FitzroyValleyIndigenousCultural ValuesStudy (apreliminaryassessment) SandyToussaint,PatrickSullivan,SarahYu,MervynMulartyJnr. CentreforAnthropologicalResearch, TheUniversityofWesternAustralia, Nedlands,WA,6009 ReportfortheWaterandRiversCommission 3PlainStreet,Perth,WA,6000 February2001 1.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 3.0. INTRODUCTION 5 3.1. TheFitzroyValleyIndigenousCulturalValuesStudy 5 3.2. Ethics,Protocol,Confidentiality 8 3.3. ResearchMethods,Process,PlacesVisited 9 3.4. StudyQualitiesandLimitations 11 3.5. ANoteonWordsandLanguageUse 13 3.6. StructureoftheReport 13 4.0. THEFITZROYVALLEY:ANOVERVIEW 14 4.1. LanguageGroupsandaffiliationstoLandandWater 14 4.2. Geography,Ecology,History 20 4.3. TextualandVisualRepresentationsofLandandWater(literature,paintings,postcards) 28 5.0. STUDYFINDINGS 36 5.1. APreliminaryAssessment 36 5.2. CulturalBeliefsandPractices 36 5.3. SocialandEconomicIssues 43 5.4. 'River'and'Desert'Cultures 50 5.5. EnvironmentalInterpretations 52 5.6. CulturalResponsibilitiesandAspirations 57 5.7. ConsequencesofWaterChangeoverTime 62 6.0. CONCLUSIONS 70 7.0. RECOMMENDATIONS 72 APPENDICES 75 8.1. PERSONSCONSULTED 75 8.2. PLACESVISITED 77 2 8.3. ADVICETOCOMMUNITIESANDORGANISATIONS 78 8.4.SAMPLELETTERS 79 8.5WORDLISTRELATINGTOWATERUSE 81 8.6DARBYNANGKIRINY’SSTORY 84 8.7GEOGRAPHICLOCATIONSOFWATERSITESINLOWERFITZROY/HANNAREA 86 8.8MAPSFROMRAPARAPAKULARRMARTUWARRA 88 9.0. BIBLIOGRAPHY(INCLUDINGREFERENCESCITEDINREPORT) 90 LISTOFMAPS 1. FitzroyValley,Kimberley,WesternAustralia p.6 2. PlacesNamedinReport p.10 3. LandandWaterLanguageAffiliations p.14 LISTOFFIGURES Fig.1 Wiliyalkany,aspringtotheeastofJikarli/GeegullyCreek p.17 Fig.2 MortonMoore,MervynMulartyJnr,EdnaHopigaandPansyNulgit withDwightHopiga(infront)atWinjilyangarri unggud p.17 Fig.3 Danggu,GeikieGorge,traditionalBunubacountry p.19 Fig.4 Danggu,GeikieGorgebyNyawanday(CaseyRoss),MangkajaArts p.19 Fig.5 KalayanmayipoolonJikarli/GeegullyCreek p.22 Fig.6 Barrage,FitzroyWeir,builtfortheCamballinProject p.27 3 Fig.7 RemainingdebrisfromthefailedCamballinProject p.27 Fig.8 SandhillofMoankanambi jila p.29 Fig.9 Ward'birraGambaWarag-Goo,'TheyGotWaterforWork'froman exhibitionofpaintingsbyMervynStreet,MangkajaArts(Cat3) p.31 Fig.10'ThreeSnakes',paintingbyMervynStreet p.32 Fig.11 Pajiman(withPampila)holdsa pumu rainstonenearMoankanmbi p.34 Fig.12 Pampilacutsthe majarla treesintologsnearYakanarra p.39 Fig.13 Pajimanwiththe limara fishpoisoninglogsreadyforuse p.39 Fig.14 Jangarla water,thesoapysubstancewhichemergesafterthe limara arepounded p.40 Fig.15 Lagarr fishpoisonedbythe jangarla water p.40 Fig.16 CissyNuggettrepairsathrownet p.42 Fig.17 KordididrinksfreshwaterfromaspringintheStGeorgeRanges p.42 Fig.18 Pampilausesathrownettocatchbait p.44 4 Fig.19 Abarramundiisgutted(inpreparationforcookinginpaperbark) p.44 Fig.20 NannanandLyallShandleyat pawpawjarti ontheFitzroyRiver p.46 Fig.21 MorgalSharpe,PatrickGreen,LeonieNuggettandAmyNuggett fishingat jiliyarti billabong p.46 Fig.22 Atypicaldinnercampoffish,damperandteaatKunyun-nyunu- kurtany p.47 Fig.23 HuntingtripwithHarryWatsonandfamilyatManguelCreek p.47 Fig.24 Deepwaterspring,MimbiCaves p.49 Fig.25 RubbishdumpedatBullockCrossing,FitzroyRiver p.49 