4 minute read

indigenous culture

Image copyright Girringun Aboriginal Corporation 2020 ©

The Cassowary Coast and Hinchinbrook shires are home to several different Indigenous groups. The Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, based in Cardwell, represents the interests of Traditional Owners from nine tribal groups of the area: the Bandjin, Djiru, Girramay, Gugu Badhun, Gulngay, Jirrbal, Nywaigi, Warrgamay and Warungnu.

Traditional boundaries for the groups extend from Maria Creek north of Tully and south along the coastline as far as Rollingstone Creek. These lands encompass country to the west which surrounds Greenvale, and Northwest, following the Tully River to Ravenshoe. Hinchinbrook, Goold, Brooke, Family and Dunk Islands and surrounding waters are also included.

The Dyiru-speaking Aboriginal people who mainly inhabited this island coast were linguistically, culturally and socially related to the Dyirbal, Girramay and Gulngay groups of the Tully and Murray River districts. Hunters, fishers and gatherers of the rainforests and coast, they utilised the rich plant and animal resources to provide their needs. They excelled in making and using canoes and rafts and were expert fishermen of both fresh and marine waters.

Their contact with early navigators and coastal surveyors, as well as with beche-de-mer fishing boats, was established long before the first white people settled the beach areas in 1882. Timber-getters also camped on the beaches during their cutting expeditions and occasionally utilised Aboriginal labour in return for tobacco or tools. The first European explorer to visit the area, Captain James Cook, observed groups of Aboriginal people living together on the Family Islands but did not land or attempt to contact them. Seafarers who followed in his path included Phillip Parker King, in charge of Mermaid in 1821, and Francis Blackwood in command of HMS Fly in 1843. Both established peaceful contact with the Aboriginal people of the Cardwell area and offshore islands. Explorer Edmund Kennedy maintained friendly relations with the local Aboriginals. During the 1970s, several sugar cane farms in the Murray Upper area were purchased to allow Aboriginal families to return to the district. The Jumbun Aboriginal Community was established on a 244ha freehold property and in 2008 had around 130 people and 26 houses, a store, health centre, and community hall. The Wet Tropics rainforest takes on a new meaning when it is explored through the eyes of the Aboriginal people whose ancestors depended on it for survival. Indigenous-owned tours provide an opportunity to interact with the region’s traditional people, while the national parks are a rich source of information. Local Indigenous culture is revealed through interpretive signage on several walks. The Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway, a spectacular, elevated 350-metre walk through the canopy of World Heritage rainforest, offers sweeping views over a pristine rainforestclad mountainous landscape, homeland of the Mamu Aboriginal people. The Yalgay Ginja Bulumi walk at beautiful Murray Falls reveals the culture of the Girramay people as you explore the open forest and rainforest of Girramay National Park, north of Cardwell. Their ancestors gathered food and useful materials during the dry season, often moving to the cooler high country during the wet. Other walks reveal the special skills of the rainforest people, including their knowledge of how to treat toxic plants so they could use them as food. The black bean seeds, for example, are poisonous, but the Aboriginals would leach the toxins out in running water and pound the seeds into a flour to make damper. The rainforest provided many staple foods, while other trees were used to make spears (bush guava), shields (fig) and boomerangs (the buttress roots of a variety of trees). Clothes and blankets, when used, were made from beaten bark, and shelters were thatched with lawyer cane leaves.

Image copyright Girringun Aboriginal Corporation 2020 ©

Traditional stories abound along the Tropical Coast. Hear how the black water python Yunba healed the sick and wounded or how the fire spirit would throw Jiman (firesticks) across the sky to create a trail of fire. Some stories serve as a warning. The spirit of Oolana, a Yidinji woman, is said to cry out for her lost lover at Babinda Boulders, a popular swimming and picnic spot created by the tears of the grief-stricken woman as she flung herself into the water. The legend warns travellers not to get too close to the mesmerising waters of Devil’s Pool in case they, too, follow her fate.

Image copyright Girringun Aboriginal Corporation 2020 ©

At Cardwell is the unique Bagu with Jiman artwork inspired by traditional fire-making implements of the Girringun rainforest people. The cultural journey includes dreamtime stories and an insight into the Aboriginal uses for flora and fauna. Cassowary Coast Regional Council hosted ‘Gumbugan’, the region’s first Indigenous arts forum, in Innisfail in 2019. It provided Indigenous artists with face-to-face opportunities with key industry arts workers and numerous workshop activities. Gumbugan is the local Mamu language word for cassowary, which is significant to all Indigenous groups throughout the Cassowary Coast, as well as for tourism and conservation.

This article is from: