Kooma

Last updated

The Kooma are a contemporary aggregation of Indigenous Australian peoples descending from tribes living in the border region of Queensland and New South Wales. They are descendants of the Koamu.

Contents

Country

Contemporary Kooma people state their forebears lived upstream from, and to the east of, the Kunja, along parts of Nebine Creek and the Culgoa River. [1] They call this area yumba, literally "camp" [2] but now bearing the broader sense of "home", [3] and the Murra murra station is of particular importance to them. Other tribes in this area, which more broadly encompasses the area beyond the middle reaches of the Nebine to take in the Warrego, Paroo, Bulloo and Wilson rivers, were the Bitjara, Kalili, Wangkumara Kunggari and Muruwari. [2]

A special remote sitting of the Federal Court of Australia on Kooma country, at the Shire Hall in Bollon, south-west Queensland, marked the successful resolution of the Kooma people's claim for native title with a consent determination hearing.

The Kooma People's determination spans an area approximately 2,950 square kilometres in the south-west region of Queensland, and falls within the Maranoa, Balonne, Murweh and Paroo local government regions. This country includes the Bendee Downs and Murra Murra pastoral properties; and also includes other areas around Bollon. Bordering the town to of Wyandra at the north-west, spanning south to the Culgoa River, and east-west from Wideegoara Creek to Belingra. The area is of strong cultural, spiritual and historical significance for the Kooma People, and has been the focus of the Kooma People’s struggle for native title recognition. [4]

People

According to one Kooma tradition, there was one group among them, taller and of lighter skin, who appeared to have an Asiatic appearance. [1] According to folk traditions, in the 1880s a German scientist was fascinated by a group of Kooma who were hairless, and wished to collect from them skin samples for examination. The clan refused, and yet a Kooma corpse was later reported to have been shipped back to Berlin. [5]

Mythology

The dreamtime in Kooma lore was called Matya Mundu. One tale relates how the rainbow serpent as it slithered along the Warrego River, dug out waterholes and populated them with yellow-belly, catfish, and cod. [5]

Notes

    Citations

    1. 1 2 Wharton 2011, p. 129.
    2. 1 2 Memmott 2007, p. 250.
    3. ↑ Horwitz 2010, p. 42.
    4. ↑ "Native Title Determination Details".
    5. 1 2 Horwitz 2010, p. 44.

    Sources

    Related Research Articles

    Culgoa Floodplain National Park Protected area in Queensland, Australia

    The Culgoa Floodplain National Park is a protected national park that is located in the South West region of Queensland in eastern Australia. The 42,859-hectare (105,910-acre) national park is situated at the western extent of Hebel in the Shire of Balonne and in the east of Jobs Gate in the Paroo Shire, approximately 630 kilometres (390 mi) west of Brisbane. The park occupies the former pastoral and grazing property of Byra Station. The park's southern boundary is defined by part of the state border between Queensland and New South Wales.

    Cunnamulla Town in Queensland, Australia

    Cunnamulla is a town and a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is 206 kilometres (128 mi) south of Charleville, and approximately 750 kilometres (470 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the 2016 census, Cunnamulla had a population of 1,140 people.

    Warrego River River in Australia

    The Warrego River is an intermittent river that is part of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, which is located in South West Queensland and in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Warrego River is the northernmost tributary of the Darling River.

    Gubbi Gubbi people Aboriginal Australian people of south-east Queensland

    The Kabi Kabi people, otherwise known as Gubbi Gubbi are an Aboriginal Australian people native to south-eastern Queensland. They are now classified as one of several Murri language groups in Queensland.

    Wyandra, Queensland Town in Queensland, Australia

    Wyandra is a town and a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Wyandra had a population of 99 people.

    Bollon, Queensland Town in Queensland, Australia

    Bollon is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Bollon had a population of 221 people.

    Mulga Lands

    The Mulga Lands are an interim Australian bioregion of eastern Australia consisting of dry sandy plains with low mulga woodlands and shrublands that are dominated by Acacia aneura (mulga). The Eastern Australia mulga shrublands ecoregion is coterminous with the Mulga Lands bioregion.

    South West Queensland Region in Queensland, Australia

    South West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers 319,808 km2 (123,479 sq mi). The region lies to the south of Central West Queensland and west of the Darling Downs and includes the Maranoa district and parts of the Channel Country. The area is noted for its cattle grazing, cotton farming, opal mining and oil and gas deposits.

    The Badjiri people, also written Budjari or Badyidi, are an Australian Aboriginal people of just north of the Paroo River, close to the southern border of Queensland.

    The Waanyi people, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji, or Waanji, are an Aboriginal Australian people from south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

    Nebine, Queensland Suburb of Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia

    Nebine is a rural locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Nebine had a population of 19 people.

    The Gunggari, or Kunggari, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southern Queensland. They are to be distinguished from the Kuungkari.

    The Koamu (Guwamu) were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland.

    The Bidjara or Pitjara are an Aboriginal Australian people of eastern Queensland. They are to be distinguished from the Bidjara of southwestern Queensland and the Badjiri of southern Queensland.

    The Paaruntyi are an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales. They are not to be confused with the Parrintyi.

    The Nocoleche Nature Reserve is an important conservation area in New South Wales located 20 kilometers south of the town of Wanaaring, New South Wales on the Paroo River.

    Cuttaburra, Queensland Suburb of Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia

    Cuttaburra is a rural locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Cuttaburra had a population of 10 people.

    Tuen, Queensland Suburb of Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia

    Tuen is a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Tuen had a population of 12 people.

    Jobs Gate is a rural locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the 2016 census, Jobs Gate had a population of 6 people.

    Widgeegoara is a rural locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Widgeegoara had a population of 34 people.

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.