Kunred (places)
Mumeka

Hear the pronunciation, spoken by Ananais Jawulba 

Mumeka is a duwa moiety site in Kurulk clan Country. I lived at Mumeka. It is an area of savanna bushland. Various groups of people used to camp there to take advantage of the fish in the river. Long ago there were no houses there, but today it has changed. There are no sacred places at the camp, only across the river at Mimarn. I first saw the Lorrkkon ceremony at Mumeka, where they put the bones into the hollow log. It was a very long time ago. It was the only ceremony conducted there at Mumeka. We conducted a Lorrkkon ceremony for the younger brother of the Kardbam clansman, Clark Namunjdja. My brother from Kurrurldul and I had custody of the bones. Everyone gathered there for that ceremony – men, women and old people. It’s like the Kunabibi ceremony today, when people assemble together from many different places.

Mumeka kume ngani. Minj njale kayo only name djang kayo kurebe Mimarn. Mimarn nungan kamyo. Nakkanj kunred nawu Mumeka makka, larrk, manberrkwi. Bu korrokoni bu rurrkyakni la bolkki bonj. Nakudji lorrkkon nuye Kurrurldul djal bonj. Ngad ngarrikurrmeng Bulanj, nawu Clark brother one, young boy. Kaluk kunmurrng nganekarrmeng Balang ngayi Kurrurldul. Bininj kare dabborrabbolk yinang daluk bininj nungan lorrkkon. Karohrok yiman Kunabibi Bininj kamhre nawarlahbuyhken.

– John Mawurndjul, with translation by Murray Garde