The original custodians

The people of the Goodjinburra clan were the original custodians of the Tweed Coast. The Goodjinburra are part of the Minjungbal tribe of the Tweed Coast and Byron area and both fall within the Bundjalung peoples of the east coast of northern New South Wales. Minjungbal people spoke a dialect of the Bundjalung-Yugambeh language chain. The name Goodjinburra is derived from the word ‘goodgen’ or ‘cudgen’ meaning ‘red’, which is a connection to the red ochre obtained from the soil at Cudgen.

Sustainably managing the natural abundance of the coastal strip, the Goodjinburra flourished and perhaps numbered as many as 700 people prior to European arrival. Generations of knowledge and traditions shaped their lives and beliefs as they shared relationships within family, social groups, neighbouring clans and their natural environment. European settlement had a drastic effect and within several generations the population of original inhabitants had plummeted by as much as 90% across much of the Tweed. Introduced diseases such as smallpox were a primary cause, but intolerance shown by many of the newcomers and displacement from traditional lands were also contributors.

It is believed that the land of the Goodjinburra stretched along the coast from the Tweed River to Mooball Creek and inland to the coastal ranges. The landscape would have been populated with local family groups of 10 to 30 people across the whole of this area. In traditional Aboriginal culture it was the small groups (descent groups) who had ‘ownership’ or maintained their clans’ association with particular parts of the landscape or ‘country’. Descent groups bonded together to form a clan (such as Goodjinburra) then several clans, united by language, spiritual belief and social customs, could be recognised as a tribe. Associations, relationships and alliances between groups of Aboriginal people were known to change with the passage of time.

Traditional Aboriginal culture holds a different concept of ‘ownership’ of the land. Rather than ‘owning’ land in the European incense, Aboriginal people who practice their ancient beliefs recognise that they are an integral part of the land and live within it, not upon it. They manage their land accordingly, respecting a nurturing ‘country’ in sustainable ways. The diversity of ocean and estuarine flora and fauna communities that are part of the Tweed Coast landscape would have provided the people of the Goodjinburra with access to a rich and various source of food and resource materials across many generations.

The Goodjinburra had an intimate knowledge of their land and what it could provide for them. Men were the main hunters of large game, experts in tracking and tool and weapon making. Women gathered plant foods, smaller animals and shellfish from along the shoreline. They made baskets and nets for hunting and knew the locations for all sources of bush medicines. Children were taught traditions and values from an early age, and we cared for by all the extended family members. Knowledge and traditions were passed through ‘stories’ and the rich social connections which were maintained at ceremonial gatherings.

Extracted from The Concise Guide to Tweed History, The Tweed Coast and Hinterland 2019 by David Rae