Home » Poems » T Wignesan » Buddgelin Bey - Translation of Rex Marshall's Buddgelin Bey By T Wignesan

Buddgelin Bey - Translation of Rex Marshall's Buddgelin Bey By T Wignesan

Buddgelin Bey – Translation of Rex Marshall’s « Buddgelin Bey » by T. Wignesan (Rex Marshall, b. July 16, 1943 at Grafton, belongs to the aboriginal tribe, Thungutti/Gumbaingeri of the Baryulgil Reserve in New South Wales. He studied up to 6th grade in primary schools and then set himself the task of working for the betterment of aboriginals. The Hardy company’s asbestos mine, situated right in the centre of the reserve, accounted for the deaths (through asbestos poisoning ; l’amiante in French) of many miners and their family members. Asbestos tailings were used for covering roads. Rex Marshall and his fellow kinsmen then set up the Aboriginal Embassy in 1972 in order to draw international attention to « the racist oppression and covert genocide of Aboriginals. » He served on various aboriginal organizations for the uplift of his peoples, both on the regional and national levels. (Inside Black Australia, 1988). T. Wignesan, Paris, December 12, 2016 . Les nuages noirs s’amoncellent loin dans le ciel D’un moment à l’autre l’orage va s’éclater Et Maman le tient à l’œil sans cligner des yeux En tenant l’hache dans ses mains et en gardant les deux pieds bien firmes sur le sol Enfin elle se prépare pour se défendre Contre le vent déchainé et la pluie se tombant tout autour En accordance avec ses coutumes, elle devait couper les nuages orageux Pendant qu’elle agitait l’hache en chantant avec toute vigueur Un rite qu’elle avait hérité de sa tribu Cette coutume qu’elle pratiquait toute fière d’elle-même Elle acheva le rite en poussant le cri : « Buddgelin Bey ! » L’orage est bien sûr dissipé. © T. Wignesan – Paris, 2016

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