Gumbaynggirr

Last updated

The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of the Gumbaynggirr nation stretch from Tabbimoble Yamba-Clarence River to Ngambaa-Stuarts Point, SWR- Macleay to Guyra and to Oban.

Contents

History

J W. Lindt (c.1873-1874) Portrait of an Aboriginal man J W. Lindt - Portrait of an Aboriginal man - Google Art Project.jpg
J W. Lindt (c.1873-1874) Portrait of an Aboriginal man

Clement Hodgkinson was the first European to make contact with the local Aboriginal community when he explored the upper reaches of the Nambucca and Bellinger Rivers in March 1841. Three decades later, loggers began to work their way up through the Orara River cedar stands in the 1870s. Over c.1873-1874, J.W. Lindt produced photographs of local indigenous people both in their environment and conducting actual traditional ceremonies in the Clarence River district, [1] [2] and made portraits in his studio. [3] Contemporary commentary records them as "the first successful attempt at representing the native blacks truthfully as well as artistically." [4] The Sydney Morning Herald, of 24 November 1874 expanded on what made the photographs attractive to Europeans:

There is no settled portion of our colony which affords a better field for the study of aboriginal bush life than that presented by our northern rivers, for there – although decreasing yearly in numbers as their territories become more settled upon by white population – the local original inhabitants preserve their customs and traditions, adhering more closely to true aboriginal life than tribes in other districts of New South Wales, and Mr Lindt can be complimented upon the artistic use he has made of the rugged subjects he has had at his disposal. [5]

The report clearly sets out a cynical nostalgia for the traditional ways of these people made sentimental by noting their 'decreasing numbers', expressing a common attitude amongst the colonists that the Indigenous populations were doomed. [6] However, the individuals in Lindt's group portraits and their clans and languages (Gumbaynggirr and Bandjalung), [6] are not named, the 'scenery' is generic, and the accessories not those of the people depicted. [7] [8]

In clearing the land, the loggers opened up the prospect of selectors to squat on the tribal territories in the early 1880s. [9] [10] Soon after, in that same decade, a shepherd was murdered in the area and a hunting party was dispatched to exact revenge, resulting in the Red Rock Massacre. [11] The slaughter started at Blackadder Creek where the Gumbaynggirr were camping. Mounted troopers entered the camp and began shooting. Those who fled were tracked down to the Corindi Creek where more were shot. Those who survived were driven to the headland and herded off the rocks into the sea. The hunters kept shooting at the swimmers, but some hid in a cave and made their way to Corindi Lake further south. [12] [13] One of the survivors was the present day elder Tony Perkins' grandmother, who crouched down in a thicket of bulrushes with a child in her arms. [12]

After a court battle lasting two decades, the Gumbaynggirr claim to much of the reserve around the site in 2014 was confirmed by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court. [14]

Many Aboriginal reserves and missions were established in NSW by the Aboriginal Protection Board. This resulted in relocation of Aboriginal people from their ancestral homes, only to be returned later after years of trauma (the Stolen Generations)[ citation needed ]

The Gumbaynggirr have the largest midden-shell deposit in the Southern Hemisphere.[ citation needed ]

Country

The Gumbaynggirr lands extend over an estimated 2,300 square miles (6,000 km2), [15] covering an area of the Mid North Coast from the Nambucca River to as far north as the Clarence River (Grafton), and eastward to the Pacific coast. Norman Tindale specified its limits as bounded by the lower course of Nymboida River, stating that the territory ran toward Urunga, Coffs Harbour, and Bellingen. It included South Grafton and Glenreagh. It took in the coastal strip south from near One Tree Point, Woolgoolga and Nambucca Heads. [15] The thin coastal zone from Coffs Harbour to Evans Head was Yaygir territory. [16]

To their north were the twenty groups speaking various dialects of the Bandjalang. The Jukambal were to their west and the Nganyaywana/Anēwan in the environs of (Armidale). Their southern boundaries met with those of the Djangadi and Ngamba. [16]

Language

Gumbaynggiric languages in green Gumbaynggiric languages.png
Gumbaynggiric languages in green

Gumbaynggir is classified as one of the two Gumbaynggiric languages of the Pama–Nyungan family. In 1986, the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative was established by Gumbaynggirr elders to revive their language and hand it on. [17] Language classes began in 1997, and by 2010, some several hundred people had some partial grasp of the language. [18]

Culture

Muurrbay in Gumbaynggir means the white fig tree and plays an important part in the Gumbaynggir Yuludarla (Gumbaynggir Dreamings). [19]

The Gumbaynggirr made sweets (bush lollies, called jaaning) [lower-alpha 1] by rolling tender shoots from the Acacia irrorata in the sap oozing from the tree. [20]

Some words

Alternative names

Possible clans or sub-tribes

Notable people

Notes

  1. the word is said by Gumbaynggir restaurateur Clayton Donovan to be pronounced jasrnee

Citations

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonnarua</span> An Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales

