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LEVEL 1:
brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)
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provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.
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lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)
Examples of Indigenous Poetry
The Red Gown
Gawun gurigu ngana gunggamburrgu The red gown we see is like a butterfly
Gawun gurigu ngana yamalyamal A red gown that catches the eye
Gawun gurigu ngana gunggamburrgu The red gown we see is like a butterfly
Gawun gurigu ngana waga-nyurriny Red gown dancing in joy
Gawun gurigu ngana yamalyamal A red gown that catches the eye
Gawun gurigu ngana gunggamburrgu The red gown we see is like a butterfly
Gawun gurigu ngana waga-nyurriny Red gown dancing in joy
Gawun gurigu ngana yamalyamal A red gown that catches the eye
Gawun gurigu ngana gunggamburrgu The red gown we see is like a butterfly
Gawun gurigu ngana waga-nyurriny Red gown dancing in joy
Jimmy Murray, 1967
(Girramay dialect)
In the very early days of contact, Aborigines saw a white girl wearing a red dress with white spots. They had never seen anything like it before and made up a song about it, with dancers imitating the movements of the girls.
Narrinyeri Saying
Like children at play we begin LIfe's journey,
Push our frail bark into the stream of Time,
That flows from snow-capped Mountain.
With no care; Singing and laughing as our boat glides,
Upon the tide wending its way through steep rocky banks,
And meadows with bushes and plants all abloom, with sweet fragrant flowers.
Until we arrive in the Great Ocean where we are battled and tossed by the angry waves. Onward and onward.
For three score years and ten. Then we are cast forlorn and shipwrecked upon the shore of a strange land.
David Unaipon
The arrival of the first Aborigines on Australian shores.
