Yuin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yuin people |
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| Aka: Thurga (Tindale) Dhawa (AIATSIS), Dhu Dhurga (SIL) |
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South east corner bioregion
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| Hierarchy | |
| Language family: | Pama–Nyungan |
| Language branch: | Yuin–Kuric |
| Language group: | Yuin (shared word for man) (a.k.a. Thurga) (shared word for no) |
| Group dialects: Dhurga | |
| Area | |
| Bioregion: | South east corner |
| Location: | South Coast (NSW) |
| Coordinates: | 36°30′S 149°45′E / 36.500°S 149.750°E |
| Notable individuals | |
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The Yuin nation, also called Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast of New South Wales. Yuin people share ancestors who spoke one of the Yuin language dialects. Different Yuin groups are known by their language and culture. These include the Brinja or Brinja-Yuin, Budawang, Murramarang, Yuin-Monaro, Djiringanj, and Walbunja. They also had strong connections with the Thaua people.
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What Does the Name Yuin Mean?
The word Yuin means "man". An early expert on Australian Aboriginal cultures, Alfred Howitt, chose this name. He used it to describe two main groups in New South Wales: the Djiringanj and the Thaua.
Today, Aboriginal people on the South Coast often use "Yuin" to describe themselves. Sometimes, the name is also spelled Djuwin or Juwin.
Yuin Language
The Yuin language group includes several dialects. These are Djiringanj, Thaua, Walbanga, Wandandian, and Dhurga. These languages were spoken from north of the Moruya River up to Nowra.
Yuin Country and Land Rights
The Yuin ancestors lived and used the land from Cape Howe to the Shoalhaven River. Their country also stretched inland to the Great Dividing Range. Today, their descendants are recognised as the traditional owners of this land and water. This area goes from Merimbula to the southern entrance of the Shoalhaven River.
When Europeans first arrived, there were 12 Yuin clans. Some of these groups include:
- Walbanga (or Walbunja), who lived north of the Moruya River.
- Murramurang, from the Deua River to south of Lake Conjola.
- Dyiringanj (or Djiringanj), from Corunna Lake south to Bega and west to the mountains.
- Brinja, from South Kianga to the Moruya River.
- Budawang
- Murramarang
- Yuin-Monaro
In 2016, South Coast Aboriginal people made a native title claim for Yuin country in New South Wales. This claim was made by 52 family groups and supported by over 500 Aboriginal people. It also included traditional fishing rights in the ocean. The claim was officially accepted in 2018.
Yuin History
Before 1788, about 11,000 Yuin people lived between Cape Howe and Batemans Bay. Sadly, this number dropped to only 600 by the mid-1800s. This was due to smallpox outbreaks in 1789 and 1830, as well as other diseases from whalers.
The Yuin people at Twofold Bay near Eden had a special relationship with the killer whales of Eden. They worked together, especially during whaling.
Yuin Laws and Lore
The Yuin people had strong connections and many important ceremonies. These included the Bunneye Ceremony, Keeparra Ceremony, and Ngarra washing ceremony.
The Bunneye ceremony was very important. A respected elder was in charge of it. This elder made sure that the laws and traditions of the ceremony were followed correctly. Different musical instruments were used for different events. For example, a large bullroarer called a Bar-ro-wa was used in the Keeparra ceremony. The Ngarra was a ceremony for cleansing and washing.
The Djiringanj, Brinja, and Walbunja tribes followed very strict laws and traditions. These rules helped their society and managed their lands. Land could not be traded or given away. Even when a woman married into another tribe, the land remained with her original tribe. Land was passed down through the whole tribe, not just to the most important person. A woman kept her connection to her birthplace, but her children belonged to her new tribe.
Important Places for the Yuin People
The Yuin people consider Wallaga Lake to be their traditional land. Gulaga National Park now includes the former Wallaga Lake National Park. Gulaga Mountain, within Gulaga National Park, is a very special place. Aboriginal people see it as the origin place for all Yuin people. Gulaga represents the mother. It has many sacred sites where women gathered for storytelling, ceremonies, and to give birth.
Umbarra, also known as Merriman Island, in Wallaga Lake, is a very sacred place for the Yuin. In 1977, it became the first Aboriginal Heritage site declared in New South Wales. The island is named after Umbarra, also called King Merriman, who was a Yuin leader and died in 1904. His wife was Queen Narelle.
Mumbulla Mountain, located in the Bega Valley Shire, is named after "King" Jack Mumbulla, another Yuin leader. Mumbulla Mountain is very important in Biamanga National Park. It is known for its role in men's initiation ceremonies.
