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Dirawong

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In the mythology of Bundjalung Nation (represented by 15 Australian Aboriginal tribes or groups), the Dirawong (a goanna) is the Creator Being that taught the people the bush foods, bush medicines, bush cosmetics, bullroarers, body designs, cave paintings and designs cut into trees, ceremonial poles, ceremonial head gear, dances, dreamings, games, geographical locations, initiations, paintings, rock engravings, sacred chants, sacred earth mounds, sacred ground paintings, songlines, symbols, songs, stone objects, stories, technologies, values, wooden articles, wooden sacred objects, structures of society, rules for social behaviour, the ceremonies performed in order to ensure continuity of life and land, laws of community, cultural lore and how people are required to behave in their communities. It is known as a benevolent protector of its people (the Bundjalung Nation) from the Rainbow Snake (also known as the 'Snake' or 'Rainbow Serpent').[1]

Goanna Headland, at Evans Head (one of the most easterly points on mainland Australia, and the town where Her Australian Majesty Queen Elizabeth II flew into during her Royal visit to Australia in 1954) in New South Wales, is believed to be the body of the mythical Dirawong.

Goanna Headland has been the mythological place of origin of the Bundjalung Nation for thousands of years. The Australian Aboriginal tribal groups of the Bundjalung Nation call it "The Dirawong" (goanna). It is the spiritual centre of their culture. Within its landscape are many sacred, secret, and ceremonial sites. In the 1840s Goanna Headland was the site of a massacre of Bundjalung people by Europeans.[2]

The Dirawong (goanna) is associated with rain and there is a rain cave on Goanna Headland where the Elders of the Bundjalung Nation people went in the old days to conduct ceremonies for rain.

The Dirawong continues to be a influential place binding the Bundjalung people to their living culture. In 1985 a 16 hectare section of the southern part of Goanna Headland became the first aboriginal land grant in New South Wales. This grant was made to the Bogal, Jali and Ngulingah Land Councils. The major part of Goanna Headland is now a reserve which is managed for the wider community by the Dirawong Trust. The objectives are to conserve aboriginal culture and heritage, preserve the native flora and fauna and provide recreational activities to the public.

Introduction

Firstly, nearly all of the information known about the Deity called the 'Dirawong' and the associated 'Dirawong Religion', comes from either the Bundjalung Nation 'Nyangbal' (also known as hordes at Evans Head) tribal sub group which is presently located at the Aboriginal community on Cabbage Tree Island, due to the ' Evans Head massacre'[3], or it comes from their spiritual enemy the fourteen Rainbow Snake worshipping tribal groups of the Bundjalung Nation; therefore it is necessary to be aware of the possibility of bias in the historical record.

Secondly, the Bundjalung Nation tribal groups have never used a written language. To communicate, they talked, but they never wrote letters or books. This meant there was no common written language or alphabet for all tribes like there is for the English, Greeks, or Italians.

All the world's peoples have a concept of how the world was formed. The Bundjalung Nation tribal groups believe that, in the beginning, the earth was featureless, flat and grey. There were no mountain ranges, no rivers, no billabongs, no birds or animals - in fact not one living thing. Then long, long ago came the Dreamtime.

The Dreamtime (Dreaming or Altjeringa is a sacred 'once upon a time' time out of time in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed 'The Creation') was a time when giant creatures rose up out of the grey plains where they had been slumbering for countless ages. These mythical Beings looked like animals or plants or insects, but they behaved just like humans. They wandered across the vast grey wastes, performing ceremonies, digging for water, and searching for food and as they searched, because of their giant size, they made huge ravines and rivers in the land. The greatest of all these beings from the Dreamtime took the form of the Rainbow Snake. The movement of his huge multicolored body across the land formed the mountains and the rivers that flow to the ocean. By lifting his tail he makes rainbows. The Bundjalung people tell us that Rainbow Snake and Dirawong worked together to create the Richmond River area. Thus the world took on the shape it has today.

Bundjalung Nation tribal groups believe that in the Dreamtime the traditional Aboriginal way of life was established by these mythical Beings and that this way of life is still followed in traditional Aboriginal society today. They believe that their ancestors were taught about their tribal lands by the mythical Beings, and were told how they, as descendants of these Beings, should behave. This was their Dreamtime and this teaching is as important to them as the "Ten commandments" were to the ancient Hebrews. The Dreamtime ended, no one knows how or why, and the Aboriginal ancestor spirits changed into the landscape, they turn into a rock or mountain range, an isolated hill, island, river or even trees arose to mark the place, and time and life, as we know it, began. For Aboriginal people the land has a very special meaning for all over the land there are features which are reminders of those giant Beings of the Dreamtime. When they see a mountain or river, a rock or a tree, they think of the mythical Beings that had a part in their own creation.

The Bundjalung Nation tribal groups believe that they are directly descended from these mythical Beings. When the Dreamtime ended, the people were left with a social and cultural heritage which came from their ancestors. All the rites and ceremonies are, and always were, aimed at preserving this heritage. Their ancestors from the Dreamtime also gave them possession of tribal lands, and hence tribal land, and all forms of life contained within it, are regarded as a sacred trust.

The bonds with the mythical Beings of the Dreamtime are such that Bundjalung Nation tribal groups believe in a united world of body and spirit for every form of life in the land, both living and non-living. This then means that the rocks, rivers and waterholes are more than just a reminder or a symbol of the Dreamtime they represent reality and eternal truth. The legends in this article are some of the stories about the ancestors from the Dreamtime. The legends portray all sorts of human behaviour, including the less endearing ones such as vanity, lying, cruelty, trickery and cheating. There is a moral in these myths. As you listen to the antics of 'The Three Brothers', or of 'The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime', you are warned by the characters' downfall of what might happen to you should you fall into the same temptation.

To non-Aboriginal people, Aboriginal mythology can be confusing because the characters are non-human Beings, but behave like humans. Many of the myths seem only to be concerned with a particular animal or bird. However in symbolic meaning of great importance. For instance, the Sun is a woman, she creates life and she is often symbolized by water, fire, earth and red ochre, the Moon is male and controls the tides and seasonal cycles - he is often symbolized by snake, dog, frog and also water.

Some people may find these legends hard to believe, but because they do not seem real to one person, this does not mean that they are not real to another. Indeed, Aboriginals may find it as difficult to believe the Bible story of Moses parting the waters of the Red Sea as Europeans may find it difficult to believe that the Rainbow snake and Dirawong created parts of the Richmond River, Goanna Headland, Snake Island and Pelican Island . To those who really want to believe, both these events really did take place. Aboriginals believe that each tribe is descended from the Beings of the Dreamtime. Today, every Aboriginal has a special symbol - they are called totems - which represents this spiritual attachment or special link to a particular ancestral Being, such as an animal, fish, bird or plant. Traditionally, Aboriginal people care for their totem as they would a brother or sister or friend. Dirawong's tribe is the 'Nyangbal' (also known as hordes at Evans Head) tribe from the Far North Coast of New South Wales and Dirawong's totem symbol is the 'Goanna'(also known as hordes at Evans Head).

