The Time of Ngoonungi – Murrai’yunggory.
Cool, getting warmer (September / October)
The annual cycle of the D’harawal landscape comprises six seasons, one of which is the season of Murrai’yunggory.
The cold winds have now gone, and the days are starting to get warmer. The buds of the Waratah swell and redden, and the Ngoonungi (flying foxes) gather in vast numbers over D’harawal Lands as the sun sinks below the horizon and dusk falls. Gentle rains fall during this time, and the flowers bloom heavy with nectar. It is a time for ceremony, and the clans gather to celebrate a time of plenty.
This is the time when the restrictions on eating shellfish, prawns, crabs, yabbies and lobsters are lifted, and feasting on the beaches and river banks occurs. The shells of the mussels, pipis and other molluscs are carefully preserved by placing them in middens, above the high-tide line. The ash of the shells was used as a base for sealants, and finely crushed shells were mixed with a liquid and given to children as a medicine.
The Tree of the Peacemaker, Boonah (Angophora subvelutina), flowers during the Marrai’yunggory, adding its refreshing nectar to the ceremonies of peace held during the big meetings of the Yandel’ora. Boonah was a warrior who, because of his wisdom and kindness, was selected to be the peacemaker of the D’harawal Lands. As a reward, upon his death, he was turned into the great tree. Wherever the Boonah grows, one experiences a feeling of great peace and calmness.
Boonah was a warrior who, because of his wisdom and kindness, was selected to be the peacemaker of the D’harawal Lands. As a reward, upon his death, he was turned into the great tree. Wherever the Boonah grows, one experiences a feeling of great peace and calmness.
Frances Bodkin, D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources
Marrai’yunggory is also the time of the mating of the wombats, and the grunting of the males as they clumsily chase each other through the bushland kept many a small D’harawal child fearfully awake at night. But perhaps the most frightening of all, particularly for the first white settlers in D’harawal Lands, was the noise of the nocturnal battles between the males of the possums, the evil-sounding, snarling growls, and the crashing noises as they chased each other through the treetops, with the noise of the fighting koalas would have made night-time in this season very unsettling in a new land where the giant mice hopping around the landscape were bigger than most men, and the growls of some of the smallest creatures sounded more like the roar of the big cats of Africa. Although, I have to admit that the carrying-on of the possums on our tin roof at night sounds more like a herd of panicking elephants.
This is also the time when throughout the bushland the sound of Gugagura Kookaburra) can be heard as they challenge each other over territory and the females. Their nests can be found in tree hollows, in termite nests or in holes in steep creek banks. The little brothers of the kookaburra, the Gumburingal (Azure Kingfisher) also can be seen chasing each other at great speeds along the densely vegetated creek banks during Marrai’yunggory. Their nests can be found in small burrows in creek banks.
The little brothers of the kookaburra, the Gumburingal (Azure Kingfisher) also can be seen chasing each other at great speeds along the densely vegetated creek banks during Marrai’yunggory. Their nests can be found in small burrows in creek banks.
Frances Bodkin, D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources
The incessant chattering of Gomamari (King Parrots) in the early morning and late afternoon, as they chase their rivals in high speed precision flights through the treetops, is also a feature of the Marrai’yunggory. They make their nests in deep tree hollows, in which two or three white eggs are laid. Similarly, the chattering of Galidan (Crimson Rosellas) chasing through the trees, as their attempts to stop their rivals from feeding in their territory makes the early morning and late afternoon a raucous cacophony of sound.
As the flowers of the Kai’mia (Doryanthes excelsa) come into full blossom and no longer produce nectar, it is a sign that a trip to the whale ceremony site is needed to wish the whales and their new-born babies a safe journey back to their homelands in the southern oceans. Guwara (Whale) is part of the creation legends of the D’harawal Peoples, and is therefore an important part of our culture.
As the flowers of the Kai’mia (Doryanthes excelsa) come into full blossom and no longer produce nectar, it is a sign that a trip to the whale ceremony site is needed to wish the whales and their new-born babies a safe journey back to their homelands in the southern oceans.
Frances Bodkin, D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources
The Illawarra is located on D’harawal land. We acknowledge that the Wodi-Wodi people are the Traditional Custodians of the land and have lived sustainably in this landscape for thousands of years. They understand the complex and interconnected cycles of weather, plants and animals.
Download a PDF of the D’harawal Seasonal Calendar poster here.
We acknowledge and thank Dr Frances Bodkin and illustrator Lorraine Robertson for allowing us to share their work in this story. If you are interested in learning more, we recommend visiting the website D’harawal Stories and ordering the two books: D’harawal Dreaming Stories and D’harawal Climate and Natural Resources, both compiled by Frances Bodkin and illustrated by Lorraine Robertson and published by Envirobook.
