Correspondence Between Sydney May And F.J Watson Concerning Aboriginal Place Names (ITM489477)

Grosvenor Street, Toowong S.W.1. June, 19th, 1940.

Mr. Sydney May, Hon. Secretary, Place names Committee, University of Queensland.

Dear Sir,

With reference to two place names which you submitted to me, I have to advice you as follows.

Coom(?)babah. Said to be a pocket of land impinging on a swamp. This is not the literal meaning although a certain place may be so-called. The meaning of the name is "Place of wood grubs, from goombo, the teredo or, as it is frequently termed by whites, cobra. The place in question was probably so-named because the blacks had a practice of collecting the grubs from decayed timber in the swamps and thereafter putting into the water more fresh timber, chiefly oak, to accommodate grubs for future use.

Boobyjan. At the time of writing to you, I did not know know that there was a place of this name to the south of Brisbane, but had in mind a cattle station of that name in the Burnett district, but knowing of no such word in the local tongue, I could not give any definite information there on. Mr E. Armitage of Maryborough has interpreted the name as "where the blacks stood". I think, however, the translation has been arrived at the deduction and not by local knowledge. It seems to be interpreted from bubai, to stand, and tyan, black men.

To show the falacy of such deductions, I may say that, in the language of the blacks at the Albert River, bo-be means ashes or fine dust, and in the locality, no doubt, the name means place of ashes.

Sice my last letter to you, I have found that Messrs Lawless brothers, in the forties of last century, left Ninduin-ba Station in the Albert River District and took up land in the Burnett District which they named Boobyjan, probably using a term that they had learned at the Albert River. Ninduinba means "place of charcoal or embers".

By a flight of fancy one could imagine that, when naming the Burnett property, Lawless Brothers had in mind the mythological Phoenix rising from the bu-be (ashes) of the ninduin (charcoal or Embers).

Yours faithfully. (F.J.Watson).

Grosvenor Street. Toowong, May 18th, 1940.

Mr. Sydney May, Hon. Secretary, Place Names Committee University of Queensland.

Dear Sir,

Your letter of 16th May is to hand. Regarding the word "Kalang" -- this is an aboriginal word common to two S.E Queensland languages, Kabi and Wakka, of districts extending from the coast at Wide Bay to the Great Dividing Range. Kalang means "good", It was usually expressed as "kalangoor", but, correctly, this should be "kalang-ngoor", the affix being equal to English -ly, as goodly or any such word analagous to the word good, such as sweet, clear (as water), satisfactory, etc. I may mention that on the N.C.Railway there is a railway station evidently so-called from the fact that, at the time it was so named, there was a sugar cane field close by. Whosoever was responsible for naming the station evidently has taken the word to literally mean sweet in flavour.

With the names on the list I can only give you definite information regarding one, so I am not using the prescribed form therefore.

Wangerriburra. If a place name, this should be Wangariba, meaning place of whiptail or pretty-faced walabies, wongari (wangaree) being the natives' name for the said animals.

Wangerriburra _{(Wallaby people)} is the name of a community of Yugumbir Lingual Division of tribe of aboriginals. This community occupied the territory of which the Birnam and Darlington Ranges are the approximate boundaries and includes practically all of the National Park in that vicinity. (I think the name Wangariba, or Wangariburra, could have appropriately been included in the name of the Park).

Note. Items on this page may be taken as definite FJW.

With regard to the other names I can give no definite information, but my comments thereon may assist in confirming interpretations that you may receive from other sources.

Binna Burra. I have no record of either of these words except where the latter occurs as an affix to the names of aboriginal communities. About 70 years ago there was an aboriginal community named Birin-burra, located at the head of Nerang creek, in the vacinity of what is now called Binna Burra.

A half-caste survivor of this community was, when I last met him, about five years ago, living at Beaudesert.

The word Birin means a "cliff". Birin-Birin-ba would mean "place of many or high cliffs" Possibly these many have some connection with the name.

Saraba.\, is evidently a corruption as the letter s does not occur in S.E. Queensland language.

Pingingan. Pingin, or, optionally, binkin, is the tortoise. Pingin pingin are beetles, i.e. little tortoises.

The name may mean "place of Beetles.

Coingie. May be Koongi (koongee) meaning "to the water.

Tanna Island. If about Canungera Creek, the fact that some South Sea Islanders from Tanna, a South Sea island, were at on time employed in the district by local farmers may have something to do with this name. Mr Edward Franklin of Wongulpong may be able to give some information on this, as his father had some islanders in his employ.

Tygune. No information.

Biddadaba) Bigdadanma) -- Meaning given by you as "Fine place for native trees. Buraba.) I cannot trace anyting in these name meaning trees except that it may be Biggera-ba, meaning "place of Ironbark trees." Mr Franklin, above-mentioned, is of opinion that the word should be Buraba which, he says, relates to native bears. In that case it would be Borobiba, "place of native bears", the local name for the bear is borobi (borobee).

Pillingchuni. Meaning unknown. Pilling or billing is the common bat. Pillin is a species of parrot. Curiously, pillin-dhu-ni would mean, in the Kebi language "Parrots on a tree", dhu meaning tree. It, however, doe snot apply in this case as the local name for tree is "tolle".

I thank you for your informaiton re. D'Aguilar. I have been asked about this name many times without being able to give any information.

Could you give me ay information regarding tthe meaning of "Cainbible". I have asked an abo who is well acquainted with the scrub of that name in the National Park area, but he could not tell me. Perhaps it is a corruption of some abo. word, but, pronounced as above spelled, it does not ring true to me as an abo. expression.

Re. the place name Wooloongabba on which you asked information a little while back. I may mention that on looking over some of my memoranda, I found that the Brisbane natives' name for the whiptailed wallaby is "wolldn". The habitat of the whiptail is ridgy forest county with which the country about South Brisbane would, in early days, coincide. I have, therefore, little doubt that Wooloongabba should be Wollan-ku-ba meaning "place of whip-tailed wallabies". from wollan, whip tailed wallaby, and kuba, belonging to,

May 8th, 1940.

Mr. Sydney May, Hon. Secretary, Place Names Committee, University of Queensland.

Dear Sir,

I have received a letter from you addressed to Mr T.Welsby under cover addressed to myself. In case that the letter was meant for me I have to advise you that I can give little or no information about the place names of Moreton Bay. It is very likely that those in the Southern portion of the Bay have names derived from the Goenpul, or Stradbroke Island, native language which seems to be entirely lost. Of the origin of the English names I know nothing, but I may remark on three others for what it may be worth.

Re. Kaboora Lake, the spelling Kaiaboora, or Gaiaboora more nearly gives the proper pronunciation of the name.

It is generally known as the Blue Lake on account of the colour of its water. I could not get its meaning.

Re. Miora. This name has, I beleive, been adapted from some southern native language. According to Stradbroke Island natives, the natives' name for the place is Mungalba. I could not get its meaning.

Re. Southport. According to a Yugumbir (local) aborigine, the locality of Southport was called by his tribe, Mundheraba, meaning Place of Mosquitoes." I not that the same name, slightly twisted to Munderewa, is also applied to some part of the south of Stradbroke Island.

Re. Coonangai Bank. This name coincides with a S.E. Queensland word meaning a clear plain or flat, but I do not know if it applies in this case.

Yours faithfully. FJWatson (F.J.Watson).