Kunred (places)
Dilebang

Hear the pronunciation, spoken by John Mawurndjul

Dilebang is a duwa moiety place that belongs us, to the Kurulk clan. There is a Djang, a sacred place, there that contains the bones of the Ancestors who died. The bones of those deceased Ancestors, which we call djulng (dust), are sacred and we cannot show them to anyone. My father told me not to take visitors there to see them. If they are interfered with, great rains will fall and there will be floods. That’s why I am afraid. There were once many people living at Dilebang. There is also a Rainbow Serpent there with a single Carpentaria palm tree growing out of her back, and the bones of the Ancestors are also there inside. The palm trees as well as some water lilies mark the location of the Rainbow Serpent. They are still there. Recently I went there to see them.

Dilebangn duwa ngadberre Kurulk. Djang kayo. Djulng birridoweng. Bu yerrehyerre Balanda birrimayahmeng ngabenkang kabirringimeng kabirrinan. Dilebang Kurulk. Kabirriyime kabirridjare well murrngno nameke kabirribebben kawohbuyikahmen namekke. Djulng. Weleng kume djulng, nakkanj djulng kamarnburren. Minj nangale ngarrire ngarribukkan, ngamed ngakele. Wamud yimeng minj yibenbukkan nadjamun kayo kumekke birridoweng djulng. Yiwarrewon mandjewk kabebebme minj bale yibolknan yimeng. Nadjalwoh birriwern Nawarlahbuyken. Name ngakele. Ngalyod kume korlng kahdi mankudji. Name bibodmedulubom ngalyod and djulng bedman kabirriyo kururrk. Nane kolng karri ngalyod nameke one wayuk kahdi. Wayuk nakudji. Kadjaldi, boyen ngawam nganang karri.

– John Mawurndjul, with translation by Murray Garde