Umbarra, or King Merriman (died 1904) was an elder of the Djirringanj/

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, one or more of the Yuin language dialects. Sub-group ...

people of the Bermagui area on the South Coast of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Although

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

traditionally did not have kings or chiefs, only elders, the white

colonial powers Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

used to often grant king plates to certain elders, hence the moniker "King".

Life

Umbarra lived on

Merriman Island Wallaga Lake is an estuarine lake in Bega Valley Shire in New South Wales, Australia, the largest lake in southern NSW. It is located between Bermagui to the south and between Tilba Tilba to the north, situated beneath Mount Gulaga, in the tra ...

, in the middle of

Wallaga Lake Wallaga Lake is an estuarine lake in Bega Valley Shire in New South Wales, Australia, the largest lake in southern NSW. It is located between Bermagui to the south and between Tilba Tilba to the north, situated beneath Mount Gulaga, in the tra ...

, while his people lived on the shores of the lake. Umbarra was believed to have

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

abilities, and communicated with a black duck, his ''moojingarl'' or being with which he had a spiritual connection, which warned him of coming danger. Umbarra provided information on the Yuin to Alfred William Howitt for Howitt's 1904 book ''The native tribes of South-East Australia.'' Umbarra's father, who was also associated with the black duck, is believed to have also been named Merriman and to have died around 1850. His wife, Queen Narelle, died around 1900. The brother of Umbarra and the brother of Narelle, despite being unrelated to one another, founded a single family, the Nobles. Yuin genealogist and researcher Dave Tout is a descendant of the Nobles. The_funeral_of_Queen_Narelle,_wife_of_King_Merriman_at_Wallaga_Lake,_William_Henry_Corkhill

The_funeral_of_Queen_Narelle,_wife_of_King_Merriman_at_Wallaga_Lake,_William_Henry_Corkhill

Legends

Many legends exist about Umbarra and his ''moojingarl''. One day it told him of a group of warriors coming from the far south to do battle. King Merriman remained on the island while the other men took the women and children to a place of safety and then hid in the reeds. The first to sight the approaching warriors, the King warned his men who fought a fierce battle but lost. The opposing tribesmen then set out for the island. King Merriman threw powerful spears, and a

boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

which severed the arms and heads of his opponents before returning to him, but it was not enough. He then turned himself into a whirlwind and flew off. He passed over the fierce Kiola tribe and their wise men correctly divined his presence and that it meant the defeat of the Wallaga people and the advance of another tribe. King Merriman journeyed on to the

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses ...

tribe to warn them but the Kiola tribe defeated the invaders and the King, whose power was finished, stayed for a time at the Shoalhaven then travelled away.

Today

General access to Merriman Island is forbidden due to its great significance for Indigenous people, and is gazetted as an Aboriginal site. The former

Wallaga Lake National Park Wallaga Lake National Park is a former national park in New South Wales, south-west of Sydney and north of Bermagui. It now forms part of a greater Gulaga National Park. In 2001, as part of the Southern Comprehensive Regional Forest Agreemen ...

is incorporated into

Gulaga National Park Gulaga National Park is a national park on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Bermagui. The park is dominated by Gulaga, also known as Mount Gulaga (formerly Mount Dromedary). The former Wallaga Lake National Park, ...

References

External links

Sydney Morning Herald travel article
{{Authority control Australian Aboriginal elders Clairvoyants 1904 deaths Year of birth missing