Car-rang-gel (North Head), for thousands of years, Aboriginal Culture has been a sacred place where kuradgi men and women gathered for ceremonies. People Aboriginal Aboriginal culture is the oldest travelled from far and near to this very special surviving culture in the world. location where there are permanent water flows and valuable resources for use and for trade. Use of We honour the Ancestors who lived and worked in this Aboriginal land for thousands of years science and and value the ways in which technology Aboriginal culture enriches the devised lives of all Australians to this uses for day. most formosa Australian plants. In Aboriginal culture, people do not own or possess land – they belong to the land and are Some plants responsible for its care. such as the ericifolia have a variety Protecting and caring for the of uses. environment is inherent in Aboriginal culture. People harvested only what was needed so as to conserve the NOTE: The Aboriginal knowledge provided within this brochure has been generously given by the D’harawal plants and animals on which Xanthorrhoea media people, a southern group, one of several Aboriginal groups Lomandra longifolia they depended for sustenance. of the greater area. The information is provided for this brochure only. It cannot be reproduced, copied or adapted into other materials without the prior informed The future of human life on our consent of Aunty Fran Bodkin, D’harawal knowledgeholder. planet would be more secure if all people learned to limit their use of resources to what they The North Head Sanctuary Nursery and Education project really needed. is a partnership between Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and North Head Sanctuary Foundation.

www.NorthHeadSanctuaryFoundation.org.au

ensure a good night’s sleep. night’s good a ensure

lesion. This was done several times a day. day. a times several done was This lesion.

vapour inhaled to to inhaled vapour

lesions where it would form a film over the the over film a form would it where lesions

a low fire and the the and fire low a

when soft, applied to skin skin to applied soft, when

were placed on on placed were

soaked in warm water, then, then, water, warm in soaked

leaves and stems stems and leaves

wood.

was was capitellata

longiflora Epacris marginata marginata

The hardened gum of of gum hardened The

Sleep

Banksia Banksia from carved

Skin lesions Skin

children’s toys were were toys children’s

Toys

muscle pain, and to relieve fever. relieve to and pain, muscle

onto sores and wounds. and sores onto being used as a wash for joint, chest or or chest joint, for wash a as used being

ground to a powder, then placed directly directly placed then powder, a to ground to cool, and carefully strained before before strained carefully and cool, to doll like a possum or kangaroo. kangaroo. or possum a like doll

was was capitellata Eucalyptus or camfieldii water turned green. It was then allowed allowed then was It green. turned water the seed pods attached to the top to make a a make to top the to attached pods seed the

Eucalyptus Eucalyptus of gum hardened dry, The , Bai’ayli, were boiled until the the until boiled were Bai’ayli, , capitellata string arms, body and legs were woven then then woven were legs and body arms, string

Eucalyptus Eucalyptus of leaves young The

became little birds. Or grass grass Or birds. little became

and scabies. and

Pain or fever or Pain

underneath the pod, and they they and pod, the underneath applied to sores, cuts cuts sores, to applied

were tied to the stem stem the to tied were with warm water and and water warm with

severe diarrhoea. severe

as toys for children. Feathers Feathers children. for toys as was collected, mixed mixed collected, was

cooled, the liquid was taken to relieve relieve to taken was liquid the cooled,

name) seed pods were used used were pods seed name) Eucalyptus camfieldii camfieldii Eucalyptus

water, and when when and water,

Devil or Kuridja (D’harawal (D’harawal Kuridja or Devil The fresh gum of of gum fresh The

was dissolved in warm warm in dissolved was , Mountain Mountain , formosa Lambertia Sores

costata Angophora of Dolls and toy animals toy and Dolls

The red bark exudate exudate bark red The

Diarrhoea

acting as an antiseptic. an as acting

done when the children could escape quickly. escape could children the when done

the powder in between layers layers between in powder the

out for the big spider”. This was usually only only usually was This spider”. big the for out

emergency bandages, with with bandages, emergency

discomfort of head colds. head of discomfort victim then wake them up with a cry of “look “look of cry a with up them wake then victim

inner bark was used as as used was bark inner

young leaves were chewed to relieve the the relieve to chewed were leaves young They would place a flower near to a sleeping sleeping a to near flower a place would They

bark - the fine fine the - bark Melaleuca

coughing or nasal congestion. The The congestion. nasal or coughing unaware parents. parents. unaware

