Definition of tjilpi in English:
tjilpi
nounPlural tjilpisˈtʃɪlpi
Australian (in Aboriginal English) an old man.
children listen as a tjilpi tells of the creatures he knew as a youth
Example sentencesExamples
- Tjilpi is ascribed to those whose seniority makes them worthy of respect.
- Are 'elders' restricted to the old men and women — the Tjilpi and the Urlkumanu — whose authority derives from esoteric knowledge and life experience?
- As the story went, the Tjilpis [Aboriginal male elders] refused to talk and gathered up the white 'Boss' men.
- She said tjilpi are often quite unaware of the nature of problems in the larger world.
- When I turned sixteen I worked on a station with tjilpis.
- We had a big ceremony with all the tjilpi [old men] in one place.
Origin
1970s: from Western Desert language.