Jarowair facts for kids

The Jarowair are an Indigenous Australian people who traditionally lived in the Darling Downs area of Queensland. They are one of the many Aboriginal groups who have lived on this land for thousands of years.

Traditional Lands

The Jarowair people's traditional lands covered about 1,000 square miles (2,600 km²). This area stretched from the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range near Crows Nest all the way to Dalby. To the north, their land reached Bell in the Bunya Mountains, and to the south, it extended to around Oakey.

Gummingurru: A Special Meeting Place

The Jarowair people had a very important ceremonial site called Gummingurru. It is located near Gowrie Junction, which is north of Toowoomba and about 50 km from the Bunya Mountains. This site was part of a major pathway used by many Aboriginal groups from the south and southeast. They would travel here to take part in the special bunya nut feast, which happened every three years.

The Gummingurru site covers about 5.5 hectares. In 1871, the land was taken over by the first European settler, Alfred Walker. Later, in 1948, Ben Gilbert bought the property. In 1960, he told the Queensland Museum about the amazing stone arrangements on the land. The Jarowair people respected Ben Gilbert because he was seen as a close friend to several Aboriginal men from the Waka Waka Nation. One of these men was Harold Bunda Darlow, who shared important traditional knowledge about Gummingurru with Ben Gilbert. This knowledge revealed that Gummingurru was Queensland's main sacred Bora ceremonial ground. Another elder, Gaiarbau (also known as Willie Mackenzie) from the Waka Waka people, welcomed Ben Gilbert into the tribe and gave him the tribal name Banda.

In 1960, the Queensland Museum carefully mapped the site. The stone circles at Gummingurru include designs that represent important animals and plants. These include a turtle, a large carpet snake, an emu, and a bunya nut. The bunya nut design points towards the mountains where the Aboriginal people would gather these nuts.

On December 9, 2000, the Queensland government officially handed over the ownership of Gummingurru to the traditional owners. These owners represented the Waka Waka, Warra, and Jarowair peoples. Today, the site is managed by the Gumminguru Land Trust.

Recent History

The Jarowair people quickly lost their lands in the early 1840s when European settlers began taking over their territory for large farms. By the early 1900s, the Queensland government moved many Jarowair people to Cherbourg. Sadly, as late as the 1950s, most of them were forcibly moved even further away to islands like Fraser Island and Palm Island.

Other Names

The Jarowair people have also been known by these names:

• Yarrowair
• Yarow-wair
• Yarrow Wair