Yugambeh people

Yugambeh clans
Ancestor exhibition at the Yugambeh Museum Language and Heritage Research Centre
Total population
~10,000 (2016)
Languages
Yugambeh, English
Religion
Dreaming, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Yugara, Gidhabal, Bundjalung
PersonMibunn

The Yugambeh (/ˌjʊɡʌmbɛər/ YOO-gum-BERR (see alternative spellings)), also known as the Minyangbal (/ˌmɪnjʌŋbʌl/ MI-nyung-BUHL),[1][2][3] or Nganduwal (/ˌŋɑːndʊwʌl/ NGAHN-doo-WUL),[4] are an Aboriginal Australian people of South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, their territory lies between the Logan and Tweed rivers.[5] A term for an Aboriginal of the Yugambeh tribe is Mibunn[6][7][8] (also written as Miban/Mibanj,[3] Mibin, Mibiny, Mebbon, Meebin[9]), which is derived from the word for the wedge-tailed eagle. Historically, some anthropologists have erroneously referred to them as the Chepara (also written as Chipara, Tjapera[10][11]), the term for a first-degree initiate.[12] Archaeological evidence indicates Aboriginal people have occupied the area for tens of thousands of years.[13] By the time European colonisation began, the Yugambeh had a complex network of groups,[14] and kinship.[15] The Yugambeh territory is subdivided among clan groups with each occupying a designated locality,[6] each clan having certain rights and responsibilities in relation to their respective areas.[16]

Europeans arrived within their proximity in the 1820s, before formally entering Yugambeh territory c.1842.[a] Their arrival displaced Yugambeh groups,[14] and conflict between both sides soon followed throughout the 1850/60s[17] By the 20th century, they were being forced onto missions[18][19] and reserves[20] despite local resistance.[19][18] Other Yugambeh people found refuge in the mountains or gained employment among the Europeans.[13] The last of the missions/reserves in the area closed in 1948[21] and 1951, though people continued to occupy them.[20] Throughout the 70s-90s, the Yugambeh founded organisations and businesses in culture/language,[22] housing and community care,[23] wildlife and land preservation,[24] and tourism.[25] It is estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,000 Aboriginal people in the watersheds of the Logan, Albert, Coomera and Nerang before the 1850s.[26] The 2016 Australian census records 12,315 Aboriginal people in the four local government areas,[27][28][29][30] a portion of these are non-Yugambeh Aboriginal peoples who have moved into the area for work,[20] or as a result of forced removals.[19]

  1. ^ Geyteenbeek & Geyteenbeek 1971, p. 3.
  2. ^ Sharpe 1998, p. 261.
  3. ^ a b Cunningham 1969, p. 106.
  4. ^ Davies 2022, p. 1.
  5. ^ Aird 1991, p. 61.
  6. ^ a b Watson n.d.
  7. ^ Jefferies 2011.
  8. ^ Bannister 1982.
  9. ^ DBAC 2019, People.
  10. ^ Fison & Howitt 1880, pp. 205, 268, 327.
  11. ^ Howitt 1904, pp. 137, 318–319, 326, 354, 385, 468, 578–583, 767.
  12. ^ Calley 1959, p. 10.
  13. ^ a b Nerang Heritage 2017, p. 4.
  14. ^ a b Dyason & Ganter n.d.
  15. ^ Jefferies 2011, p. 138.
  16. ^ Best & Barlow 1997, pp. 12–13.
  17. ^ Allen & Lane 1914, p. 24.
  18. ^ a b CBHS Year 5 History.
  19. ^ a b c Evans 1999, p. 131.
  20. ^ a b c OEH Ukerabagh Island.
  21. ^ Purga and Purga Shire.
  22. ^ NAIDOC 2018.
  23. ^ MH&DC.
  24. ^ Guanaba 2013.
  25. ^ jellurgal.com.au.
  26. ^ Gresty 1947, p. 60.
  27. ^ 2016 Census: Logan (C).
  28. ^ 2016 Census: Gold Coast (C).
  29. ^ 2016 Census: Scenic Rim (R).
  30. ^ 2016 Census: Tweed (A).


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