Aboriginal Culture
My name is Robert Syron, Registered Aboriginal owner of Worimi / Guringai Lands Port Stephens , Dungog, Gloucester NSW. Australian Rwandan War veteran 1994-95 Meritorious Unit Citation and ANZAC Peace Prize 1995. My family The true Guringai people and location -The kabook and Watoo people https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2018/08/15/the-kabook-watoo/ Guringai language https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0geN8vuoCw Kuringgai was a word made up by John fraser taken from the Guringai or as he spells it Gooringgai 1890 North of the Hunter river It is important people know who the true Guringai Aboriginal people are and where they are from😉 7 Aboriginal land councils are in support and this is not including 4 more Aboriginal land councils North of the Hunter River NSW who are also in support that the Guringai are North of the Hunter River , Regardless of peoples thoughts about aboriginal land councils there are many legally registered aboriginal owners they are the ones who vote, aboriginal people who are not from the country they are non voting members. News papers “Guringay voices heard as City of Sydney removes references to Ku-ring-gai/Guringai” https://nit.com.au/guringay-voices-heard-as-city-of-sydney-removes-references-to-ku-ring-gai-guringai/ Daily telegraph “Misunderstanding: The historical fiction of the word Guringai that has filled a void in our knowledge of the original inhabitants by John Morcombe, Manly Daily February 20, 2015 2:41pm.” https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/misunderstanding-the-historical-fiction-of-the-word-guringai-that-has-filled-a-void-in-our-knowledge-of-the-original-inhabitants/news-story/b1aec152c74220c535883621081a2fd2 Filling A Void, by the Aboriginal heritage office http://www.aboriginalheritage.org/news/2015/filling-a-void/ (Funded by the Tax payer). Native Title claim snuffed out https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/4979410/heartache-after-claim-snuffed-out/ “The state government recognised the claim group as the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, but found they were “ unable to prove they had followed their traditional laws and customs continuously since the time of white settlement .” References to the Guringai , Gringai also spelt The Cooringay, Guringai, Gooreeggai, Gourenggai, Gingai, Gringai, Corringorri kuringai, Kuring-gai and Guringay on our language dictionary – Guthang) Whatever way it has been spelt is not from the southern side of the Hunter River NSW we are from the North side of the Hunter river NSW recorded in the 1800s. The Guringai In the 1883 article John Fraser “I owe special acknowledgments to Mr. C Naseby, Maitland (for the Kamilaroi tribe) and Mr. J. W. Boydell, Camyrallyn Gresford for the Gringai tribe . Both of these men have had an intimate acquaintance with these tribes for more than thirty years (1882:199). Mr. J. W. Boydell and William Scott in the book “The port Stephens Blacks” would have known each other Written by JOHN FRASER 1890. This story was long before his print in 1892 totally contradicts his later work 1892 -93 and is proof of where he got the idea from that the kuring-gai were one super tribe and “ &c , of Mr Oliver's letter” , John Fraser said in 1892 “ “I assured myself” that the country thereabout was occupied by subtribes of the Kurring-gai.” Fraser has spelt it “ Goringai, kuring-gai and Kurig-gi on his map 1892.” Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 - 1954), Thursday 12 June 1890, page 4 TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. Sir, —When the municipalities of the North Shore combine and adopt the native name of their district, as Mr Oliver very fitly suggests, it is to be hoped that the spelling of the name will receive attention. For, although Cammeray is not a monstrosity like Woolloomooloo or Woollahra, yet the spelling of it might be improved . The C should give place to K, for C in English is a redundant letter, representing the sound either of K or of S, and should not be used here in our native words. The termination "eray" might, I think be written "arai," for "ara" and "arai" are established forms in the aboriginal languages. The whole name would thus be Kamarai, which, certainly, is prettier and easier to pronounce than St Leonards. But as our blacks make the "a" and the"o" sounds to be nearly alike , the name might also be written Komaroi; to this we have a parallel in the name Kamilaroi. Mr Oliver is right as to the location of the Kamilaroi tribe . Many years ago I had the privilege of long and interesting conversations about that tribe with a gentleman who had been one of the pioneer settlers in their district 50 years ago. He could speak their language "like