Gandangara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gundungurra people |
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| aka: Gundungurra, Gundungari, Gundanora, Gurragunga, Burragorang (Tindale) | |
Sydney Basin bioregion
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| Hierarchy | |
| Language family: | Gundungurra people have their own language, which shares many similarities with the Ngunnawal language |
| Language branch: | Yuin–Kuric |
| Language group: | Ngunnawal |
| Group dialects: | Gundangara |
| Area (approx. 11,000 km2 (4,200 sq mi)) | |
| Bioregion: | Southern Highlands, Cumberland Plain, Sydney basin |
| Location: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates: | 34°20′S 150°0′E / 34.333°S 150.000°E |
| Mountains: | Blue Mountains, Great Dividing Range, Southern Highlands |
| Rivers: | Avon, Cataract, Cordeaux, Coxs, Georges, Nepean, Warragamba, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly |
| Other geological: | Illawarra escarpment |
| Notable individuals | |
The Gundungurra people are an Aboriginal Australian group from south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands include areas like Goulburn, Wollondilly Shire, the Blue Mountains, and the Southern Highlands. You might also see their name spelled as Gundungara, Gandangarra, or Gandangara.
Contents
Who are the Gundungurra People?
The name Gandangara combines words that mean both "east" and "west". This shows how their lands stretched across different areas.
Their Language
The Gundungurra people have their own language, which is part of the Yuin-Kuric branch of the larger Pama-Nyungan language family. It is very similar to the Ngunnawal language. The first time someone tried to describe the Gundangara language was in 1901 by R. H. Mathews.
Traditional Lands and Country
The Gandangara people lived across a large area, about 10,600 square kilometres (4,100 square miles), in south-east New South Wales. Their lands included places like Goulburn and Berrima. They lived along the Nepean River (which they called Wollondilly) and near Camden. Their territory also covered the areas where the Wollondilly and Coxs rivers flow, and some land west of the Great Dividing Range.
Their neighbours included the Dharug and Eora people to the north. To the east were the Thurrawal people. To the west and south were the Darkinung, Wiradjuri, and Ngunawal peoples.
How They Lived: Social Groups
The Gandangara people were organised into different groups called hordes or bands. Two known groups were:
- The Therabulat, who lived in the middle Coxs River area.
- The Burragorang group.
A Look at Their History
Early Encounters with Europeans
In 1802, an explorer named Francis Barrallier met the Gundungurra people. He wrote in his journal that the Gundungurra people would "build huts for the strangers they wish to receive as friends." This shows their welcoming nature.
At first, much of their land was not attractive to early European settlers. The soil was poor, and the Gundungurra people asked Governor King to protect their river areas where they grew yams (a type of root vegetable). This promise was kept until 1807.
Conflicts and Challenges
However, things changed. In 1811, Governor Macquarie started giving out large land grants to settlers. By 1814, some Aboriginal people were treated unfairly and not paid for their work. This led to conflicts. The Gandangara people joined forces with the Thurrawal/Darawal and Dharug people to protect their lands and resources. They sometimes raided settlers' cornfields.
During this time, a severe drought also made it harder to find food, which added to the tensions. The Gundungurra people learned how to deal with the settlers' muskets. They would tease the soldiers to make them fire, knowing it took time to reload. This allowed the Aboriginal warriors to launch their own spearing attacks.
The Appin Massacre
In 1816, some settlers were killed by Aboriginal groups who were searching for food. In response, Governor Macquarie ordered soldiers to gather all Aboriginal people from the Hawkesbury to the southern areas. These actions were meant to scare the Aboriginal people.
On April 17, 1816, soldiers found a group camping near the Cataract River at Appin. What happened next was a massacre. Soldiers shot some Aboriginal people, and others were forced off cliffs into a deep gorge. At least fourteen people were killed, including men, women, and children. Only two women and three children survived. Among those killed were important leaders like Conibigal and Balyin.
Today, Aboriginal descendants believe more than 14 people were killed. The land where the Appin Massacre is believed to have happened has been returned to the local Aboriginal community.
Life After the Conflicts
Despite these terrible events, the Gundungurra people were able to survive as an organised group. They found refuge in tough, remote areas like the Burragorong. In the 1860s, they even returned to demand their lands back.
In the early 1900s, an ethnographer named R. H. Mathews interviewed Gundungurra people living at Burragorang. He recorded some of their traditional stories and beliefs.
Beliefs and Dreamtime Stories
The Gundungurra people have rich beliefs about the Dreaming (which they call gun-yung-ga-lung, meaning "times far past"). In these ancient stories, two creator figures, Gurangatch (a rainbow serpent) and Mirragañ (a quoll), went on a long journey. Mirragañ chased Gurangatch, and their journey created many features of the landscape. This journey stretched for about 169 kilometres (105 miles). In the Dreamtime, animals were like humans, and they were all known as Burringilling.
One famous story tells how Gurangatch, who was part fish and part reptile, was resting by the Wollondilly and Wingeecaribbee rivers. Mirragañ, a skilled hunter, saw the light reflecting from Gurangatch's eyes and tried to spear him. Gurangatch escaped into a waterhole. Mirragañ tried to force him out by putting smelly hickory bark into the water. But Gurangatch was clever and burrowed underground, creating tunnels and drawing water with him. He emerged on a high rocky ridge, which was then named Birrimbunnungalai because it became rich in small fish called birrimbunnung.
As Gurangatch wriggled and fought with Mirragañ, he shaped the land. When Mirragañ caught up, he would hit Gurangatch with a club. Gurangatch would strike back with his tail. A place now called Slippery Rock, known as Wonggaree by the Gundungurra, is where they fought for a long time. Their struggle made the rock so smooth that people still slip on it today.
Sadly, much of this important cultural landscape, with its detailed Gundungurra place names, was covered by water when the Warragamba Dam was built after World War II.
Alternative Spellings
You might see the name of the Gundungurra people spelled in different ways, such as:
- Gandangara
- Gandangarra
- Gundungura
- Gundungurra
Some Words from the Gundungurra Language
Here are a few words from the Gundungurra language:
- boobal (a boy)
- boombi (spring (of water))
- bul'lan (a woman)
- goodha (a child of either sex)
- mullunga (a girl)
- murriñ (a man)
- warrambal (young)
- werriberri (tree ferns)
