In October 2008—just over a year after the Federal government intervention into hundreds of Northern Territory Aboriginal communities—more that 200 mainly Warlpiri residents of the small town of Yuendumu, 300 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs in the heartland of the Tanami Desert, presented then Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin with a petition protesting the treatment meted out to them and their community under that policy.
Following is the text of their petition in their own Warlpiri language, and with an English translation.
Kumanjayi Macklin, Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Marion Scrymgour, Deputy Chief Minister for the N.T.
Kumanjayi Rudd, Prime Minister
28 October 2008
Yapa-patu nganimpa, Yurnturmu wardingki karnalu nyarra wangkami nyampu statement purdanyajaku manu yungurnkurlu pina kanyi Federal manu N.T. Government kirra.
Ngula pala Kumanjayi Howard manu Mal Brough-irli waja-waja manu nyinanja kurlangu, ngulaju-rnalu wardinyi-jarrija. Jalangu jalangurlu ngulaju yangka piya-jala kanparlu nganpa kanyi, karlapirli Kumanjayi manu Brough kurIangu policiyiji, manu karlipa miyalu ngawu jarrimi rdungku-rdunku jarrimi manu junta nganayi-mani kangalpa nyiya.
Nganimpaju ngampurrpa wangu interventioni-kiji kurdu kurdu kalu ngurrju nyinami nyampu kurlu legislation-kirli.
Wangkaja-rnalu jana Review Boardu-ku, jalangu-jalangurlu Governmenti-rli purdanyanja wangurlu jalangurlu Governmenti-rli purdanyanja wangurlu kalu report nyanyi manu kalu taarnagangku interventioniji ngalya kari maninja wangurlu mardarni. Ngawu manika ngalpa ngalpaju.
Nyampuju ngalipa nyangu nguru walalja. Governnmentirli yungurlu ngalpa pina yinyi. NgaliparIu yungulipa jana Government warlapajirni. Wangka karlipa yuwarliki kurlanalu pipa parntirni lawa ngkaju nguru ngurluju, jungangku yungulipa mardonarni nguru, yuwarli manu nyiya kanti-kanti ngalipa nyangu.
Lawa karlipa wangkami yangka tala ngularlu ngalpa ngalya karimanu. Kaji karlipa murlpalu mardarni tala warlaljaju.
Wangka karlipa yungu Racial Discrimination Act 1975 karrimi jalangu nati ngaka kirntangi paturla.
Government Business Manager ngulaju pungku, wiri jarlu manu kalipa nyina ngampurrpa-wangu ngulakuju.
Ngarnpurrpa karnalu jana nyina yangka karnjurlu-patuku kamparru-warnuku. Ngampurrpa karnarlu nyina yungurlu yapangku mardarni nyampu nguru nati shire-yarlu jalangu warnurlu lawa. Lawa karnarlu wangka yurrkunyu panuku, lawa karnarlu wangka kardiya ngula kalu yanirni taangka wangu, lawa karnarlu wangka kardiyi wiri-wiri-ki panukuju.
Panuku nyiya kanti-kanti yanirni wurnturru-ngurlu, kangkarlu-ngurlu karninjarra-karri. Kardiywa wiri-wiri-rli kalu ngalpa ngawu mani nyampu-kurlulu intervention-kirlili. Jinta jarrimi yungu-rlipa jaruku manu yungurlipa warlalja-rlu mardarni mampungku . Yapangku yungurlipa jarlpingki mardarni.
Supporti-ki karlipa wangkami, tala manu nyiya kanti-kanti yungungurlu ngalpa yinyi nyampurla ngurungka.
Nyampurla Yurntumu-rla panu karlipa madarni nyiya-ningki-jarra ngula karliparla yulkami. Madarni karlipa jana Mt Theo program, kurdu kurdu kurlangu, Warlpiri-rli ngulpa karlipa jana tiji-mani, PAW, Mampumaninja-Kurlangu jarlu patu ku, WarlukurIangu arts centre, manu yangka ngula kalu jana mardarni wiri-wiri-rli kurdu-kurdu.
Ngulalparlipa mangu pungkalayi, Yungurlu ngalpa nyanyi nguru kari wardingki-rli pirrdiji ngula karlipa mardarni.
Mardarni yungurlipa taarngangku ngalipa nyangu jaru Warlpiri waja-waja maninja-wangurla yangka pina-pina maninjaku EngIishi-ki, mathsi-ki manu nyiya kanti-kanti pina parrinjaku kuurlu-rla.
Nganimpa karnalu nyarra wangkarmi purdanyangka-rlu-nganpa, Walkarluputa wangkaya nganjmpa nyangu warlalja kurlu.
Kardiya wiri-wiri-rli purdanyangkarlu nganpa wangkayarlu nganjmpa kurlu, ngurrju-mantarlu nganimpa kurlulu jaru jintangka-manu junganirli ngurrjumaninjarla puraya.
Nyurru ngurla juku!
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You can see the English translation of the Petition here.
The rest of the documents in this series are available below:
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 1 – the 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petitions
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 2 – the 1998 Barunga Statement
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 3 – the 1993 Eva Valley Statement
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 4 – the 1998 Kalkaringi Statement
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 5 – the 2008 Yirrkala Statement
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 6 – the 1972 Larrakia Petition
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 8 – the 2018 Barunga Agreement
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 9 – The Original Wave Hill Mob Letter of 1967
Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 10 – Paul Keating PM’s 1992 Redfern Park Speech
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