The Koamu (Guwamu) were an
indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
people of the state of
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
.
Language
The
Koamu language, often classified as a dialect of
Bidjara, appeared to be quite similar to that spoken by the
Ualarai
The Yuwaalaraay, also spelt Euahlayi, Euayelai, Eualeyai, Ualarai, Yuwaaliyaay and Yuwallarai, are an Aboriginal Australian people of north-western New South Wales.
Name and language
The ethnonym derives from their word for "no" () to which ...
, and some early ethnographers such as
R. H. Mathews confused the two for this reason.
Country
The Koamu are estimated to have ranged over of tribal territory. They were on the
Balonne River
The Balonne River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin system, is a short yet significant part of the inland river group of South West Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
The river is a continuation of the Condamine River. After flowing th ...
starting south of
St. George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
, as far as
Angledool
Angledool is a locality in upper western New South Wales near the southern border of Queensland, one kilometre east of the Castlereagh Highway and approximately 45 kilometres north of Lightning Ridge. At the , Angledool had a population of 58 peo ...
, Hebei, and Brenda. Their western terrain extended to
Bollon and
Nebine Creek.
Dirranbandi
Dirranbandi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland with New South Wales. In the , the locality of Dirranbandi had a population of 610 people.
Geography
Dirranb ...
also was part of their territory. According to Thomas Honery, an authority on the nearby
Weilwan
The Wayilwan (also rendered Weilwan or Wailwan; also known as Ngiyambaa Wayilwan and Ngemba Wayilwan) are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of New South Wales. They are a clan of the Ngiyambaa (nee-yam-bar) nation.
Name
The Wayilwan ...
, the Koamu also lived around the
Warrego. This was rejected by Norman Tindale as beyond their western frontier.
Mythology
On dying, a Koamu is met on passing into the spirit world by his ''yuri'' or
totem
A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
While the word ...
, who then reintroduces him to all of his relations, the natural species belonging to his
moiety
Moiety may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Anthropology
* Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is divided
** A division of society in the Iroquois societal structure in North America
** An Australian Aboriginal kinship group
** Native Ha ...
.
The first bee was fashioned by a bat, which gummed on some cockatoo feathers to a sticky milky weed, which immediately took wing, and flew right down to Koamu territory, with the bat in hot pursuit, until it won sanctuary in a cave called Ungwari. The Koamu undertook rituals in this cavern to secure the increase of bees in their area.
Native title
The descendants of the Koamu, under the name the Kooma people, had their
native title rights recognized by the state of Queensland in 2014.
Alternative names
* ''Guamu, Guwamu, Oamu''
* ''Kuam''
* ''Kuamu''
Source:
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of Queensland