Kune is a dialect of Bininj Kunwok, an Australian Aboriginal language.[3] The Aboriginal people who speak Kune are the Bininj people, who live primarily in western Arnhem Land. Kune is spoken primarily in the south-east of the Bininj Kunwok speaking areas, particularly in the Cadell River district south of Maningrida.[3] Grammatically Kune is closely related to other varieties of Bininj Kunwok, although it differs in vocabulary.[3] According to the 2021 Australian Census, Kune was spoken by approximately 257 people.
| Kune | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Northern Territory |
| Ethnicity | Bininj |
Native speakers | 257 (2021 census)[1] |
Arnhem
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | gune1238 |
| AIATSIS[2] | N70 Kune |
Geographic distribution
editKune is spoken in western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia primarily in the south-eastern part of the Bininj Kunwok dialect area. Its main stronghold is the Cadell River district, south of Maningrida including outstations such as Kolorbidahdah, Buluhkaduru and Bolkdjam.[4][3]
Speakers of Kune are part of the Bininj people of western Arnhem Land. Many speakers move between outstations and the township of Maningrida, and the dialect continues to be used in everyday communication, often alongside English and Kriol.[4]
Grammar
editPronouns
edit| English | Personal | Possessive | Person |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, me | ngaye | ngardduk | First-person |
| I + you | ngarrku | ngarrku | First-person |
| We (two of us, but not you) | ngarrewoneng | ngarrewoneng | First-person |
| We (three of us, including you) | karrewoneng | karrewoneng | First-person |
| We (all of us, including you) | kadberre | kadberre | First-person |
| We (all of us, excluding you) | ngad | ngadberre | First-person |
| You | ngudda | ke | Second-person |
| You two | ngurrewoneng | ngurrewoneng | Second-person |
| You all | ngudberre | ngudberre | Second-person |
| He, him | nungka | nuye | Third person |
| She, her | ngaleng | ngarre / ngalengarre | Third person |
| They (2+) | berrewoneng | berrewoneng | Third person |
| They | bedda | bedberre | Third person |
Notable people
editMusicians
edit- Wildfire Manwurrk is a National Indigenous Music Awards-winning rock band from Kolorbidahdah. The group performs songs in several traditional languages including Kune, Rembarrnga and Dalabon.[6]
- Ripple Effect Band is an all-women rock band based in Maningrida. The band performs in multiple Maningrida languages including Ndjébbana, Kune, Burarra, Kuninjku and Na-kara.[7]
Media
edit- Looking after Yaimini (Australia, 1986) is a documentary film portraying the life of a Kune-speaking family living at Yaimini outstation in central Arnhem Land. The film follows an extended family led by a senior elder and explores themes such as connection to land, cultural practices, kinship, and everyday life in an outstation (homelands) setting.
References
edit- ↑ "SBS Australian Census Explorer". Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ↑ N70 Kune at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- 1 2 3 4 "Dialects". Bininj Kunwok: Kunwok dja mankarre kadberre—our language, our culture. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- 1 2 Evans, Nicholas. Bininj Gun-wok: A Pan-Dialectal Grammar of Mayali, Kunwinjku and Kune. Pacific Linguistics.
- ↑ Bininj Kunwok Phrasebook. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. 2022. p. 62. ISBN 9780645219104.
- ↑ "Arnhem Land rock band Wildfire Manwurrk sings in the Kune language".
- ↑ "The Guardian. Ripple Effect Band: the all-female rock group singing in a language spoken by about 50 people".
Further reading
edit- Evans, Nicholas (2003). Bininj Gun-wok: a pan-dialectal grammar of Mayali, Kunwinjku and Kune. Pacific Linguistics 541. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. hdl:1885/53188., 2 volumes
External links
edit- Bininj Kunwok online dictionary
- "Kured [home page]". Bininj Kunwok. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre.
- Kunwok[permanent dead link]