Fig.26 Kurtal Dance,SpiderSnell,MangkajaArts p.51 Fig.27 SallyKanyanandAnnieMilgancollectingmusselsonthebanks ofKunyun-nyunu-kurtany p.53 Fig.28 Juduwaniny (waterlilies)atJangkarrka(LakeAlma)billabong p.54 Fig.29 TheFitzroyRiverinflood(GreatNorthernHighwaybetween FitzroyCrossingandtheBayuluCommunity) p.55 Fig.30 Salt-encrusteddrycreekthatrunsintoJikarliCreekinthewet p.59 Fig.31 Walkawalka,apermanentspringintheManguelCreekarea p.59 5 Fig.32 Pindi atMoankanambi p.61 Fig.33Sitewherethe yungurrungu nearlydrownedsomeone(Kunyun- nyun-kurtanypool) p.61 Fig.34 HarryWatson,DwightHopiga,MervynMularty,Edna Hopiga,ManguelCreekarea p.64 Fig.35 OneofthelevybanksconstructedfortheCamballinProject (whichhasneverbeenremovedorrehabilitated) p.65 Fig.36 ErosioncausedbyroadmaintenanceatCamballin p.66 Fig.37 Winjilyangarri unggud linedwithpaperbark,figsandfreshwater Mangroves p.69 6 KUNGINGLARAH ,byAlecForrest ThiscopyofanoriginalpaintingbyAlecForrest,aWalmajarrimanwholives in the Bayulu Community near Fitzroy Crossing, depicts relations to land, waterandculture. WarntarriPurlumanupurra ,theCanningStockRoute,was often the route tracked north by desert groups to the country of the 'river people'. Many Indigenous paintings and other contemporary art forms represent a range of interpretations of past, continuing and co-existent attachmentstotheFitzroyValleyculturallandscape. ‘Mymotherinthewettimeusedtoliveroundhere.Weusedtohunthereat the three lakes all close together. [That] name is Kooljedi and there was a wallabylikeakangarooatthatplacewhodugbigholes.Therewere[bilby] theretoo,plentyofthem.Weusedtocollectplentyofbushtuckertheretoo. Therewasagrindingstonethereforbushtucker.Itisstilltherenow.The bushapplegrowsallroundthatplace.Plentyyamtherethenandstillthere today.Thisplace[is]ontheCanningStockRoute’,AlecForrest. 7 8 1.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ManyAboriginalpeoplecontributedtheirknowledge,insightsand experiencesonwaterandcultureintheFitzroyValleytothisreport.Special thanksareduetothetraditionalownersandtheBayulu,Djugerari, Jarlmadangah,Kupungarri,Looma,MimbiandYakanarracommunitiesfor theirparticipationandpatience,andfordirectionandguidanceduring fieldwork.Inparticular,wethankPatsyBedford,Hanson(Pampila)Boxer, NancyBroome,Warford(Pajiman)Bujiman,KittyChungal,PeterClancy, EdnaHopiga,SallyKanyan,BillyKing,Annette(Wayuwu)Kogolo,Bobby (Pinyarri)Kogolo,LucyMarshall,AnnieMilgin,Doug(Kordidi)Moor,Darby Nangkiriny,AmyNuggett,Mamanjiya(Joy)Nuggett,PansyNulgit,Dora (Morgal)Sharpe,NevilleSharpe,AnthonyWatson,HarryWatson,John WatsonandotherslistedinAppendix8.1.WewouldalsoliketothankAlec Forrestforgivingpermissiontoreproducehis'Kunginglarah'painting,and MangkajaArtsforpermissiontoreproduceanumberofdrawingsby Mangkajaartists,includingMervynStreetandNyawanday.TheKimberley LandCouncilprovidedSarahYuwithanadditionalvehicle,KLCproject officers(especiallyDavidJaggarinFitzroyCrossingandAthleighSullivanin Derby)andLibrarian,JennyBolton,providedassistancewithpreliminary consultationandreports.RoyStone,ProgramManagerofEnvironmental PlanningattheWaterandRiversCommission,encouragedWRC'sinterestin learningaboutFitzroyValleyIndigenousCulturalValuesonwateruse,and