brady