WESTERNAUSTMLIAN HERBARIUMRESEARCH NOTES No.3. 1980:59-64

PRELIMINARY NOTESON THE ETHNO.BOTANYOF THE GUGADJA ABORIGINESAT BALGO, WESTERNAUSTRALIA.

By Anthony R, Peile

Bal.goMission, via Ha11s Creek, W.A, 6770

ABSTRACT

Ith,tchcan be Learned fron the Aboz,igines about flora. To gain this krnuledge, ue should inqti,t'e about a pLanbts habitat and about hou it is used foy fabrication, food, traditionaL medicine and anLmal diet, ete. The knouledge the Aborigines haue of botanA and the difficulties inuol,Led in gaining knouLedgeis illustrated by material from the GugaQjaAborigines at Balgo in Llesteyn Ausl,raLia,

In February, 1979, when sone Aboriginal women and children were swirnrn_ ing in a lagoon south of Billiluna in the East Kimberley. one wonan told rne as -she-was picklng flowers of Ngnphaea gigantea ftook.l and Nymphoid.es hgdrochat'oides (F. Mue1l.) Kuntze that the two were r!i!1"tr" (tjututa:rTa in Gugadja (see Appendix 1), the language she was speaking). This remark illustrates the close knowledge of plants the Aborigine. huv", as these are both water-plants that share the sane habitat, billabongs and Iagoons. Much can be learned in the field of botanical research fron triba 11y-ori ent ed Aborigines because they live very close to their environ_ ment and very close to nature.

I am engaged in a study of the Gugadja language at Balgo Mission, which is situated 270 kn south of Halls Creek in the East Kinberley. As part of this study, I an researching their knotledge of botany. Besides generic terns for tree or shrub (r,uta), grass (yipnrfi, spinifex (mankalpa) and prickly plants like Tz,tbulus spp, (tjilka-tjilka), they havelpeiific narnes for very nany trees, shrubs, grasses and even fungi. Besides ihese narnes, the Gugadja Aborigines have nany terms that have reference to plants. The following are just a few of these terms chosen at random from lny files.

ki,r,rklnpa - a tree with 1ow branches kurnpunytungu- namegiven to nounds of seeds heaped up by ants

1. The superscript letters after the taxonomicterns refer to the Herbaria where voucher specimensof the plants cited are held. a - Arid Zone ResearchInstitutde, Alice Springs, N.T. b - Herbariun Australiense, Canberra, A.C.T. c - WesternAustralian Herbariinn, South perth, W,A. 60 A.R. Pei1e No. 3

Lwnutt tu - a closed bud migiriruLt'tz - refers to nuch sugary secretion fron the nectal.y in a flower ngilanpa - brown pulp inside the ga1l of the coccid bug, Apiomoz,pLa, on Eucalgptus termiynlis F. Mue1t. This gal .[ is frequently parasitized by the Catneronella wasp and is tunnelled by the larvae of PaLaeotoma stgphelarn Meyr. (CSIRO, 1973 921, 800). ngunAarrma - three-pointed thorn, as on Tribulus tet restz,is pulkutpa - a large, shady tree tjunmilgi-niLyi - tefet:s to the presence of a large quantity of yans, edible bulbs, etc. in a certain area.

Full details of these botanical terms together viith the Gugadja te ns for the flora in the Gugadja tribal country with European scientific equivalents wil l be published 1ater.

Not only an I endeavourj-ngto research the Gugadja tetms foT Flora, but also to learn frorn the Aborigines sonething about each . To obtain such inflormation, I tTy to obtain answers to a nurnber of questions. Obvj,ously each question ls not applicable to every p1ant. The following texts give examples of the answers and corunents about a nurnber of plant; _ these are given in Gugadja with a literal translation in order to express Aboriginal botany in their ov,inwords,

Question 1: Where is the plant found? Hibiscus sfuntii Hook.b - putju-putjulgulgu Yanga mankaL-panL-ng\ta, that sPrrrJ-r v,il!-ll(J L -Itl - That is growing where there is no spinifex. Pawicum aust"aLi en$e Domina - gi.takatjt, ua.TupunAu- - Found in burnt countr)..

