Far West QLD Reserve renamed to honour cultural si...
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Boulia Shire Council
27 Oct 2021
A far western Queensland reserve has been renamed to recognise its significant connection to the Wangkamadla people.
Cravens Peak Reserve is now known as 'Pilungah', which was the name of the sacred spring that sat within the 233,000-hectare property, nearly Boulia.
The spring had been destroyed by a previous owner but will now be honoured through the renaming.
Wangkamadla woman and Bush Heritage board member Avelina Tarrago told NITV News that the renaming of the space was a celebration and also a conversation starter.
"The connection we have is indescribable, it reflects a sense of belonging and the connection to culture, our old people, and the dreamings that run through those lands so to have recognition is important," she said.
"It is a step toward decolonisation and it really acknowledges the true history of this Country.
"Because our culture is mostly oral when our old people pass away the language sometimes disappears, so for future generations it is so important to preserve traditional names of places, not only to preserve language but for our young people to know these places and what they're called when our old people aren't around to tell these tales."
Patterns in the desert on Wangkamadla Country. Source: Supplied: Bush Heritage Australia
The announcement follows the Wangkamadla people being awarded native title over more than 2.9 million hectares of land stretching from Bedourie across to the Northern Territory border, three months ago.
Ms Tarrago said that she encouraged the reversion to traditional names and acknowledged that Pilungah had long been known by that before it was officially renamed.
"Our old people have walked these sand dunes for many many generations," she said.
The spot, which is located just off the Donohue Highway, has been under the ownership and management of Bush Heritage since 2005, with the Wangkamadla people coming on board in 2009 and eventually entering into a cultural heritage management agreement in 2014.
"The name is sort of acknowledging the two histories - this name acknowledges the non-Indigenous connection as well as our traditional connection," Ms Tarrago said.
Wangkamadla Traditional Owners Jakobe Passmore, Abbey Mutavdzic, Avelina Tarrago, Izyric Passmore, Aunty Isabel Tarrago, Deshaun Finn, Graeme Finn, Maleek Finn Source: Supplied: Bush Heritage Australia
Distinguished by its red sand dunes and a reputation for being home to one of the worlds richest groupings of reptile species, the reserve also protects a number of other culturally significant sites.
It once laid on a trade route that stretched from Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria through South Australia, where its local narcotic plant Pituri was traded for stone knives, seashells and dugong-tusk daggers.
Bush Heritage CEO Heather Campbell said the reserves new name offered a chance to celebrate the deep and enduring connection that the Wangkamadla people have to the area, having worked closely with them to select something culturally appropriate.