Goanna had a prominent place in the culture of Indigenous Australian Bundjalung Nation tribal groups. This included totemic relationships, anthropomorphic representations in Dreamtime stories, and as a food source. Representations of goannas are common in Indigenous artwork, not just as food, but also as a symbolic spiritual motif. Goannas and the mighty Perentie are often considered two different animals when used in Aboriginal works, as illustrated by the story "How the Goanna and Perentie got their colours".

'Nyangbal' (also known as hordes at Evans Head) tribes people believe that they are direct descendants in spirit of “mythical supernatural being architects”, the Rainbow Snake and Dirawong who created the land and the two totems; the Snake & the Goanna and the land in which Bundjalung Nation tribal groups live. This belief is very important to Nyangbal people, and the goanna of today constantly reminds Nyangbal people of that spiritual ancestor. These symbols are also important because they help to show man's unity with nature. They feel special affinity with their related totem animal species.

It is believed that sacred ceremonies have to be re-enacted on a regular basis to maintain the animal species and ensure survival of the humans. Each Bundjalung Nation tribal groups families owns a special area of land and must protect sacred sites representing their personal totems Dreamtime spirits. Bundjalung Nation people travel long distances from all directions to participate in the initiation ceremonies and to educate the young. The journey could last days or several months and women hunt and collect food during the voyage. All animals, birds, insects, reptiles, plants and other life forms, including man, are part of nature, it is only outward forms that are different.[4]

In summary, the legendary tales of the Bundjalung Nation tribal groups have come down to us from a series of European people. The Aboriginal story-teller would have added facial and bodily gestures and voice inflection to a narrative that was sparing in words. In the re-telling by European people, additional words and phrases have been necessary, while occasional interpolations and omissions have produced different versions. In each case the version used in this article is the one that makes the best story while being consistent with what is known of the beliefs and customs of the Bundjalung Nation tribal groups.[5]

Historic background

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 of the Great Dividing Range and back to Grafton.

In pre-colonial times, Bundjalung Nation encompassed some of the richest hunting and fishing grounds anywhere on the Australian continent. According to the oral traditions of the Bundjalung People, these areas were first settled by the Three Brothers and their descendants.

The names of the 15 tribal groups comprising the Bundjalung Nation are Aragwal, Banbai, Birbai, Galiabal, Gidabal, Gumbainggeri, Jigara, Jugambal, Jugumbir, Jungai, Minjungbal, Ngacu, Ngamba, Thungutti and Widjabal. [6]

The 2007 Githabul Federal Native Title Determination which cut the Bundjalung Nation apart can be viewed here. http://www.nntt.gov.au/Publications-And-Research/Publications/Documents/Multimedia%20and%20determination%20brochures/Determination%20brochure%20Githabul%20people%20November%202007.pdf

To the best of knowledge the Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal people from the East Coast of Australia, the Far North Coast of New South Wales and South East Queensland area, are the only ones whose dream time stories talk about arriving in Australia from elsewhere. They came from the land "at the centre of the world" when a massive catastrophe destroyed it.

Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal people have lived on and visited Goanna Headland for at least 22,000 years. The Aboriginal tribes were not united anytime before the 18th century, with more than 20 main groups, known collectively as the 'Bundjalung Nation'. Certain deities and religious practices were specific to certain localities.

Goanna Headland is also significant as the site where the ancestors of the Bundjalung people arrived by sea and populated the surrounding country. This event is related through the legend of "The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation) ".

Europeans

European Discovery

On 15 May 1770, the coast in the vicinity of Evans Head was first mapped and described by Lieutenant James Cook (also known as Captain Cook FRS RN) on the HMS Endeavour (also known as His Majesty's Bark the Endeavour or HMS Bark Endeavour, a Royal Navy of the United Kingdom research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771). Cook spent only one day in the area and did not land on the mainland but the next day on 16 May, Cook named Cape Byron and Mount Warning (or Wollumbin), after seeing the mountain from the sea while sailing past.

Lieutenant James Cook failed to notice the entrance to the Richmond River on 15 May 1770, but noted the presence of about 20 Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal people on what is now Seven Mile Beach, just to the south of Broken Head. Sir Joseph Banks also noted these people and remarked that they completely ignored the presence of the HMS Endeavour. This would seem to indicate that the HMS Endeavour was not the first ship that they had seen (Richmond River Historical Society {RRHS}, 1997).

On August 20, 1828 Captain Henry John Rous on the frigate HMS Rainbow dropped anchor at Byron Bay. His mission was to discover a navigable river and safe anchorage site. On August 26, 1828 Captain Henry John Rous on the frigate HMS Rainbow discovers the entrance to the Richmond River (the longest navigable river on the coast of NSW) and explores 32 kilometers up the river with two lieutenants in a Pinnace, as far as Tuckean Swamp. Captain Henry John Rous subsequently named the river Richmond after his brother's best friend, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond KG, PC (3 August 1791 – 21 October 1860).[7]

European Settlement

The beginning of white settlement into the Richmond River area was the result of early explorations into the region by red cedar cutters who arrived in approximately 1842, after hearing stories from 'stray natives' of the great Wudgie-Wudgie (Red Cedar) in the Richmond river area to the north of the Clarence river.[2]

Red cedar getters, as obsessed by ‘red gold’ as those who later suffered ‘gold fever’, brooked no interference in their quest for the magnificent old trees.[8]

In order to legally cut red cedar, cutters were required to obtain a cedar cutter's license from Grafton (& later Casino), issued by Commissioner Oliver Fry for the North Creek and Emigrant Creek scrubs in 1851, for 6 pounds.[9] The license did not provide ownership to land, but did allow the cedar-getter to build a hut & cut cedar on unsettled land. Word rapidly spread about the wonderful red cedar timber which made small fortunes for the men of the Richmond River.[10]

Timeline

Date Events
20,000 B.C Aboriginal ancestors of the Bundjalung Nation people arrived by sea at Evans Head and populated the surrounding country. Details
15 May 1770 A.D
A three-masted wooden sailing ship crossing a calm bay, beneath a cloudy sky.
HMS Endeavour replica crossing the Endeavour River at Cooktown, near where its namesake was beached for seven weeks in 1770

The coast in the vicinity of Evans Head was first mapped and described by Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN of the United Kingdom on the HMS Endeavour

Details
15 May 1770 A.D
Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN (1775).

Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN noted the presence of about 20 Bundjalung Nation Arakwal Aboriginal people on what is now known as 'Seven Mile Beach', north of Lennox Head and just to the south of Broken Head).

