Djabugay People - Religious Beliefs

Religious Beliefs

Local Aboriginal authors, Rhonda Duffin and Rosetta Brim, have written describing contemporary Djabugay religious belief as follows;

"BULURRU is the source of life, the Storywaters, the Storytime. In other parts of Australia this time is known as the Dreamtime or the Dreaming.

"All things come from BULURRU - the sun, the moon and stars, the food we eat, the creatures of the world, the plants and trees, the rain, the very land itself. We ourselves come from BULURRU"

Arising out of BULURRU, from time immemorial, are stories of the creation and origin of all things, many of which have been performed, told, and even published by Djabugay people. For example:

• in Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service information for the Barron Gorge National Park, it is clearly stated and explained :

"To the Djabugay people, the "Creation Era" (Dreamtime) describes the events surrounding the making of the world. In Djabugay country, "Bulurru" is the "spirit of creation, the sacred past, the word and the law to be followed". As the "Bulurru" ancestors journeyed across the land, stories, songs and ceremonies were recorded and have been passed down from generation to generation."

"The greatest ancestor of all is Gudju Gudju, the Rainbow. Gudju Gudju could transform into ancestors such as Budaadji, the carpet snake, who created all rivers and creeks of Barron Gorge National Park. During the wet season, Gudju Gudju's presence is most profound in his rainbow form. The voice of Bulurru, the creation spirit, can be heard through Gudju Gudju in the sound of thunder. The Traditional Owners ask that you take care and respect their country during your visit."

• in a book entitled Djabugay Ngirrma Gulu: Djabugay Language Tree, Djabugay authors, artists plus a linguist tell of Damarri, the ancestral being (one of two brothers) who after many adventures, lay down and whose supine body can now still be seen in the contours of the Barron River and Redlynch Valley.

• on the railway journey to Kuranda from Cairns, Queensland Rail daily tells many hundreds of thousands of visitors as they travel up and down the side of the Barron Gorge of Buda-dji, the ancestral being, who, in the shape of a giant carpet snake, formed the Barron Gorge, and the Railway Engine itself has been painted with a representation of this ancestral being.

In 2004, a Federal Court Judge, Justice Spender, determining whether or not the Djabugay people continue to hold laws that find their source in traditions preceding British colonisation of Australia (i.e. whether or not they hold native title), also discussed Djabugay people's belief in BULURRU, when he quoted and confirmed:

"For Djabugay people, .. physical features .. not only affirm the veracity of BULURRU Law but they also stand as tangible proof of the continued presence of BULURRU ancestral and totemic beings on and in Djabugay country (bulmba)."

"In summary, the physical landscape, and in particular the "Storyplaces" and "Storywaters" associated with BULURRU, serves as evidence of the inalienable connection that exists between the Djabugay claimants, ancestral BULURRU beings and the lands and waters.."