Dharug facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dharug people
aka Dharug, Dharruk, Dharrook, Darrook, Dharung, Broken Bay tribe
Sydney Basin bioregion
Hierarchy
Language family:	Pama–Nyungan
Language branch:	Yuin–Kuric
Language group:	Dharug
Group dialects:	Dharuk, Gamaraygal, Iora
Area (approx. 6,000 sq. km)
Bioregion:	Cumberland Plain, Sydney basin
Location:	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates:	33°35′S 150°35′E / 33.583°S 150.583°E / -33.583; 150.583
Mountains:	Blue Mountains
Rivers:	Cooks, Georges, Hawkesbury, Lane Cove, Nepean, Parramatta
Notable individuals
Anthony Fernando

The Dharug or Darug people are an Aboriginal Australian group. They were once called the Broken Bay tribe. Before European settlers arrived, they lived in family groups called clans. They were skilled hunters and lived across much of what is now Sydney.

The Dharug people originally lived in Western Sydney. Their lands were next to other Aboriginal groups. These included the Kuringgai to the northeast and the Darkinjung to the north. To the west were the Wiradjuri near the Blue Mountains. The Gandangara were to the southwest, and the Eora to the east. The Tharawal lived to the southeast.

Dharug Language: A Look Back

The Dharug language is not commonly spoken today. It is thought to be one of two dialects, with the other being the language of the nearby Eora people. These two dialects formed a single language. The word myall used to be a negative term in Australia for Aboriginal people who lived traditionally. This word originally came from the Dharug term mayal. It meant someone from a different tribe.

Dharug Country: Where They Lived

Norman Tindale estimated the Dharug lands covered about 6,000 square kilometers. This area included the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. It stretched inland to places like Mount Victoria. Their country also included areas around Campbelltown, Liverpool, Camden, Penrith, and Windsor.

Dharug Society: Life and Culture

Traditionally, there was a difference between the western Dharug and the Eora people. The Dharug called the Eora katungal, meaning "sea people". The Eora built canoes and mainly ate seafood. They caught fish and shellfish from Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay, and nearby rivers.

The inland Dharug were called paiendra, or "tomahawk people". They hunted animals like kangaroos and emus. They also used stone axes more often.

Dharug Clans: Family Groups

The Dharug people were organized into many woodland clans. Each clan usually lived in a specific area. These areas were also home to future generations of the clan. A typical clan had about 50 to 100 people. According to James Kohen, there were 15 main clans:

History of Contact: European Arrival

European settlers arrived in 1788. They brought diseases like smallpox. Sadly, this disease caused a big drop in the Dharug population. The Dharug people lived in natural caves and rock overhangs in the sandstone areas. Some also built huts using bark, sticks, and branches.

Notable Dharug People

• Kurtley Beale, a professional rugby union player from Australia.
• Anthony Fernando, an activist from the early 1900s.
• Daniel Moowattin, one of the first Aboriginal Australians to visit England.
• Marion Leane Smith, the only Aboriginal Australian woman known to have served in the First World War.
• Yarramundi, a leader from the Boorooberongal clan. His daughter, Maria Lock, and son, Colebee, played important roles in early colonial history.
  • Maria Lock, an Aboriginal Australian landowner during colonial times.

Alternative Names for Dharug People

• Broken Bay tribe
• Dharruk, Dharrook, Dhar'rook, Darrook, Dharug

See also

• Wangal
• Eora