Details
15 May 1770 A.D
Caricature of 'Sir Joseph Banks' wearing the Order of the Bath as a result of his expedition to the South Seas.

Sir Joseph Banks also noted the same 20 Bundjalung Nation Arakwal Aboriginal people as Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN, and he noted that:

'... not one was once observed to stop and look toward the ship; they pursued their way in all appearance entirely unmoved by the neighbourhood of so remarkable an object as a ship must necessarily be to people who have never seen one.'[11]

This would seem to indicate that the HMS Endeavour was not the first ship that they had seen (Richmond River Historical Society {RRHS}, 1997).

Details
16 May 1770 A.D
Mount Warning (Wollumbin).
Mount Warning at sunset.

Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN on the Endeavour names Cape Byron, in honour of Admiral John Byron, another British navigator, and grandfather of Lord Byron. Cook also noted Julian Rocks but did not name them.

Mount Warning (or Wollumbin) was named by Cook as a warning to other seafarers, of the numerous treacherous reefs along the New South Wales coast, after seeing the mountain from the sea while sailing past.

Lieutenant James Cook FRS RN, did not know that the Bundjalung people for many miles around called the mountain Wollumbin, and that it was an important sacred site, as their lives and religion were strongly linked to the land.

Details
20 August 1828 A.D
Portrait of 'Henry John Rous' with George Payne, by G. Thompson

Captain Henry John Rous, also known as Admiral Henry John Rous (23 January 1795 – 19 June 1877), on the frigate HMS Rainbow dropped anchor at Byron Bay. His mission was to discover a navigable river and safe anchorage site.

Details
26 August 1828 A.D
File:Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and Lennox.jpg
His Grace
The Duke of Richmond
KG, PC

Captain Henry John Rous on the frigate HMS Rainbow discovers the entrance to the Richmond River (the longest navigable river on the coast of NSW) and explores 32 kilometers up the river with two lieutenants in a Pinnace, as far as Tuckean Swamp.

Captain Henry John Rous subsequently named the river Richmond after his brother's best friend, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond KG, PC (3 August 1791 – 21 October 1860).

Details
1839 A.D Originally, Tabulam and the surrounding farm and bushland was inhabited by Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal people. The land was first settled by Europeans in 1839. Details
1840 A.D Squatters Henry Clay and George Stapleton drove their cattle herds over the Richmond Range from Tabulam and settled on the Richmond River. To their 30,720 acre grazing run they gave the name "Cassino" (Now known as the town of Casino).[12] Details
1842 A.D In 1842 Oliver Fry was appointed the first commissioner of Crown Lands for the Clarence Squatting District, incorporating the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed Valleys. It was his decision not to officially record Aboriginal culture of the region. Fry was instructed to 'gain confidence and goodwill' of the Bundjalung Nation Aboriginals in the 'pursuit of civilised life', and he was involved in at least one known Aboriginal massacre at Boyd River in 1845. Details
1842 A.D The beginning of European settlement into the Richmond River area by Red Cedar cutters.
Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil)

This initial establishment of European settlement and associated industries in this harsh environment was foreign to early European settlers. High rainfall and humid conditions, injuries and insect attack was a major health hazard causing serious infection that may result in death.

Supplies of mild European antiseptics were scarce and had limited effect on serious infections and fungal diseases. The indigenous native Bundjalung Nation Aboriginals of eastern Australia exposed to the same harsh conditions with little or no protection were observed crushing tea tree leaf and binding it over wounds and infections with paper bark strapping. The results were staggering, infection was controlled and wounds healed rapidly. Botanists soon identified this unique medicinal tree and created the botanical species Melaleuca alternifolia.

In addition, the indigenous native Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal people used “tea trees” as a traditional medicine by inhaling the oils from the crushed leaves to treat coughs and colds. Furthermore, tea tree leaves are soaked to make an infusion to treat sore throats or skin ailments.

Historically ‘Bungawalbyn Valley Basin’ is the birthplace of the 'TEA TREE INDUSTRY' and over a period of time world populations were introduced to this unique ‘natural’ antiseptic. Still to this day, modern science has failed to provide a safe effective medication for the treatment of topical infections and fungal diseases compared to ‘Australian Native Tea Tree Oil'.[13]

Details
1842 A.D PELICAN CREEK TRAGEDY: In 1842, five European men were killed at Pelican Creek which is a few kilometers north of Coraki, which lead to 100 Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal tribes people being massacred by way of reprisal at Evans Head. Details
1842 A.D EVANS HEAD MASSACRE: The Evans Head Massacre which led to the deaths of approximately 100 Bundjalung Nation tribes people by Europeans at Evans Head , was said by Aboriginals to have been in retaliation for the killing of 'a few sheep', or was said by Europeans to have been for the killing of 'five European men' from the 1842 'Pelican Creek Tragedy'. Details
1843 A.D Surveyor James Burnett named the new settlement at the mouth of the Richmond River 'Deptford' (Now known as the town of Ballina). Details
1843 A.D European History of Lismore begins in c.1843. Details
1849 A.D The village of Coraki was founded by William Yabsley. Details
1853/4 A.D EAST BALLINA MASSACRE: The Native Mounted Police were formed in 1848 in New South Wales. The Mounted Police members were from subdued Aboriginal tribes and were under the command of European Officers. The Native Mounted Police enforced European law on Aboriginal tribes with which they had no bonds.

In 1853-4, at an area close to the present day East Ballina Golf Course, the Native Police slaughtered at least 30 - 40 Bundjalung Nation Arakwal Aboriginal men, women and children while they slept. It is believed that some Aborigines from north of the Tweed River had murdered some Europeans and that the murderers had fled south towards the Richmond River. On the night prior to the raid, the Mounted Police stayed at James Ainsworth's father's Public House, 'The Sailor's Home'. That is, the European troopers stayed in the Hotel while the native Aboriginal trackers stayed outside the Hotel. The Native Mounted Police patrol neither disclosed the purpose of their mission nor made any inquiries about the incident.

At 3 am the next morning the Native Mounted Police patrol rode out to where between 200 to 300 Bundjalung Nation Arakwal Aboriginal tribes people lay asleep in camp. The Arakwal East Ballina clan had a camping ground on the slope of the hill facing the valley near Black Head. The troopers and trackers surrounded the Bundjalung Nation Arakwal Aboriginal camp and opened fire at close range. Aboriginal men, women and children of the Bundjalung Nation Arakwal East Ballina clan were slaughtered. After the carnage, the Native Mounted Police patrol then headed north towards the Tweed River.

The European settlers of East Ballina were disturbed by the unprovoked attack on the friendly natives. They reported the massacre to the NSW Government and urged it to take action. The NSW Government took no action against the perpetrators and told the Europeans settlers ‘to mind their own business and warned that persistence in the matter might lead to trouble for them', hence there are no official records of the massacres.

