Goanna Herder's gift

How can we, like Jupurrurla, look beyond superficial appearances to recognize and share the true value of our gifts, fostering harmony and generosity within our communities?

This vibrant retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Swineherd" transplants the vain princess and clever prince to Australia's Tanami Desert, infusing Warlpiri Aboriginal culture with Dreamtime magic. Jupurrurla, a humble carver, woos materialistic Nungarrayi with enchanted artifacts, then disguises himself to test her spirit through trades of songs and dances—echoing the original's kisses for trinkets. Stunning visuals capture fiery dunes and starry skies.

English Folk Song: The Goanna Herder’s Gift

Lyrics (Based on the Warlpiri Story):

(Verse 1)
In the Tanami’s blaze, where the spinifex glows,
Jupurrurla walked where the dry wind blows.
Cast out by his kin, with a goanna so wise,
Jangala’s bright spark lit the stars in his eyes.

(Chorus)
Oh, the goanna herder, with his gifts from the land,
Carved a clapstick and coolamon with a desertborn hand.
His heart true and bold, ‘neath the Tanami’s sky,
Wove the wealth of the camp where the Ancestors lie.

(Verse 2)
A clapstick he carved, with the Emu’s old song,
A coolamon starred, where wattle seeds throng.
Nungarrayi, so proud, scorned his herder’s disguise,
Yet her heart chased his gifts ‘neath the starlit skies.

(Chorus)
Oh, the goanna herder, with his gifts from the land,
Carved a clapstick and coolamon with a desertborn hand.
His heart true and bold, ‘neath the Tanami’s sky,
Wove the wealth of the camp where the Ancestors lie.

(Verse 3)
For a smile she danced, for his coolamon’s grace,
Met his eyes in the firelight, saw his true face.
Their steps joined as one, in the corroboree’s flame,
Shared the land’s sacred gifts, no pride left to claim.

(Chorus)
Oh, the goanna herder, with his gifts from the land,
Carved a clapstick and coolamon with a desertborn hand.
His heart true and bold, ‘neath the Tanami’s sky,
Wove the wealth of the camp where the Ancestors lie.

(Bridge)
The desert sang clear, where the starlight holds sway,
True worth is the giving that lights up the day.
Jupurrurla showed, with his goanna’s wise art,
Love for country and kin binds the desert’s true heart.

(Chorus)
Oh, the goanna herder, with his gifts from the land,
Carved a clapstick and coolamon with a desertborn hand.
His heart true and bold, ‘neath the Tanami’s sky,
Wove the wealth of the camp where the Ancestors lie.

(Outro)
Sing by the fire, where the desert stars gleam,
Of Jupurrurla’s gifts and the Dreamtime’s dream.
For a heart that shares freely, with the land as its guide,
Builds a kinship forever where the spirits reside.

Point Summary of The Swineherd (Hans Christian Andersen, 1841)

Setting: A kingdom where a poor prince rules a small principality.
Protagonist’s Goal: The prince, enamored with an emperor’s daughter, seeks her hand in marriage.
Gifts Offered: He sends her two magical gifts: a rose that blooms every five years with an enchanting scent and a nightingale with a divine song.
Princess’s Rejection: The haughty princess scorns the natural gifts, valuing artificial things over genuine beauty.
Disguise and Plan: The prince disguises himself as a swineherd and works at the emperor’s palace, creating marvelous mechanical toys (a pot that plays tunes and reveals what’s cooking, and a rattle that plays waltzes).
Princess’s Interest: The princess, captivated by the toys, agrees to kiss the swineherd to obtain them—ten kisses for the pot, a hundred for the rattle.
Humiliation: The emperor catches her kissing the swineherd and banishes both her and the prince from the palace.
Revelation and Rejection: The prince reveals his true identity but rejects the princess for her shallow values, choosing to return to his kingdom alone.
Moral: True worth lies in appreciating genuine beauty and character, not superficial desires or materialism.

Challenges in Adapting the Story to a Warlpiri Context:

1. European Royalty and Setting : The prince and palace are alien to Warlpiri’s egalitarian desert culture. Jupurrurla was reimagined as a castout hunter, and the palace became a camp, aligning with Warlpiri communal structures and the Tanami’s landscape.

2. Swineherd Role : Pigs are foreign to the desert. Goannas, culturally significant and native, replaced pigs, with Jupurrurla as a herder, reflecting Warlpiri connections to local fauna and resourcefulness.

3. Material Vanity : The princess’s obsession with trinkets clashes with Warlpiri values of shared resources. Nungarrayi’s desire for sacred gifts (clapstick, coolamon) was tied to cultural significance, and the moral emphasized generosity over pride, aligning with Warlpiri ethics.

4. Punitive Tone : The original’s rejection of the princess feels harsh in Warlpiri storytelling, which favors restoration. Nungarrayi’s humbling and union with Jupurrurla focused on communal harmony, reflecting Warlpiri values of forgiveness and kinship.