DJABUGAY INDIANS IN AUSTRALIA

THESE FOLKS ARE A GROUP OF ABORIGINES WHO LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS, LANDS, AND WATERS OF THE GREAT DIVIDE RANGE. THEY SHARE A COMMON DESCENT FROM ANCESTORS. THEY SHARE A COMMON DESCENT TO TIME IMMEMORIAL THEIR NAME COMES FROM THE PREHISTORIC DJABUGAY LANGUAGE OR DIALECTS. THEIR LANGUAGES WERE SPOKEN OVER A WIDE AREA.

THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS AS FOLLOWS - THE SOURCE OF LIFE IS THE STORY WATERS OR STORYTIME. IT IS CALLED DREAMTIME. ALL IS FROM THE SUN,MOON, AND STARS, THEIR FOOD, THE CREATURES OF THE WORLD, THE RAIN. BULLARU IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE. THE DJABUGAY ARE FROM BULLARU. DREAMTIME DESCRIBES THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE WORLD.

THEIR CREATIAN ERA TALKS ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE WORLD.IT IS THE SACRED PAST, THEIR STORIES WERE PAST FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. THEIR GREATEST ANCESTOR WAS GUDJU. HE COULD TRANSFORM INTO ANCESTORS AS A CARPET SNAKE.

ON A RAILROAD JOURNEY TO KURANDA THEY TELL THE STORY OF THE GIANT CARPET SNAKE TO 1000'S OF VISITORS. AS THEY TRAVEL TO THE SIDE OF BARRON GORGE. BY 2004 THE FEDERAL COURT JUDGE DETERMINED WHETHER OR NOT THE DJABUGAY PEOPLE HOLD LAWS AND FIND SOURCES IN TRADITIONS PRECEDING ENGLISH SETTLEMENT THERE.

EUROPEAN SETTLERS EXPLORED AND CLEARED LAND FOR GOLD AND IN THE 1880'S A RAILWAY WAS CONSTRUCTED FROM CAIRNS. THE DJABUGAY WERE UNHAPPY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT. THEIR TRADITIONAL HUNTING GROUNDS WERE TAKEN OVER. IN 1890 THE DJABUGAY WERE TAKEN TO A MONA MONA MISSION. THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO TO HUNT, FISH, OR MOVE AROUND. THEY BECAME LABORERS ON COFFEE PLANTATIONS. SOME NOW ARE ON THEIR OWN LAND, IN 2004 THEIR LAND NAMED BARRON GORGE NATIONAL PARK.

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