Timber Creek Bush Medicine 8 th 11 th July 2010 Report prepared for the Ngaliwurru-Wuli Association by Flinders University Students Clare von Maltzahn, Viki Gordon and Matthew Ebbs
Timber Creek Bush Medicine On July 10 th 2010 members from the Ngaliwurru-Wuli Association organised and held a Bush Medicine Festival. Flinders University staff and students travelled to Timber Creek and helped in the location and collection of bush medicines for the festival. These medicines were also recorded so that the association and members of the communities could share and save traditional knowledge of the old ways.
Participants: Flinders University Staff: Heather Burke, Michael Diplock and Bob Stone Flinders University Students: Rita Kucera, Clare von Maltzahn, Claire Keating, Viki Gordon, Stephanie Bertagnole, Catherine Pavlou, Nicole Austin, Eirik Thorsgard, Jordan Ralph, Natalie Bittner and Matthew Ebbs Ngaliwurru-Wuli Association: Mike Popple Community Members: Judy Marchant, Roy Harrington, Eileen Medal, Margaret McDonald, Rosie Sadler, Laurie Jones, Dolly, Eileen, Tommy, Betty and Pauline Catholic Care: Lorraine Popple and Julie Stratford
Finding the bush medicine Elders from the communities spent two days in the Timber Creek area showing students bush medicine. For each medicine, photographs were taken of the: whole plant or mound leaves, fruit or nuts trunk or bark These medicines were then gathered and some videos were also filmed of the process. Information including the Aboriginal plant name, the location of the plant, what parts of the plants were used and how the medicine was made, were all recorded.
What medicines were found? At least 35 kinds of different bush medicines were found in the Timber Creek area.
These medicines came from trees, vines, roots and termite mounds, and are good for colds and flu, stomach aches, diarrhoea, keeping a healthy body and taking care of babies. Many of the medicinal plants are also used for bush tucker, hunting (woomera, boomerang and spear making), carrying (coolamon), dyeing and fire making.
Bush Medicines Name Preparation Dirwirli (ironwood) Gadgala Greebi Gurruwyn (boab) Jamuru Japawing Jarrinykal Jarmukaada Kakawuuli (yam/potato) Kalipa (kapok) Kangarn Katjuwa (keratin) Kirningi Larwa Maarda (ant mound) Madarrigu Malndyjung Boil leaves to make an ointment Treats pain Eat fruit when ripe (red) Boil leaves, use water for putting on sores Vine dragged through water to poison fish Eat fruit and seed Healthy for entire body, leaves good for cooking with fish Sores/itches/bites, vine for fishing, orange fruit bush Tucker (like mini mandarin) Gastric disturbances Fruit ripe when yellow, eat raw Fruit and seeds for general health, wood good for burning Boil leaves and bark for oil Only eat seed pods when fallen off tree Don t get in eyes Fruit eaten when raw Makes body oil, fruit good for turtle fishing Mangnanyee Mardyjung (pear tree) Mindirwirri Narrka (bloodwood) Namanburru Ngarlit Pakali (Pirripak) Partiki Timalarn Tingalis Tuk Tuk (Bidpa) Waataabarla Wainyaadi (Paimi) Yaradpunda (Kuliba) Yardiya Use Healthy bush tucker Fruit good for general health, wood good for woomera Dig yams, cook on fire (boil or in coals), eat Bush tucker Bark scraped off, wash, dry Young roots Bush Tucker, bark rope for carrying Boil leaves, berries can be eaten Diarrhoea Rub bark all over the body for dark black colour Newborn babies, hair and body colour, to make woomeras Boil leaves to make a tea coloured liquid Boil leaves then wash whole body Colds Gastric problems, diarrhoea, dandruff, wood used for nulla nullas Ant bed in fire, heat up hot, put in cold water and get steam, strain for ants/impurities, drink water Baby, adult, old people medicine, stomach ache, diarrhoea Eat fruit raw when ripe Fruit tree Bush tucker Gum is chewed or boiled Prop wood of tree in the window to breath in at night/boil and bogie, boil and smell steam/drink as tea, weak for baby, strong for adult Gum is chewed or boiled Diarrhoea Asthma, cold/flu Boil leaf and seeds for bathing baby Makes baby strong and healthy, wood for boomerangs Sap is boiled in water, added to bath water High temperatures, sap (dinnie) applied to cuts Wood is burnt on fire to create smoke Prevents mosquito bites Boil and use as external lotion, DO NOT drink High blood pressure Boil for a couple of hours Cold/flu, vapour, smoking ceremonies, washing Diarrhoea Bark is boiled, seed is also eaten Flu, reduces swelling Boil leaf for medicine, used by medicine men Cold/flu, good wood for cooking Boil entire branch for a long time Poisons/burns, diarrhoea Bark - Good for coolamon, fruit bush tucker Peel fruit, stand upwind, wash hands after eating Pick and eat Tiny, orange fruit Bush Tucker Take bark off and chew wood inside Bark chewed for flavour,find sugar bag (native honey bee nest) in trees Carefully remove sugar bags (native honey bee nest), wood dried before use Cold, diarrhoea, stomach ache Flavouring, sugar, colds Honey, wood used for hunting and fire making
The Bush Medicine Festival This knowledge was shared and displayed at the Bush Medicine Festival. Judy Marchant discussed the uses of bush medicines that had been gathered, and posters were created and presented for everyone to look at.
The festival brought together the 16 communities of the Ngaliwurru-Wuli Association, providing an opportunity to celebrate their combined culture. As well as bush medicine, other traditional knowledge was shared through the cooking of bush tucker (damper, kakaoli [bush potatoes], kangaroo tail, wallabies, long-neck turtles, bush turkey and bullock), spear throwing and a corroboree.
The day was enjoyed by all who attended. Kin gathered and children had fun racing, drawing, eating, gammon and opening presents. In addition, artworks, clothes, books and jewellery were available to buy.
It is important to community members of the Ngaliwurru-Wuli Association that the old ways are learned and remembered by young people. The 2010 Bush Medicine Festival provided an opportunity to bring together communities so that this knowledge could be shared between young and old, preserving cultural traditions for future generations. We hope that the photographic and video records collected, together with this report, will also help achieve this.
Thank You The staff and students of Flinders University would like to express their sincere thanks to the Ngaliwurru-Wuli community for their valuable time, effort, patience and sharing of knowledge in the traditional practice of bush medicines. We would also like to particularly acknowledge the tremendous support and hard work of Judy Marchant, Roy Harrington, Eileen Medal, Margaret McDonald, Rosie Sadler, Laurie Jones, Dolly, Eileen, Tommy, Betty and Pauline, Mike and Lorraine Popple, Julie Stratford and the Fogarty family. Photographs courtesy of Viki Gordon, Clare von Maltzahn, Claire Keating, Michael Diplock and Matthew Ebbs.