Trial Glossary Page

A type of riparian grass that grows by the margins of billabongs and watercourses.

The Kuninjku term for ancestors is dabborrabbolk, meaning ”the old people”, or nayuhyungki, ”the first people”. Ancestral creator beings are usually referred to by the latter. In Kuninjku stories, certain nayuhyungki transform from humans into the very first animal species.

Bluish lights that glow in the water in billabongs associated with Mardayin ceremony locations. For non-Aboriginal people, these lights are a mystery and their source is unknown. For Bininj they are sacred evidence of Mardayin power. The lights are down in the water among the stems and roots of waterlilies and can be disturbed by crocodiles swimming through.

Northern snake-necked turtle, Chelodina rugosa. The spelling looks difficult for English speakers, but the “rd” is a retroflex “d” sound (as in North American English “hard”) and the final ‘h” is a glottal stop (Kom-rdawh).

Ipomoea dunlopii, a slightly woody vine climbing high in trees; closely related to Ipomea abrupta. The tubers or yams are roasted on coals before being eaten.

The saltwater crocodile, also known as kinga.

Generic term for all sharks which are in the rivers of Kuninjku territory, particularly the two river sharks – the speartooth shark (Glyphis glyphis) and the northern river shark (Glyphis garricki) – but also the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas).

Another name for the Rainbow Serpent, often said to be the mother of all Rainbow Serpents.