Boobarran Ngummin : The Bunya Mountains single work   oral history  
Issue Details: First known date: 2002... 2002 Boobarran Ngummin : The Bunya Mountains
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'Good morning. I am very pleased to be here to discuss the Bunya Mountains with you.

The Bunya Mountains, that means our Mothers' breast - Boobarran Ngummin. This is a very sacred place. To us it is equal in status to Uluru. To all the tribes of South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales it has been very significant, in fact for thousands of years, perhaps 60,000 years and that's a long, long time. Our people would gather at the Bunya Mountains from these areas. It is very important that we get the right perspective on these gatherings. Some people think, it was just to gorge on bunya nuts. No, it was very deeply spiritual arousing of ceremony. We went to suck the breast of our Mother, who gave us this, the spirituality that was so intense that it was a part of our bearing in this country, our Mother Australia, the Earth. We 'are sucking the breast, sucking the milk, the bunya nut, from her. All around the Bunya Mountains is very, very spiritual country. There are indicators speaking to Murris, telling them where to go, what to do, what ceremonies to perform. Southwest of the Bunya Mountains is where spiritu~l stones to make axes, knives, whatever were found, all from specific areas. I was just up there for the last month rejuvenating.' (Introduction) 

Exhibitions

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Queensland Review vol. 9 no. 2 November 2002 Z1008273 2002 periodical issue 'The bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii) is an icon of the natural and cultural heritage of Queensland and one of an elite group of trees that is admired and studied around the world. Endemic to Queensland, the bunya's majestic height, unique silhouette and dark green foliage set it apart from other trees of the Australian bush. Revered as sacred by its Indigenous custodians, the bunya's prolific seasonal harvests of edible nuts provided the catalyst for ceremonial gatherings of thousands of people, many of them from hundreds of kilometres away. To this day the tree retains a significant place in the spiritual life of Queensland's Indigenous peoples. Early colonists were entranced, by these spiritual connections and they wove together tales of mystique and romance that still shape our imaginings and continue to inspire novelists, artists and historians. The bunya's ancient lineage, with links going back in time to the age of the dinosaurs, adds to its air of mystery. A host of treasured personal and community memories envelope the tree. The nuts have provided a novel seasonal treat for generations of Queenslanders and the heavy seed-bearing cones are the subject of countless yarns about narrowly missed injury to persons sheltering beneath its branches.' (Introduction)  2002 pg. 1-5
Last amended 25 Jul 2019 14:58:00
Subjects:
  • Bunya Mountains, Crows Nest - Bunya Mountains area, South East Queensland, Queensland,
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