Aboriginal names awarded their place on Fraser Island

K'gari and Gari. An Elder welcomes her language's return to one of Australia’s great tourism icons.

Butchulla and Badtjala language words have been adopted as official place names for geographical features on Fraser Island.

The state government has gazetted the Traditional Owners’ names for dozens of previously unnamed sites, and as alternative names for already-named features.

Topping the list are K’gari and Gari, respectively the Butchulla and Badtjala names for the island.

The island will officially remain as Fraser Island, but the Aboriginal words can now be formally used as alternatives.

“I’m very proud,” said Aunty Marie Wilkinson, a Butchulla Elder who was involved in the process.

“Back when I was a kid, we weren’t allowed to speak our language. (If you did) something bad could happen to you. You could get taken away to the mission.”

So she is very happy that, seven decades later, Aboriginal children will be able to see words from their language used as a matter of course by both Aboriginal and non-Indigenous people.

“They’ll grow up with those names,” she said. “A lot of the people I’ve spoken to are tourists, and they’re thrilled. They’re looking for Aboriginal names and that sort of thing.”

Among the new, alternative names are Conangoor for Stewart Island, Weeandin (Round Island) and Gneer (Picnic Island). Newly-named features include the Winnam (Butchulla for breadfruit) and Wul’lan (Badtjala for pretty faced wallaby) sand blows, and Dibing Swamp (dee’bing in Butchulla and di’bing in Badtjala, both meaning white-flowered tea tree).

Aunty Marie is quite optimistic about where the process might lead. “It’s the same as Ayers Rock,” she said. “How many people call it Ayers Rock now? It’s Uluru. Tourists and people will get used to it.”

The process began in May 2007, when the Fraser Island Defenders Organisation submitted a list of names to the state government. As part of its consultation, the government consulted Elders who presented their traditional names for various areas.

The result is new names for 43 sand blows (dunes), 11 other geographical features and seven localities, and the alternative or multiple naming of eight geographical features. Most were named to recognise the island’s Traditional Owners, and were gazetted on 1 July 2011.

“I think they’ve been really fair about it,” Aunty Marie said. “They’ve been very thorough. They looked to us and took our advice about it. I thought this is one of the most sensible things we’ve had.”

Queensland law doesn’t allow dual-naming, such as Uluru-Ayers Rock. However, it allows for alternative names, such as Minjerribah for North Stradbroke Island, to appear beneath the primary name on maps and the like. The primary name remains its official title and is always the name by which it is most commonly known.

The gazettal means that maps, signs and so-forth can now show the Aboriginal-language names.

A member of the government’s Department of Environment and Resource Management said it was unusual for so many places to be named and renamed at once.

Some names and meanings

Here are some of the new names and their meanings.

• Birre Sand Blow hand (Butchulla; also pir’ri in Badtjala)
• Ba’pun Sand Blow moon (Badtjala; also babun in Butchulla)
• Buwan Sand Blow sleepy (Butchulla; also mi buw an in Badtjala)
• Ngulungbarra Sand Blow derived from an Aboriginal clan which occupied the island’s north
• Wurgu Sand Blow east wind (Butchulla)
• Dhu’lar Hill blackbutt tree (Badtjala)
• Tukkee (Badtjala)
• Milung Sand Blow evil spirit (Butchulla) The Badtjala variant is Mil’lung, for ghost
• Ngiya Sand Blow sand (Badtjala. The Butchulla word for sand is girra).

For more information, visit: www.derm.qld.gov.au