a native," was called by them Charley Murruba, " Charles the Good," was never molested even in those days by any men of the tribe, and his property was always safe in their hands. He had often travailed the main road from Maitland to the Lower Namoi, and know the country well. The limits of the Kamilaroi dialect, he said, were then the River Gwydir on the north, on the west an irregular line drawn from Walgett, southwards through Coonabarabran and round to Scone on the Hunter, and thence east and north along the Dividing Range to the sources of the Gwydir. Beyond the Gwydir was the Ualaroi dialect, akin to the Kamilaroi, but yet considerably different from it; to the west the Wirrajery, or Wirradhuri, quite different and to the south and east the Goringai, also different from the Kamilaroi. I know that the Goringai tribe occupied the whole of the east coast from the Hastings and the Manning down to the Hunter, and had several subdivisions named from particular localities in their territory. These subdivisions correspond with the Cammeray, Cadi, Gwea , “&c, of Mr Oliver's letter”, which were only local portions of one great tribe stretching along the coast from the Hunter , “probably” as far south as the Illawarra district. (LOL😉) The language of this tribe was distinct from the Kamilaroi, although, like all the Australian dialects, they had many words in common and the same root-word used in different forms or with different applications. For instance, one would say murra (hand), another would apply the word to the whole of the lower arm, including the hand; so also, mir or mil, the eye; mir, the face. The Kamilaroi says kara-ji for wizard, doctor, medicine man, but the Goringai says kara-kal. Of course, variations like these are common in all languages. The kal, of kara-kal, leads me on to say that cadi-gal is neither the name of a language nor of a tribe the gal or kal in this and similar names is merely a suffix equivalent to "belonging to" or " they of," just as we say a Sydneyite, a Londoner, an Aberdonian, an Englishman, in the local aboriginal dialect, would be called England-kal, and an Englishwoman England-kalin. Those who imagine that our aboriginal languages are only rude gibberish, are vastly mistaken. These languages or dialects are one of the unsolved problems of ethnology, but enough is known of them to prove that they have well defined principles of formation and of grammar which cannot have been the invention of mere savages . I am, JOHN FRASER. Mr Oliver's letter did not give this “one great tribe” a name in his letter. It would seem this is how John Fraser “ assured himself” it was all Goringai / koringai, kuringgai now called Guringai country. In John Fraser’s work 1882- 83 “I assured myself” that the country thereabout was occupied by sub-tribes of the Kuringgai Fraser 1892Fraser came up with the name Kuringgai to describe a people, our peoples.” John Fraser reported on Gringai 1882 and 1892 , he noted the Gringai/Kurig-gai, with the latter possibly being a language and the former a group, had country in the area of the Paterson and Chichester/Williams Rivers. John Fraser published what he said “Re-arranged, condensed, and edited” version of Edward Threlkeld’s essay” on the Aboriginal language spoken around Lake Macquarie. Ten years prior to this, Fraser had announced that : “The tribes with which I am acquainted are chiefly those of the northern half of our territory, the Gringai , the Kamilaroi, and the Ooalaroi, and to these I add a slight knowledge of the Wiradjery and Yuin tribes (1882:199-200). During the 1820s Threlkeld gathered some language from Broken Bay Aborigines , identified as ‘ Karree ’ .10 That is now recognised as representing the Cari'gal , Kari'gal or - Gari'gal group of the south Arms of Broken Bay (Pitt Water and Cowan Water). If the location was known as Gari , then Gari'gal were a local Broken Bay Clan. Language was collected also through Birraban an aboriginal BoyThelkeld, whose work was on the Awaba ,AKA- Awabakal of Lake Macquarie ( recorded as Awaba on the original map). We-pohng or Biraban was born at Bahtahbah (Belmont, New South Wales) c.1800 . During his childhood We-pohng was kidnapped by the British and raised within the military barracks located in Sydney. Subsequently, We-pohng was assigned to Captain J.M. Gill, a member of the 46th Regiment . We-pohng remained with Captain Gill from February 1814 until Captain Gill departed Australia in December 1817. It was at this time We-pohng became fluent in English and was bestowed the name M’Gill (and its derivatives) as an indication of Captain Gill’s “ownership”. We-pohng commenced assisting Captain Allman in 1821 with the establishment of a penal colony, assuming the role of regional guide, interpreter and a special constable, with We-pohng utilising his tracking skills to apprehend convicts escaping from Port Macquarie. Prior to his return to Newcastle in 1825 We-pohng married Ti-pah-mah-ah, with which he had one son, Ye-row-wa. From 1825 Biraban served as an informant to the missionary Lancelot Edward Threlkeld teaching him the Awabakal language and cosmology. Maps by R.H. Mathews – 1897-1917 Initiation Ceremonies of Australian Tribes Author(s): R. H. Mathews Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 37, No. 157 (Jan., 1898), pp. 54-73 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/983694 Accessed: 30-03-2020 09:40 UT
