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ABORIGINAL SONGS.
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Aboriginals are very fond of singing, though their songs might not be considered very musical from white people's point of view. They are very original in composing their corroboree songs which generally are founded on incidents that have happened during their simple lives. Aboriginal children at the mission stations delight in singing, and are quite clever in translating "white men's songs" into their own language. Mr. R. H. Croll, in an article in "Stead's Review," gives several songs of children in the Arunta language, spoken by tribes in the northern part of South Australia. Here is one of them:-
"Jinga arbalama
Larberinja nuka
I mankilna kuta
Jinga ilbaukama
Ara ntjara indora
Inka kat mugala
Lata bula ta itja
Ninteulla juntama."
This means: - "I do not know the name of sadness - I always thik of the olden days when plenty kangaroos sat on the hills. To-day I canot find a single one."
Here is how the Arunta children translated out well-known song, "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow": -
"Era rella mara indora,
Era rella mara indora,
Erarella mara indora
Nuna allmelama!"
In other words, "For he's a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us!" For the "Hip, hurrah!" they substitute "Jakkai! Ndurbai!" which, being freely translated means, "Yes, he certainly is!"