Nunukul facts for kids

The Nunukul people (also spelled Noonuccal, and sometimes called Moondjan) are an Aboriginal Australian group. They are one of the three Quandamooka peoples. Traditionally, they lived on Minjerribah in the Moreton Bay Area, and also on the mainland around Brisbane.

Nunukul Language and Identity

The Nunukul people spoke a language called Mundjan (also known as Nunukan). This language was a type of Yagera. It was very similar to the Turrbal and Jandai dialects. Some people even use Janday as a general name for all these related languages.

A special thing about Mundjan was that it used the word mundjan for 'no'. Other dialects used jandai for 'no'. This difference helped show that the Nunukul were a distinct group.

Nunukul Social Groups

On North Stradbroke Island and the nearby mainland, the Quandamooka people had two or maybe three main family groups or clans. These were the Nunukul, the Goenpul, and the Koobeenpul. Some experts think that the Goenpul and Koobeenpul might have been the same clan. Their names are quite similar, which suggests this idea.

History of the Nunukul People

Early European Contact

When Europeans first arrived, the Nunukul people were often kind to them. They even helped people who were shipwrecked or convicts who had escaped. For example, in 1823, three cedar cutters named Thomas Pamphlett, Richard Parsons, and John Finnegan lived with them for about 230 days. They also lived with the Ningy Ningy and Ngugi peoples.

It seems that the local Aboriginal people believed that white-skinned newcomers were the spirits of their ancestors returning home. On Stradbroke Island, these spirits were called duggai. On Moreton Island, they were called targan, and on the coast, mogwi.

Growing Tensions and Conflicts

In 1825, the British set up a pilot station in Nunukul territory. At first, the Nunukul continued to be friendly. However, problems soon started. There were arguments over Aboriginal women, and some were even taken away. According to Nunukul stories, this caused a lot of anger.

On July 10, 1831, Nunukul warriors at Dunwich killed a convict named James Wood. They did this because of "injuries suffered from Europeans." Around this time, they also killed a soldier at Amity Point. In 1832, the Nunukul injured Corporal Robert Cain, Private William Wright, and another man named Thomas Kinchella.

Because of these events, soldiers were sent to punish the islanders. A convict hutkeeper named William Reardon, known to the Nunukul as Chooroong, reportedly tricked a tribal elder into going fishing and then had him killed. On November 25 of that year, Reardon was surprised near his hut at Pyrrnn-Pyrrnn-Pa (a small sandhill). He got caught in fishing nets (called towrows) and was killed.

Toggery's Journey and Further Clashes

In 1837, a tall 17-year-old Nunukul boy, later named Toggery, and a young initiated man called Peermudgeon, secretly boarded Captain F. Fyan's ship. The ship was leaving Amity Point and heading to Sydney. When Toggery arrived in Sydney, he was seen as an important figure, like Bennelong. He was given a military-style uniform. Captain Fyan even had a special brass crescent made for Toggery. It had pictures of a kangaroo and an emu, along with Toggery's name.

In December 1832, Chief Constable McIntosh led a group to catch runaway convicts. He was wounded when they landed, and two of his men, Charles Holdsworth and James O'Regan, were captured. Their bodies were found on December 20. Soon after, several Aboriginal people were killed or wounded in a fight. It's thought that between July 1831 and December 1832, about 30 to 40 Ngugi and Nunukul people died or were injured due to the fighting with the British military.

Impact of Disease

In March 1835, the whaling ship Elizabeth stopped at Amity. While the sailors were there, the Nunukul people caught a disease. This disease quickly spread among them and other Moreton Bay tribes. It caused a rapid and sad decrease in their population.

Alliances and Notable Events

As part of the Quandamooka people, the Nunukul were in an alliance with their Turball allies. They were rivals with a group that included the Dalla, Ningy Ningy, Djindubari, and Gubbi Gubbi peoples.

In 1848, a Nunukul man named Bobby Winter played an important role. He worked with a former convict named Eugene Doucette, who lived with the Nunukul at Amity Point. Together, they helped capture Oumulli, who was the brother of the Dalla-Djindubari leader, Dundalli.

Nunukul Fishing Practices

J. K. E. Fairholme observed the people of Amity Point using dolphins to help them catch mullet. This was a truly amazing way of fishing:

'Near the old Pilot Station at Amity Point, you could often find some of the local people fishing for "Mullet" during the warmer months. Mullet are fine fish, about the size of a mackerel. In this fishing, they get wonderful help from the Dolphins. It seems that for a very long time, the Aboriginal people and the Dolphins have had an agreement that helps both of them. The local people even say they know all the Dolphins in the area and have names for them.

The beach here is gently sloping sand. Near the shore are small sandhills where the people sit and watch for a group of Mullet. Their nets, which they hold by hand on a frame about 4 feet wide, are ready on the beach. When they see a group of fish, several men run down. They make a special splashing sound in the water with their spears. It's hard to know if the Dolphins truly understand this as a signal, or if they think it's the fish. But the result is always the same: the Dolphins immediately come towards the shore, pushing the mullet in front of them.

As the fish get closer to the edge, many of the people with spears and handnets quickly split up to the right and left. They rush into the water. With the Dolphins outside the group of fish, many fish are caught before they can escape. In the busy scene, the people and Dolphins are splashing very close to each other. The Dolphins are so brave that visitors who doubted their tameness were often shown that the Dolphins would take a fish from the end of a spear held out to them.

I truly believe that this understanding is real. The local people know these Dolphins, and strange Dolphins would not be so unafraid of the people. The oldest men of the tribe say that this same kind of fishing has always happened, for as long as they can remember. Dolphins are common in the Bay, but only in this one spot do the local people fish with their help.'

The local people told Fairholme that this special way of fishing with dolphins had been going on for as long as anyone could remember. Since North Stradbroke Island has been lived on for over 50,000 years, some people think that what Fairholme described might be a very old story. It could be a link to the earliest times humans and dolphins worked together in a positive way for both.

Notable Nunukul People

• Leeanne Enoch: She is partly Nunukul and Ngugi. She was the first Indigenous woman elected to Parliament in Queensland, Australia.
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal: Also known as Kath Walker, she was a famous Indigenous Australian writer, poet, and activist.
• Baizam Nunukul: Also known as Dennis Walker, he was an important activist.