A Christmas Bardip

The ‘Infancy’ narrative is one that is sacred to our Catholic faith and is retold in churches, classrooms, homes and communities around the world. By translating ‘The Nativity’ into Noongar, Merinda Hansen, Lois Spehn-Jackson and Maddie Smith have captured a Noongar tradition of orally passing on an important story, now in a written text version. Through the written text, oral readings and the students illustrating the story with native Australian bush plants, the story can be shared widely in classrooms through the Wadjuk Noongar Boodja country. As with many languages, some words do not translate word-for-word from Noongar into English; however, the context remains. For instance, shepherds are called “maaman barna-k” which translates to ‘stockmen’ and there is no word in the Noongar language for gifts, therefore the direct translation is ‘pretty things’.

Santa Clara Noongar Language teacher, Maddie Smith, worked with her Nan, Merinda Hansen. Merinda was a student at Santa Clara Primary School when she was a child. Maddie and her Nan recorded the ‘Infancy’ narrative together. This book is the culmination of a collaboration between two CEWA primary schools, Infant Jesus School in Morley and Santa Clara Primary School in St James. They were charged with the task, to record the story of Jesus’ birth in a uniquely West Australian way.