Question 2: Is the plant eaten? If so, r,rhatpart is eaten? Are the seeds, etc,, eaten as they are? 0r, are they ground up and eaten? Are they ground up and nade into a darnper? CLez,oderdrumfLaz,ibundun R.Br,a - aitipi - drought food, roots roasted in a fire, The burnt endodernis is peeled off and the.cooked phloen and xylen is eaten, but not the pith. Ez,agz,ostisLeptocarpa Benth.a - aaryal-tnz.yeZpa - seeds-nade into danper, Eucalgptus gdmophAlLaF. Muell. - uaranpa - nectar sucked from the flower, edible seed with a nutty taste. GyeuiLLeavickLnmii Meisn.a - yintinga, yinnginga - exudate eaten, PisoLitLwe tirrctorius --.n?ti?*, natj aputi,- puli-puti, tututu, Younger specimenswith white and brown appearance inslde are eaten, raw or cooked, not the older ones with the dirty brown powderins id e,

Questj-on3: Is the plant used as a traditional renedy, as a bush-nedicine? Doesit causeany il1-effects? Euphorbio dywrmondii Boissiera - yipn-yipi," gipikuyu-kuyu. Mothers rub their breasts with wet Euphoz,bialeaves to promote the flow of nilk, It is also rubbed on itchy sores. The Euplnz,bia spp, have nilky latex which contains lacton euphorbon,a strong loial stinulant (Schoenfelder-Fischer, L974 : 130) No. 3 Et hno-butany of thc Gugadjr b1

Melotlnia maderaspantazta (L.) Cogn.a - unnta-l,,api -Azpz - This vine rs wrapped aror[rd the head as a renedy against headaches. Ngnphaea gigantea Hook. - mangkn-ngungu, pinnnyi - Leaves are rubbed aI1 over the body to prevent leech-bites.

Question 4: Is the plant used for fabricating i strunents? Acacict aneura F. Mue1l. ex Benth.a - palatta - wood used for making boonerangs and other inp lenents. VentLlago uininali s llook.a - aalakari - wood usecl for makinp boomerangs.

Question 5: Has the plant other uses? Dicrastylis eraLLccose(F. Muel.l.) Drucea - ti.e:a - used for naking fire and for decorative purposes. Didymotheca tepperi F. Nluell. (GlJltastenon tepperi)a - k.ungkungu used for poisoning uater where ernusdrink, Ergthrinn uespertilio Benth.c - lampupanu -Beads are strung together as a necklace, sonetines alternately wtth nyitu seeds (fron Stglohtsiun spathulatum Desf.a) and worn by rnen or wornenduring cerenonies. At other times womennight wear this necklace so that they wilI becornepregnant.

Questlon 6: Is the plant eaten by anirnals or birds: Which? Acacia ancistTacarpa Nlaiden E Btakely - Lnatal.ur.:tu - eaten by turkeys (Eupodotis austral.Ls) Acacia uictot i,ae Benth.a - pufuil p.L * eaten by goannas. Cassi.a,oLigoS;hlJLLa F. Muell.a - punti - eaten by caterpiJ.lars. Keraudrenia nephrosperma (F. Muell.) F. Muel1. ex J.M. Black _ puti- puti - eaten by birds. Trtctnthema orycalgptra F. Mue11.a - unnknti - eaten by kangaroos.

Question 7: Have aninals any otherc relationship to the plant? Depending on the t)?e of tree, one might ask such questions as:_ Do certain anirnals specrally rest in its shade? Are caterpillars found in its roots? Acac'ta kempea;naF, - -Muell.a kanrukura, ngalkuri,, gilkat;ara _ Witcherry grubs (Cnenoplates edul.Ls Newrnan)are found in its roots. Capparus umbonata Lindl .a - tjukutru, gitirringkL - "enu_canp',, I'kangaroo-canp". c _ Ergthrirn uesperti,Li.o. Bent h. kunpupanu _ The frog, Li.mnod.gnastes spencez.i parker is found near its roots, (peile, 1978b; 11).

Question 8: Is the plant sacred? Has it any dreantine siqnificance? The dreamtine het:oes (ti.ngarz) used both the Acacict iit ral/dua F. Muelt. ex Benth. and A. Lgsiphloia F. Mue11. in their journlys around the desert country. Acacia ancistTacarpa Maiden & ifut"tyu i, considered secret and saa:ed (taruku) when it is used durins sacred cerernonies. The newly_initiated young nan (naLulu) wears a bunch of th.is Acacia species in front of his privatelarts _ it is held in place by a hair_be1t around the waist. In laboratory experinents Dr. W. Griffen of the pharrnacyDepartment of B.i.bun" University has found A. ancistrocarpa leaves have a positive reactaon to Staphylococcus(1979: pers. comm.]. The neuly_circum_'_ cised penis would be very tender and prone to infection Acacia night have a role in its prevention, though the Aporigines certainly would not have known this.

