Jagera people facts for kids
The Jagera people are an Australian First Nations group. They are also known as Yagarr or Yaggera. They speak the Yuggera language. This language has many different dialects. The Jagera people were the traditional owners of lands from Moreton Bay to the Toowoomba ranges. This area includes the city of Brisbane.
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The Yuggera Language
The Yuggera language is part of the Pama–Nyungan languages family. It is also a general name for languages spoken around Brisbane. The English word 'yakka' comes from the Yuggera word yaga. Yaga means 'strenuous work'. So, 'hard yakka' means 'hard work'.
Thomas Petrie wrote down many words and place names from the Brisbane area. He said that yaggaar meant 'no' in the local language. Different words for 'no' often showed differences between Aboriginal groups. The area from North Quay to Breakfast Creek was called Mianjin. The people there were also known as Miguntyun.
Ludwig Leichhardt wrote in his diaries that "Megandsin" was the name for the land from Brisbane city to Breakfast Creek. He said the people there spoke Yuggera.
Jagera Traditional Lands
Norman Tindale described the Yugara/Jagara lands. They were around the Brisbane River from the Cleveland district. Their northern edge reached near Esk. According to Watson, Jagera-related groups lived from Moreton Bay to Toowoomba. Their land went almost to Nanango in the north-west. This included Brisbane.
However, many groups disagree about these land borders. This has led to many native title claims. Their traditional lands also included Jimna and its forests. Here, their lands met those of the Wakka Wakka and the Gubbi Gubbi people. The Yugambeh and Bundjalung people lived to their south.
Native Title Claims
Descendants of both the Yagara and Turrbal people see themselves as traditional custodians. They care for the land where much of Brisbane is built. The Turrbal people made a native title claim in 1998. The Yagara people made their claim in 2011. Both claims were joined together in 2013.
An Indigenous land use agreement (ILUA) was signed in 2008. This agreement was for the site of the 1843 Battle of One Tree Hill. This place is now called Table Top Mountain. In this battle, the warrior Multuggerah from the Ugarapul tribe and his men won against settlers. The agreement was between Toowoomba City Council and a group representing the "Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul people." They were seen as the traditional owners of that area.
In January 2015, Justice Christopher Jessup of the Federal Court of Australia rejected the claims. He said that under traditional law, the claimants did not have a land right. The decision was appealed. But on July 25, 2017, the Federal Court rejected both appeals. It confirmed that native title does not exist in the greater Brisbane area.
Other Names and Spellings
- Jagarabal ([jagara = no)
- Jergarbal
- Yagara
- Yaggara
- Yuggara
- Yugg-ari
- Yackarabul
- Turubul (language name)
- Turrbal
- Turrubul
- Turrubal
- Terabul
- Torbul
- Turibul
- Yerongban
- Yeronghan
- Ninghi
- Yerongpan
- Biriin
Important Place Names
- Meebatboogan, Mount Greville, Moogerah Peaks National Park.
- Cooyinnirra, Mount Mitchell, Main Range National Park.
- Booroongapah, Flinders Peak, Flinders Peak Group.
- Ginginbaar, Mount Blaine, Flinders Peak Group.
Notable Jagera People
- Multuggerah, a warrior from the 1800s.
- Uncle Desmond Sandy
- Aunty Ruth James
- Aunty Pearl Sandy
- Uncle, Hon. Neville Bonner, a former Australian senator and Jagera elder.
- Auntie Jeannie Bell, an Australian linguist.
- Auntie Faye Carr, winner of the 2017 National NAIDOC Awards for Female Elder of the Year.
- Latia Schefe, winner of the 2017 National NAIDOC Awards for Youth of the Year.
- Susan McCarthy, also known as Bunjoey, daughter of Moonpago.
See also
In Spanish: Jagera (tribu) para niños
