Dalla people facts for kids
The Dalla people, also known as Jinibara, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They traditionally lived in southern Queensland, near the city of Brisbane.
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The Dalla Language
The word "Dalla" comes from a type of staghorn fern. This name was also used for the language they spoke. The Dalla language was very similar to the Gubbi Gubbi language.
Traditional Lands
The Dalla people's traditional lands covered about 7,770 square kilometers (3,000 square miles). These lands were mainly in the mountain ranges north of Brisbane. Important areas included the D'Aguilar, Glass House, Blackall, and Jimna ranges. These areas are west of today's Sunshine Coast.
Their territory stretched to Nanango in the west and Nambour in the east. It also included places like Palmwoods and Durundur. The upper parts of the Brisbane River and the start of the Mary River were also in their country.
To their west lived the Wakka Wakka people. The Gubbi Gubbi people were to their north, separated by the Mary River. East towards the coast were the southern Undanbi people. The Dalla called these coastal groups "Saltwater people" (Mwoirnewar). This included the Undanbi and the Djindubari people on Bribie Island.
Dalla Clans
The Dalla people traditionally had five main groups, or clans:
- The Dalla clan (also called Dalambara or Ngoera). They lived near the beginnings of the Mary and Brisbane rivers.
- The Dungidau clan. Their main area was around the Kilcoy region.
- The Nalbo clan (also known as Njalbo or Nalboo). They lived in the eastern foothills, from Eumundi south to Beerwah and Caboolture.
- The Dungibara clan (also Doongibarra or Doongiburra). They lived along the Upper Pine River and in the D'Aguilar Range.
- The Garumga clan (also Garumnga or Garumgma). They lived west of the Brisbane River, reaching Crows Nest and the Cooyar Range. Their southern border was near Esk.
Traditional Food and Resources
The Dalla people lived in a very rich natural environment. They hunted animals like kangaroos, possums, bandicoots, echidnas, goannas, and scrub turkeys. There were also many different kinds of birds.
The rivers provided freshwater turtles, cod fish, eels, mussels, and crayfish. They gathered seeds and nuts from native grasses. They also made bread from fern roots. River chestnuts were roasted and crushed. After soaking, they were mixed with honey to make cakes.
Cunjevoi seeds were also used for cakes. These seeds had to be treated to remove toxins first. Other vegetables included a waterlily that tasted like an artichoke, pencil orchid roots, and wild yams. They also enjoyed native passionfruit, limes, oranges, and quandong berries. The berries were sweetened in sand pits before eating.
The most important food was the bunya nut. These nuts grew in large numbers in their region.
Bunya Nut Feasts
When bunya nuts were ready, the Dalla people would know because the bark on sugar and white gum trees would start to fall off. They would send messages to their relatives and other nearby Aboriginal groups. Everyone would meet for big feasts to eat the harvested nuts.
One special feasting place was Baroon Pocket in the mountains. A German missionary described it as a "paradise in the wilderness." This site is now covered by the Baroon Pocket Dam.
These feasts were a way for different groups to share food and culture. Coastal people would also invite inland tribes like the Dalla to their feasts. When Blue Mountain lorikeets appeared on the Brisbane River, it meant that mullet fish were plentiful in the bay. The Dalla would camp on the shores of Moreton Bay and join the fishing. They also gathered huge amounts of oysters. When European settlers arrived, they found so many oysters that they dug them up by the ton to burn for lime.
Preserving Dalla History
In the 1950s, a researcher named Lindsay Page Winterbotham worked to record Dalla traditions. He was helped by Norman Tindale. Winterbotham interviewed a Jinibara man named Gaiarbau (Willie Mackenzie) for several years (1950-1955).
This work resulted in a large collection of Dalla traditions and music. Although it was never published, Winterbotham gave the manuscript to the Queensland Museum. This helped to save important parts of Dalla history and culture.
Notable People
