About this publication
Murni, Dhungang, Jirrar: Living in the Illawarra - Aboriginal people and wild resource use
August 2005
This book is about Aboriginal people's uses of plants and animals in the Illawarra area, south of Sydney. The title means animal food (Murni), plant food (Dhungang) and fur (Jirrar) in Dharawal language.
The book includes interviews with Aboriginal people, combined with extensive background research. It explores the spiritual and economic significance of various Illawarra environments - including marine, inter-tidal, estuarine, woodland and forest habitats - to the Aboriginal people of the Illawarra.
'Murni, Dhungang, Jirrar: Living in the Illawarra' is consistent with a change in emphasis in DEC's cultural heritage research. For many years, DEC's Aboriginal cultural heritage management efforts were focused on archaeological sites and objects. More recently, DEC has tried to expand this focus to acknowledge the deep and ongoing connections between Aboriginal communities and their country.
This new publication is part of the Illawarra Aboriginal Heritage Regional Studies program which also includes 'A history of the Aboriginal people of the Illawarra'. These books have already made an impact on national park management and educational activities in the Illawarra. DEC hopes that they will become a valuable resource for the Illawarra Aboriginal community and the wider community for years to come.
Documents to download
This publication is available in two versions.
If you have a broadband internet connection, you may wish to download the complete book:
- Murni, Dhungang, Jirrar: Living in the Illawarra (PDF - 7.5MB)
If you have a dial-up internet connection, you may wish to download sections of the book individually:
- Murni, Dhungang, Jirrar: Living in the Illawarra
- Introduction (PDF - 671KB)
- Landscape profile (PDF - 2.0MB)
- Marine habitat (PDF - 736KB)
- Intertidal habitat (PDF - 559KB)
- Estuarine habitat (PDF - 560KB)
- Coastal plain habitat (PDF - 1.4MB)
- Escarpment habitat (PDF - 852KB)
- Plateau habitat (PDF - 1.2MB)
- Appendix, Bibliography and Index (PDF - 243KB)
More information
- Find out about a related publication 'A history of the Aboriginal people of the Illawarra'.