Yuwaalaraay facts for kids

The Yuwaalaraay people, also known by names like Euahlayi and Ualarai, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They come from the north-western part of New South Wales, Australia.

Name and Language

The name Yuwaalaraay comes from their word for "no," which is yuwaal. It also includes a part that means "having" or "belonging to."

The Yuwaalaraay language is a dialect, or a special version, of the Gamilaraay language. Think of it like different accents or ways of speaking the same language. Some older sources might have used names like Euahlayi or Ualarai to mean the Gamilaraay language itself. But more recently, we understand that Yuwaalaraay is one of several dialects of Gamilaraay.

A researcher named K. Langloh Parker worked with a specific Yuwaalaraay group called the Nhunggabarra. Their clan name comes from the word nhungga, which means 'kurrajong tree'.

Traditional Lands

The Yuwaalaraay people's traditional lands cover about 11,900 square kilometers (4,600 square miles). This area includes the Narran River and the Narran Wetlands. It stretches from there to Angledool, which is close to the border with Queensland. Their land also includes Walgett to the southeast.

Moving southwest, their country goes along the Birrie and Bokhara rivers to Brewarrina. The western edge of their land is between the Culgoa and Birrie rivers. Yuwaalaraay country is quite dry, even in winter. This dry climate helped them gather and store seeds for food for longer periods.

Social Structure

The Yuwaalaraay people organize their society based on matrilineal descent. This means that family lines and group belonging are traced through the mother's side.

Way of Life

The Yuwaalaraay were skilled at using the grasslands in their area. They harvested plants for food and stored them. This practice was called konakandi, which means 'dung food'. Other Aboriginal groups also used this method.

They stored extra food, called yarmmara ('storage'), in caves. This storage allowed women to have more free time because they didn't need to gather food every single day.

Both women and men helped with the harvest. Women would cut the grass heads while they were still green. These were then piled inside a brushwood fence and set on fire. The seeds were separated by stirring the pile with long sticks and collected on opossum skins.

Then, the men would take over to thresh the seeds. They would beat and stamp the seeds in two holes, one rectangular and one circular, to remove the husks. The cleaned seeds were further purified using wiri (bark dishes) and jubbil. The final seeds were packed into skin bags.

When it was time to eat, the stored seeds were ground into flour on dajuri millstones, with water added. The mixture was then cooked over ashes to make cakes. Another type of millstone used was called jamara. This word also meant the milled seeds themselves.

The Yuwaalaraay also collected seeds from Coolibah eucalypt trees. Branches were piled on hard ground and left to dry. Once dry, they would release their seeds, which were then milled.

Stories and Beliefs

Aboriginal belief systems often include stories about the world and the sky. The Yuwaalaraay had their own important beliefs.

Mrs. Parker learned that the Yuwaalaraay word for the "All-Seeing Spirit" was Nurrulburu. The "All-Hearing" spirit was called Winnanulburu.

The name Baiame (or Byamee) meant a burul euray ('big man'). This important figure had special totem names for every part of his body. When he left, he shared his totem qualities with everyone. People would get their totems from their mothers. This meant that people with the same mother (or totem) could not marry each other. Baiame lived in his sky camp with his son, Bailah Burrah. He also had an assistant on Earth named Gayandi, who helped with important tribal ceremonies.

An elder named Ippai Dinawan, also known as King Rory, shared his tribe's stories about the stars and sky with a missionary named William Ridley. This conversation happened on a clear night in July.

Here are some of the Yuwaalaraay names for stars and constellations:

• Venus was called Zindigindoer.
• Mars was Gumba (meaning 'fat').
• Saturn was Wuzgul (a small bird).
• The Milky Way was called Worambul. They saw it as a beautiful watercourse in the sky, full of food, flowers, and good things. They believed that the souls of good people went to the Milky Way after they died. These souls could still know what was happening on Earth and even help people if asked.
• The Southern Cross was called Zūŭ (a type of tea-tree shrub). The dark space near the bottom of the Cross was gao-ergi (emu), meaning the emu was sitting under the tree.
• The two bright stars that point to the Southern Cross (Alpha and Beta Centauri) were Murrai (cockatoos).
• The Magellan Clouds were two bulralga (native companions, a type of bird).
• Canopus was Wunmba (meaning 'stupid' or 'deaf').
• Antares was Guddar (a lizard).
• Two bright stars in the tail of the Scorpion were gigeriga (small green parrots).
• A long dark space in the Milky Way near Scorpio was Wurrawilbūrū (demon).
• An S-shaped line of stars between the Northern Crown and Scorpio was Mundëwur. This meant notches cut in a tree trunk for climbing.
• The main star in the Peacock was Mūrgū (night cuckoo).
• The four stars of the Corona Borealis were Bundar (a kangaroo).
• Fomalhaut was Gani (a small iguana).
• Spica virginis was Gurie (a small crested parrot).
• The Pleiades were Worrul (bees'-nest).
• Sirius was called Zāzarī.
• Arcturus was Guenmbila or Guebilla (bright red).
• The Northern Crown was Mullion Wollai (eagles' camp or nest).
• Altair and Vega were both called Mullion-ga (an eagle in action), representing eagles watching over their nest.

Other Names

Over time, the Yuwaalaraay people have been known by several other names, including:

• Brewarrana
• Gingi
• Jualjai, Juwaljai, Yuwalyai
• Wallarai, Wolleroi, Walleri, Woleroi, Wollaroi
• Yowalri, Yuolary, Euahlayi, Yourilri, Youahlayi
• Yualai, Yualeai, Yerraleroi
• Yualarai, Yualloroi, Yowaleri, Uollaroi, Youallerie, Yualari

A Few Words from the Language

Here are some words from the Yuwaalaraay language:

• wirrinun: This means "wise folk," referring to any man or woman with special spiritual power.
• wongo: This simply means "no."

Some modern words are shared with Gamilaraay speakers and show how languages can borrow from each other:

• dhimbha: This word for sheep might come from the English word "jumbuck."
• milambaraay: This means "milk cow," with milam coming from the English word "milk."
• wamba: This word for a white man was borrowed from a Wangaaybuwan word meaning "ugly-looking." It also referred to a creature called the "devil devil."