Two Koala Brothers
Article Source: NSW Government - Environment and Heritage: https://www.koala.nsw.gov.au/news/gumbaynggirr-good-koala-country-plan
LORE and Stories
Until most recently, Gumbaynggirr People and the koala co-existed on shared travel pathways, seasonally travelling along grassy ridge lines between the mountains and the coast to where food was most abundant. For many millennia Gumbaynggirr people maintained the pathways and the health of koala habitat through embedding Caring for Country practices into Lore, identity, education and cultural fire management practices.
Gumbaynggirr People’s Law is embedded within the landscape, illuminated and resilient through the spectacular longevity of intergenerational transmission of knowledge in its many forms. These Lore’s and Stories, sometimes referred to as Songlines, are interconnected with others. They provide and preserve philosophy, values, relationships, rules and responsibilities for Gumbaynggirr People. One of these Lore’s Songlines is that of Bularri Gagu Dunggirr (Two Koala Brothers).
Two koala brothers - Bularri Gagu Dunggirr
Long ago, when the land stretched far east, many people travelled out to a battle ground. While they were out there, two sisters who had been wronged and hurt rose up and began hitting the ground with their yam sticks singing up the sand and water to consume the land. They travelled a long way around the whole of the country giving rise to the ocean and coastline. They returned to Gumbaynggirr Country, set down their yam sticks and sat down, then later rose together into the sky, becoming a part of the Seven Sisters Pleiades star constellation.
But there were still people out east, and the water the two sisters raised was quickly approaching and rising. The people tried to return but saw they would fail. One person said ‘Oh wow! How are we going to return to our homeland? Then came two clever/magic Koala brothers. The people asked them “Brothers, how about you throw your long stomach strings over to the land to create a bridge for us?” The Koala brothers responded, “No! We will not! We are hungry!” The Brothers were sulky. So the people gathered and gave lots of food to the Koala brothers, who ate all of the food and became full and pleased. They then dug out 6 of their long stomach strings and cast them over to the land, creating a bridge for the people to return to their homelands. This is where this part of the story ends.
Listen TO Two Koala Brothers STORY
This is a public version of the Koala Brothers Story. Gumbaynggirr people are the holders of their Lore and Knowledge and share them with others as appropriate for particular purposes.
It is important to pause and reflect on the nuances and teachings within the Koala Brothers Story. Here we see two Songlines connecting and crossing over – the two Koala Brothers and Bularri Gawngganba, the two Sisters who created the sea. All Gumbaynggirr Lore’s and Songlines are inter-connected in some way and they travel far beyond Gumbaynggirr Country. This means that other clan groups and nations may hold knowledge pertaining to different points of the same Story. In order to understand the Lore and make informed decisions about Country, we must all work together.
The Koala Story teaches us of the importance of our relationship with Country and the roles of non-human kin in helping us to return to our place and resume our responsibilities in our homelands. There are many layers to this story. The Koala brothers are Lore teachers and acted as bridge-makers for the people, and through their assistance we learn biological information about the species.
These Stories are not mythical tales. They come from Gumbaynggirr People’s witnessing, experience and documentation of dramatic environmental and climate change events throughout many tens of thousands of years on this continent. The Koala Story is testament to Gumbaynggirr people’s presence, endurance and survival throughout the last ice age. This oral history has survived since the last major post-glacial sea level rise between about 12,000 and 7,000 years ago.
The Plan draws upon the extensive experience and wisdom of Gumbaynggirr People in understanding, relating to and managing Country. It recognises climate change and the importance of monitoring and measuring climate impacts on Gumbaynggirr Country, with a particular focus on declining threatened species such as koala populations and their habitat. The Plan aims to address these declines through a Gumbaynggirr cultural and community-led approach to targeted management actions.
