Yawuru facts for kids
The Yawuru people, also known as Jawuru, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They come from the Kimberley area in Western Australia.
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Yawuru Language
A Japanese expert named Hosokawa Kōmei created the first simple dictionary of the Yawuru language in 1988. Later, in 2011, he wrote a more detailed book explaining the language's rules.
Yawuru Country: Their Traditional Land
The Yawuru's traditional land is mostly open saltmarsh areas. It stretches from the eastern side of Roebuck Bay south of Roebuck Plains. It goes down to the southern part of Thangoo Station. Their land also reaches within 5 miles of Cape Villaret. Inland, their territory went close to Mandikarakapo (Dampier Downs). One estimate suggests their land covered about 2,100 square miles (5,400 km2).
Their neighbors included the Jukan to the north. Moving clockwise, the Warrwa were to the northeast. The Nyigina lived in the eastern inland areas. To the south, they bordered the Karajarri people. The boundary with the Karajarri is where the coastal saltmarsh plains change. It becomes a thick, sandy pindan scrubland, which the Karajarri lived in.
Yawuru Social Structure and Beliefs
The Yawuru people living in Broome also include the Djugun group. These two groups are very similar, with only small differences in their language.
In Yawuru beliefs, a special time called bugarrigarra (the primordial time) is still important. Its creative power guides how people live together. It also shapes how they connect with the land and sea in their traditional area. This helps keep the community (ngarrungunil) healthy and happy (liyan).
The Yawuru have a traditional kinship structure with four main groups. These groups are Banaga, Burungu, Garimba, and Barrjarri. The Banaga and Burungu are a pair, and Garimba and Barrjarri are another pair. People usually marry someone from the opposite pair. For example, a Banaga person might marry a Burungu person. Children get their group identity from their mother. So, if a Banaga father and a Burungu mother have a child, that child will be a Barrjarri. If a Garimba mother and a Barrjarri father have a child, that child will be a Banaga.
Yawuru Seasons and Ecology
The Yawuru people recognize six different seasons in a year. These are Barrgana, Wirlburu, Laja, Marrul, Wirralburu, and Man-gala.
- The dry and cold season, Barrgana, is when people change how they fish. They move from the open sea to catching native salmon in creeks.
- After a short changeover season called Wirlburu, the Laja period begins. This lasts from September to November. It's known as "married turtle time." During this time, many turtle eggs can be collected from the beaches. Fishing on the reef is also good.
- The humid Marrul period follows. This is when people fish for whiting, trevally, queenfish, and mullet.
Traditional Yawuru Food
The Yawuru are a coastal people, so their main diet was seafood. This included fish, turtles, stingrays, dugong, crabs, and mangrove shells. They also ate sand monitors, flying foxes, and bush foods. These bush foods were gathered from the semi-arid pindan scrub country. They had over 90 names for different edible bush fruits, like wattle seeds and native tubers. They also hunted wallabies, goannas, and various birds. These birds included native hens, crested pigeons, and bush turkeys. Seafood was sometimes prepared by heating it in a baler shell over hot coals after it had fermented.
For hunting in the sea, they used fishing spears and fishing boomerangs. They also used fish-stunning poisons called bunjuda. Nets made of bundled grass (marukutju:n) were pushed through the water to trap fish. They also built rock ponds with fences made of mangrove wood stakes. The bottom of these fences was woven with spinifex to catch fish as the tide went out. The time to hunt stingrays was known by the blooming of nyalnyala flowers from a guardo tree. This blooming happened when stingrays were getting fat.
Yawuru in Modern Times
Today, most Yawuru people live in Broome. This town was built on the traditional lands of the Djugun people. Locally, descendants of both groups see themselves as one traditional group, saying "Jugun and Yawuru are one." They consider the land of both groups as a single unit. Most Djugun families have joined with the Yawuru.
Native Title for Yawuru Land
In 2010, a court decision by Justice Ron Merkel recognized the Yawuru people. They became one of the native title holders for the town of Broome in Western Australia. This includes small areas of land in and around the town. It also covers two pastoral stations.
Where the Yawuru Live Today
The Yawuru people are the traditional owners of the lands and waters in and around Rubibi (the town of Broome). Their land stretches from Bangarangara to the south (yalimban) to Wirrjinmirr (Willie Creek) to the north (guniyan). It also goes east (banu) covering Roebuck Plains and Thangoo pastoral leases. This area is in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia.
Prominent Yawuru People
- Mick Dodson
- Pat Dodson
- Alan Pigram
- Stephen Pigram
