Bundjalung people
Encyclopedia
The Bundjalung people (aka Bunjalung, Badjalang & Bandjalang) are those Australian Aborigines
who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of New South Wales
(Australia
), 554 km northeast of Sydney: an area that includes the Bundjalung National Park
and Mount Warning
(known to the Bundjalung people as Wollumbin ("rainmaker").)
Bundjalung people all share in common descent from ancestors who once spoke as their first, preferred language, one or more of the dialects of the Bandjalang language
.
Wollumbin itself is the site at which one of the chief warriors lies, and it is said his face can still be seen in the mountain's rocks when viewed from the north.
Much of the Bundjalung peoples culture and heritage continues to be celebrated.
And people, these days, now gather annually in the Bundjalung national park as a community to celebrate as a Bundjalung People's Gathering.
On these occasions traditional garments are often worn by the Bundjalung peoples, who partake in custodial dances and other performances.
within Githabul country.
More recently, following successful native title determinations, a few descendants because of invested interests are formally questioning the extent to which the 'Bundjalung' are, or have ever been, a people or a nation
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), 554 km northeast of Sydney: an area that includes the Bundjalung National Park
Bundjalung National Park
Bundjalung National Park is on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, 554 km north-east of Sydney. It protects an area of coastal plain, heathland and solitary beaches between the towns of Iluka and Evans Head....
and Mount Warning
Mount Warning
Mount Warning is a mountain west-south-west of Murwillumbah, near the border with Queensland in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia...
(known to the Bundjalung people as Wollumbin ("rainmaker").)
Bundjalung people all share in common descent from ancestors who once spoke as their first, preferred language, one or more of the dialects of the Bandjalang language
Bandjalang language
Bundjalung is an Australian Indigenous language of New South Wales.Bundjalung consists of a number of dialects, including Yugumbir, Nganduwal, Minjangbal, Njangbal, Biriin, Baryulgil, Waalubal, Dinggabal, Wiyabal, Gidabal, Galibal, and Wudjeebal.-Vowels:...
.
Country
Norman Tindale 's (1974) Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal tribes identifies the identifying Baryulgal dialect (Badjalang) country as follows:
"From northern bank of Clarence RiverClarence River (New South Wales)The Clarence River is situated in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. The river originates on the watershed that marks the Queensland border. After flowing south and northeast for 394 km it then empties into the Pacific Ocean at Iluka/Yamba. On its journey it passes through the towns of...
to Richmond RiverRichmond RiverThe Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
; at BallinaBallina, New South WalesBallina is a town on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire Local Government Area. It had a population of 16,477 in the 2006 Census.-Location:...
; inland to TabulamTabulam, New South WalesTabulam is a rural village in the far north east of New South Wales, Australia, 800 kilometres from the state capital, Sydney. Tabulam is located on the Bruxner Highway between Tenterfield and Casino and on the Clarence River...
and Baryugil."
Religious Beliefs
People believe the spirits of wounded warriors are present within the mountains, their injuries having manifested themselves as scars on the mountainside, and thunder storms in the mountains recall the sounds of those warriors' battles.Wollumbin itself is the site at which one of the chief warriors lies, and it is said his face can still be seen in the mountain's rocks when viewed from the north.
Much of the Bundjalung peoples culture and heritage continues to be celebrated.
And people, these days, now gather annually in the Bundjalung national park as a community to celebrate as a Bundjalung People's Gathering.
"We want to celebrate our Aboriginal traditions and customs. We want to share them with other people an show them our beliefs and our culture is still alive today, it hasn't been lost" - Chris Phillips, event organizer"
On these occasions traditional garments are often worn by the Bundjalung peoples, who partake in custodial dances and other performances.
Nationhood or Linguists Description of a Dialect Chain?
In November 2007 the Federal Court made a positive determination regarding the existence of native titleNative title
Native title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...
within Githabul country.
More recently, following successful native title determinations, a few descendants because of invested interests are formally questioning the extent to which the 'Bundjalung' are, or have ever been, a people or a nation
See also
- Bandjalang languageBandjalang languageBundjalung is an Australian Indigenous language of New South Wales.Bundjalung consists of a number of dialects, including Yugumbir, Nganduwal, Minjangbal, Njangbal, Biriin, Baryulgil, Waalubal, Dinggabal, Wiyabal, Gidabal, Galibal, and Wudjeebal.-Vowels:...
- Bundjalung NationBundjalung Nation- Bundjalung language :Bundjalung belongs to the Pama–Nyungan family of Australian Aboriginal languages. ‘Bundjalung’ has been used as a general term for the whole language and also as a term to refer to certain individual dialects...
- Bundjalung Nation TimelineBundjalung Nation Timeline-Bundjalung:The Bundjalung people are a large Aboriginal nation, a federation of a number of groups of clans which occupy the land from Grafton on the Clarence river of northern New South Wales north to the town of Ipswich and the Beaudesert, in southern Queensland, and down around the other side...
- DirawongDirawongIn the mythology of Bundjalung Nation , the Dirawong is the Creator Being that taught the people the Aboriginal astronomy, body designs, bullroarers, bush cosmetics, bush foods, bush medicines, cave paintings and designs cut into trees, ceremonial headgear, ceremonial poles, cultural...
External links
- Badjalang portion of Norman Tinadle's Aboriginal Tribes of Australia map Accessed 21 May 2008
- Bundjalung portion of Aboriginal Studies Press' Aboriginal Australia Wall Map Accessed 21 May 2008
- ABC Radio's Spirit of Things (October 2002) Australia's Sacred Sites Part 5 - Byron BayAccessed 21 May 2008
- ABC Radio (December 2004) A Walk in the Park Series: New South Wales - Arakwal National ParkAccessed 21 May 2008
- AusAnthrop Australian Aboriginal tribal database entry for Badjalang Accessed 20 May 2008
- Bunjalung of Byron Bay (Arakwal) Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA)Accessed 21 May 2008
- New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change Aboriginal cultural heritage webpage Living on the frontier Accessed 21 May 2008
- New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change November 2007 Media Release Wollumbin Aboriginal Consultative Group Accessed 21 May 2008