| Sue: |
Tell me about this mirrigan of yours? |
| Rob: |
What’s that? |
| Sue: |
Man’s best friend, your dog. |
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It’s a Wiradjuri word. |
| Rob: |
Oh! |
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Have you seen him? |
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Nah, didn’t think so. |
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His name’s Nig. He’s the bestest dog. His coat is black and shiny as. |
| Sue: |
I figured he wasn’t white. |
| Rob: |
Did ya? |
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You must be psychic, Miss. |
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Anyway, he’s a PB. A pedigree bitsa. A bit of this and a bit of that. |
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I’m not being unfair or anything … but Nig’s the smartest dog I know. Me and Pen reckon he should be in the secret service or somethin’. |
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Pen and Shaz are the only people I trust to look after Nig. You know, if we dropped Nig off down where that new kid comes from, he’d find his way home again. Like, he’s that smart. |
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I know you won’t believe this but Shaz was cooking us dinner. It was a |
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stew and she left it on the stove. |
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Simmering … |
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While she went outside to take the clothes off the line, she sees our neighbour, Mad Molly, pickin’ up sticks in her backyard. Shaz doesn’t mind talkin’ so she goes over for a yack. |
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Now get this … Nig notices somethin’ not right with the stew and the stove. He barks but Shaz keeps yackin’. Shaz said she heard him but thought he was playing with somethin’, a stick or ball, ’cause that’s what he does sometimes. |
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Nig races across to Shaz and pulls her over to the house by her shirt. |
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Like, wow, what dog does that? |
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By the time Shaz is in the kitchen, the stew’s boiled over, flames fired up by the gas were flickerin’ and spittin’ like that half-lady, half-snakehead thing. |
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Nig saved the stew … he saved the pot. Maybe even the kitchen and when you think about it … I reckon Nig saved the house. |
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Nig’s a legend … |
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Yep. |
| Sue: |
So, tell me … |
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Who named him? |
| Rob: |
Nig? |
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I think I did … |
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Nah! |
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It was … |
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Dave. |
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Yep, it was Dave ’cause Shaz got me Nig for Christmas when I was still in primary school. Dave was away for ages, like two years, but he decided to come home for Christmas. |
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I don’t remember much, but … |
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He said we were too old for presents. |
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Just as well Shaz got us some, eh? |
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He said the pup’s name was Nigger. So, that’s what we had to call him. It got shortened to Nig. |
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Shaz hates the name but she doesn’t have a say, does she? Not when Dave’s around anyway. |
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But it’s a good name. |
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Don’t ya think? |
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Miss? |
| Sue: |
Shaz isn’t happy with the name. |
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Are you? |
| Rob: |
Well, yeah! Nig’s my dog, Miss. ’Course I’m happy with it. |
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Sounds like you’re not. |
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What’s the big deal, Miss? Rappers in America use the word nigger all the time. |
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What do they call it … |
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Re … |
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It’s um … |
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Reclaimed. |
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They use it in their own way so now the meaning of it’s all changed. It’s heaps positive. Like, it doesn’t sound so bad. |
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You even spell it different … |
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N |
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I |
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G |
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G |
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A |
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It’s not … der … og … at … ory anymore. |
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And don’t forget most of those rappers are black, Miss. |
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So, it’s okay. |
| Sue: |
Is that right? |
| Rob: |
Kin oath, Miss. |
| Sue: |
The word … |
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N |
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I |
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G |
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G |
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A |
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historically originated from the word … |
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N |
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I |
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G |
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G |
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E |
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R |
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Reclaimed or not, the word is connected to slavery. And slavery sucks. Black Americans were not the only black people enslaved in the world. Heaps of Blacks find the term offensive. |
| Rob: |
But Nig’s my dog. I can call him whatever I want. |
| Sue: |
But you didn’t, did ya? |
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Dave did. |
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He’s a special dog, you told me that. If he’s so smart and special, shouldn’t his name reflect that? |
| Rob: |
You’re giving me the shits, Miss. |
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He’s a black dog. |
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That’s why his name’s Nig. |
| Sue: |
I’m a black person, right? |
| Rob: |
Yeah. |
| Sue: |
Well, I wasn’t christened Gollywog, Suntan or Blackie? |
| Rob: |
You forgot Petrol Sniffer! |
| Sue: |
You cheeky little shit! |