Dillybags played a vital part in Kuku Yalanji culture. Women used them to carry food when out hunting and gathering or soak bitter yams in creeks before cooking them. Dillybags were also used to hold personal and sacred items.
This design shows how the bottom part of a black palm basket is woven. My grandmothers and aunties used to make them. They cut off the young palm leaves in the centre, stripped and scrapped them. Then they would put the strips in freshwater to make them soft and keep them straight for weaving.
This design shows how the bottom part of a black palm basket is woven. My grandmothers and aunties used to make them. They cut off the young palm leaves in the centre, stripped and scrapped them. Then they would put the strips in freshwater to make them soft and keep them straight for weaving.
Fish Trap
Fish traps are called Makarr in our language. They were made by men only. Our fathers and uncles used to make them with the lawyer vine. They striped the stems and then soaked them in the river to keep them soft and bendy. They also had a special way of weaving the fish traps. They used them in the river to catch eels, jungle perch fresh water catfish and turtle. To attract fish our old people used to sprinkle rain forest berries as bait over the trap.
The Mossman River is very important to me and my family. Laurence, my partner and the father of our 5 children, is one of the Traditional Owners of this area. We both grew up along the river and Laurence’s grandparents used to live in a hut next to the river. In the hot season, we used to camp there with our families. Laurence would teach me and later our children how to dive for turtle and fish. We would cross the river to hunt and collect bush food. Back at the camp, we would make fire, cook our damper and fish in an earth oven and share with our families.
The cassowary is my totem. My mother’s sister handed it down to me when I was a young boy. I perform the cassowary dance in public ceremonies. As a young men, I was part of the Yalanji Dance group and was invited to Hong Kong to perform our traditional dance cycles including the cassowary dance.
In the past, sea turtles were an important food source for Kuku Yalanji people. Only men were allowed to hunt them. The men were also responsible for cooking them in a ground oven and distributing the meat to all the families.
We ate turtle meat on special occasions such as the birth of a new born baby and during funeral ceremonies. Our ancestors used the shell of sea turtles carrying, storing and serving food as well as making damper.
Fish Trap
Fish traps are called Makarr in our language. They were made by men only. Our fathers and uncles used to make them with the lawyer vine. They striped the stems and then soaked them in the river to keep them soft and bendy. They also had a special way of weaving the fish traps. They used them in the river to catch eels, jungle perch fresh water catfish and turtle. To attract fish our old people used to sprinkle rain forest berries as bait over the trap.
