Winamu nhingi, balili, galanganyja, walibirri, mundru, jumurrurru, girrwilyi, gulwula, maduwarra. Muwayi ingga gurrijinagi jurali nhingi. Ngirriyani dawangarri nhir.
Bunuba Country is rich in its diversity. When we look to or speak of Bunuba Country, we are referring to more than just a place. We are speaking of the interwoven relationships between ourselves, our culture, our landscapes and our thangani (language). It is the interweaving of all of these threads of Bunuba life which we know as Country. And whilst we are united as a whole, we also know ourselves and our families for those parts of Country to which we are connected and for which we can speak. Muwayi is the name that we use to recognise those different landscapes that come together to create Bunuba Country.
The closest English word for muwayi is country but muwayi also includes those people who are responsible for each particular area, as the people and their muwayi are inseparable. Our dawangarri are the family groups who identify with a particular muwayi. When we speak our name as a people, we are also talking for the muwayi from which we come. The name of each dawangarri is the name of its muwayi. Although Bunuba is made up of many muwayi, we are all interconnected through ourthangani (language) and our guru (kinship system). It is the coming together of all dawangarri and muwayi that makes for Bunuba Country.
Stretching over 6,500 square kilometres, Bunuba Country sits in the heart of WA’s West Kimberley region. Around 400kms inland from Broome, the township of Fitzroy Crossing is where most Bunuba people live today, in the south-eastern corner of Bunuba Country. Our eastern muwayi follow Bandaralngarri, the mighty Fitzroy River, whose headwaters spring forth at Thalalngi (Dimond Gorge). The northern muwayi are bounded by the spectacular winamu sandstone ranges which we call Miliwundi (formerly King Leopold Ranges). The south-west is distinguished by Malaraba (Erskine Ranges), and sitting to the southeast you will find Dawadiya (Trig Hill), just outside of Fitzroy Crossing.
Etched deep into the Bunuba landscape is the story of Australia’s continental evolution. Out of the winamu (sandstone) of the north, rises the rugged, rock-hewn range of Miliwundi. Eons in the making, these 560-million-year-old mountains were forced up during the collision between three ancient landmasses – the Kimberley, the Pilbara, and Yilgarn (the regions today known as the Goldfields & South West) This geological activity, which began 1,800 million years ago, saw the formation of the future Australian continent. The winamu landscape harbours some remarkable and extraordinary ecosystems. Spectacular waterfalls, unique plants, rare animals and pockets of rainforest all flourish within the shelter of the winamu.
The striking Ganimbiri (Oscar) and Napier Ranges sit further south in balili (limestone) muwayi. These ranges are the remnants of a shallow-ocean barrier reef that fringed the Kimberley coastline during the Devonian Period. Taking shape around 360 – 380 million years ago, Bunuba’s Devonian Reef is considered one of the best-preserved limestone reef systems in the world. Capturing 20 million years of imperceptible growth, this reef provides a fossilised window into our evolutionary past. From exposure to the elements over the millennia, the balili has been cut down into dramatic crevices, caves and gorges. Within these dramatic geological formations are echoes of the very origins of life itself. Today, this landscape is criss-crossed with subterranean aquifers, watering holes, springs, creeks, cave systems and rivers. We call these freshwater places garuwa.
Our national and conservation Parks span the full range of Bunuba muwayi. In the north Darrambal is nestled deep in the winamu, showing an incredible diversity of landscape and life. Dimalurru and Bandilngan provide the entrance to a labyrinth of balili (limestone) caves, which echo the history and strength of our people through the story of Jandamarra. To the southeast, it is Danggu that provides access to the waters of Bandaralngarri, the mighty Fitzroy River. It is here that you will get an insight into the impact of the and a glimpse of a story being rewritten in response to the warramba (floodwaters) that can come from the big rains of bulurru. It is these areas that we invite you to visit. To come and learn, to listen and breathe the stories of Bunuba Country.