Warami! You may have noticed some special headlines in our NAIDOC Week edition of This Week – or Bumarang Darrabarra.

Dharug dhalang is the Aboriginal language of the Dharug Nation – the Traditional Owners of the land on which Macquarie University stands. It is one of more than 250 Aboriginal languages in Australia, approximately 120 of which are in use today.

In recent years, many staff at Macquarie have embraced the opportunity to help reinvigorate Dharug dhalang, as symbolised by the renaming of our main campus to Wallumattagal Campus in 2022.

Taylah Pearce, proud Dharug woman and Indigenous Strategic Projects Lead in Walanga Muru and the Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy), says that while some non-Indigenous staff worry that using Dharug dhalang might be viewed as cultural appropriation, all staff should feel confident to use the language and introduce it to others.

“It might be something as simple as embracing a few words and phrases from Dharug dhalang and using them in your email greetings,” Taylah says. “Words like ‘Warami’ (war-a-me – meaning ‘hello’, or ‘where are you from?’) and ‘Yanu’ (yarn-oo – meaning ‘goodbye’) are easy to learn and can be taught to children, to pass on the language and increase its collective value to our community.”

Being a predominantly oral language, written Dharug can have many spelling and grammar variances. It is therefore important, says Taylah, that staff consult with the Aboriginal community when seeking to introduce Dharug phrases in written materials – something that can be facilitated by Walanga Muru staff.

“A core purpose of Walanga Muru is to provide the University with leadership and guidance on cultural matters,” Taylah says. “We are always happy to help you – as our name suggests – to follow your path.”

Some deadly Dharug dhalang to learn

Warami – hello/where are you from? (war-a-me)
Yanu – goodbye (yarn-oo)
Budyari nawunya – good to see you (bood-jar-ri na-woon-ya)
Nigiyini budyari – are you good? (near-ngi bood-jar-ri)
Budyari – good (bood-jar-ri)
Yuwin – yes (yoo-win)
Biyal – no (bye-yal)
Didgerigura – thank you (didge-er-re-goor)
Mittigar – friend (mitt-ee-gar)
Darrabarra – day (durra-burra)
Walanga Muru – follow your path (wa-lang-gar moo-roo)

Find more in this online Dharug dhalang dictionary.

Phrases you will have noticed in This Week

• This Week – Bumarang Darrabarra (using the boomerang to represent ‘7’, and the word for day)
• Your Macquarie – Ngiyini Macquarie
• Research – Djurali
• Education – Ngarra
• Health – Budbud Budyari (good heart)
• Books – Manawari (discover)
• Notables – Gulbangadara (to honour)
• 10 Questions – Damara Bayala
• Need to know – Gulya guri-budyari (gulya – request, guri-budyari – ‘ear good’ or ‘intelligence’)