Wounds

fire and the vapour inhaled to relieve relieve to inhaled vapour the and fire other children or or children other

were placed on a low low a on placed were children to frighten frighten to children

ledifolia Boronia was often used by by used often was out of insect bites. insect of out

or quinquenervia Spider Flower Flower Spider useful for taking the sting sting the taking for useful

Melaleuca Melaleuca of leaves or Grey Grey or buxifolia sap from the stem is is stem the from sap

The branches and and branches The

Grevillea The esculentum Pteridium

Coughs and colds and Coughs Funny Trick Funny Insect Bites Insect

Health and Healing and Health Fun for Children for Fun care Skin Food Fire Drink

Fruits Making Fire drinks The edible fruit of The soft wood of the , Elaeocarpus reticulatus, Xanthorrhoea provided the base Melaleucas, Astroloma humifusum for a fire-drill when making fire. Lambertia and many other plants Hard wood sticks were spun formosa and formed quickly against the drill. other nectar bearing flowers were soaked in water to part of the diet. make sweet drink. It was Tinder then given to young children The inner bark of Eucalyptus or old people as capitellata or Brown an enervating drink. Stringybark was used as tinder for lighting fires Leaves especially in wet weather Dew drinks The leaf bases of Xanthorrhoea Dew was collected before when other wood was wet. were eaten raw or cooked and sunrise from Actinotus are almost like cabbage. The helianthi, Talara’tingi, and inner leaves were not eaten as Torches given to people to drink this would kill the whole . The grey dry infertile cones of after emotional trauma. or Banksa ericifolia were soaked in emu oil, Early morning dew from Roots set alight and used as torches. Boronia ledifolia was The bark from the young root up to 4cm used to treat thick of Eucaluptus capitellata, was sore throats.

roasted to a crisp, pounded and eaten. Weapons and Hunting The dew of was collected before sunrise Seeds and given to unsettled The seeds of Actinotus Spear shafts children. helianthi, Talara’tingi, The stems of Eucalyptus were ground to a paste camfieldii, Bai’ayli, were used to eat raw or cooked. for the making of spear shafts. Leaf drink The young leaves Grubs of Melaleuca Grubs inhabiting the Resin quinquenervia were Resin from was widely used trunk and branches of held underwater and e.g. to glue barbs on spears. were crushed and the liquid was taken to eaten raw or cooked. relieve headache and colds. Traps Eel traps were made from Lomandra Tools and Implements longifolia leaves. Containers and mats

Implements Nets Dilly bags Tools and implements The bark fibres of Eucalyptus The leaves of were carved out of capitellata were spun into string for Lomandra longifolia wood from trees weaving of hunting and fishing nets. were split, dried and such as Elaeocarpus made into string for The inner bark of any of the native reticulatus, creating dilly bags. figs can be used to make string for fishing and . lines or nets that do not rot in salt water. The stringy bark fibres Cooking of Eucalyptus capitellata Melaleuca quinquenervia Caring for babies were spun into yarn for bark was used to wrap weaving dilly bags. food for cooking. Nappies The soft inner bark of Melaleuca Coolamons quinquenervia was Wood that had grown Canoes used for babies’ into a suitable shape was The bark of nappies. A strip was made into a coolamon either Corymbia cut according to the that could be used to gummifera or size of the baby, some soft fluffy seeds of carry a variety of objects. Eucalyptus trees Typha (water reed) or Clematis were placed was cut, shaped, lashed together and on the paperbark, the baby was put on top of waterproofed to make bark canoes from that with the bark folded up between its legs Mats which many Aboriginal people were seen and string tied around its waist. When the The leaves of Lomandra fishing in Sydney Harbour. nappy was soiled, it was discarded, and the longifolia were woven into seeds grew, complete with fertiliser. mats and baskets.

Ornaments The wood from Banksia Pillows marginata was used to The twigs and leaves Woven objects carve ornaments. of Boronia serrulata The leaves of were used as pillows for Dianella were used invalids and babies. Blankets for weaving Melaleuca quinquenervia bark Dew drink baskets and was used to wrap babies for Dew from this plant was collected before platters. warmth when carrying them. sunrise and given to young babies.