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THE ABORIGINES OF VICTORIA:

A SHORT Aboriginal Story, in their own Language, with the correct English below.

Geo goongeenang mamengorack meg megy yowwee, goray perrippen manye
(When) first made (the) great father every living beast, (the) kangaroo run off (on his) fore

ba tyinnallook ngollo gaal; goolloom goolloomoo mortannin mallookoom dolloo wooyarin
and hind legs like (the) dog; (but) a strange blackfellow hunted after him until got short

manninyook. Nyattyementon! Porannyatta goolloom goolloom dorin, goray perrippen
his fore-legs. Him poor fellow! When at night (the) strange blackfellow slept, (the) kangaroo run off

tyinnallook nimpa yetya. Payoongmingoo torroponen tyinnallook gimpa mengoon.
(on) his hind-legs to this country. Since that time (it) went on hind legs here about till now.

Collection of Words in the Aboriginal Language.

(Being the Language understood in the Western District, the North-Western District, the Loddon, and Swan Hill, but belonging espicially to the North-West or the Pine Plain Tribe.)[1]
Aboriginal.

English.

Aboriginal.

English.

Bunn ashes. Dom-don pirney vessel, pot.
Boorrinn dark. Daalko good.
Boiltack to hate. Derriboott shore, bank.
Boring smoke. Datty oock little river.
Bar and. Dennying frost.
Bapen mother. Dallan to let.
Baring to cut. Danta down.
Bunn dirt. Danta gaamparywik to pull down.
Boott grass. Daap tap kooya to awake.
Bootety both. Dat-ngat new.
Booletye two. Dattuck a young tree.
Baan hole. Dilm-dilm to crack.
Booywonga to wipe. Darn dam to rattle.
Brann rivulet. Dootwillang corner.
Bootylang to go along with wind Darnoylong to recover.
  or water. Dutt yerrung knock together.
Brama to press out. Goongin to love.
Boottarty lang fastening. Goongin to make.
Bonbonty lang shivering. Goongin to create.
Biggy to get up. Goortampy dissatisfied.
Borangamda dera snoring (great sleep). Ganylong shaving.
Baring road. Garning carrying.
Baring gy grasing dray track. Gamgam horse.
Winya pirpa baring? whither leads this road? Goorroock magpie.
Boorrip payoong run quick. Gaal dog.
Boorripa loga fetch it quick. Gorya kangaroo.
Doorrt star. Ga nose.
Dickele to eat. Girrip leg.
Dora to sleep. Goorrn throat.
Dora mameck my father sleeps. Goorritmill snake.
  1. Mr. Hagenauer states that he has found that the blacks generally have two words to express the same thing—so that words taken down by different writers, or by the same writer at different times, may vary very much even in the same tribe. He adds that, in his belief, a word having the same sound as the name of any person in the tribe was let drop, and another substituted for it, when that person died; hence the continual change in the language.