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CSIS East Arnhem Scripture in Use.

by Margaret Miller & Wäŋgarr Dhamarraṉdji

Praise the LORD! Wäŋgarr's new computer has arrived, and it was just in time for the many activities to prepare for Christmas and the New Year. Here are some snapshots of what has been going on at the Translation Centre in Galiwin'ku, Elcho Island.

A Flying Visit...
We attended the CSIS Reference Committee meeting on 16th November 2010 at Nungalinya College, Darwin, to find we were sitting beside Darcie Drymon (Vernacular Media Services).  Darcie was attending the day's meeting as companion to the AuSIL representatives. Our  embryonic multimedia activities jelled with  Darcie who could see immediately a lot of potential with Movie Maker, PowerPoint and other media programs. We invited Darcie over to Elcho for a week. Darcie came loaded up with a
collection of software ideas as well, that both she and Stuart Cameron (AuSIL) had beavered away researching and preparing for us in response to an e a r l ier request from Djambarrpuyŋu translators. This included programs for Scripture text on mobile phone,  CD-ROM format and other programs that can assist sharing the Djambarrpuyŋu Scriptures text electronically and via Internet.

In those 5 days Darcie took us through so many programs. Together we even produced a little 3 minute movie of the story of "Jesus calming the storm" from Luke 8 in Djambarrpuyŋu! On the last day of Darcie's visit, all the Djambarrpuyŋu translators met around Wäŋgarr's new computer to be awed, and suitably delighted with just how much had been covered in the week. Wäŋgarr  was able to display to the others the various products along with her newly-acquired skills.  She described to the group how she put  together a short movie for phones, then uploaded it to YouTube. Then she showed how to prepare DVDs, bluetooth movies to phones,  or broadcast across the internet. Maratja soon put all this new knowledge together by getting the 2 minute clipped sample  of our Djambarrpuyŋu Christmas video/DVD onto his facebook page and a 'Holy Bible' program with an interactive Djambarrpuyŋu NT text on his work computer! Well we were flying! ...um ...er ...should I say rather we were 'surfing' ?...well the sky has no limit.

Challenging questions were then asked; "In view   of all that has been on display today, what communicates best for Yolŋu?" "What should our priorities be for Scripture-in-Use work as we prepare for 2011?" "Where do we start with all of these new  possibilities?" There was so much to think about. Surrounded by all these new and dazzling ideas, it was agreed together that one of the most effective communication tools that exists is when we relate person to person – and that means storytelling the Scriptures should