Surveyor and dedicated amateur ethnographer R. H. Mathews published several papers that included consideration of the hunter Valley and adjacent areas, with a particular focus on the Kamilaroi. The map shown below as Map 3-5 information from Mathews (1898).” Accompanying an article on male initiatory rites, Mathews 1898 had a map (see Map 2) “defining the areas representing the country occupied by each tribe which he numbered 1 to 9.” He also in 1898 in addition noted “the people speaking the different dialects prevalent in each district”. He indicated that: “No. 2 includes the country of the Kamilaroi [and others]” (1898:67),
“68 MATHEWS--INITIATION IN AUSTRALIAN TRIBES. [March 18, No. 4 represents the country occupied by the tribes speaking the Darkinung, Wannerawa, Warrimee, Wannungine, Dharrook and some other dialects . Their country commences at the Hunter river and extends southerly till it meets and merges into that of the people of No. 3. Their ceremony of initiation is known as the Narramang, which is described in a paper published in Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, Vol. x, N. S., pp. I-12. Their totemic system is dealt with in Journ. Roy. Soc. N. S. I4ales, Vol. xxxi, pp. 170-I 7 I . No. 5. Within this area, which extends from the Hunter river almost to the Macleay, the initiation ceremonies are of the Keeparra type described by me in Journ. An/hrop. Ins/. London, Vol. xxvi, pp. 320-340. This tract of country is inhabited by the remnants of the tribes speaking different dialects, some of the most important of which are the following: Wattung, Gooreenggai , Minyowa, Molo, Kutthack, Bahree, Karrapath, Birrapee, etc. North of the Hunter river and extending along the sea coast to about Cape Hawk there is an elementary ceremony called Dhalgai, Ref Initiation Ceremonies of Australian Tribes Author(s): R. H. Mathews Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 37, No. 157 (Jan., 1898), pp. 54-73 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/983694 Accessed: 30-03-2020 09:40 UT The Origin, Organization and Ceremonies of the Australian Aborigines Author(s): R. H. Mathews Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 39, No. 164 (Oct. - Dec., 1900), pp. 556-578 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/983776 Accessed: 17-02-2020 10:48 UT Mirranen archive - Ceremonial 1894-1900 (aiatsis.gov.au) Reference Type: Journal Article**
Record Number: 43
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1897
Title: The Burbung of the Darkinung Tribes
Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria
Volume: 10 (new series)
Pages: 1-12
Keywords: Ceremonies - initiation
Abstract: This article describes the male initiation ceremony practised by the coastal tribes of Darkinung people in New South Wales whose territory spreads ‘from Newcastle southerly to about Sydney. ’ Mathews acknowledges the existence of other language groups within the stated area, naming the Wannungine and Darrook (Dharug) people. Given the inter-communal character of initiation ceremonies, it is possible that the Burbung described here was common to all these tribal groups. Mathews obtained his data when visiting a ‘small remnant of the Darkinung Tribe’ who resided on the Government Aboriginal Reserve twelve miles below Windsor on the Hawkesbury River. Two old initiated men—Joe Booburra and Charley Clark—were his informants. The description of the ceremony, which involved tooth avulsion, is organised under the following headings: ‘The Main Camp and Burbung Ground’; ‘Gathering the Tribes’; ‘Daily Performances at the Camp’; ‘Taking away the Novices’; ‘The Watyoor Camp’; ‘Ceremonies in the Bush’; ‘Return of the Novices’. Mathews believed that the Darkinung ceremony had been influenced by the larger neighbouring communities of Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri people.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Darkinung
2. Wattung
3. Wiradjuri
4. Kamilaroi
5. Darrook
6. Wannungine
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Hunter River
2. Jerrys Plains
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Ground carvings (3).
