page_title: Yugambeh people
section_title: Cuisine
hierarchical_section_title: Yugambeh people / Economy / Cuisine
caption_attribution_description: English: Lilli Pilli (Acmena smithii) - Beenleigh, QLD
context_page_description: The Yugambeh are a group of Aboriginal Australian clans whose ancestors all spoke one or more dialects of the Yugambeh language. They are also alternatively known as the Chepara or the Mibin Their traditional lands are located in what is now south-east Queensland and the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, situated in the Logan City, Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, and Tweed City regions of Australia. Archaeological evidence indicates Aboriginal people have occupied the area for tens of thousands of years. By the time European colonisation began, the Yugambeh had a complex network of groups, and kinship.
  The Yugambeh Mibin are composed of nine clans; the Bullongin, Kombumerri, Cudgenburra, Moorungburra, Tulgigin, Gugingin, Migunberri, Mununjali, and Wanggeriburra centered along the Logan, Albert, Coomera, Nerang, and Tweed rivers. Their territory was subdivided among the clans with each occupying a designated portion, each group having certain rights and responsibilities in relation to their areas.
  Europeans arrived within their proximity in the 1820s with the establishment of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony, whose 50 mile exclusion zone included their lands.
context_section_description: The traditional Yugambeh diet consisted of flora and fauna native to their region, almost anything that could be eaten was, though certain species were avoided for totemic reasons. The native Gulmorhan – fern-root (Telmatoblechnum indicum) was a staple and major source of starch, and its preparation required careful pounding so as not to break the internal rhizomes which could pierce the throat. Other plant roots were also eaten, like Bulrush, Native Rosella (Hibiscus heterophyllus), Club rush (Schoenoplectus litoralis), Cotton Tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus). Pink Swamp Lily (Murdannia graminea) and Fringed Lily (Thysanotus tuberosus) tubers were taken to eat as well.
  The native fruits of the Blue Quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis), Crab Apple (Schizomeria ovata), Blueberry Lily (Dianella caerulea), Native Cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis), Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), Lilli Pilli (Acmena smithii), Scrub Cherry (Syzygium australe), Native Tamarind (Diploglottis australis), Wombat Berry (Eustrephus latifolius) and various Ficus species were consumed, in addition to the berries of the Barbwire Vine (Smilax australis), Passionfruit (Passiflora aurantia), Raspberry (Rubus hillii), Roseleaf Bramble (Rubus rosifolius) and Pink-Flowered Raspberry (Rubus parvfolius). The seeds of certain wattles species were ground into flour and mixed with water into a paste, and Banksia flowers were swirled in water to make a honey flavoured drink. The leaves of the David's Heart (Macaranga tanarius) were used as serving plates for food.
  Conical fishing nets were used for catching fish, and larger nets, some 15m wide, were used for catching kangaroos. The most basic way of cooking involved ground heated by a fire which was extinguished and cleared. Food would be placed on the heated earth until cooked, this was a common way of cooking shellfish like oysters or mud whelks. A fire was kept burning while larger portions of food like meat were cooked. Alternatively, the food was sealed inside an earth oven in a pit while it cooked. This is a suitable way to cook birds, especially emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae).
  Groups would gather on the coast to fish during the annual autumn/winter run of sea mullet (Mugil cephalus). Similarly, the Yugambeh clans would travel to the biennial bunya nut (Araucaria bidwillii) feasts held at the Bunya Mountains. Other species consumed were freshwater mullet, the long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) and the short-necked turtle (Emydura), and eel. The eggs of the Brush Turkey (Alectura lathamii) were highly sort. Most waterbird species were eaten; ducks were hunted using boomerangs to frighten them into carefully positioned nets. The teredo worm (Teredo navalis) was attained by the deliberate felling of Swamp Oaks (Casuarina glauca) into estuaries which attracted the worm.
caption: Lilli Pilli (Acmena smithii)
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