In 2006, the ownership of Gulaga and Biamanga National Parks was given back to the Yuin people by the New South Wales Government. The Yuin people now co-manage both parks with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Barunguba / Montague Island is known to the Yuin people as Barunguba. Yuin stories say Barunguba is the son of Gulaga, along with Najanuga. Barunguba, as the older son, was allowed to go out to sea, while Najanuga stayed close to his mother.
Yuin Kinship and Marriage
Before European settlement, Yuin kinship involved large networks of relatedness. These networks connected different family groups. Marriage was usually exogamous, meaning people married outside their own family group. This was often decided by the spiritual connections of those families.
Today, these specific family connections are not as strong. However, some Yuin families are still linked to certain animals. Yuin people usually do not marry someone who has connections to the same personal or family animals.
Yuin Connections with Nature
Yuin people have, and still have, special spiritual connections with parts of the natural world. These connections are often represented by animals. These links come with duties and relationships, not just to the animal, but also to other people and to places linked to that animal.
These spiritual animals are believed to have been created in the Dreamtime by an ancestral creator. The best-known Yuin spiritual animals are the Pacific black duck (Umbarra) and the Black swan. The Black Duck was the moojingarl (personal friend/spirit animal) of King Merriman, who was named Umbarra after it. A duck-shaped island in Wallaga Lake is named Merriman Island. It was believed that Umbarra could talk to black ducks, and they would warn him of danger.
Yuin people often do not eat animals they have a spiritual connection with. These animals are seen as part of their extended family. This rule might also include related animals, like all ducks, if there is a connection to the Black Duck.
Yuin elder Randall Mumbler explains the importance of these different connections:
There are personal, family, tribal, and ceremonial totems. The ceremonial totem gives you status if you've been through the law, the tribal totem connects you with everyone in your tribe, the family totem connects you with your family and the personal totem is your best mate
Specific Animals and Groups
The black duck is a symbol for all Yuin people. It is especially important for those who might not know their specific family's spiritual connection. Yuin people also have a spiritual connection with Mount Gulaga, which they believe is where the Yuin people came from. From Gulaga, Merriman Island looks like a duck.
Some groups and their spiritual animal connections include:
- Wadthi-Wadthi (northern group): Lyrebird
- Wadthi-Wadthi (southern group): Spotted owl
- Yeerimbine (south of Twofold Bay): Killer whale
- Wandian (Mount Sassafrass): Eagle
Personal Spirit Animals
The Yuin word for a personal spiritual connection with an animal is moojingarl. This word means "my friend." It involves a special relationship with that animal and the places where it is found. Yuin people usually do not marry someone who has the same personal or family spirit animal.
A moojingarl is believed to appear unexpectedly. Its actions can show approval, that things are fine, or that danger is near. It is believed that a person's spirit returns to their moojingarl after death. So, seeing a dolphin might remind people of a relative whose moojingarl was the dolphin. A moojingarl is thought to reveal itself to a Yuin person, rather than being chosen.
Yuin elder Harrison says that your "personal totem" is "whatever comes near you when you are born."
Yuin Spiritual Beliefs
Messenger Birds
Some Yuin people believe in "messenger birds" or "mail birds." They think these birds communicate through their calls. For example, if mopokes call from a certain direction, it might mean people are coming from that way. If they sing "fast and happy," it means good news. If they call slowly from a distance, it might mean a death happened in that direction. Willie wagtails are believed to bring bad news, like the death of a loved one. Swans flying north can mean storms are coming.
Dulagal, the Hairy Man
Some Yuin believe in dulagal (also called doolagarl), or "hairy man." This is a powerful being that lives on Mount Gulaga or in the bush between Bermagui and Mumbulla. However, he also travels to the coast. Guboo Ted Thomas described him as having red eyes, no neck, and a long forehead. He walked "from side to side." Yuin children were warned not to wander from the campsite because of dulagal. He was said to be able to draw people to him or put them to sleep. He could also copy bird sounds. People could escape dulagal by burning green bush leaves.
Notable Yuin People
- King Paddy Nurrang, King of Bergalia, of the Brinja people
- Umbarra (died 1904), also known as King Merriman. He was a leader of the Djiringanj for many years in the late 1800s.
- Queen Narelle (or Nerelle), wife of Umbarra.
- Biamanga (died 1919), also known as King Jack Mumbulla. He was an elder and leader after whom Mumbulla Mountain and Biamanga National Park are named.
- Percy Mumbler (1907–1991), son of Biamanga and Rose. He was an elder and worked for land rights.
- Edwin "Guboo" Ted Thomas (1909–2002)
- Jimmy Little (1937–2012), a famous musician, on his father's side.
