Dharawal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dharawal people |
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| aka: Dharawal, Darawal, Carawal, Turawal, Thurawal, Thurrawal, Thurrawall, Turu-wal, Turuwul, Turrubul, Turuwull Tharawal (AIATSIS), nd (SIL) |
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Sydney Basin bioregion
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| Hierarchy | |
| Language family: | Pama–Nyungan |
| Language branch: | Yuin–Kuric |
| Language group: | Yora |
| Group dialects: | Tharawal |
| Area | |
| Bioregion: | Sydney Basin |
| Location: | Sydney and Illawarra, New South Wales |
| Coordinates: | 34°S 151°E / 34°S 151°E |
| Rivers | Georges and Shoalhaven |
| Notable individuals | |
The Dharawal people are an Aboriginal Australian group. They are also known as Tharawal and other names. They are identified by the Dharawal language they speak. For a long time, they lived as hunter-gatherers and fishers. They lived in family groups or clans. These groups were connected by kinship (family ties). They lived along the coast in what is now the Sydney basin area of New South Wales.
Contents
What "Dharawal" Means
The name Dharawal comes from the word for cabbage palm. This plant was important to their way of life.
Where the Dharawal People Lived
The traditional lands of the Dharawal people covered about 1,165 square kilometers (450 square miles). This area stretched from south of Sydney Harbour. It went through the Georges River, Botany Bay, and Port Hacking. Their land also extended south beyond the Shoalhaven River to the Beecroft Peninsula. Inland, their territory reached Campbelltown and Camden.
Dharawal Clans
The Dharawal people were made up of different family groups, called clans.
The Gweagal Clan
The Gweagal clan was also known as the "Fire Clan." They are believed to be the first Aboriginal people to meet Captain Cook. This happened when his ship, the Endeavour, arrived in 1770.
An artist on Cook's ship, Sydney Parkinson, wrote about this meeting. He said the Aboriginal people shouted words that sounded like warra warra wai. He thought this meant 'Go away'. However, today's Dharawal community leaders say it meant 'You are all dead'. This is because warra in the Dharawal language means 'wither', 'white', or 'dead'. When Cook's ship appeared, it looked like a white cloud to the Dharawal people. They thought the crew were 'dead' people. They warned them not to come onto their land.
The Cubbitch Barta Clan
The Cubbitch Barta clan is another Dharawal group. In 2011, they officially registered an Indigenous land use agreement for the area around Helensburgh. This agreement helps manage their traditional land.
Dharawal Lifestyle and Culture
The whale is a very important animal for the Dharawal people. It is their main totem. A totem is like a special symbol or spiritual guide for a group.
Ancient Art and Engravings
The Dharawal people created amazing artwork. You can still see their historical art on sandstone surfaces in their traditional lands. These are called rock engravings. They also made paintings and drawings using charcoal and ochre. You can find hand stencils in many rock shelters and caves.
One place where you can see these engravings is at Jibbon Point. Here, you can see carvings of a whale and a wallaby. These carvings celebrate successful hunts and times when whales washed ashore. The original Jibbon Point engravings show a group of killer whales hunting a seal.
Food and Daily Life
The Dharawal people mainly ate food from local plants, fruits, and vegetables. They also fished and gathered shellfish. The men hunted land animals and used spears to catch fish. The women were skilled at collecting plant foods. They were also well-known for their fishing and canoeing abilities.
You can still see many shell middens (piles of discarded shells) in the southern Sydney area. These middens are like ancient rubbish dumps. By studying them, we can learn a lot about the Dharawal people's daily life and what they ate.
Descendants Today
For some time, it was thought that there were no remaining descendants of the Dharawal people. However, after important legal decisions like Mabo v Queensland and the Native Title Act 1993, this changed. Today, descendants of the Wodiwodi clan claim to have survived difficult times. They have gradually moved back into areas once used by other clans. These Wodi Wodi people claim to be part of the Dharawal tribe. Others also claim to be descendants of the Gweagal clan.
Other Names for Dharawal
The Dharawal people have been known by several different names over time. These include:
- Carawal
- Darawad
- Ta-ga-ry
- Thurawal
- Thurrawal
- Thurrawall
- Turawal
- Turrubul
- Turuwal
- Turuwul
- Turuwull
See also
