History

Two groups of Aboriginal people live in Pormpuraaw: the Thaayorre people who are traditionally from Pormpuraaw and the areas to the east and south towards Kowanyama and including the Coleman River; and the Mungkan who are traditionally from the North including areas along the Edward and Holroyd Rivers. People survived by fishing, hunting and gathering bush tucker like nonda fruit (see photo to the right).

Superintendent J. W. Chapman established Pormpuraaw as an Anglican Mission in 1938. Many of the previously dispersed peoples from the surrounding lands came to live in the new mission settlement. It remained Edward River Mission until 1967 when the Anglican Church handed the administration of the Community to the Queensland Government. In 1986 the elected Pormpuraaw Community Council assumed Local Government responsibilities and acquired title over the Trust area which encompasses 466,198 hectares by way of Deed of Grant in Trust (DoGiT). In 1987 the Community changed its name to Pormpuraaw, taken from the local dreamtime story about a burnt hut or Pormpur in the Kuuk Thaayorre language of the traditional owners.

Nowadays the population of 700 remains predominantly people of Aboriginal decent with a strong attachment to their history and culture. Many families now have Homeland Outstations on their traditional land.

Pormpuraaw people are rightly proud of the strength of their language and culture. Unlike many other Aboriginal Communities many Pormpuraaw children speak a local Aboriginal language as their first language. The Thaayorre people from the south mainly speak Kuuk Thaayorre and related dialects, with some speaking Kuuk Yak or languages from further south. The Mungkan people from the north speak a variety of Kugu or Wik languages, including Kugu Muminh, Kugu Mu'inh, Kugu Ugbanh, Olkolo, Wik Mungkan, Pakanh, Wik Iyenh, Kugu Uwanh and Kugu Yi'anh.

Many traditional art and crafts are practiced, such as the weaving of dilly bags from cabbage palm leaves (see picture), dot painting, spear making and canoe carving. Visitors can purchase these artworks at the Pormpuraaw Cultural Centre.

Traditional "Dreamtime" stories are still told - for example about the rainbow serpent who created the landscape and the epic fight between the freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. Stories are associated with "story places" - the land where the events in a story happened. Many stories have songs and dances associated with them that are performed at ceremonies.

Elders play an active role in teaching traditional culture to students at Pormpuraaw State School, including gathering bush tucker (see photo to the right), spear-making, story-telling, singing and dancing.

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