In ethno-botanicar research, there are rnany difficurties invorved. one nust be wary of generic nanes or descriptions that are given to a certain 62 A.R. Peile No, 3 group of plants. For exanple, gutalg-gutalyba refers to a plant with woolly or hairy stens such-as Corchorus sidoides F. Muell,a, Lachnostachlls cliftonii F. Muell.a o'r Nancastelia cht"gsotricLn F. Mue1l.a The Aboriglnes might also nake sone corunent about a partj-cular plant and this could be taken by sonebody not particularly fluent in the particular language to be taken to be the name of the plant. For exanple, an infornant night nake the conment, rftunkutj atu - pienty of nectar ot: gwsalagi - srnall flowers. In ny first botanical field-notes I have written pukanTa as the tern for Catttri.c micz'ophy1.laA. Cunn.a This terrn refers to a plant which is not used for anything or to a I'bad'' tree as the Gugadja say in English. The correct tenn for this woody plant is kuntili-kuntili. Thonson (1975: 102) gtves molbu as the term for the truffle, Elderia sp. The tern, nuQ;u, refers to a plant or fungus breaking through the soil or to a girlrs prepubescent breasts. Thornsonunderstood his infornantsr connnents as the nane for the fungus. Even the o1d people who know the bush intimately do not know the narneof every plant. They witrl readily adnit this and ask sornebody else. In 1976, one nan in his early fifties told ne that he did not know the nane of a certain plant (Borwmia rosea (F. lvfuell.) Hall.a - pilAarr- pilgar:z:pa). His friend innediately told hin in Gugadja: ,rYou should know that, it is good enu tucker.r' Sone plants do not have specific names, for example, even the conmon SaLsoLa knLi L.^ is just refer ed to as tjilkn- tjilga, which neans thorny or prickly. 0n site out in the bush, it would be quite clear as to what plant was being referred to. People will sometines identify a plant wrongly. It is wise, therefore, to have several agree on the one narne or check it with another infonnant if it is not a corunonplant. If one does not have the resepct and confidence of the people, they rnay give the researcher the first word they think of - this is, rnore often than not, not even the nane of any plant at all. In the llterature I have sonetines discovered nanes of plants given in reply to questions the infornant has obviously not been able to answer. In this case the Aborigine night have given any answer to satjsfy the questioner.

The Gugadja sornetines give the sarnename to several species. For example, the narne, punAani, has been given by different inforrnants to TepTrrosia spp. and to'Atl"ipler nurmru.Lay,iaLindl .a, though further research may reveal that sonebody erred. Many species within a genus are sonetimes not differentiated, e. g. Arnyana spp.a - mipztwpa, Haloz,agis spp.a - yinta- ginta. Because the Aborigines sonetines differentiate probable undescribed subspecies or even different species, one has to qualify the taxononic tem with a further. description. For exanple, Acacia ptychophyLla F. Muel1,' - rLyirrl;ja1:u, Acacia aff. ptychophyLlaa - tjanunpa; CAperus cunrnnghnnid (C.B. Clarke) C.A. cardnera - yipi-kuguz,r'-guAurrypa, CAperas cunningLnmii (small fonn) - tjina-put tuntjarri; Eremophila Latz,obei F. Muell, (b1ue forn)a a malupirn, Eremophila Latrobei (narrow leaf form) - ngarauara, nyinbingka.

Notes are also nade of the names given in an Aboriginal language to rrwhitenanrs tuckert'. The younger people at Balgo transfer Gugadja terns for traditional fruits to adventitious fruits. The following are sone exarnples of this usage. The words given in inverted conmasrefer to the traditi,onal pl.ants when they are speaking English. Capparis nitchellii (Lind1.. ex F, Muell.) Benth,a - yitir:ringki, rrbush orange,' - tern applled to the orange. costata (F. l.tue11.) Benth.a - kanti, 'tbush-potato" - term applied to the potato. Pentatz'opis kernpeartt F. Muell.a - kulipi "bush banana" - tefln applied to the banana.

