Carmel Charles
Encyclopedia
Mary Carmel Charles was an author and the last fluent speaker of the Nyulnyul language of Western Australia
.. She was born to the Nyulnyul tribe in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
at the Beagle Bay Mission
.
The text in Charles's book, Winin, is bilingual and at the back of the small book is a guide to pronunciation of Nyulnyul words and word lists translating to and from English.
The story is a traditional story
written for children. It is set "In the dreamtime
...", when the emu flies higher than all the other birds, and lives in the Milky Way. The other birds who fly close to the ground are jealous. The brolga tell the emu that if its wings were made smaller it would be able to fly even higher, and because the emu wants to fly higher it lets the other birds trim its wings. With small wings, the emu can't fly at all and will always stay that way.
In the book Charles is quoted:
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.. She was born to the Nyulnyul tribe in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
at the Beagle Bay Mission
Beagle Bay Community, Western Australia
Beagle Bay is a medium-sized Aboriginal Community on the western side of the Dampier Peninsula, north of Broome.-Background:The community is situated adjacent to the Indian Ocean. Beagle Bay is the gateway to communities further north such as Djarindjin Community, Bardi Community, Bobeiding...
.
The text in Charles's book, Winin, is bilingual and at the back of the small book is a guide to pronunciation of Nyulnyul words and word lists translating to and from English.
The story is a traditional story
Traditional stories
Traditional stories, expressed as myth, legend, folktales, fairy tale, and fable, are used interchangeably in common speech as a synonym, or sometimes an antonym, parable, or metaphor for popular fiction. Similar terms include anecdote, parable, and fairy stories...
written for children. It is set "In the dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
...", when the emu flies higher than all the other birds, and lives in the Milky Way. The other birds who fly close to the ground are jealous. The brolga tell the emu that if its wings were made smaller it would be able to fly even higher, and because the emu wants to fly higher it lets the other birds trim its wings. With small wings, the emu can't fly at all and will always stay that way.
In the book Charles is quoted: