Kirbaji (Dugong)
In the Past, Kirbaji (Dugong) was an important food source. It was men’s business to hunt Dugong and it was their responsibility to cook and provide the meat to all the families. The meat of the Dugong was cooked in an earth oven.
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Kadanji (Black Cockatoo)
Kadanji (Black Cockatoo) is my mother’s mother’s totem from the Kuku Nyungkul clan. It has been handed down from generation to generation.
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Wambiji (Platypus)
Some mornings, down the river, this platypus is coming out of his hiding place, searching for food. He will swim around. When he hears people coming down the river, he swims back to his hiding place until everyone is gone.
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Kurranji (Cassowary) Footprint
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.
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Kurranji (Cassowary) Footprint
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.
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Ngangkin (Echidna)
Long time ago our ancestors used to hunt echidnas for their meat and fat. The fat was used as bush medicine. They rubbed it onto sore muscles to relieve pain.
The echidna also appears as part of a rock formation on one of the high mountains of Manjal Dimbi (Mossman Gorge). The rock formation represents a number of significant Ancestral Beings in their animal form and Kubirri, a man who came to help Kuku Yalanji when they were persecuted by the evil spirit, Wurrumbu.
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Tile ‘Parrot’
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Tile ‘Bindi Leaf design’
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Ngujay (Freshwater Turtle)
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Diwan (Scrub Turkey)
In Kuku Yalanji language we call scrub turkey ‘Diwan’. When I was a young man I used to take my sons out hunting Diwan in the rainforest. We used to hunt them with a spear and cook them traditionally over an open fire. Diwan tastes very similar to chicken but has much more flavour.