Termite Mound or Antbed

No scientific name

Ngurnayinangulu kamparnana tamarra-ma tajkarra ngurnalu panana. Tamarra-ma, ngurnayinangulu nakurr karan manana karu-wu-ma. Ngurnayinangulu yuwanana yuka warlaya yuka na kalypa. Karu-ma makin, ngurnayinangulu kamparnana tamarra-lu na. Jangkarnik jiyarnana yalungku-ma tamarra-lu-ma. Ngu puya jangkarni karru. Mingip yanku ngu. Parntawurru ngurnayinangulu kamparnana, ngulu lurlu karru. Ngurnayinangulu kamparnana na ngamany-ma kuya ngurnayinangulu yuwanana ngamany-ja tamarra-ma.

We cook the antbed, (put water on it) and then crush it. Then we dig a hole to put the kids in. We put the soft spinifex (or other types of medicine e.g. ngirirri) in. We lay the newborn babies down and we cover them with the antbed. The antbed makes them grow up strong. It makes their bodies strong so they will be able to sit up straight and crawl. We also treat the fontelle by putting antbed on this part of the head.

Speaker: Violet Wadrill