Gandangara
Encyclopedia
The Gundangara are a clan of Indigenous Australians
in south-eastern New South Wales
, Australia
. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn
and the Southern Highlands
.
to about Lake George, neighbours of the Dharug, Tharawal
, Yuin
, Ngunawal
and Wiradjuri
peoples.
Norman Tindale
recorded the location of the Gundangara as:
, the explorer Francis Barrallier
met the Gundungara people as his party moved through "The Cowpastures" southwest of Sydney
, through the Nattai to the Wollondilly River
and up to the heights above where Yerranderie
now stands. Barrallier noted in his journal that the Gundungara "themselves build huts for the strangers they wish to receive as friends."
In 1816
, fourteen people were killed near Appin
by troops sent by Governor Macquarie
during punitive expeditions to capture and kill the Aborigines who had been involved in response to some attacks by Aborigines between 1814 and 1816. The Gundungara killed had probably not been involved in the earlier attacks.
In 1828
, there was some interaction between the Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell, and the Gandarangara, near Mittagong
. Mitchell was supervising road construction. The Gandarangara are said to have composed a cheeky song about the building of the road (perhaps with appropriate mimicry): Road goes creaking long shoes, Road goes uncle and brother white man see. It must have seemed that building a road just to visit kin was unnecessary effort. Men from the Gandarangara also acted as guides for Mitchell at the time.
The Gundungara people were apparently badly affected by an influenza
epidemic
of 1846
/47
, which was particularly severe. In 1848
, the Goulburn Bench
of Magistrates estimated the number of Aborigines in Goulburn to be 25.
Burringilling, from the Tharawal language
, can be translated as 'Walking Together' and was the name of a 1993
celebration in Minto, New South Wales
, part of the International Year of the World's Indigenous People.
The Gandarangara, like the Tharawal people
, buried their dead in the upright position. Important people were wrapped in bark and placed in trees, often surrounded by carved trees.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in south-eastern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
and the Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands, New South Wales
The Southern Highlands, also locally referred to as the Highlands, is a geographical region and district in New South Wales, Australia and is 110 km south-west of Sydney. The entire region is under the local government area of the Wingecarribee Shire...
.
Location
The Gandangara lived in the south-east region of New South Wales from the Nepean RiverNepean River
The Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia.The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into Nepean Dam, which...
to about Lake George, neighbours of the Dharug, Tharawal
Tharawal people
The Tharawal people were the Aboriginal inhabitants of southern Sydney and the Illawarra region in 1788, when the first European colonists arrived. The Tharawal people lived in the areas from south side of Botany Bay, around Port Hacking to north of the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown...
, Yuin
Yuin
Yuin people are those Australian Aborigines from the South Coast of New South wales who are considered to be the traditional owners of the land and water from Merimbula to Port Jackson.- Country :...
, Ngunawal
Ngunnawal people
The Ngunnawal people are the Indigenous Australian inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra, Australia and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory...
and Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
peoples.
Norman Tindale
Norman Tindale
Norman Barnett Tindale was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist and entomologist. Born in Perth, his family moved to Tokyo from 1907 to 1915, where his father worked as an accountant at the Salvation Army mission in Japan. Soon after returning to Australia, Tindale got a job at the South...
recorded the location of the Gundangara as:
At Goulburn and Berrima; down Hawkesbury River (Wollondilly) to about Camden. Feld seems to record their later-day movements rather than their original tribal limits. Their tribal name incorporates terms meaning 'west' and 'east.'
History
In 18021802 in Australia
See also:1801 in Australia,other events of 1802,1803 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Philip King-Events:...
, the explorer Francis Barrallier
Francis Barrallier
Francis Louis Barrallier was a French-born explorer of Australia.-Life and career:Barrallier was the son of French naval surveyor. Unusually, despite his French descent he was later employed by the British and came to Australia in April 1800...
met the Gundungara people as his party moved through "The Cowpastures" southwest of Sydney
Camden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
, through the Nattai to the Wollondilly River
Wollondilly River
The Wollondilly River is a perennial river in New South Wales, Australia. It was originally a tributary of the Warragamba River, and hence of the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers...
and up to the heights above where Yerranderie
Yerranderie, New South Wales
Yerranderrie is a ghost town located near Kanangra-Boyd National Park of New South Wales, Australia in Wollondilly Shire.-History:Yerranderie was formerly a silver mining town of 2000 people, but the mining industry collapsed in 1927, and the town was cut off from direct access from Sydney by the...
now stands. Barrallier noted in his journal that the Gundungara "themselves build huts for the strangers they wish to receive as friends."