2. Initiation rites of Kamilaroi, Wiradjuri (12). G. E Ford responded to “ The Kuringgai Puzzle” before it was even published. 84 Although in 2006 Lissarrague published about Darkiñung as a foreign language, this was contrary to what she published in 2008 with Wafer, although they did note: ‘There may be some systematic phonological differences between Darrkinyung [language] and HRBB [Threlkeld's language(s)]’,footnoting that: ‘We have set these out in a paper forthcoming called “The Kuringgai Puzzle”. This article ‘forthcoming’ has not been available at the time of completing this chapter. “The Kuringgai puzzle. Wafer , Jim and Lissarrague , Amanda.” Languages and dialects on the NSW Mid Coast . “This interpretation of the data fits with the information we have about the location of this language variety and its speakers. The Carigal were a Broken Bay tribe, and Karr,eē was, we have argued above, the dialect spoken at Brisbane Water, which is the northernmost of the large geographical ‘breaks’ that make up Broken Bay. There is some debate about how far south this dialect extended. But our contention is that the presentstate of research does not provide unambiguous support for the notion that it reached further than Brisbane Water. Capell gives no other justification for calling this dialect ‘Kuringgai’ than the fact that it was ‘convenient’ . We suggest that this nomenclature has several major weaknesses. The name appears to have been invented by John Fraser , using morphemes from the Sydney language. There is no evidence that it was ever used by the speakers of the language variety to which the name was applied by Capell, or by their neighbours. And its original use, as the name of a super-language of the central NSW coastal belt, makes it ambiguous. To avoid ongoing confusion about the referents of this term, we suggest dropping it as a name for the southern dialect of HRLM. There are two obvious alternative names that would probably have a degree of authenticity: Kari and Karikal (spelt here in the orthography Lissarrague has developed for language revival in HRLM). We have decided to adopt the latter as a more appropriate name for the southern dialect of HRLM than ‘Kuringgai’ (cf. Smith 2004:93). 9.7 Conclusion We propose the following (hypothetical) picture of the dialectology of the region attributed by Capell to ‘Kuringgai’. The language of Brisbane Water, extending north through Tuggerah Lakes, was the southern dialect of HRLM (Karikal), and the language of the north shore of Broken Bay, to the west of Brisbane Water, was the coastal dialect of the Hawkesbury-MacDonald River language.17 The language of the south shore of Broken Bay was the Sydney language. Broken Bay appears to have been the area where the three languages converged, and was thus probably a linguistic transitional zone. The three languages in question here (the Hunter River-Lake Macquarie language, the Hawkesbury-MacDonald River language and the Sydney language) are the central members of the supposed ‘super-language’ for which Fraser invented the name ‘Kuringgai’.But contemporary research distinguishes as well another language to the north, which we call the ‘Lower North Coast’ language, and another to the south, called ‘Dharawal’. There were thus five languages spoken in the area attributed by Fraser to ‘Kuringgai’; moreover, comparative research suggests that they belong to three distinct language groups. 18 In other words, there appear to be no grounds whatever for grouping them under the single term ‘Kuringgai’.19” The Port Stephens Tribe The Port Stephens warriors Howitt and Fison Papers https://fromthepage.com/tyay/howitt-and-fison-papers/hw0146 Howitt - Refers to a tribe he calls the Geawegal , as inhabiting part of the valley of the Hunter River extending to each lateral watershed and from twenty to thirty miles along the valley on each side of Glendon. On one of 'the maps illustrating his work he shows their territory as lying along the north bank of the Hunter from about Tomago to Glendon. Howitt also applies the name to the aborigines of the district around Dungog on the authority of J.W Boydell of Camyr Allyn NSW, who was noted for his keen interest in the natives, (Geawegal, with the evidence recorded would be a clan of the Gringai and of the Kattang language group). James Boydell 1820s Identified – Greengai (I have on map as Geawegal) he refers to them headquartering at Camyr Allyn.. that I have as Alamongarindi Clan (Camyr Allyn) … William Scott born 1844 identified Gringai Carrington Nsw Donald Mcrae identified the boundaries of the Tookala – Gringai https://fromthepage.com/tyay/howitt-and-fison-papers/hw0143/display/452363?translation=false and https://fromthepage.com/tyay/howitt-and-fison-papers/hw0144/display/452365 (the first one has been transcribed to Yookala but a month later it is clear it is just a badly written script.). This was knowledge was achieved and taken from local knowledge and family’s - Mr Hook and others from the Barrington Gloucester and Dungog areas NSW. Extracts- “Gringai “From the Barnet River to karuah River - North and South to Myall River to Mount royal ranges East and West.” William Anderson Cawthorne, ca. 1865 -187-?, including family details of the Coringoori