“Bina Mil!” – Songs, games, and the sound of learning Gamilaraay

If you step into a Gamilaraay lesson run by teens for juniors, you’ll likely hear the room clap into rhythm: “Bina, mil, mara, dhina …”– ears, eyes, hands, feet. The song “Bina Mil” is more than catchy; it packs high‑frequency words into a playful loop kids can point, tap, and dance to. Wiidhaa includes the lyrics and encourages classes to winangala (listen) and bawila (sing)-an approach that lets younger students map sound to meaning with their whole bodies.

This “sound‑first” pathway accelerates learning. From the same early set, children meet gaba (good), gagil (no good), yawu (yes), gamil (no/not), and maliyaa (friend/mate). Set to call‑and‑response games-“Yaama, maliyaa! … ?Gaba? … Yawu!”-these become the social glue of a class. Wiidhaa also shows how yaama forms yes/no questions, so older buddies can model pairs like: “Yaama nhama wiyayl?” (Is that a pen?)-“Yawu, wiyayl nhama.” (Yes, that’s a pen.)

Youth leaders often layer in demonstratives-nhalay (this, here), nhama (that/the), nhamalay (that over there) because kids love pointing. “Nhalay mil.” (Here’s an eye.) “Nhama dhinawan.” (That’s an emu.) It’s easy, visual and authentic; and as Wiidhaa explains, Gamilaraay can place demonstratives second in the clause in neutral statements, then shift to first position when you want emphasis-patterns teens can dramatize in skits.

For families and after‑school clubs, Wiidhaa points to Gayarragi, Winangali, a rich digital resource with speech from traditional speakers, songs, and games. Playing a track, repeating a line, then using it in a real exchange-“Yaluu, baawaa!”-gives learners the feedback loop they need when no fluent elder is in the room.Most importantly, songs and games give young people permission to own the sound. When the circle sways and a shy Year 3 sings “Baraya, baraya, baraya …” (hop, hop, hop) with everyone else, the language is already doing its work-bringing kids together, teaching through joy.