The Kuku Yalanji are an Indigenous Australian group originating from the rainforest regions of Far North Queensland. They are also known as the "Rainforest People". Kuku Yalanji also lived in coastal and riverine regions with territory from Port Douglas in the south, Cooktown in the north, Chillagoe in the west. It is thought that there were three to five tribes of Kuku Yalanji prior to European settlement.

A hut built by Indigenous Australians such as the Kuku Yalanji tribe.

[edit] Survival

Survival was dependent on exploitation of seasonal variation. It is believed that the tribe lived in the rainforest region no later than 4,000 years ago. It is known that they had high population density, lived in semi-permanent huts, prepared and ate toxic species from the rainforest and produced and used distinct weaponry such as wooden shields and swords. They existed in a complex and social hunter-gatherer type society. They are defined from other groups by single language.

They saw the landscape as humanised describing it human terms and seeing spirits within landscape features. They defined seasonal variations into five seasons.

[edit] History

1877 saw contact between European settlers and Kuku Yalanji through the discovery of gold, mineral exploration and the development of a coastal road. Contact between the groups was violent. By 1890, the tribe was decimated. From 1897 to the 1960s, the Kuku Yalanji like other Aboriginal tribes faced the Government's paternalistic legislation that allowed for Aboriginals to be placed under "protection" in attempt to preserve their culture. The Kuku Yalanji began concentrating around the Mossman Gorge Reserve around the time of World War II and the Daintree people were moved to the northern bank of the Daintree River. They were further subjected to more relocations by the government.

Their culture fortunately has survived.

Other spelling variations of Kuku Yalanji are: Kuku Yulangi and Gugu Yulanji.

[edit] External links

• Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Inc (2006) webpage: "Kuku Yalnji Dreamtime: The People." Accessed 16 March 2009