When the Aboriginal survivors eventually returned to the camp, they sought no reprisals and took no revenge against the Native Mounted Police involved in the massacre.[14]

There is also strong oral tradition amongst the Bundjalung Aboriginal community that a massacre occurred in the 1850s at an old campsite at East Ballina. The oral tradition includes stories of escape, of people who were shot and were laid to rest in the forests north of the camp, and of those who were driven off the cliff at Black Head.

There is a belief that some victims of the massacre were never buried, their bodies being either dumped off the cliff at Black Head or abandoned on Angels Beach.[15]

Details
1860's A.D SOUTH BALLINA POISONING: The Arakwal people were a South Ballina clan, sub-group, tribe or estate group of the Bundjalung Nation, numbering about 200 people during the early development of Ballina Township. During the early 1860s a mass poison attempt was made. Poisoned flour was given to the Bundjalung Nation Arakwal Aboriginal people to make damper. The Arakwal Aboriginal people took it to their camp at South Ballina for preparation & cooking. The old people and children of the Arakwal tribe refused to eat the damper as it was a new food. Upon waking the next morning, survivors of the Arakwal tribe found nearly 150 adults dead.[14] Details
1928 A.D
The Southern Cross at a RAAF base near Canberra in 1943.
Charles Kingsford Smith in his plane, the "Southern Cross", crossed the coast over Ballina after its epic journey across the Pacific. 		Details
1954 A.D
Her Australian Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2007).

Her Australian Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Evans Head during her Royal visit to Australia.

Details
1973 A.D
Las Balsas raft - original sail design by Salvador Dali.
The Las Balsas rafts were towed into Ballina by fishing trawlers after their journey from Ecuador. They originally had planned to arrive in Mooloolaba in Queensland, but currents had forced them off their destination. Their journey was almost twice as long as the Kon-Tiki expeditions of 1947 and proved that people could have traveled across the Pacific in ancient times. 		Details
1985 A.D A 16 hectare section of the southern part of Goanna Headland at Evans Head became the first aboriginal land grant in New South Wales. Details

Tradition

Bundjalung Nation Creation Myth - The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime

Since there are numerous versions of the myth, what is in this instance reported is a summarised version, which lacks crucial details essential for the understanding of the myth:

Bundjalung Nation oral literature tradition tells the story about the creation of parts of the Richmond River, the Evans River, Snake Island, Pelican Island, Goanna Headland (Dirawong) and a unknown island in the pacific ocean (Rainbow Snake), as a fight between the Dirawong and the Rainbow Snake.

According to the legend, the Rainbow Snake had been very bad. What he did is a secret, and cannot be revealed here, but it was so bad that a Weeum ('Clever Man' also known as 'Man of high degree of initiation') named Nyimbunji, called on the Dirawong (or Goanna) to help protect a Yabbra (or Bird) from the Waugal (or Rainbow Snake).

Only Dirawong was powerful enough to deal with Rainbow Snake. Dirawong chased Rainbow Snake down towards the coast and as they went they formed parts of the Richmond River. At Maniworkan (or the town of Woodburn, New South Wales, Australia) they left the Richmond River and kept on going east. Half-way down the Evans River, Dirawong caught Rainbow Snake, the Snake turned around and bit Goanna on the head, Dirawong then withdrew from the battle in order to eat some herbs to recover (heal) from the snakebite, when he felt better he resumed his chase.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Snake had reached Evans Head. Rainbow Snake looked around. Dirawong was nowhere to be seen, so Rainbow Snake decided to go back west. The Rainbow Snake then went into the river and coiled itself around and created Snake Island. As he turned his body made another larger island in the river, now known as Pelican Island.

When Rainbow Snake spotted Dirawong heading towards him, Rainbow Snake quickly turned, and this time Rainbow Snake kept going until he reached the ocean, and made himself into an island so Dirawong wouldn't recognise Rainbow Snake.

Dirawong reached the coast. Dirawong then laid down next to the coast facing the sea, waiting for Rainbow Snake to come back. And you can still hear Rainbow Snake and see Goanna, today at Evans Head. The patch of 'red ochre' on top of Goanna Headland shows the wound where the Rainbow Snake bit the Goanna in the dream time. [16]

Interpretation of the Creation Myth - The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime

The creation was believed to be the work of culture heroes that in the creative epoch travelled across a formless land, creating sacred sites and significant places of interest in their travels. In this way songlines were established, some of which could travel right across Australia, through as many as six to ten different language groupings. The songs and dances of a particular songline were kept alive and frequently performed at large gatherings, organised in good seasons.[17]

Legends

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation) - Story 1

This Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal dream-time legend tells of three brothers, Mamoonh, Yarbirri (also known as 'yar Birrain') and Birrung, their mother and wives who landed in canoes made from the bark of a Moreton Bay Pine (Araucaria Cunninghamii) at what is now called Chinamens Beach (located at Evans Head, New South Wales, Australia). While the three brothers repaired one of their canoes, their mother went to look for food. When it was time to leave the three brothers could not find their mother so left without her. On her return she found her three son's had left without her. Enraged at being left behind, she called out to the three brothers and in her anger struck the sea with a stick. This caused the first big waves on the sea and caused the three brothers canoe to sink on a reef at the mouth of the Richmond River and the three brothers then swam ashore at Shelley Beach, Ballina (Accidental or deliberate corruption of the Aboriginal words 'Bullinah' & 'Boolinah', meaning place of many oysters). The three brother’s returned overland to find their mother and stayed to settle this country. One brother went south, another west and the third brother north. In doing so the three brothers founded the tribal groups of the Bundjalung Nation.

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation) - Story 2

This Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal dream-time legend tells of three brothers, Mamoonh, Yarbirri (also known as 'yar Birrain') and Birrung, who are said to have come from the sea. The brothers, along with their grandmother, arrived in a canoe made from the bark of a hoop pine. As they followed the coastline, they found a rich land sparsely populated, so they landed at the mouth of the Clarence river, where the towns of Iluka and Yamba now stand, and stayed there for a long time, then, leaving their grandmother behind they continued on in their canoe heading up the east coast. At one place they landed and created a spring of fresh water. They stopped along the coast at various places and populated the land. 'The Three Brothers' also made the laws for the Bundjalung Nation people and also the ceremonies of the Bora rings.

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation) - Story 3

According to Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal dream-time, three brothers, Mamoonh, Yarbirri (also known as 'yar Birrain') and Birrung, settled on what is now known as Seven Mile beach (between Lennox Head and Broken Head) and one of them, Yarbirri, produced a flow of fresh water by thrusting his spear into the sand. At low tide there is said to be a stain marking the spot from where the water flowed.

