Images: Kathie Atkinson/AUSCAPE, Jacinda Brown, Ray Chatto, Ben & Lynn Cropp/AUSCAPE, Don Franklin, Keith McGuiness, Barbara McKaige, Greg Miles, Gunther Schmida/Lochman Transparencies, Lorraine Williams, Karen Willshaw/OceanwideImages.com, Emma Woodward.

Gulumoerrgin/Larrakia Language¹ and Ecological Knowledge²: Lorraine Williams¹,², Judith Williams¹,², Maureen Ogden¹,², Keith Risk² and Anne Risk². Gulumoerrgin knowledge of language and culture is adapted here with information sourced from Larrakia and Limilngan elders from 1989 – 1994.

We acknowledge the assistance of the Northern Territory Government in the collation of that information.

Compilation and Production: Emma Woodward and Maeli Cooper (CSIRO) 2012. Design and layout: First Class in Graphic Design. © Copyright owned by Gulumoerrgin/Larrakia language contributors and CSIRO. This publication can not be reproduced without the prior informed consent of contributors and the CSIRO.

larrakia, darwin–no

rthern territory–

australia

Gul

umoe

rrgin

Seaso

ns Dalay – Monsoon season

Mayilem

a – Speargrass , goose egg & knock ‘em

down season Dam

ibila – Barramundi & bush fruit time Dinidjanggama – Heavy dew time

G

urrulw

a gul

igi –

Big

win

d ti

me

D

alir

rgan

g –

Bui

ld u

p

Balnba – Rainy season

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPT

EMBE

RO

CTO

BER

DECEMBER

NOVEMBE

R

Dalay is the monsoon season. The monsoon replenishes a dry thirsty land. Water gushes from

rivers and

creeks, and f oodplains are buried under lakes of water. The water disperses seeds and new plants are

sprouting. Manmanma (cyclones) seem more

Doedlirra (Green Sea Turtle) are hunted

frequent and are a sign of a troubled planet.

throughout the year except when they are

mating and laying eggs. Strict laws decide

when Doedlirra can be hunted.

The f owering of M

ayilema (Speargrass) sign

if es the start of B

iyinba (goose egg) collection on the

The skies are clearing and the clouds are high.

f oodplains. As the Speargrass h

eads turn

brow

n t h

e eggs hatch

, markin

g the end of the goose egg

When there is a cold w

ind, old people say that

season. Knock-em dow

n storm

s knock th

e Spear grass over an

d mark th

e end of the wet season.

f owers are calling the cold weather.

Danggalaba (Saltwater Crocodile) are laying

their eggs. Damibila (Barramundi) are

Bush Currant is fruiting now.

multiplying upstream on the f oodplains.

They are very sweet and a

favourite of children.

(turtle eggs). We collect eggs responsibly, w

ith only a few taken from

each nest.Betbiyan (Flatback Turtle) are laying eggs. O

n the Easter full moon w

e collect Ngaydiboerra

The Red Dye Plant is fruiting. It is used to dye

natural f bres such as Biyarmarrm

a

to make D

enela (string bags) and

Malarram

amba (Pandan

us m

ats).

(Pandanus) and Gw

ilirrimba (San

d Palm)

Apple) and Mindimilma is collected now and can Mindilima (Big Red

Boewitjba (Bush Potato)

(Pink Wild Apple) be found by its small are fruiting.

bell-shaped f owers.

After the late rains w

e await th

e f r st sign of B

irrdibirripba (dragonf ies) w

ho announce that th

e dry season is h

ere. Native C

herry is fruiting.

Dam

ibila (Barramundi) m

ove

downstream

from the f oodplains

to the seawater. Salm

on are

the mouth of estuaries. Ba

nim

adla

(Lon

g-n

ecke

d have roe and Red un

der

the

grou

nd Claw

yabbies are w

aiti

ng

for

plentiful and are caught at

Many saltw

ater f sh Turt

le) s

pen

d ti

me

plentiful.the

rain

s.

