Thutirla PulaAboriginal story place

A co-operative partnership between the Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi

people, the Diamantina Shire Council, Desert Channels Queensland

and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi people

Just as modern society today has different customs, rituals and places for men and women, so too did traditional Aboriginal society. This is where the men would dress and decorate themselves in preparation for the ceremony. Sort of like the gents’ changing room! This site was also the focus for various male rituals and ceremonies, such as initiation rites and rites of passage.

These ceremonies represented the gradual introduction of the youth into adulthood, and ultimately the transition of the novice into the sacred world. This involved the development of the knowledge, awareness and status of the individual. The initiate had new roles and responsibilities within the group, and strict codes of conduct to follow. For instance, he could not disclose any of the men’s sacred knowledge to the women or to uninitiated boys.

The ceremonies would include both the Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi people and those of neighbouring clans, and could involve upwards of 500 people. With many tasks to accomplish and events to commemorate—from law making to marriages—the proceedings would continue for several days, possibly weeks.

The men’s site

Vantage points such as this one were used to look over the surrounding countryside—to constantly keep watch for hostile tribes or animals coming to drink. People would take turns at the lookout, especially during the mid morning and late afternoon, when animals would come in for water.

Aboriginal people traditionally had as strong a connection with the natural environment as the native animals with which they shared the land. And none more so than the Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi people of the big sand hill country. They had to manage and make the most of whatever the seasons dealt them—whether flood, drought, fire or storm.

Dust storms, for instance, provided a unique opportunity for collecting tucker. The wind would deposit dead and injured insects, birds and other critters on the sheltered sides of the sand dunes. Snakes, lizards and goannas would lie in wait. The local hunter-gatherers knew this, and feasted on the smorgasbord provided by nature.

The original method of late night shopping!

The lookout

This is where the women would dress and decorate themselves in preparation for the ceremony. This is the ladies’ changing room! This site was also the focus for various female rituals and ceremonies.

Like the men, the women also had initiation rites, where the girls would learn about the new roles and responsibilities of adult life. The initiation rites of both girls and boys were a key to the preservation of traditions, the passing on of knowledge, and the future prosperity of the society.

The women also had their own secret ceremonies. The songs and dances of the women were animated with “women’s magic” not known to the men. The women were regarded as the inventors of the rituals, and custodians of the sacred objects of the society.

In the Dreamtime, women held the power of the secret of life, and personified “mother earth”. All life came from the mother, and ultimately returned to mother earth.

The women’s site

Thank you for visiting

We hope you have enjoyed learning a little of one of the many Dreamtime stories that make up our remarkable country.Although European settlement and the subsequent development of the surrounding areas have had an impact on the Two Boys Dreaming site, we have attempted to restore the place to how it would have been when the feet of the original occupants stamped these grounds. For thousands of years, Aboriginal people periodically came together at this site.

Today, many descendants of the Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi people live in Birdsville. These people today provide an essential bridge for traditional knowledge and culture to be passed on to the wider community. And it gives these keepers of traditional knowledge great satisfaction to be able to share their stories of the Munga Thirri big sand hill country.

In the spirit of Thutirla Pula and the Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi people, we wish you a safe and happy journey.

Walparara yukanha! Go safely!

Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi people

Compiled and written by Don Rowlands

Don Rowlands Jim Crombie

Keepers of traditional knowledge

Linda Crombie