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation / Yaegle tribe) - Story 4

In the very beginning, three brothers, Mamoonh, Yarbirri (also known as 'yar Birrain') and Birrung, together with their wives and mother traveled from far across the sea, arriving on the Australian coast at the mouth of the Clarence River. Their boat, however, was blown out to sea in a storm, so 'The Three Brothers' decided to build canoes in order to return to their homeland far across the sea.

They completed building the canoes but could find no sign of their mother anywhere so they set off without her. On returning to find she had been left behind, the mother climbed to the top of a hill and cursed them for abandoning her. She called the ocean to anger and the wild seas forced 'The Three Brothers' back to land at Chinamans Beach, near Evans Head. Once the seas had abated one of 'The Three Brothers' returned south to find their mother. The others settled near Evans Head, developed families and a thriving community.

One of the families moved north, another west and the third to the south, forming the three branches of the bundjalung people.[18]

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation / Yaegle tribe) - Story 5

According to Bundjalung Legend, The Founding Three Brothers, Mamoonh, Yarbirri (also known as 'yar Birrain') and Birrung, made one of their famous landings at what is now Lennox Head said to be near today a group of black rocks on the beach.

When the eldest of 'The Three Brothers' Yarbirri, thrust a spear into the sand, fresh water ran (Lake Ainsworth) and it is said when the tide is low you can still see a rusty stain.

After their landing at Lennox Head, the Three Brothers moved north towards Brunswick Heads, where they created the first Bora ground. Thousands of years later, a bora ground remains at Lennox Head, protected by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and is open to the public. [18]

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation / Ngybul tribe) - Story 6

According to Bundjalung Legend, Mount Bugerum Boogerum was of enormous spiritual signicance to local Aboriginal people.

The eldest of The Founding Three Brothers, Yarbirri (also known as 'yar Birrain'), was spoken to by God on Mount Bugerum Boogerum, that at least is the belief, and the belief has drawn pilgrims for thousands of years. There is not a great deal of evidence but it is Bundjalung Nation oral history. [19]

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Bundjalung Nation / Ngybul tribe) - Story 7

"The coastal areas of New South Wales and southern Queensland were associated with the legend of the THREE BROTHERS the ancestors of the Aboriginal people who came from the sea and landed on the east coast. The details of the legend vary from one part of the coast to another, each Aboriginal language area claiming that the brothers landed in their territory.

In our area the legend states that the three brothers made their first landing at Evans Heads,and after two subsequent landings further north (one at Lennox boat channel area), two of the brothers occupied the coast, while the third moved inland and occupied the Lismore district.

Evans Head was known as Gummingarr, a name derived from gummi, meaning father's mother. This recalls an incident in the legend where the grandmother of the three brothers went into the bush to gather fern roots; she could not be found when the three brothers prepared to paddle northward, and was therefore was left behind. Arriving back at the beach the grandmother grew very angry at being left behind and used her magic to summon up a storm making the first waves on what up till that point had been a waveless ocean. This forced the brother ashore at Ballina and they went overland back to retrieve the grandmother.

The next landing was at Lennox Head in the boat channel area (bream hole/moat) of the beach. One of the brothers, named Yarbirri (his beard was a dark red colour), thrust his hunting spear into the sand, and fresh water gushed out. Before the swampy area in the southern corner was filled and drained a ti-tree coloured stain was often seen that resembled a red beard.

After Lennox the brothers continued north to their final landing at Brunswick Heads, where they are said to have made the first wandaral or bora ring.Be that as it may, there is a well preserved bora ring in Lennox. It is situated ninety metres west of Gibbon Street and is also adjacent to the Megan Crescent cricket field. It is fenced and maintained by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of NSW and is open to visitors. The Bora Ring was used mainly for male initiation ceremonies.

After the first Wandaral ceremony at Brunswick, The eldest brother, Yarbirri, made the laws. The brothers decided to separate and to populate the earth, Yarbirri went north, Mamoon to the west and Birrung to the south. The name Birin (Birrung) was widely used to mean "southerners"; the people north of the Brisbane River regarded all of the Bunjalung people as Birin: to the people here Birin referred to the people of the Clarence."

Legend of 'The Three Brothers (Biripi Nation) - Story 1

The Three Brothers are also known as three mountains in the Hastings area on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They were named by Lieutenant James Cook (also known as Captain Cook FRS RN) during his voyage along the east coast of Australia in May 1770.

The name 'Three Brothers' is a striking coincidence, as the mythology of the Biripi Nation Aboriginal people, the Birpai, tell of a Dreamtime legend describing how three brothers from the Birpai tribe met their fate at the hands of the witch named Widjirriejuggi who were buried where each mountain stands.[20]

Legend of 'The Three Sisters (Gundungurra Nation) - Story 1

This Gundungurra Nation Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that the local witch doctor of the Katoomba tribe (Gundungurra Nation) had three beautiful daughters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo', who were told not to go into the Jamison Valley (Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia) because a fearsome Bunyip lived there. The daughters were curious and leaned over the cliff face to look down into the valley and accidentally dislodged some rocks which, falling into the valley below, awoke the Bunyip. The Bunyip was terribly angry and started up the cliff to eat the young girls, the witch doctor saw what was happening and quickly turned his daughters into stone pillars using his magic stick. The Bunyip became enraged and turned on the witch doctor, who then quickly turned himself into a lyrebird. He fled from the Bunyip and lost his magic stick.

The 3 Sisters are still pillars of stone and if you go for a walk in the Jamieson Valley below the 3 Sisters, if you are quiet, you may see a Lyrebird scratching in the forest, still looking for the magic stick so that he can turn himself and his daughters back into human form.

Legend of 'The Three Sisters (Gundungurra Nation) - Story 2

This Gundungurra Nation Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley (Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia) as members of the Katoomba tribe (Gundungurra Nation). Word of their beauty spread and other tribes became jealous.

These three very beautiful maidens had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry outside their own tribe. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.

A terrible battle raged across the mountains – blood flowed and stained the ground red, colouring the cliffs around. The Katoomba tribe were losing the battle and the maidens were terrified. They ran to the cliff edge and saw the fierce fighting. Their father, who was also the witch doctor of the tribe, cast a magic spell on them to turn them into stone where they stood. He planned to change them back after the battle, however he was killed when he went back into the battle.

The Nepean tribe won and went to claim the maidens, only to find three great pinnacles of rock - the famous 3 Sisters. As only the witch doctor could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come. To this day no one has discovered the magic spell which will set them free.

Interpretation of the legend - 'The Three Sisters' (Gundungurra Nation)

Dr Martin Thomas states in his book, 'The Artificial Horizon: Imagining the Blue Mountains' that when he began researching the Blue Mountains, he discovered competing narratives, so he felt that in writing an historically inspired work, it was his job to suggest, evoke and play with narrative as much as just telling it.