In 1816
1816 in Australia
See also:1815 in Australia,other events of 1816,1817 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Lachlan Macquarie...
, fourteen people were killed near Appin
Appin, New South Wales
Appin is a town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia in Wollondilly Shire. It is situated about 16 kilometres south of Campbelltown and 35 kilometres north west of Wollongong.-Early history:...
by troops sent by Governor Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
during punitive expeditions to capture and kill the Aborigines who had been involved in response to some attacks by Aborigines between 1814 and 1816. The Gundungara killed had probably not been involved in the earlier attacks.
In 1828
1828 in Australia
See also:1827 in Australia,other events of 1828,1829 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Ralph Darling*Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania - Colonel George Arthur...
, there was some interaction between the Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell, and the Gandarangara, near Mittagong
Mittagong, New South Wales
Mittagong is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. At the 2006 census, Mittagong had a population of 7,460 people. The town can be seen as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. The town is close to Bowral, Berrima,...
. Mitchell was supervising road construction. The Gandarangara are said to have composed a cheeky song about the building of the road (perhaps with appropriate mimicry): Road goes creaking long shoes, Road goes uncle and brother white man see. It must have seemed that building a road just to visit kin was unnecessary effort. Men from the Gandarangara also acted as guides for Mitchell at the time.
The Gundungara people were apparently badly affected by an influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
of 1846
1846 in Australia
See also:1845 in Australia,other events of 1846,1847 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir George Gipps...
/47
1847 in Australia
See also:1846 in Australia,other events of 1847,1848 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of South Australia - Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Holt Robe...
, which was particularly severe. In 1848
1848 in Australia
See also:1847 in Australia,other events of 1848,1849 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales — Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
, the Goulburn Bench
Bench (metonymy)
Bench can be used as a metonym for a group of people associated with sitting on particular benches. The words chair, seat and desk can be used in similar ways....
of Magistrates estimated the number of Aborigines in Goulburn to be 25.
Beliefs
The Gandangara beliefs have been recorded as:The Gandangara believed in animal-people who lived in the dreaming and were known as the burringilling . They lived in clouds, mountains, dense scrub, trees or water holes. Some could change the shape of their body, disappear underground, or change the landscape. Sometimes they had magical weapons or were helped by magical dogs.
Most important of the burringilling was Dharamulan. The mythological basis for the initiation is that when the novices were brought to the place where the initiation ceremony was carried out, they had rugs placed over their heads so that they could see nothing. Dharamulan caught a boy and hit him on the back of the head, which caused one of his front upper incisors to fall out. The tooth became gunnabillang, or rock crystal, a stone used in the initiation ceremonies.
Eventually, dharamulan went into different kinds of trees, where he lived except during the times when the initiation ceremonies occur. The piece of wood which is cut from a tree to make a bullroarer is sometimes called a dharamulan, because the noise it makes represents his voice.
Burringilling, from the Tharawal language
Tharawal language
Tharawal is an Australian Aboriginal language.-Classification:Southern New South Wales groupClans and Families of The Northern Dharawal*Noron-Geragal*Targarigal*Goonamattagal*Wodi Wodi...
, can be translated as 'Walking Together' and was the name of a 1993
1993 in Australia
-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Bill Hayden*Prime Minister – Paul Keating-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – John Fahey*Premier of Queensland – Wayne Goss...
celebration in Minto, New South Wales
Minto, New South Wales
Minto is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Minto is located 48 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.-History:...
, part of the International Year of the World's Indigenous People.
The Gandarangara, like the Tharawal people
Tharawal people
The Tharawal people were the Aboriginal inhabitants of southern Sydney and the Illawarra region in 1788, when the first European colonists arrived. The Tharawal people lived in the areas from south side of Botany Bay, around Port Hacking to north of the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown...
, buried their dead in the upright position. Important people were wrapped in bark and placed in trees, often surrounded by carved trees.