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(LS): Kookaburra
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Janbal (Quandong) and Dubal (Coolamon)
Janbal (Quandong) is good bush tucker. We gather the fruit from August to January when they are sweet and soft. The kernel of the fruit is very pretty and we often use it to make body adornments such as necklaces and earrings.
A coolamon is a type of shallow carrying vessel that is curved on both sides.Kuku Yalanji used yo make coolamons using rainforest hardwood or the soft bark of paperbark trees.They used the vessel to, for example, transport food such as berries and grains, and cradle their babies.
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Janbal (Quandong)
Janbal (Quandong) is good bush tucker. We gather the fruit from August to January when they are sweet and soft. The kernel of the fruit is very pretty and we often use it to make body adornments such as necklaces and earrings.
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Scrub Hen
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(KS): Parrot
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(KS): Kurranji (Cassowary)
The cassowary is one of the major Totems (Ancestral Spirit Being) for our Kuku Yalanji people. He is, a big, dangerous bird that rules the rainforest. He can attack people but at the same time he helps with growing many of the plants we used to collect for food, medicine and tool making.
I inherited the Cassowary Totem and all the cultural stories relating to it from my mother’s side. When I was four years old, my mum taught me how to dance the story of the female cassowary, which is concerned with protecting the chicks and the eggs from the carpet snake and goanna.
As a young women, I took over from my mum and began teaching our cultural dances to the younger generation at the Mossman Gorge community as well as children that live in Mossman town. I still do this today.
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(LS): Kakan (Black Palm Dillybag)
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(LS): Yindili (Kingfisher)
