Community Identified Literacy Projects
This Indigenous Literacy Project supports Community Identified Literacy Projects
– an opportunity for communities to identify a literacy priority area and develop
their own project, allowing communities to produce literature or other literacy
resources with particular significance to that community.
In August 2009, Simon & Schuster sponsored the first Indigenous translation
of 'Grug Learns To Read' and will publish the first books for Borroloola,
a remote community close to the Northern Territory- Queensland border. Where possible, 'Grug' will
also be translated into different Indigenous languages in other remote communities.
The translation of 'Grug Learns to Read' into 'Grug milidimba nunga read
imbigunji'
Translated by Ngingina to the Karrawa language from the Borroloola region of the
Northern Territory.
Grug learns to read.
Grug milidimba nunga read imbigunji.
Grug loved to look at books.
Grug wunji ningijbyi nunda books.
Sometimes he borrowed books from the local library.
Jarwudarna wudumba gilly nunda book nunumunji barnadwunji library nanji.
When Grug looked at the pictures in a book he could understand the story …
Ngula jula Grug wunji nunjbar nunda picture nunaba book gina jingijbagilli.
… but he could not read the words. ‘How can I learn to read?’ wondered Grug. Then
he had an idea!
Yugu gimi mungu mungu narda jarngurr. Ngula migu gimi read nunda jungurr nunaba
book gina. Munmulayi yubijbyi muwa.
First he built his own blackboard.
Yanga ngagaja milidimba readimgunji mungu mungu nungil ngala baku bardi mungui.
Then each day Grug walked to the nearby school …
Grug jilajbai nunagurri school yurri.
and peered through the window.
Buggi wulajgunumbai Window na nunuma bardawana.
He copied the words from the school blackboard and carefully listened to the children
saying the words.
Bulunja nungili burrynini Nunumugu baramugu Mungu mungu gili nunamugu.
Grug carried the words home.
Julili yalunga yanbar narda jungurru Guyu gili nunda jungurru bandarri.
He copied them over and over on his blackboard.
Bargily ningijba nunuma jungurr school gina. Mungu mungu nungily nunumugunga baramugunga.
When he had practised many words, Grug wrote a simple sentence…
Mungu mungu nangili yingana mungana bugi yingana mungana.
… and a longer sentence. Now Grug tried reading the words in a book. Some
of the words were too hard so he practised until he had learnt them.
Jalili nunga yanjba nanganji jungurranji. Grug wanji yugu wugarumayi writimbayi
yingamali. Jungurr bugi yingana mili gili jungurru writim. Bargu bardi Grug wunji
barlunja nunga readimigunji nunda jungurr nunuba book gina. Jawuda jungurru jardibirr
yanbar ngangili bugili nunga mili yanba. Bargu bardi yugu.
Now Grug could read! But he still loved to look at the pictures.
Bargu bardi yugu bardi readimbai narnda book bargili narnda picture narjba.
That night Grug went to bed and read his favourite book.
Mungarna nujbargilli yugu bardi milidimba narngi minardijbayi.