Thunghutti Barri
Country.
The Thunghutti people are a tribe of the Dunghutti nation, situated along the Mid North Coast of NSW, taking in Kempsey, South West Rocks, and Crescent Head, before coming inland and up the mountains, taking in Bellbrook, Kunderang, Walcha, and the entire Macleay Valley, which is an estimated 9,100km squared.
Thunghutti is one of 4 main tribes of the Dunghutti nation, residing in the mountains, from Walcha to Bellbrook and sometimes travelling to the coast for the cooler months. To the north, we are bordered by the Gumbaynggirr people. To the south, we are bordered by the Biripi people. To the south west, we are bordered by the Gomeroi people.
In the mountainous regions of Walcha, there are many sites that are significant to the Thunghutti people. The Apsley Falls are on the Apsley River which is part of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. There is recorded evidence of Thunghutti people living along the gorges. This evidence is in the form of axe grooves in the sandstone, where men and women would sit and sharpen their stone axes. There is also the oral history passed down for thousands of years by the Thunghutti community, telling the story of Dhulawang Girin – The Rainbow Serpent.
The entire Dunghutti nation takes in two main rivers; the Macleay River and the Apsley River. The Apsley is the main river of the Thunghutti tribe; being up in the mountains, running through Walcha and to the Apsley Falls, and later on, connecting with the Macleay River further down the mountain. Evidence of people living in these areas has been found and recorded all along both rivers and many smaller creeks attached to them. This evidence is in the form of stone axe grooves and some stone artefacts, such as axe heads and grinding stones, used for grinding grass and plant seeds into flour, and middens, where there may have been all sorts of fish, mussels and other aquatic food sources being cooked and the remains discarded in the fires.
Thunghutti country is a rich and beautiful country, spanning a large range of mountains and scrubland before reaching the coast, with beautiful beaches and ocean scenery.
I’m very proud to be part of this country.
Totem
The totem of the Thunghutti people is the same as that of the Dunghutti nation, which is Gurrgiyn, the praying mantis, and Wakkan, the black raven.