DavidTrigger,DirectoroftheCentreforAnthropologicalResearch,advised theprojectfromitsinception.DianneAnsteyandJillWoodman,Department ofAnthropologyattheUniversityofWesternAustralia,provided administrativesupport,andGrahamHarveyfromUniprintconstructedthe maps. 1 2.0. EXECUTIVESUMMARY Indigenous groups in the Fitzroy Valley conceptualise lands, waters and rivers within a cultural framework inspired by religious beliefs, practices and laws generally known as the Dreaming. Mythic beings interpreted as rainbow serpents or water snakes (variously described as kalpurtu, unggud, yungurrungu )aresignificantactorsinthereproductionofwater andassociatedspecies.Indigenousknowledgeofplacenames and explanations for waters and rivers give life to the all- inclusivenatureoftheculturallandscape. Indigenousmenandwomenhaveareligious,legal,socialand economicresponsibilityto‘lookafter’thelandsandwaters,by a combination of ritual performance, ‘talking to country’, conservation practices and daily social action. Beliefs and practicesdefinedbythecontextofculturalchangecontinueto be central to how people live their lives, albeit in an environment which has, in some places, been modified by industries such as pastoralism, agriculture, irrigation, mining, tourismandotherformsofintervention. River and desert-related groups, especially members of the Ngarinyin, Nyikina, Mangala, Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Walmajarri and Wangkajunga language groups across the Fitzroy Valley, sustain various rights and responsibilities to riversystemsandwatersourceswhichhavebeenreproduced throughouttimeforcountlessgenerations.Owingtomarriage, residenceandtotemicaffiliation,river/desertco-existenceand somesharedknowledgeandresourcesarefeaturesofhistorical migration and contemporary social life. This interpretation should not infer that the Fitzroy Valley is culturally, linguisticallyandpoliticallyhomogenous,orthatthereareno particularrightsandaffiliationstoplace. 2 Indigenous people constantly reaffirm that Fitzroy Valley rivers,watersandriverineresourcesarecentraltotheirlives. Water,inallitsforms,isanenduringandintegratedpartofthe cultural landscape. In the past, Indigenous relationships to landhavetendedtobemorereadilyrecognisedandrecorded. Illustrationsofcontinuinghistoricalandpresent-dayideasand behaviours encompass a range of fishing activities, social etiquetteattachedtoriveruseandprotection,bushfoodsand medicines, rituals for water replenishment, and explanations for water depletion. In a region of environmental and historical contrast, interdependent, cyclical relationships to waters and rivers are also expressed by knowledge exchange and language (such as the importance of the warramba , or annual flood which cleans out the river system), as well as paintingandfilm. The rivers and waters also provide resources for Aboriginal groupswhoareeconomicallymarginalisedandoftenrelianton socialsecurityentitlements.Freshwaterfishing(bylines,nets, trapsanddigging,orbyuseofthe majarla treetopoisonand stun fish) enables continuation of valuable and life-sustaining practicesandknowledges,aswellasanutritionaladditionto adult and infant diets. Smoked fish are commonly sought to accommodate food taboos [ jaminyjarti or jaginy ] on meat for