1. Animals
2. Birds
3. Country
4. Cultural protocols
5. Culture
6. Family
7. Guugu Yimidhirr people (Y82) (Qld SD55-13)
8. History
9. Landscapes
10. Queensland
11. Snakes

‘Aboriginal Stories from Queensland’s Endeavour River’ is an extensive revision of the first edition of this collection of 15 stories. The title then was ‘Milbi : Aboriginal Tales from Queensland's Endeavour River’. While the same stories are included, there are significant differences. Some words have been changed to reflect more culturally sensitive ones. For example, ‘myths’ become ‘stories’. Some general terms like ‘home’ have been changed to more specific ones like ‘camp’.

Tulo Gordon, an artist descended from the Guugu Yimidhirr people of Queensland, retold and illustrated these stories. They were not from Tulo’s time, but retold by many different people and shared with Tulo. The aim here, as expressed by the author, has been to present these stories from a time before the arrival of white people to Australia. The stories are about local geography, plants and animals and relationships between these and the people at that time. Some of the stories include punishment of humans or animals for their behaviour usually for misuse of the environment or the treatment of people or animals. They offer moral lessons about ‘proper social order’ at that time and reflect the Guugu Yimitirr people’s intimate knowledge of the land and creatures. A map shows where the stories are set, inviting readers to locate these and landmarks like mission stations, rivers and sand mines.

The illustrations by Tulo Gordon are striking, memorable and invite close study. They contribute both literally and imaginatively to the stories. Gordon’s original artwork is housed at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, so it has been rephotographed, enlarged, repositioned and colour-enhanced for this new edition. New endpapers feature animals travelling across the pages, enticing the reader to venture into the stories. The format—a large square size—rather than the original rectangular shape, suits the stories.

The current edition is distinctly different in one major respect. The stories are told in both English and Guugu Yimithirr languages. Although these stories were originally ‘recorded’ in the 1970s for the first edition of this book, they are described as fundamentally different when written down, because the stories were originally performed and shared orally by storytellers.

In addition to the inclusion of the Guugu Yimidhirr language version for each story, there is an extended story of Tulo Gordon’s life growing up on Lutheran mission stations, providing insights into his life and the social and political changes during his lifetime. The essay by John B Haviland, translator, linguist and anthropologist, provides additional material about Tulo’s life and the stories.

1. Reading Time review by Belinda Raposo of ‘Aboriginal Stories from Queensland’s Endeavour River’, 3 Dec 2021 https://readingtime.com.au/mibli-aboriginal-stories-from-queenslands-endeavour-river/
2. National Museum of Australia, ‘Talkin’ Guugu Yimidhirr’ a game featuring the language https://nma.gov.au/av/endeavour/guugu-yimidhirr/
3. ABC News, ‘Cooktown’s Indigenous people help commemorate 250 years since Captain Book’s landing with re-enactment’ by Sharnie Kim and Adam Stephen, 19 June 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-19/cooktown-indigenous-commemorate-captain-cook-250th-anniversary/12363526
4. Pama Language Centre, Guugu Yimithirr includes language learning activities and learning resources https://www.pamacentre.org.au/guugu-yimithirr-library/
5. ABC News with Sharnie Kim ‘ Indigenous community fights to preserve language that gave Australia the word kangaroo’, 23 June 2018 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-23/community-fights-to-preserve-language-that-gave-us-kangaroo/9900518