Dr Martin Thomas points out that; "Myths pose particular problems for traditional historians, who see their work as being about facts and replacing myths with truth or scientific history." Dr Martin Thomas does not share that view and states that "myth permeates society and we should think creatively about myth and engage with it."

Excited by myths that offer prospects of opening rather than closure, Dr Martin Thomas refers to an ancient Blue Mountains myth collected by Robert Hamilton Matthews (R. H. Mathews), who in 1893 started collecting data on Aboriginal societies. Robert Hamilton Matthews documented an Aboriginal story of creation that effectively maps the local landscape.

Dr Martin Thomas says to compare Robert Hamilton Matthews 'Aboriginal story of creation' to the legend of 'The Three Sisters' at Echo Point in Katoomba, published in the 1940s, which doesn't have an Aboriginal provenance.

The Three Sisters' story claims that the sisters are three women who were turned to stone. One can see that as a false myth but, as a myth created by the invading colonial culture, it reveals underlying truths about petrifying the Aboriginal sisters and turning them into things you just look at.

In addition, Dr Martin Thomas argues that it is the hallmark of colonisation, with its deletions, denials, losses and absences, that our sense of the past is perpetually unstable, always liable to crack or shatter; and that the 'Three Sisters' legend should not be dismissed as a bogus myth. Precisely because of its ambiguous meaning and origin, it qualifies as myth in the deepest sense.[21]

Culture and folklore

A common European settlers tale was that the bite of a goanna was infused with a powerful incurable venom. Every year after the bite (or every seven years), the wound would flare up again. For many years it was generally believed by herpetologists that goannas were non venomous, and that lingering illness from their bites was due solely to infection and septicaemia as a result of their saliva being rife with bacteria from carrion and other food sources. However, in 2005 researchers at the University of Melbourne announced that oral venom glands had been found in both goannas and iguanas.

Because the goanna regularly eats snakes (often involving a fierce struggle between the two), they are often said to be immune to snake venom. The goanna does eat venomous snakes, but no evidence found suggests actual poison immunity. Other stories say the lizard eats a legendary plant, or drinks from a healing spring which neutralises the poison. This is immortalised in Banjo Paterson humorous poem Johnson's Antidote.

Possibly related to the above poison immunity, goanna fat or oil has been anecdotally imbued with mystical healing properties. Aborigines traditionally used goanna oil as an important bush medicine,and it also became a common medicine among Europeans in Australia's early days. Said to be a cure-all for all sorts of ailments, and possessing amazing powers of penetration (passing through metal as if it were not there), it was sold amongst early settlers like snake oil (a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain. However, the most common usage of the phrase is as a derogatory term for compounds offered as medicines which implies that they are fake, fraudulent, quackery, or ineffective) in the Old West of North America.

Mythology

Like the American Indians in the U.S.A, the Aboriginal spirits live on in the land, which originally belonged to the “Bundjalung People.

Deities

Rainbow Snake

What exactly is the Rainbow Snake? Is it possible to lessen its complex features into formal description? An attempt to describe its constantly evolving features would be useful; moreover, given the fact that the Serpent symbology is present almost in any continent, culture and religion (African, Amerindian, Australian, Aztec, Chinese, Christian et cetera) and its features are somehow similar to each other, I will limit the description to a general overview of the serpents' characteristics. Consequently, I shall draw the most relevant attributes and analyse them in light of Aboriginal traditions.[22]

Although its appearance may differ slightly, it retains similar features and stories and one particular characteristic that remains the same throughout: its gender is not agreed upon and it is a water spirit.

The concept of the Rainbow Snake as a water spirit is found in many forms. Sometimes it is simply a guardian of a sacred pool or lake that will attack and bring ill health and bad fortune if the sacred place is not correctly respected.

At other times the Rainbow Snake is a much more powerful water spirit – it is the rain itself, the storm, the flood, the life-giving water from the sky. Its rain is vital to life, yet water also has a powerfully destructive side that the Aborigine tribes of Australia were all too aware of. It has been theorized that the dozens of stories of humans being swallowed by the Rainbow Serpent – found throughout Australia – are metaphorical accounts of people being swallowed by flood waters or being drowned in lakes and pools.

In such cases, it is shown that the Rainbow Snake holds no respect for people, nor does it have a code of morality: it acts only as its nature dictates, often being a blind destructive force. But in the same way as rain it also creates: it creates the world, births many children, brings fertility to the land and humans, and is often associated with the Aborigine soul itself.

The ferocity with which the Rainbow Snake guards and defends its sacred pools, and the reverence with which it was – and still is – thought of by Aborigine tribes, indicates that it is a primal force in nature rather than a ‘God’ in the sense that many people in the Western world today would think of it. It follows only its natural inclinations – whether they be anger, lust, compassion, or creation – and its dynamic, raw energy with which it fertilizes the land and creates the world gives to the element of water associations that are not usually thought of in modern Pagan thought. Often, water is seen as passive, reflective, deep, emotional, and spiritual, and is symbolized by the ever-receiving Chalice or womb of the Goddess. But here, in the motif of the Rainbow Snake, we see water as the Cosmic Phallus of active, dynamic creation – of fertility, of the rawest, most primal part of life. Here water is dangerous, destructive, creative, blind, unfeeling and magical: just like the Rainbow Snake in its many forms.[23]

Dirawong

Dirawong's teachings include
# Teachings
1. Songlines
2. Values
3. Symbols
4. Initiations
5. Songs
6. Dances
7. Stories
8. Paintings
9. Structures of society
10. Rules for social behaviour
11. The ceremonies performed in order to ensure continuity of life and land
12. Laws of community
13. Cultural lore
14. How people are required to behave in their communities
15. Dreamings
16. Geographical locations
17. Technologies
18. Bush foods
19. Bush medicine
20. Bush cosmetics
21. Body designs
Dirawong’s wisdom includes
# Wisdom
1. Calculating
2. Curiosity
3. Knowing When to Hide
4. Seeking Knowledge
5. Climbing Out of Danger


Bundjalung languages

Historically, at the time of the first European settlement, Bundjalung Nation people in the NSW North Coast - SE Queensland region, spoke more than twenty related languages or dialects and today there is only about nine tribal clan languages or dialects left. All Bundjalung Nation languages were interwoven, so that each Bundjalung Nation tribal area knew what each person from another tribal clan was speaking about.

