Quandamooka people facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Quandamooka people |
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| Location: | Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland |
| Coordinates: | 27°30′S 143°30′E / 27.500°S 143.500°E |
| Notable people | |
| Oodgeroo Noonuccal Leeanne Enoch Aileen Moreton-Robinson |
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The Quandamooka people are Aboriginal Australians who have lived around Moreton Bay in Southeast Queensland for thousands of years. They are made up of three main tribes: the Nunukul, the Goenpul, and the Ngugi. These tribes mostly live on Moreton and North Stradbroke Islands. These islands form the eastern side of the bay.
In 1824, the English colonial government started a penal colony nearby. This meant many Quandamooka people were forced to leave their traditional lands. Each of the three tribes has its own unique language. The Quandamooka people have always used many local plants and animals for food.
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Who are the Quandamooka People?
The name Quandamooka refers to the area of southern Moreton Bay. This includes the waters, islands, and nearby coastal areas on the mainland. The Nunukul and Goenpul tribes traditionally lived on Stradbroke Island. The Ngugi tribe lived on Moreton Island. Together, these three tribes are known as the Quandamooka people.
A Look at Quandamooka History
How Long Have They Lived There?
Scientists have studied old sites on the Moreton Bay islands. These studies show that Aboriginal people have lived there for at least 18,000 years. This means the Quandamooka people have a very long and rich history in this area.
First Meetings with Europeans
The Quandamooka people first met Europeans in 1799. This was when the English explorer Matthew Flinders spent several weeks exploring Moreton Bay. Sometimes, the Quandamooka people helped and cared for English castaways. These were people who had been sent to Australia as prisoners but were allowed to work.
In 1823, another explorer named John Oxley found three of these castaways. The next year, Oxley started the first European settlement. It was a penal colony at Redcliffe. For over ten years, there was not much contact between the Quandamooka people and the settlers. This was because free settlers were not allowed near the penal colony.
Changes to Their Way of Life
As more free settlers arrived, the Quandamooka people were pushed out of their fertile lands. They had to move to coastal areas and smaller islands. The three Quandamooka tribes lost their hunting and fishing grounds. New diseases brought by the settlers also caused problems.
Sadly, people were also forced to move, and children were taken away from their families. The Aboriginal people on Stradbroke Island were able to keep their lifestyle for a long time. But by 1897, most Indigenous people were moved to special areas called reservations. Only those who were working as servants or were in prison were not moved.
Quandamooka Culture and Traditions
Living a Semi-Nomadic Life
The Quandamooka people lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle. This means they moved between different campsites. They built various types of shelters. Some were simple lean-tos for a single night. Others were stronger huts used at places they visited often. Their traditions were passed down through art, songs, and dances.
Languages of the Tribes
The three tribes of the Quandamooka people spoke different forms of a Durubalic language. The Goenpul tribe, from central and southern Stradbroke Island, spoke Jandai. The Nunukul dialect, from northern Stradbroke Island, was called Moondjan. This name came from its unique word for "no."
Traditional Food Sources
The Quandamooka people used many local food sources, especially from the ocean. Men and women often collected different types of food. Men used Canoes to fish for Mullet in Moreton Bay. They also hunted Dugongs and Sea Turtles. Canoes were also used to travel to the mainland for hunting.
Hunting and fishing were jobs for the men. Dugongs were very important because they had many uses. Their meat was roasted and eaten. Oil from dugongs was also used as medicine. Men used different ways to catch fish. They used nets made of vines or bark from canoes. They also used spears and traps.
Women collected other food sources. These included shellfish, fern roots, Pandanus trees, insect larvae, berries, lily bulbs, honey, and small animals. Fern roots were roasted and ground into flour. The soft part of Pandanus trees was used to make a drink. The Quandamooka people also ate lizards, snakes, waterbirds, and marsupials.
Art and Tools of the Quandamooka
The Quandamooka people made many tools and weapons from local materials. These included boomerangs and shields. They also made dilly bags from woven reeds. These items were often decorated with patterns. These patterns were either burned into the material or painted. Sometimes, tools and weapons were traded with other nearby tribes.
Native Title Rights
On July 4, 2011, the Quandamooka people were given Native title rights. This happened after a 16-year legal process. The title covered about 568 square kilometers of land. This included most of North Stradbroke Island, many smaller islands, and parts of Moreton Bay. This was the first time Indigenous people in South Queensland were granted such rights.
Important Quandamooka People
- Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920-1993) was a very famous Quandamooka person. She was a poet and a political activist. She worked to improve rights for Aboriginal people. Oodgeroo was the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of poems.
- Leeanne Enoch is a Quandamooka woman of Nunukul-Nughi background. She has been a member of the Queensland assembly since 2015. She is the first Indigenous woman elected to the Parliament of Queensland. She has held several important government jobs.
- Wesley Enoch (born 1969) is an Australian playwright and artistic director. He is a Noonuccal Nuugi man from Stradbroke Island. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Sydney Festival.
- Lisa Bellear (1961-2006) was an Indigenous Australian poet, photographer, and activist. She was also a comedian and worked in radio. She hosted a show called "Not Another Koori Show" for over 20 years.
- Bob Bellear (1944-2005) was an Australian social activist, lawyer, and judge. He was the first Aboriginal Australian judge.
- Megan Cope is a modern Indigenous Australian artist. She won an award in 2015 for her video that made fun of Australian stereotypes about Indigenous people.
- Lorraine Hatton, OAM (born 1966) is a Ngugi /Noonuccal Elder from Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island). She served in the Australian Defence Force for over 20 years. She was the first woman to achieve several things in the Army. She is now an ambassador for community building and cultural awareness. In June 2020, Lorraine was made the Indigenous Elder of the Australian Army.
- Aileen Moreton-Robinson is an Australian academic and activist for Indigenous rights. She is an Aboriginal woman from the Goenpul tribe, part of the Quandamooka nation on Stradbroke Island. She was the first Aboriginal person to be appointed to a teaching job in women's studies in Australia. She has written books about Indigenous women and feminism.
