Dreamtime.

I visited the Mossman Gorge (in the World Heritage Listed Daintree National Park) and took one of the Indigenous-guided Kuku-Yalanji Dreamtime walks to learn about some of the cultural significance of the area.  Australia has 200 Indigenous tribes, under which can be several clans each with their own sets of beliefs, traditions, and legends.  Our guide told us how plants were used; for example, certain tree bark provided waterproof roofing for shelters and served as pouches to transport water.  The buttress roots of red cedars (referred to as “red gold” by Australian settlers) were used to made tools and weapons, including shields.  Here’s an example of buttresses on another type of tree.

He also discussed how they would find and prepare bush tucker, such as witchetty grubs.  Many seeds and nuts are toxic to humans, so it may take several days to leach out the poisons.  If you don’t prepare the candlenuts (the nuts I was cracking with a vice back at the nursery), they can provide a caffeine boost.  Folks who had to travel long distances to deliver messages would bring along a candlenut or two and chew on half of it for extra energy.  The red casing on the native nutmeg is a hallucination; women in labor might chew on it.  The stone here has served to crack many nuts.

To identify themselves to other tribes and to deliver messages, they would paint their bodies with clay.  Here is my arm painted to identify me as part of the Kuku-Yalanji tribe.  The dots represent the rain of the rainforest and the line represents the (Mossman) river.  If the tribe is currently staying by the beach (they rotated among locations throughout the year), they would add wavy lines for the ocean.  

I think my favorite spirit might be this cheeky one that lives among rocks.  When you are in rocky areas, he might throw rocks and sticks at you.  Apparently, he is very muscular and hairy.  For some reason, I picture a tall fighting Leprechaun.  If a young man passes by alone, this spirit will challenge him to a fight.  If you win, he will be your mate for life.  If you lose, he will forever laugh at you.  So if you are walking alone and notice stones and sticks thrown in your direction, prepare to fight.

At the end of the walk, we were treated to a demonstration of the didgeridoo.  The wood used for these instruments is not found in these rainforests.  It was obtained by trade with tribes who resided in the Northern Territory.