The Bundjalung Nation languages are:

# Group Dialects
1. Arakwal
2. Baryulgal
3. Dinggabal
4. Gidabal
5. Minjungbal
6. Nganduwal
7. Njangbal
8. Waalubal
9. Wiyabal (also known as Widje)
10. Wudjeebal
11. Yugambal (also known as Yugumbir)

Some words of Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal tribal groups


Place Names
#
Name/Word Pronounced Synonyms Dialect Meaning
1
Ballina English Accidental or deliberate corruption of the Aboriginal words 'Bullinah and Boolinah' &/or 'Balloona, Balloonah, Balluna, Bullenah, Bullina and Bulluna'.
2
Bullenah Balluna, Bullina, Bulluna, Balloona, Balloonah 'Blood running from the wounded' or 'The place of dying' or 'The place of the wounded after a fight' or 'Place where a battle was fought & people were found dying'.
3
Bullen-bullen "Bulna" 'A fight'.
4
Bulun 'River'.
5
Bullinah Boolinah 'Place of many oysters'.
6
Cooriki Gurigay, Hooraki, Kurrachee 'The meeting of the waters'.
7
Coraki English Accidental or deliberate corruption of the Aboriginal words 'Kurrachee', 'Gurigay', 'Hooraki' & 'Cooriki'
8
Gunya 'A traditional native home, made from wood and bark'.
9
Gummingarr 'The place where the town of Evans Head is located'.
10
Maniworkan 'The place where the town of Woodburn is located'.
11
Uki "Yookeye" 'A water fern with edible roots'.
12
Wollumbin 'Patriarch of mountains' or 'Cloud Catcher'.


Language, Mythology and Ceremony
#
Name/Word Pronounced Synonyms Dialect Meaning
1
Dirawong Dirawonga, Goanna Mythical Creator Being spirit that looked like a Goanna but behaved just like humans.


Human Classifications
#
Name/Word Pronounced Synonyms Dialect Meaning
1
Weeum 'Clever Man' also known as 'Man of high degree of initiation'.
2
Wuyun Gali 'Clever Man' also known as 'Doctor'



Flora and Fauna
#
Name/Word Pronounced Synonyms Dialect Meaning
1
Jullum Jellum Fish.
2
Ngumagal Goanna.
3
Yabbra Bird.
4
Wudgie-Wudgie Red Cedar.


Aboriginal-sounding words not of Aboriginal origin
#
Name/Word Pronounced Synonyms Dialect Meaning
1
Bandicoot Telugu
2
Cockatoo Malay
3
Didgeridoo onomatopoeic
4
Emu Arabic (from Arabic, via Portuguese, for large bird)
5
Goanna English (Goanna might have been derived from iguana, as early European settlers likened goannas to the South American lizards. Over time the initial vowel sound was dropped. A similar explanation is used to link possum to the American opossum. Another possibility is that the name might have been derived from the South African term for a monitor lizard Leguaan, as the Cape of Good Hope was a popular refresher stop for immigrant ships to Australia from Britain.)
6
Jabiru Spanish[24]
7
Nullarbor Latin No trees

Science and technology

Musical Instruments of the Bundjalung Nation

Place Names
#
Instrument Usage
1
Didjeridu ("Didgeridoo") Traditionally the Didjeridu originated in Arnhem Land on the northern coastline of the Northern Territory, Australia, where it is called a 'yidaki or yiraki' in the Local Aboriginal language. The Didjeridu has some similarity to bamboo trumpets and even bronze horns developed in other cultures, though it pre-dates most of these by many millennia.
2
Gum leaf Traditionally the leaf from a tree of the Eucalyptus family was used by Aborigines as a musical instrument by holding against the lips and blowing to create a resonant vibration. Originally used in the imitation of bird-calls.
3
Bull-roarer A bullroarer, rhombus, or turndun is a primitive ritual musical instrument, made of a small flat slip of wood, through a hole in one end of which a string is passed; swung round rapidly it makes a booming, humming noise.

The bullroarer is known as the "voice of God" to Australian Aborigines. It is also used as the Aboriginal "bush telephone" to communicate over extended or long-distances. The instrument is called a "Burliwarni", "Ngurrarngay" and "Muypak". Bullroarers are given to men during their naming ceremonies.

The bullroarer itself is not unique to Australia. It has been used in ancient Egypt and by the Inuit of Northern Canada. Though treated as a toy by Europeans, the bullroarer has had the highest mystic significance and sanctity among primitive people. This is notably the case in Australia, where it used in a variety of ceremonies, from initiation ceremonies, burials, and to ward off evil spirits, bad tidings, even women and children, and is regarded with the utmost awe by the Australian Aboriginal.

In New Guinea, in some of the islands of the Torres Straits (where it is swung as a fishing-charm), in Ceylon (where it is used as a toy and figures as a sacred instrument at Buddhist festivals), and in Sumatra (where it is used to induce the demons to carry off the soul of a woman, and so drive her mad), the bullroarer is also found. Sometimes, as among the Minangkabos of Sumatra, it is made of the frontal bone of a man renowned for his bravery.

Bull-roarers are considered secret men's business by some Aboriginal tribal groups, and hence taboo for women, children, non-initiated men and/or outsiders to even hear[citation needed]. They are used in men's initiation ceremonies accompanied by the didgeridoo, and the sound they produced is considered by some Indigenous cultures to represent the sound of the Rainbow Serpent [citation needed].

The sound of the bull-roarer is said to be the voice of an ancestor, a spirit, or a deity. In the cultures of South-East Australia, the sound of the bullroarer is the voice of Daramulan, and a successful bullroarer can only be made if it has been cut from a tree containing his spirit.

4
Clap-sticks Clapsticks are used during a variety of ceremonies, ranging from secret ceremonies to rain-making ceremonies.

Traditionally 'Clapsticks' are percussion instruments - a must in every aboriginal performance. By varying the position of percussion, the sound will vary in pitch and tone, from soft to loud, from heartbeat, clapping,...to a metallic clank and have "echo". The aboriginal art on clap-sticks represents the local flora & fauna.[25]

5
Emu-caller Emu callers are short, one foot, about 30 cm long didgeridoos. The emu callers were traditionally used when hunting emus, the ostrich-like, large Australian birds. When striking the emu-caller at one end with the open palm it sounds like an emu. This decoy attracts the bird out of the bush making it an easy pray.[25]

Bush Medicine of the Bundjalung Nation

Throughout Australia, Aborigines believed that serious illness and death were caused by spirits or persons practising sorcery. Even trivial ailments, or accidents such as falling from a tree, were often attributed to malevolence. Aboriginal culture was too rich in meaning to allow the possibility of accidental injury and death, and when someone succumbed to misfortune, a man versed in magic was called in to identify the culprit.

These spiritual doctors were men (rarely women) of great wisdom and stature with immense power. Trained from an early age by their elders and initiated into the deepest of tribal secrets, they were the supreme authorities on spiritual matters. They could visit the skies, witness events from afar, and fight with serpents. Only they could pronounce the cause of serious illness or death, and only they, by performing sacred rites, could effect a cure.

