{"id":927,"date":"2022-08-31T05:55:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T05:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/?page_id=927"},"modified":"2026-02-24T00:32:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:32:22","slug":"the-endangered-languages-of-makarrata","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/the-endangered-languages-of-makarrata\/","title":{"rendered":"The Endangered languages of Makarra\u1e6fa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Researchers from the First Nations Sovereignty and Diplomacy Centre and the Northern Institute have recently completed a project called the Endangered Languages of Makarra\u1e6fa (2022-2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makarra\u1e6fa is a set of ancient Yol\u014bu ritual practices in which groups of Yol\u014bu would come together to resolve particular serious conflicts, in order to prevent ongoing revenge bloodshed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today the word Makarra\u1e6fa has been used in wider Australia to refer to various sorts of treaty processes, so this project was set up to record stories from Yol\u014bu elders to set the Yol\u014bu story straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work was funded by The Australian Governments\u2019 Indigenous Languages and Arts<\/em> program and designed for Yol\u014bu knowledge authorities to tell important Makarra\u1e6fa stories, in their own ancestral languages, using their own key concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project was led by Gawura Wa\u1e49ambi, \u1e3airrpiya Munu\u014bgurr, and Yasunori Hayashi to explore the history, language and practices of Makarra\u1e6fa while key senior knowledge authorities were still alive.  It involved travel to six different places where the Makarra\u1e6fa conflict resolution rituals had taken place, and to several other places to record histories of conflicts which were not resolved by Makarra\u1e6fa. The places include Ga\u1e6ftji, Baryunda, W\u00e4rrawurr, Biranybirany, Gurka\u2019wuy, and three sites at Yurrwi (Milingimbi).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elders told stories in each place about what had happened there. Ben Ward recorded and edited the videos. Then many Yol\u014bu and balanda were involved in transcription, translation and analysis of the stories, and making booklets and uploading videos to be kept under the authority of local elders.  The difficult concepts, practices and language involved in this work will be shared in the relevant clan groups into the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Yol\u014bu who were involved included George Milaypuma, Lily Roy, Alfred Walpay, Yangipuy Wa\u1e49ambi, \u1e3aulparr Wa\u1e49ambi, W\u00e4ka Munu\u014bgurr, Larritjpira Munu\u014bgurr, Gupa**** Wunu\u014bmurra, Marayala Yunupi\u014bu, Wulwurr Yunupi\u014bu, Jonathan Djapinybuy, Mal\u014bumba Guyula, Jackie Minbirik, Paul Moldhu, Jackie \u014auluwi\u1e0fi, Peter Girirrkirirr, Bobby Marralinya, Djalpa\u1e6f Wa\u1e49ambi, Dhutpirr\u014ba Wa\u1e49ambi, Marikuku Wirrpanda, Damien Guyula, Bronson Dhamarrandji, Wesley Dhamarrandji, James Garmu, Joy Bulkanhawuy, Brenda Muthamuluwuy and Janelle Guyirkuyir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the funding for the project has finished, we are negotiating with elders ways of sharing the knowledge of Yol\u014bu peacemaking with people throughout Australia who are interested in Makarra\u1e6fa, and have often heard the word, but who don\u2019t know the true old stories behind the ancient Yol\u014bu rituals of conflict resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credits: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fig. 1 Makarra\u1e6fa at Milingimbi 1920s, photo by WL Warner, permission George Milaypuma<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fig. 2 Makin’ (Makarra\u1e6fa) site at Baryunda. Photo Yasunori Hayashi <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fig 3. \u1e3aulparr Wa\u1e49ambi (left), Gawura Wa\u1e49ambi (middle) and Yangipuy Wa\u1e49ambi (right) at G\u00e4l\u014buyu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fig 4. Alfred Walpay (left) and George Milaypuma (right) at Garki<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further information contact: yolngustudies@cdu.edu.au<\/mark><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Researchers from the First Nations Sovereignty and Diplomacy Centre and the Northern Institute have recently completed a project called the Endangered Languages of Makarra\u1e6fa (2022-2026). Makarra\u1e6fa is a set of ancient Yol\u014bu ritual practices in which groups of Yol\u014bu would come together to resolve particular serious conflicts, in order to prevent ongoing revenge bloodshed. Today […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-927","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1626,"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/927\/revisions\/1626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/groundup.cdu.edu.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}