Djabugay

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The Djabugay people (aka Djabuganydji or Tjapukai) are a group of Australian Aborigines who are the original custodians of mountains, gorges, lands and waters of a richly forested part of the Great Dividing Range including the Barron Gorge and surrounding areas within the Wet Tropics of Queensland^[1].

All Djabugay peoples share, in common, descent from ancestors who, back to time immemorial, ^[2]

have been given personal names that are sourced from, spoken in, and almost exclusively belong to the Djabugay languages (or dialects);

have transmitted, from generation to generation, Djabugay language (or dialects), Djabugay knowledge, Djabugay tradition, Djabugay heritage, plus Djabugay law.

Religion

Local Aboriginal authors, Rhonda Duffin and Rosetta Brim, have written describing contemporary Djabugay religious belief as follows^[2];

"BULURRU is the source of life, the Storywaters, the Storytime. In other parts of Australia this time is known as the Dreamtime or the Dreaming.

All things come from BULURRU - the sun, the moon and stars, the food we ear, the creatures of the world, the plants and trees, the rain, the very land itself. We ourselves come from BULLURRU" (Page 5)

A Federal Court Judge, Justice Spender, determining whether or not the Djabugay people continue to hold laws that find their sourced in traditions that preceeded British colonisation of Australia, quoted and confirmed^[1]:

"For Djabugay people, .. physical features .. not only affirm the veracity of BULURRU Law but they also stand as tangible proof of the continued presence of BULURRU ancestral and totemic beings on and in Djabugay country (bulmba)."

"In summary, the physical landscape, and in particular the "Storyplaces" and "Storywaters" associated with BULURRU, serves as evidence of the inalienable connection that exists between the Djabugay claimants, ancestral BULURRU beings and the lands and waters.." (Paragraph 17)

Country

The local Aboriginal authors, Rhonda Duffin and Rosetta Brim describe the boundaries of Djabugay country (bulimba) as follows;

"The Djabugay langauge was spoken over a wide area from Gimuy (Cairns) to Port Douglas and west towards Mareeba. In the south it extended almost to Atherton ... different groups of Bama (Aboriginal people), each speaking their own dialect of the Djabugay language"^[2](Page 4)

Norman Tindale's (1974) Catalogue of Australian Aborignal tribes similarly identifies Djabugay (Tjapukai) country (800 sq. kms) as follows ^[3]:

"Barron River from south of Mareeba to Kuranda; north toward Port Douglas on the plateau south of and to the east of Mareeba; their western boundary followed the margin of the rain forest from Tolga north to Mount Molloy; rain forest dwellers ... the Tjapukai had by 1952 come to claim as theirs the coastal strip between Cairns Inlet and Lamb Range, with one horde living near Redlynch. "

History

European settlers explored and cleared the land for gold and tin. In May 1886, a railway was constructed from Cairns to Herberton with part of the rails going on top of a walking track. The Djabugay were unhappy about this development and withstood the settlement by spearing bullocks and settler. As the settlers entered, traditional hunting and gathering grounds were taken over.

This led to an infamous massacre, being the Speewah massacre in 1890 where John Atherton took revenge on the Djubagay by sending in native troopers to avenge the killing of a bullock. The Djubagay were segregated from them and forced to live at the Mona-Mona Mission and were unable to hunt, fish or move around. Their numbers fell dramatically at the turn of the century.

By 1896, the region supported coffee plantations and the Djabugay were used to labour on farms.

Many now own their own land, some other settlements and farms in the area.

On 17 December 2004, it was recognised that native title existed in the Barron Gorge National Park for the Djabugay. Their culture thrives today.

The Djabugay are also known as the Djabugandji and the Tjapukai.