Rain dancing...

~ Barkindji interpretations provided by Kevin Knight and Wayne Knight 

Wathu, wiimpatja– wathu Punritj 
Make it watharna,
Watharna kumpatja makarra. 
Grandfather, Miikika, speak Barkindji to me.
Yaparra yaamari. Yaamari.    
Stay Miikika. Paljarta– wait.
Don’t leave ngina
Make the sky rumble, rumble 
Murrarta, murrarta.
Make the sky rumble, rumble.
Make the sky thultha yaamari
 
That one–
Barkindji person, clever fulla …
Make it rain.
Rain, big rain– way over there.
Grandfather, clever man, speak to me in Barkindji.
Stay, clever man. Wait.
Don’t leave us.
Make the sky rumble, rumble.
Quick, quick …
Make the sky rumble, rumble.
Make the sky pour here.

Note: Barkindji people know that waterway which white people named Darling River.We call that waterway Barka.Barka was made by the Giant Rainbow Serpent. Barka is Woman’s Dreaming, and the Giant Serpent is a woman’s fertility spirit. The Giant Serpent sleeps below the river. Barka is sacred to us Barkindji.I wrote this poem after visiting my hometown of Bourke, seeing Barka struggling, with hardly any water, our great Love, our spiritual heart, is struggling without water. We Barkindji people are spiritually attached to Barka.So, I called a rain dancing from Barkindji spirits to make rain fall and fill our beautiful Barka.