Yirrganydji People - Historical Facts and Observations

Historical Facts and Observations

John Gribble

John Gribble, the founder of Yarrabah mission in 1892. In his 1891 diary journal, he records the tribe on the Lower Barron River:

Yil-gun-gee

Barron Tribe

Dialect of Cha. boo.gi

Walter Roth

Walter Roth, Protector of the Aborigines, visited the Yarrabah Mission and Cairns District during 1890-1910. He produced a number of bulletins on Ethnography on the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, which were later re-published in his 1984 book, “The Queensland Aborigines – Volume 3”. In this book, Roth observes the aboriginal tribes of the Cairns District:

“For purposes of trade and barter it may be said that the Cairns, and until recent years, the Cape Grafton Blacks travel along the coast-line between Port Douglas and the Mulgrave River; The Barron River Natives wander up the coast as far as Port Douglas and inland to Kuranda and Mareeba; the Russell River boys ‘walk about’ to the Pyramid Mountain, the Mulgrave and Johnstone Rivers and Cairns…"

Ernest Gribble

Ernest Gribble, the son of John Gribble, took in charge of the Yarrabah Mission in the 1900s. In his 1897 article, E.R. Gribble completed a paper on ‘Class systems’ to the Australian Anthropological Journal. He mentions three aboriginal tribes:

Goonganji of Cape Grafton

Myarah of Mulgrave River

Dungara of the Lower Barron River

Ernest Gribble later released a book in 1933, “A Despised Race – The Vanishing Aboriginals of Australia”, which observes 'The Natives around Cairns':

‘Goonganji’ and spoke ‘Goongi’. The tribe on the lower Barron River was called ‘Yerkanji’ and spoke ‘Yerki’. On the upper Barron dwelt the ‘Narkalinji’ speaking ‘Narkali'. The tribe on the Mulgrave, a large and powerful tribe, much feared by all the others, was called ‘Yetinji’ and spoke ‘Yeti’.

Ursula McConnel

Ursula McConnel, one of the earliest anthropologists made an article called ‘Social Organisation of the Tribes of Cape York Peninsula’ in 1939-40. McConnel states the Aboriginal groups in the Cairns Region:

South of Port Douglas is another group – the indyi or andyi tribes of Mowbray, Barron and Mulgrave Rivers, surveyed originally by Roth and later by me in 1931. On the Mowbray River are the Tyabogai-tyanyi, a branch of whom on the Barron River are known as the Nyakali. On the south side of the Barron River are the Bulwandyi; low down on the Barron River are the Yirkandyi…

Norman Tindale

The results of Norman Tindale and Joseph Birdell's Harvard-Adelaide Universities Anthropological Expedition in 1938-39 shows the distribution of Australian Aboriginal Tribes in 1940. The listing for Irukandji is as follows:

Irukandji - narrow coastal strip from Cairns to Port Douglas (Mowbray River); on tidal waters of Barron River at Redlynch...

In April 1955, Norman Tindale writes a letter called, 'Aboriginal Tribes about Cairns' and was sent to Dr Hugo Flecker, president of the North Queensland Naturalist. On the letter it states:

According to our information, the Irukandji lived along the coast at Cairns, while the Tjapukai lived up the Barron River, coming only as far as Redlynch during times of ceremonies...In 1937, I spoke to all the old remaining old men and obtained detailed information which I think can be relied upon...

Douglas Seaton

In 1957, Douglas Seaton produced another article on the 1st September to the North Queensland Naturalist called “The Initiation Ceremony of the Tjapukai Tribe”. In this article, Seaton also mentions the Yirkandji tribe:

The leaders of the Yirkandji used to travel up the Barron River by canoe to the place of initiation, which was a pool of the Barron...

P.C. Griffin

P.C. Griffin, contracted by the A.I.A.T.S.I.S. Library, Canberra, to visit the Yarrabah Mission and record the Aboriginal culture and language of that area. In his 1968 book, "Yarraburra, Myths, Legends and Rock Paintings of the Yarrabah Aboriginal Reserve", Griffin records:

At the head of Trinity Inlet were the Yedtinji tribe...their language Yeti...Other neighbours in Trinity Inlet spoke the language Jabugai; and the area at the mouth of the Barron River was occupied by the Yerkanji people.

Daniel Connolly

Daniel Connolly recalls about the early days in the Mowbray River Valley when his family and the Reynolds' family settled in the early 1900s. In his 1984 book, "Chronicles of Mowbray and Port Douglas and the pioneering saga of the Reynolds and Connolly families: an historic record", Connolly recalls:

When Grannie 's family settled in the Mowbray Valley there was no trouble whatever with the Chabbuki tribe. Another tribe of aboriginals camped at White Cliffs, reportedly a very ferocious tribe, was the Yirkandja tribe, who roamed as far as Spring Creek.