Medicine men sometimes employed plants and herbs in their rites, but they did not usually practice secular medicine. The healing of trivial non-spiritual complaints, using herbs and other remedies, was practiced by all Aborigines, although older women were usually the experts. To ensure success, plants and magic were often prescribed side-by-side.

Plants were prepared as remedies in a number of ways. Leafy branches were often placed over a fire while the patient squatted on top and inhaled the steam. Sprigs of aromatic leaves might be crushed and inhaled, inserted into the nasal septum, or prepared into a pillow on which the patient slept. To make an infusion, leaves or bark were crushed and soaked in water (sometimes for a very long time), which was then drunk, or washed over the body. Ointment was prepared by mixing crushed leaves with animal fat. Other external treatment included rubbing down the patient with crushed seed paste, fruit pulp or animal oil, or dripping milky say or a gummy solution over them. Most plant medicines were externally applied.

Medicine plants were always common plants. Aborigines carried no medicine kits and had to have remedies that grew at hand when needed. If a preferred herb was unavailable, there was usually a local substitute. Except for ointments, which were made by mixing crushed leaves with animal fat, medicines were rarely mixed. Very occasionally two plants were used together.

Aboriginal medicines were never quantified - there were no measured doses or specific times of treatment. Since most remedies were applied externally, there was little risk of overdosing. Some medicines were known to vary in strength with the seasons. One area of Aboriginal medicine with no obvious Western parallel was baby medicine. Newborn babies were steamed or rubbed with oils to render them stronger. Often, mothers were also steamed.

A notable feature of Aboriginal medicine was the importance placed upon oil as a healing agent, an importance that passed to white colonists, and is reflected today in the continuing popularity of goanna oil.

Earth, mud, sand, and termite dirt were also taken as medicines. In many parts of Australia, wounds were dressed with dirt or ash. Arnhem Land Aborigines still eat small balls of white clay and pieces of termite mound to cure diarrhea and stomach upsets.[26]

Bush Medicine
#
Medicine Ailment Treatment
1
Gum Burns, Wounds and Diarrhea. Traditionally, the indigenous native Bundjalung Nation Aboriginals of eastern Australia would use the resin from the trunk of a eucalyptus gum tree to treat Burns, Wounds and Diarrhea. The eucalyptus tree gum is high in tannin, a common astringent also found in tea-leaves and still used for treating burns.
2
Tea tree leaves (Melaleuca alternifolia) Wounds, Infections, Coughs, Colds, Sore throats, Skin ailments. Traditionally, the indigenous native Bundjalung Nation Aboriginals of eastern Australia exposed to harsh conditions with little or no protection were observed by Europeans crushing tea tree leaf and binding it over Wounds and Infections with paper bark strapping. The results were staggering, infection was controlled and wounds healed rapidly.

In addition, the indigenous native Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal people used “tea trees” as a traditional medicine by inhaling the oils from the crushed leaves to treat Coughs and Colds. Furthermore, tea tree leaves are soaked to make an infusion to treat Sore throats or Skin ailments.

Almost everywhere in Aboriginal Australia, herbs that once were soaked in water are now boiled over fires. Aborigines today rarely distinguish this from a traditional practice, although they know the billycan is a white man's innovation. Boiling is much quicker than overnight soaking but it may destroy some active ingredients and increase the potency in solution of others.

3
Paperbark Headache. Traditionally, aboriginal people would chew young Paperbark leaves to alleviate headache.
4
Emu Oil (Dromaius Novae-Hollandiae) Psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, A variety of skin conditions, Bruises, Burns, Eczema, Sun dried skin, Painful joints, Swollen muscles. Traditionally, aboriginal people would massage emu oil into the skin to promote healing. The oil was collected by either hanging the emu skin from a tree or wrapping it around an affected area and allowing the heat of the sun to liquefy the emu fat to enhance absorption or penetration into the skin.

Notable Bundjalung Nation people

Famous Bundjalung Nation people include;

1. Albert Torrens: (a former international rugby league footballer who played for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Northern Eagles and St. George Illawarra Dragons in the Australian NRL and in the English Super League for the Huddersfield Giants.)

2. Dr Ruby Langford Ginibi: (an acclaimed author, lecturer in Aboriginal history, culture and politics, and who's grandfather 'Sam', in the year 1928, in a game of cricket at Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, became one of only two Aboriginal cricketers to ever get Sir Donald Bradman (widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time), out. Later on in the cricket match, Sir Donald Bradman called Dr Ruby Langford Ginibi's grandfather 'Sam' a 'black bastard' and Dr Ruby Langford Ginibi's grandfather 'Sam' was in retaliation for the insult from Sir Donald Bradman, going to hit Sir Donald Bradman with a cricket bat, and its alleged that you won't find that in any European history books in Australia.)[27]

3. Mark Olive, also known as the 'Black Olive' & 'Bush food crusader': (a Wollongong born Australian, trained as a chef in Europe, with over twenty years cooking experience, and now has his own pay TV indigenous cooking show, "The Outback Cafe" and is also the author of cookbooks such as "Olive's Outback Cafe: A Taste of Australia".)

See also

References

Primary literature

  1. ^ Australian Aboriginal mythology
  2. ^ a b History - Aboriginal - Local Tribes - Bundjalung People
  3. ^ Evans Head Massacre
  4. ^ Australia - Aboriginal - Dreamtime
  5. ^ Temple of the Sacred Spiral - Aboriginal Lore
  6. ^ Aboriginal Mythology
  7. ^ Shelly Beach to Lighthouse Beach Vegetation Management Plan
  8. ^ History - The Birpai
  9. ^ Jindawalla News
  10. ^ Ballina & Richmond River
  11. ^ Byron Bay : Aboriginal History
  12. ^ A Brief History of CASINO and DISTRICT
  13. ^ TEA TREE OIL HISTORY
  14. ^ a b Wollumbin Dowsing
  15. ^ Living on the frontier
  16. ^ The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime
  17. ^ Dreamtime
  18. ^ a b Planet Corroboree
  19. ^ Echo
  20. ^ The Three Brothers
  21. ^ Myth and meaning in the Blue Mountains
  22. ^ The Rainbow Serpent
  23. ^ Rainbow Snake - Water Spirit, Cosmic Phallus, and Jealous Guardian (Cardiff University Pagan Society)
  24. ^ List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin
  25. ^ a b Aboriginal Artifacts: bullroarers, emu-callers, clap-sticks; Paintings
  26. ^ Traditional Aboriginal Bush Medicine - Aboriginal Art Online
  27. ^ Digital Collections - Audio - Ginibi, Ruby Langford, 1934- (interviewee) Ruby Langford Ginibi interviewed by Frank Heimans (sound recording). - nla.oh-3966-0000-0001 - Transcript - Page 1

Bibliography and resources


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