Damiyum

ba (Billy-goat wattl

es s

ignal the

night. Heavy dew Turkey Bush and

Fires burn during the

Plum) is fruiting.

time to

colle

ct

dampens the grass

Bilirrawarra (Black

Cockles.

in the morning.

the fruit now

later in the

year after Cockatoos) eat

and the seeds

the dry

season

f res.

Many plants begin to f ower in the dry

season and the temperature is cool and dry.

Woodland plants such as Maminyjuma

woolybutt, Manigurrma stringy bark and

Galanggwa bloodwoods f ower at

this time of season.

Dinidjanggama means ‘heavy dew time’. It is the coldest

time of the year and the ideal time to burn grass.

Dangutjbela (Kangaroos) and Milula (Wallabies) rely on

Damijuma (bushf res) for regrowth and green grass.Gurru

lwa gulig

i is ‘B

ig W

ind Tim

e’. Th

e f o

odpl

ains

are

dry

ing

and

the

win

d se

ems

to c

ome

from

all

directio

ns. The n

orth-w

est w

inds

will

blo

w b

y th

e en

d of

this

sea

son

.

Woolybutt and Stringybark eucalypts are f owering. Native bees use the f owers’ nectar to make Dadbinggwa (sugarbag) which is collected from tree hollows.

Dambilinggwa (Waterlilies) are in full bloom.

The f oodplains are starting to dry and

Gakingga (Magpie Goose) are feeding

with their young.

Damaldanggala (Dugong) is hunted now for its meat. In the old

We eat the

days, men hunted from Dapdapma (dugout canoes). The

tree, while the point was made from a hard wood such as Deleynggwa (Ironwood or Turkey Bush).

harpoon handle was made from a Eucalyptus/Bloodwood

seeds from

Dundil (Bush

Peanut).

The f owerin

g of w

attles t

ells yo

u that

stingrays a

re fa

t and p

lentif

ul.

The Yellow Kapok is

f owerin

g. It si

gnif

es

the time fo

r cerem

onies and ce

lebr

atio

ns

of life, re

birth and re

juve

natio

n

of people and co

untry.

Fres

hwat

er m

angr

ove

frui

t si

gnif

y it

is ti

me

to h

unt G

akki

ngga

(Mag

pie

Goo

se).

It is

a ti

me

of fe

asti

ng o

n th

e

f ood

plai

ns. N

gam

amba

(Cyc

ad n

uts)

are

read

y fo

r har

vest

.

Dal

irrg

ang

is t

he

hot

and

ver

y hu

mid

‘bui

ld-

up’

sea

son

. Box

Jelly

-f s

h ar

e no

w s

een

and

Daw

irrb

a (t

hu

nde

r an

d lig

htni

ng) c

an b

e he

ard

in t

he

dist

ance

. Kin

g ti

des

occu

r and

the

win

d bl

ows

mai

nly

from

the

nor

th-w

est

The

Red

Flow

erin

g Ku

rraj

ong

tells

you

Mal

agu

jinba

(sh

arks

) are

fat.

Gili

nggi

lingb

a

(Fly

ing

Fox)

eat

th

e fr

uiti

ng m

ango

es.

tuck

er) d

rops

a c

arpe

t of

The

Cock

y A

pple

(pos

sum

w

hite

f ow

ers.

The

ir s

wee

t

scen

t si

gnal

s th

at th

e bu

ild u

p ha

s ar

rived

.

Balnba

is th

e seaso

n of the f r

st rains. D

awirrba (electric

al storms) are common. Gulppula

(Gre

en Tr

ee Fr

og) brin

gs the ra

in and people say Balnba guligi bigarrk, ‘Big rain coming’.

now fr

om M

oedoelma (t

he

Favo

urite

shellf

sh are

colle

cted

man

grove

fore

st) in

cluding

Periw

inkl

es a

nd Dala (M

angrove

Muss

els)

and Danija

rra

(Lon

g Bum

s) are

colle

cted

on th

e m

ud f ats

as they

beco

me

expose

d by rain.

Wor

m).

Damugula (M

ud

The

star

t of t

he wet s

eason brings on fruiting of Moerrma

(Bla

ck Plu

m). L

ater in th

e season we collect Cherry

Plu

m (G

reen Plum) and Milky Plum.