Darug (tribe)
The Darug (also: Dharuk , Dharug or Daruk ) are an Aboriginal tribe , a language group and sometimes they are referred to as a nation. They are the traditional guardians of the land on which present-day Sydney , Australia stands. The 1789 smallpox epidemic in Australia killed up to 90 percent of Darug in some areas.
Darug nation
The affiliations of groups of the Aborigines of the Darug tribe is controversial. Some historians suggest that the Eora of the coast are a tribe in their own right, others consider them part of the Darug. The term Eora means 'this place' and many historians now say that the language of the coast is a dialect of the western Darug language. The area that undoubtedly belonged to the Darug was the Cumberland Plain to the west of Sydney. It stretched from Wisemans Ferry in the north to Camden in Camden Council in the south, as well as from the base of the Blue Mountains in the west and the Hills District in the east.
There were certainly cultural differences between the Darug of the west and on the coast. The darug of the coast were katungal or 'sea-people'. They built canoes and mostly ate seafood such as fish and crustaceans from Sydney Harbor , Botany Bay and the rivers that go with them. The darug of the inland were paiendra or 'hatchet people'. They hunted kangaroos , emus and other animals in the country and made extensive use of the stone ax.
Neighboring tribes were the Kuringgai in the northeast around Broken Bay , the Darkinjung in the north, the Wiradjuri in the west on the other side of the Blue Mountains, the Gandangara in the southwest in the Southern Highlands and the Tharawal tribe in the southeast in Illawarra .
Darug clans
The Darugs tribe were divided into various clans , who tended to live in specific geographic areas. This geographic area was also inhabited by the descendants' clans. Each clan had around 50 to 100 members. The numbers were kept to the smallest number necessary for the clan's survival. Men sought women from other clans as partners in order to ensure genetic stability and to avoid inbreeding. Therefore the clans were related to each other and the members of one clan could often travel to the territory of the other, also to hunt, trade and to take part in ceremonies. They did not call themselves the owners of the land, but rather the keepers. A typical view of the Aborigines, which follows the creation story of the earth, the dream time . The following Darug clans are known:
- Kurrajong
- Boorooberongal (probably the most famous of the Darug clans)
- Cattai
- Bidjigal
- Gommerigal
- Mulgoa
- Cannemegal
- Bool-bain-ora
- Cabrigal
- Muringong
The clans had different cultures. The Bidjigal, for example, were known for their warlike nature. Led by Pemulwuy , they waged a guerrilla war against the British colonists who, on the orders of the king, tried to governor Arthur Phillip to trade and befriend the natives.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Waverly ( Memento of the original from December 30, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Holroyd
- ^ City of Sydney