The Wonnarua people, otherwise written Wanarruwa, are a group of Aboriginal Australian people united by strong ties of kinship, and who survived in family groups or clans scattered along the inland area of what is now known as the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Their creation spirit is Baiami, also known as Koin, the creator of all things and the Keeper of the Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowraville, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Bowraville is a small town in the Mid North Coast hinterland of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. The town is known for tourism with attractions such as a folk museum, a war museum, a historic theatre, and other historic buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid North Coast</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far north as Woolgoolga, near Coffs Harbour. The region has many beaches and subtropical national parks and forests as well as rural farmland and logging. Major coastal towns include Coffs Harbour, Forster and Port Macquarie. The Mid North Coast is a popular destination for camping or resorts and surfing, with coastal and hinterland tracks, with the unique heritage-listed mountain village of Bellbrook popular for day trips inland or 4wd campers and keen bass fishers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamba, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Yamba is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia located at the mouth of the Clarence River.

Darkinjung is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Darkinjung people. While no audio recordings of the language survive, several researchers have compiled wordlists and grammatical descriptions. It has been classified as a language no longer fully spoken and it can be classified as needing a language renewal program. It was spoken adjacent to Dharuk, Wiradhuri, Gamilaraay, and Awabakal. The Darkinjung tribe occupied a small part of southeastern Australia inside what is now the New South Wales area. They likely inhabited a considerable tract of land within Hunter, Northumberland, and Cook counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urunga, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Urunga is a small town located within the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in Bellingen Shire. It is famous for its surf spots. At the 2021 census, Urunga had a population of 3,185. The town is south of Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and north of Nambucca Heads. The place name is derived from the Gumbaynggir word Yurūnga, which is derived from the word for long yurūn in reference to "long white sands".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nambucca Heads</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. It is located on a ridge, north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway. Its population at the 2021 census was 6,668, including 5,220 (78.3%) Australian–born persons; followed by 262 (3.9%) English people, 86 (1.3%) New Zealand people, 36 (0.5%) Scottish people, 33 (0.5%) German people, and 32 (0.5%) Filipino people. and 672 (10.1%) indigenous persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFL North Coast</span>

The AFL North Coast is a park Australian rules football competition in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. Founded in 1982 as The North Coast Australian Football League it merged with the junior league in its area in 2008 and was renamed AFL North Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolgoolga, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 365 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is Coffs Harbour, which lies 24.8 km to the south. Woolgoolga has two beaches on the Pacific Ocean. The area has long been a centre of banana growing in New South Wales, but this industry has declined in the face of competition from Queensland. Recent times have seen many banana plantations replaced by blueberries after banana sales slumped in the late 1990s.

The Gidabal, also known as Kitabal and Githabul, are an indigenous Australian tribe of southern Queensland, who inhabited an area in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, now within the Southern Downs, Tenterfield and Kyogle Local Government regions.

Corindi Beach, pronounced Cor-in-"dye" although Cor-in-"dee" is widely used recently, historically also known as Pipeclay Beach until a name change in 1954, Corinda until a forced change to be provided postal service to avoid confusion or by Red Bank as Corindi River was formerly known, is a beach and small seaside farming town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The village is situated 33 kilometres (21 mi) north of Coffs Harbour and 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Grafton. The original village of Corindi is slightly north along the Pacific Highway at Post Office Lane and Casson Close. Corindi means "grey" in local indigenous language referring to the pipeclay on the beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gumbaynggirr language</span> Australian Aboriginal language

Gumbaynggir is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Gumbaynggirr people, who are native to the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Coast Computer Project</span>

The North Coast Computer Project (NCCP) is an Australian independent not-for-profit social enterprise established in 2003.NCCP focuses on helping aboriginal communities and other organisations and communities access the same level of technology taken for granted by many.

The Anēwan, also written Anaiwan and Anaywan, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional territory spans the Northern Tablelands in New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djangadi</span> Aboriginal Australian people from Macleay Valley, New South Wales

The Djangadi people, also spelt Dhungatti, Dainggati, Tunggutti or Dunghutti are an Aboriginal Australian people resident in the Macleay Valley of northern New South Wales.

The Yaygir, Yuraygir, or Yaegl, are an Australian Aboriginal tribe who traditionally live and lived in and around Yamba and Maclean, New South Wales.

The Ngintait, or Ngindadj, are an Australian Aboriginal peoples of the northwest corner of the state of Victoria, and partly in South Australia. 9 people, all of one family, claim descent from the tribe, which was dispersed in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John William Lindt</span> German-Australian photographer

John William Lindt (1845–1926), was a German-born Australian landscape and ethnographic photographer, early photojournalist, and portraitist.

Giinagay Way is a road in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales linking the towns of Warrell Creek, Macksville, Nambucca Heads and Urunga to Pacific Highway. It runs along a former section of the highway between Eungai Creek and Raleigh that was bypassed by a new parallel alignment between 2016 and 2018.

Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative is a language revitalisation centre for Aboriginal Australian languages of a region in New South Wales, situated in Nambucca Heads.