Mulbarapa facts for kids

The Mulbarapa are an important group of people from Australia. They are one of 22 known clans that belong to the Yaraldi branch of the Ngarrindjeri nation. The Ngarrindjeri are an Aboriginal people from South Australia.

Mulbarapa Homeland

The Mulbarapa people lived along the shores of Lake Alexandrina. Their land stretched from a place called Poikangk to Pemandang Bluff. Their country also included areas like Lalanganggel (also known as Mt Misery). It went south-east to Albert Hill, then north-east to Kutingwar, and north to Minmulewar. South-east of Minmulewar, their land passed Trewunang Swamp and reached Punguldulin.

Legends of the Land

Pemandang is a very special place for the Mulbarapa. According to their ancient stories, a powerful Dreaming hero named Ngurunderi stepped ashore here. He had just finished preparing Pondi, the Murray cod, from his bark canoe. For a long time, people could see what looked like Ngurunderi's footprints on stones at Pemandang. These marks were a reminder of his journey.

Two sandhills at Lalangange also mark a place where Ngurunderi once camped. Another important spot, Punguldulin, was known as the home of the kangaroo rat. These places connect the Mulbarapa people to their history and the stories of their ancestors.

Animals and Plants of Mulbarapa Country

The Mulbarapa land was rich with many animals, which were important for hunting. Hunters could find lots of tulatji (wallaby), wangyumi (kangaroo), pindjuli (emu), wiruringguri (mallee hen), and talkundjeri (wild turkey). These animals lived in the mallee scrub behind Pemandang.

Mulbarapa Totems

The Mulbarapa people had special animal connections called ngatji, or totems. Their totems were the noŋkulauri (the mountain duck) and the trewari. The trewari is a type of shag, a black-backed and white-winged bird, different from the larger cormorant called yoldi.

People were not allowed to hunt their own totemic animals directly. However, the Mulbarapa could have people from other clans hunt these animals for them. This way, they could still eat them. Some other clans, like the Ramindjeri, would not do this.

Food from the Land

The Mulbarapa also gathered many plants for food. They dug up kandjuri and wiloki yams, and kukindji and moronggoni potatoes. They also collected karangki (currants) and ngalaii (honey from yacca grass). Poikangk Bay was an excellent place for the Mulbarapa to fish, providing them with plenty of food from the water.

Mulbarapa Traditions

The Mulbarapa clan had a close relationship with the Pinpulalindjara clan. They considered each other like brothers and sisters, even if they weren't related by family. Because their ways of speaking were similar, they had the right to hunt in each other's territories. They also had a duty to support each other in fights between clans. It is thought that the Pinpulalindjara clan might have originally come from the Mulbarapa.

Wild Dog Ceremony

The Mulbarapa clan also had a special wild dog ceremony. During this ceremony, the men would dance. They painted plain stripes down their legs. They also used pipeclay to paint stripes on their faces and dots on their chests. This ceremony was not seen as deeply religious, but it was connected to their ngatji (totems). It might have been a set of songs and dances performed before young men became adults.