It is useful and revealing to analyse terns given to plants by the Aborlgines. It is not always possible to do this as many terns apparently have no other rneaningother than the narneof the respective plant. lt is No, 3 Ethno-botany of the Gugadja 63

outside of the scope of the ordinary researcher to go to the depth Garnier (1976) does ln his four -dinens ional framework to analyse popular plant nanes. stirl it is possible to exanine nany nanes and thereby gain a greater insight into the Aborlginal knowledge of botany. The plant terns that may be analysed etymologically refer sonetines to the appearance of the p1ant, its colour, its use, its intl.insic properties, its association with its habirar or with anlmals, etc. For exanple:

- Acanthaceae_ spp.a - puLitira. The root of this tern is puli, meaning stone. The Acanthac&e found in Gugadja tribal country [ro" i" rolly country. - Acacia dictyophleba F. Muell,a - long spindly fot:n - ?lLlatagw,a, The root j-s of this tenn lulata, neaning, spear. The Gugadja tein- refers to the general appearance-oT the plant . - Cyarastegia cyanocalyr (F. I\tuelf .) C.A, Gardnera - ku.vu-rrunga (lit. eye_ night). This tern refers to its disc-like cal1n, which his the appearance of an eye. There is no word in Gugadja for the colour, blue. Instead the words, naru (lit. black) or rnlnga (fit. night) are used, The work, night, is appropriate for the brilliant, dark blue flowers of the Cganostegia, although they are not as dark as the noonlit tropical night sky. - Keraudyerria nephr.ospewna (F. Muel1.) F, Muell. ex J.M. Blacka - puti_puti. This is a reduplicated form of the noun, puti, which neans nulga scruU, in which Kexaud.reni a frequently srows. - PetalostgLis LabLcheoid.es R.Br,h 1 t j avz'a-Laltzr (aIso known as ningirt,- nLngirupa), The first t errn for this plant refers to its nany smail forked branches.

What has been said in this paper with regard to plants, can, with approprlate changes, be applied to fauna also. The sane research should be carried out with regard to reptiles (cf. pei1e, I97 ga), narsupials, birds and other fauna, including spiders and insects, as the Aborigir". i..ro" .,r,.y nuch about fauna. After all it is their knowledge of the fl;ra and fauna that has enabred then to live happily in their harsh desert environment for many thousands of years. They have, therefore, nuch to teach us tkatiuas, (as the Gugadja call white people). We should be anxious to obtain ihis knowledge, before all is lost in todayrs rapidly changing conditions, uhere even tribal ly-ori ent ed Aborigines riving in a desert environment are giving up their traditional way of life and are not passing on, to the yo,r.g!" generation, all their knowledge of flora and fauna.

rn conclusion r would like to thank peter Latz of the Arid zone Research Institute, Alice Springs, and Alex George, Western Australian Herbariun, Perth for their assistance in identifying nost of the prants listed in ;his paper. An earlier version of this paper was given at the Ethno-Botany workshop, Australian rnstitute of Aboriginar studies, canberra on 15-i6trr uay, 7976.

REFERENCES

C.S.I.R,0. (1973), The Insects of Austz:alia. MelbourneUniversity press, Carlton. Garnier, P. (1976). -Essai de classification Log,i.quedes noms populair.es de plantes. Une thdse de Doctorat drUniversitZ 5 universit6 i'iix-t,tarseilre II. Peile, A.R. (1978a). Soneco'nments on ethno-herpeto logy. Hexpetofaunag(2); L5-t7. Peile, A.R. (1978b). Gugadja Aborigines and fross. Hetpetofauna10(1): g_L4. 64 A,R. Peile No, 3

Schoenfelder, B., and Fischer, W.J. (1974). Ilelche Heilp fLanze ist das? Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart. Thomson, D.F. (1975). Bindibu CountTA. Nelson, Melbourne.

APPENDIX1

There are over 600 Aboriginal languages and nunerous dialects in Australia, many of which are today extinct. This is fortunately not the case with Gugadja. This language belongs to the Western Desert group of languages, which are spoken by Aborigines j,n the desert areas of , northern South Australia and central west of the . The Western Desert languages are agglutj.native ln that tense and aspect suffixes, bound pronominal subjects, various modiflers, negatj-ves and pluralizers occur as suffixes to the root sten. The Gugadja words in thls paper are written in the Literacy orthography rather than in the technical orthography for which special type is required. To pronounce the retroflex consonants, t, n, 1, the tlp of the tongue is turned back to the roof of the nouth. Special*note should be nade of the frequent nasal sound, "ng" which is pronounced llke the ''n in the English words t'think', or "finger", I hope that the ethno-botany research I arndoing will contribute to a greater knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Aboriginal languages and culture.

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