Gwondo

This resource is related to the following Learning Areas –

And responds to the following Enquiry Questions –

Q8.	Well-known Kombumerri people past and present.
Q35.	Where were the popular hunting grounds of the Kombumerri people and what did they catch or collect?
Q42.	Why were Dreamtime stories and other stories told, important to the Kombumerri people?
Q66.	What were the main implements use for hunting and gathering? Were the Kombumerri people assisted by other animals in the hunting process?

Resource transcript –

Gwondo is one of our dreamtime stories and you can’t age the dreamtime in Aboriginal folk lore, indeed. Gwondo was our… in the dreamtime, before that, Gwondo, in amongst our people, was a trainer of dogs, most specifically. He was the one who taught the dogs how to round up all the guruhman, that’s the kangaroo, migunn, the wallaby. And, that was his job because that was part of his helping our families with food, food supply. And, so, this went on for as long as he was able to and then one day, now, time for him to go. Now, Gwondo, we must remember, was identified with a strikingly long brush of hair or a long mane of hair, if you like. And, so, he went into the dreamtime, Gwondo, we’re talking about now. And, so, the children, jarjums, they were all down the beach one day, borrogura, there, tumgun. And, so, one of the little jarjums, or one of the little children happened to look out, playing on the beach, looked out and what did he see? He saw what he thought was and believed was Gwondo, Gwondo who was the trainer of dogs in the real time. Suddenly, he looks out and he saw… guray, here is Gwondo. So, he told all the other children and the old people, now, and they said, “Look, there’s Gwondo.” But, how would he recognise Gwondo? Gwondo, as you know, porpoises and dolphins, they have a big long fin only this one was different from the normal ones. This fin was white, very white. So, they would automatically have assumed, ah, Gwondo’s turned into a dolphin. There you go. So, he is now, being a very skilled man when he was on the dry land, he still has, though, an aptitude for training, for skills, helping. And, so, what was his job now? Training all the young dolphins. What was their job? Rounding up all the jalum, all the fish, and herding them into shore. Why? So that the mums and the dads and the young ones who knew how to spear fish and the mums would be able to make the torows, that’s the nets. They’d round them up and spear them all thanks to Gwondo because Gwondo now in the dreamtime had turned into a lovely dolphin. And, now, even now, fishing in northern part of Quandamooka, Moreton Bay, white man’s name… even up there at Quandamooka, the dolphins come in and to get them, to get their attention,  with their spears there they’ll smack the water and dolphins have supersonic hearing. They come in and they knew it was time to start rounding up the fish when they were available, bring them in close to shore. That made it so much more easier for the families, that’s the mothers and the children, the jarjum, Yilgahn, the women, to come in, get ready with their nets and their spears and that was there ready for them. Big catch of fish, jalum.