Yidiny people facts for kids

The Yidiny people are an Aboriginal Australian group from Far North Queensland. They are also known as the Yidindj, Yidinji, or Yidiñ. Their traditional language is called Yidiny.

The Yidiny Language

The Yidiny language is the traditional language of the Yidiny people. Some of the last people who spoke Yidiny fluently were Tilly Fuller, George Davis, Dick Moses, and his sister Ida Burnett. A lot of the Yidiny language has been studied and written down by a researcher named Robert M. W. Dixon.

Yidiny Traditional Lands

The Yidiny people lived in the lowland rainforest areas of Far North Queensland. Their lands stretched from Yarrabah southwards. To the south, their lands met those of the Ngajanji and Wanyurr peoples. North of them were the coastal Djabugay people.

Their traditional country covered about 1,000 square kilometers (400 square miles). This area included places like Deeral, Gordonvale, and Cairns. Their lands went inland as far as Lake Barrine. The eastern edge of their territory was on the top of the Prior Range.

Today, there are four main groups of traditional owners in the Cairns area. One of these groups represents the Yidiny clans. This group includes the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji, Dulabed Malanbarra and Yidinji, Mandingalbay Yidinji, and Wadjanbarra Tableland Yidinji.

History of Contact

European Settlement and Its Impact

When European settlers arrived, many Aboriginal people, including the Yidiny, were moved from their traditional lands. This happened in the tropical rainforest areas from Cairns to Ingham, and on the Atherton Tableland. The land was cleared to create cattle stations and sugar cane farms.

There were difficult times during this period. For example, in 1884, police and native troopers surrounded a Yidiny camp. Many people were harmed as they tried to escape. Children were also targeted.

One group of Yidiny people, called the Djumbandji, moved to the Redlynch area. They became known as a distinct group.

Around 1910, the Queensland Government started moving Aboriginal people who remained in settled areas. They were often sent to the Anglican mission at Yarrabah. As different groups were separated, elders tried to unite them in the 1920s. However, this plan did not work well because of the different languages spoken by the groups.

Yidiny Sovereignty Movement

In 2014, some members of the Yidiny people made a significant decision. Led by Murrumu Walubara Yidindji, about 40 people declared that they were no longer legally tied to Australia. They formed the Sovereign Yidindji Government. This group claims self-governance over lands from south of Port Douglas to Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands.

Yidiny Social Groups

The Yidiny people were made up of several Clans. In 1974, researcher Norman Tindale listed five main clans:

• Gimuy
• Walubara
• Maiara
• Maimbi
• Djumbandji

More recent information lists eight clans:

• Gimuy-walubarra Yidi (these are the traditional custodians of the area around the city of Cairns; Gimuy is the traditional name for Cairns)
• Wadjanbarra Yidi
• Bundabarra Yidi
• Gulgibarra Yidi
• Wujnur/Bindabarra Yidi
• Mandigalpi Yidi
• Badjabarra Yidi
• Mallanbarra Yidi

Other Names for the Yidiny People

• Bolambi
• Charroogin
• Djumbandji
• Idi
• Idin
• Idinji
• Itti
• Jumbandjie
• Maiara
• Maimbi
• Mulgrave River dialect
• Myarah
• Yellingie
• Yettingie
• Yidin
• Yidindji, Yidindyi