Download baiame, keeper of the valley kelly griffiths from the dreaming

The Wonnarua were the
first inhabitants of the
(Coquun) Hunter Valley,
with the Worimi to the
north eastern shores,
and the Awabakal to the
south eastern shores.
The three tribes would
come together, this
being the foundation for
today’s rich and ancient
Aboriginal culture.
In Aboriginal culture,
people do not own the
land, the land owns them.
People come from mother
earth and return to
mother earth in death.
BAIAME, KEEPER
OF THE VALLEY
Aboriginal tradition tells of Baiame
the ancestral being of the people of the
Hunter Valley, the Great Spirit who is
keeper of the Valley. Baiame created
the earth and sent other spirits to create
and live in the natural features of the
valley. Baiame created the first laws by
which Aboriginal people lived and these
remained unchanged through
thousands of years of Aboriginal life.
TRIBES OF THE
(COQUUN) HUNTER
VALLEY
Maitland’s Wallis Plains was a fighting
field between the Wonnarua, the Worimi
and the Awabakal. The tribes of the
(Coquun) Hunter Valley would travel
along an ancient trading route between
the Sydney area and the Hunter Valley, to
exchange goods and perform ceremonies
at various sites along the way.
Tribes from other areas including
the Gamilaroi from the north west,
the Wiradjuri from the south west, the
Darkinjung from the south and the
Birpai from the north also travelled
through the area. They would be invited
to participate in ceremonies.
Today, the details of the tribes and
tribal boundaries is contentious, and
hard to define due to a lack of written
and oral history. White colonization
introduced a ban on cultural practices
and elders died at an early age, before
knowledge could be passed on to
future generations.
NAMES OF THE RIVER
The name of the Hunter River in a
local Aboriginal dialect was Myan. The
river at Morpeth was called Coonanbarr
and the junction of the river with
Wallis Creek was called Boomi.
The river was known by different names
by different Aboriginal tribes.
EUROPEAN
INVASION
The Aboriginal lifestyle and sense of
identity was overwhelmed by the arrival
of European settlers in the early 19th
Century. Within a few decades, most
of the land along the eastern seaboard
was estranged and transformed by
occupation, clearing, cultivation and
building, and this progressed inland.
Illnesses brought into the area by the
settlers caused high mortality amongst
the local Aboriginal communities.
Together with the loss of their hunting
grounds, the Aboriginal population was
much reduced. Many were displaced to
less settled country such as the head of
the Paterson River and the nearby ranges.
MINDARIBBA
LOCAL ABORIGINAL
LAND COUNCIL
The Aboriginal race was also being
bred out due to convicts and settlers
who were allocated ‘selections’ of land.
Many had children with women and
young girls who were taken in as their
help. Hence, the Aboriginal population
became fairer in complexion within
the regions of the more desirable and
prosperous land.
This enabled a very positive step to
be taken for the Aboriginal community
to progress and strive forward to
independence giving them the
opportunity to assist the community
members and leave a legacy for the
Jarjum (children) to carry on.
Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land
Council (L.A.L.C) was formed in 1984
under the 1983 Land Rights Act by
a number of concerned Aboriginal
residents in the area who occupied a
small office in High Street. Mindaribba
L.A.L.C. and members recognise the
efforts of a number of Aboriginal leaders
in aiding this to happen including Rick
Griffiths, George Griffiths, Lillian Boney
and Stephen Talbot.
In current times, the Mindaribba
L. A. L. C. at Metford have established a
Health and Multi Purpose Centre. The
Centre is involved with land acquisition
and preservation programs, along with
providing educational, health, sporting
and cultural facilities which service the
local Aboriginal community.
The Mindaribba L. A. L. C., and the
Lower Hunter Wonnarua Council Inc
have generously assisted with this project.
KELLY GRIFFITHS
FROM THE
DREAMING:
MY BELIEF
....only moments ago
Creation came into
existence, she was born.
Here is a momentary glimpse of the
Dreaming in its rawest form. Life and
nature are all one, and interrelated.
Placed here for all to view and observe
through the hands, skill and art
of Kelly Griffiths.