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Ngawiya (Sea Turtle)
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.
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Kirbaji (Dugong)
Kirbaji (Dugong) is an Ancestral Spirit Being (Totem) that I inherited it from my mother’s side. It is my Totem. The dugong was also an important food source for my ancestors. Only men were allowed to hunt them, and only men had the right to cook and distribute the meat to all the families. My uncles and cousins showed me how to hunt dugongs and they passed down to me the cultural knowledge about them.
My ancestors used to wrap the dugong meat in ginger leaves for flavour, close the wraps with a vine and cook them in the ground oven. Dugongs were only hunted on special occasions such as births, weddings and funerals to provide food for large family gatherings.Dugong fat was also melted to make oil which was used as a medicine for skin and hair ailments or as ointment to treat an upset stomach.
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Diwan (Scrub Turkey)
The Diwan (Scrub Turkey) walks the rainforest floor looking for food.
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Kurriyala (Carpet Snake)
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Kurranji (Cassowary)
Long time ago, the cassowary was a precious food source for our ancestors. They ate the meat and the eggs, used the feathers for ceremonies and weaving, and the skins for blankets. The Cassowary is a powerful Totem for us because it helps growing many plants that were important for food, medicine and tool making. The Cassowary can walk wide distances and spread the seeds of the fruits he eats everywhere. Plants grow also out of his dung.
I show the cassowary in my art because it is also my partner’s totem. He performs the cassowary dance in public ceremonies. It was bestowed on him by his mother’s sister when he was a young boy. In 1997 he went with the Yalanji Dance Group to Hong Kong to perform the Cassowary dance there.”
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Ngujay (Freshwater Turtle)
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Yiki (Night Owl)
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Ngujay (Freshwater Turtle)
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Makarr (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 stripped 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.