Tribe, Patricks Plains, Singleton District, New South Wales , 187-? Mathews on his map , mention s the Katthack,/ Gathang and the Warrimee or Worimi (145-150), and he d id mention the Darkinung. His mention of Gooreenggai were the people “Fraser earlier recorded as Kurig-gai / Gringai.” Frasor has noted/ spelt it kuringgai, Goringai and kurig-gai and the Wannerawa were the Wonnarua-(Same word spelt differently) Fraser’s map shows Kamalarai the pink area occupying the Hunter Valley and more, and extending off into lands to the northwest. As far as the Hunter Valley is concerned, the Kamalarai are shown as ranging in the east to what appears to be country along Glendon Brook, in the west to the watershed beyond Cassilis. in the north to the watershed beyond Murrurundi and. in the south to the watershed beyond Barigan. Outside the Valley the Kamilaroi meet the Wiradjuri in the southwest and the Kurig-gai (Gringai) in the east the Paterson and the Chichester/Williams Rivers are shown as flowing through Kurig-gai (Gringai?) country. · Enright described Worimi country extending from the coast westerly to the area of Glendon Brook. W J Enright 1932 Identified the Giringai “ The suffix "gal," however, shows conclusively that “the Geawegal was only a horde, and Kattang was the language,” at any rate as far west as Maitland and Paterson. The Geawegal, he ( Howitt) states, spoke the language of and intermarried with those of Maitland and also of Paterson. The Gringai, according to the same author, intermarried with the Paterson River natives and those of Gloucester.” Tindale described Worimi country running from the coast inland to about Glendon Brook. Brayshaw had Worimi country lying east and southeast of Gringai lands. and Brayshaw also described Gringai country in the area of the Paterson and Allyn Rivers . Arthur Capell in 1970 identified the language to ‘more conveniently be called Kuringgai ( Gurigai )’, and Guringai is the name applied for use by descendants of the Broken Bay Aborigines ” from 1970” to the present day. In 1970, Capell made the following comment: — Karee, or Kuringgai, is the language of the Pittwater people , and included the well-known Cammeraygal on the extreme south, along the northern shores of Port Jackson, and stretched as far north at least as Broken Bay. This is the basis for the statement above that the “Sydney” language did not cross Port Jackson (1970:24). Capell's 1970 paper was not complete , he called it ‘this initial report’ and wrote about ‘the monograph that is intended to follow’. He had retired from the Sydney University in 1967, and his last work on Aboriginal languages. Gordon Bennet Identified the Giringai Dungog, Williams and Patterson Rivers James Boydell 1820s Identified – Greengai (I have on map as Geawegal) he refers to them headquartering at Camyr Allyn.. that I have as Alamongarindi Clan (Camyr Allyn) … William Scott born 1844 identified Gringai Carrington Nsw R. H. Mathews 1898 Gooreenggai North of the Hunter River No. 5 . North of the Hunter River Within this area, which extends from the Hunter river almost to the Macleay, the initiation ceremonies are of the Keeparra type described by me in Journ. An/hrop. Ins/. London, Vol. xxvi, pp. 320-340. This tract of country is inhabited by the remnants of the tribes speaking different dialects, some of the most important of which are the following: Wattung , Gooreenggai, Minyowa, Molo, Kutthack, Bahree, Karrapath, Birrapee, etc. North of the Hunter river and extending along the sea coast to about Cape Hawk there is an elementary ceremony called Dhalgai, You can see Number 5 is from the hunter river up going north John Fraser 1890 “I know that the Goringai Tribe occupied the whole of the east coast from the Hastings and the Manning down to the Hunter , and had several subdivisions named from particular localities in their territory.” Howitt - Refers to a tribe he calls the Geawegal, as inhabiting part of the valley of the Hunter River extending to each lateral watershed and from twenty to thirty miles along the valley on each side of Glendon. On one of 'the maps illustrating his work he shows their territory as lying along the north bank of the Hunter from about Tomago to Glendon. Howitt also applies the name to the aborigines of the district around Dungog on the authority of J.W Boydell of Camyr Allyn NSW, who was noted for his keen interest in the natives , (Geawegal is a clan of the Gringai and of the Kattang language group. Dr. Elkin at Port Stephens recorded “Worimi are a clan of the Kattang” W J Enright 1932 Identified the Giringai “The suffix "gal," however, shows conclusively that “ the Geawegal was only a horde, and Kattang was the language ,” at any rate as far west as Maitland and Paterson. The Geawegal, he ( Howitt) states, spoke the language of and intermarried with those of Maitland and also of Paterson. The Gringai, according to the same author, intermarried with the Paterson River natives and those of Gloucester.” Howitt and Fison Papers https://fromthepage.com/tyay/howitt-and-fison-papers/hw0146 Thelkeld, whose work was on the Awaba ,AKA- Awabakal of Lake Macquarie only ( recorded as Awaba on the original map). Kind regards
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