bob syron Calls for action to end ‘Guringai’ identity fallacy

By NICK PATON

THE Metropolitan local Aboriginal land council NSW (MLALC) in NSW is urging people to refrain from referring to themselves as Guringai if they identify with belonging to the region. The MLALC is responsible for the protection, preservation and promotion of all Aboriginal culture and heritage within its boundaries including the entirety of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Hornsby, North Sydney, Mossman, Ku-ring-gai, Willoughby, Ryde, Lane Cove, and Hunters Hill local government areas. MLALC chief executive Nathan Moran told the Mail that the Land Council is aware of a number of individuals who identify as Guringai and claim to be traditional owners of Northern /Gringai Biripai Sydney. Worimai warrior Bob Syron. “This is a fallacy,” Mr Moran Bob Syron is pleased to see acknowledgement and recognition being given to the right people. said. All pictures: Robert Syron Aboriginal people right across “And totally disrespects the is we have these people required process to qualify for coming in, with a relatively recent traditional ownership under the discovery of Aboriginal ancestry, respective NSW Aboriginal Land and before they get involved with Rights Act and Commonwealth their community at all, they go off Native Title Act.” and make what can often turn out Mr Moran said the MLALC to be highly unsubstantiated supports the request on behalf of claims.” the Guringay/Gringai people to Syron said that instead of stop referring to Guringai as the approaching the community they traditional people of Northern are claiming to be part of, with Sydney. real and genuine concern and “Given this is an apparent proper consultation, some colonial misrepresentation and/or people claiming to be of error caused potentially by Aboriginal descent are starting all Guringay people being reported kinds of businesses, off the back in the 1830s as coming, visiting of their newfound identity, all for and fishing on Gadigal country,” the benefit of lining their own Mr Moran said. pocket. Guringay/Gringai Biripai “And it’s disgusting. It’s Worimai warrior and Australian culturally wrong and it’s Rwandan War veteran Bob Syron historically wrong when this type said he is absolutely thrilled of thing happens in our about government and private communities,” he said. organisations removing any As a registered Aboriginal reference to Guringai people owner of Guringay/Gringai and belonging and/or claiming to Worimi lands, Syron said it is originate from the Sydney region, highly disrespectful to take to better reflect the true another mob’s language, group, custodians of the area they are or tribal name, and use it as your Mr Syron has an extensive connection to country through his ancestors the Cook family from the referring to. own. “Because the word Barrington area of NSW. “And I’d go as far as to say Guringai has no connection to and continues to be incorrectly Sydney, supporting their decision wishes and hard work of all the that these people are Sydney,” Syron said. used by the people of Sydney.” in amending their references. ancestors who have gone before bastardising our Guringay/Gringai “Guringai is not the language Director of Greater Sydney “So this means people from me. language and culture. I have no group of the Sydney area, or a Branch of the NSW National the Ku-ring-gai area of Sydney “Look, I say ‘high five’ to those choice other than to honour all of tribe, and the word Ku-ring-gai, Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) should not be referred as a people who discover later in life my old people who have gone which is historical fiction and has Deon Rensburg said the NPWS Guringay/Gringai tribal clan or that they are connected to before me, and I will spend the been changed to Kuringai and are also on board, and have language group, as the area is Aboriginal people, but when you rest of my life fighting for the Guringai, is not from the Central begun the removal of all use of not actually where the discover that you’re an acknowledgement of what it truly Coast or Northern Beaches of the term that denotes Guringai as Guringay/Gringai are from, as Aboriginal person you need to means to be Guringay/Gringai. Sydney either. a tribe or language group in people might believe,” Syron then follow cultural protocol and “This is about changing “Little do most people know Northern Sydney, including web said. actually connect to your local history. And I’m talking about a that the word Ku-ring-gai, which content, interpretive signs and “Instead, this area would be Aboriginal communities. grossly inaccurate and we see most commonly in Ku- brochures. closer to the clans of the Gadigal “Do the research and find out misleading interpretation of the ring-gai Chase National Park in Syron said his language people of the nation than it who you are, and make your many different language groups NSW, actually comes from the group, Guringay/Gringai, has would be to the true connections, and if it turns out of Aboriginal people from around poor work of anthropologist John been extensively recorded from Guringay/Gringai up north – but I that you are an Aboriginal or Australia, mainly recorded Fraser, who at the time was well the Port Stephens, Barrington don’t like to speculate because Torres Strait Islander person, you erroneously over the last 200 odd known to plagiarise other and Dungog areas. the Sydney area is not my need to find out about your years.” people’s research. He said NSW NPWS have country. language, and find out about your “And so he took bits of this done the right thing in “The Guringay/Gringai Biripai culture, and your customs, and For more information on the and stitched them with bits of that acknowledging that and Worimai are all descendants your totems – before you go firing Guringay/Gringai and Syron’s and all of a sudden he’d coined Guringay/Gringai tribal of the Guthang, or Kuthhung, at the hip and making ridiculous fascinating family history visit the word Ku-ring-gai, and it took boundaries do not extend from language group and all I am claims. https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2 form, being completely made up, the lower mid north coast to doing is trying to honour the “What I’m hearing a lot from 018/08/15/the-kabook-watoo/ www.koorimail.com THE KOORI MAIL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019 | 21