"We respectfully acknowledge our Ancestors and Elders for their strength, guidance and wisdom shared with families and researchers at a time when our people were being dispossessed of language and culture. "
Ngali mari nani. Ngali mari waddana Wirdi mundu Wanggan Yagalinggu nani.
We are the people of the land. We are the Wirdi speaking people from Wanggan & Yagalinggu country.
Custodians and owners of a vast area of land for tens of thousands of years, in the area now described as the Clermont and Belyando regions of Central Queensland, Australia.
Our Dreaming is the Mundangarra (rainbow serpent) who created the environment we live in. Mundangarra came up from under the ground and travelled in and through the land to create the mountains, rivers and animals. It is our responsibility to protect our land, water, people and spirits.
Our lore in which we walk in is the Gaba (Native Honey Bee), which guides us how to live on the land, as one.
We have many kin totems including: the Dagayn (sand goanna) around Clermont, the Eel (Wagal) around the Belyando and the the Gundulu (emu), which connects us to all other first nations through Central Queensland.
Our sacred beliefs are based on our ancient songlines and the paths our spirits travel through country.
The trees, plants, shrubs, medicines, waterholes, springs, animals, habitats, rocks, soil, aquifers, the sky and the whole of our Territory all have religious and cultural life and vibrancy that we respect and are bound to protect. Our spirits and the spirits of our ancestors travel above, through and under the ground of our country.
These songlines connect us to our mother, the Earth, our ancestors, our neighbours and other First Nations peoples right across the continent
Our language is our connection to our identity – who we are – our identity connects us to our country – where we’re from – our country connects us to spirituality, culture and family. Through these connections we are told how to live in harmony with our environment.
The effect of removal of our ancestors from country and the restrictions imposed on them not to speak language, had caused a significant loss of language and damage to identity for Wanggan and Yagalinggu People.
Our language is the Wirdi language historically known as the Clermont Wirdi language which was spoken in Wanggan Yagalinggu Country. We are connected by our language to the Maric language nations throughout the areas now known as central and southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
Our Wirdi language is a dialect with close similarities to Gangalu, Wiri to the east and the Biri Language to the north east.
The Wirdi language has been recorded as a language which belongs to the Pama-Nyungan family of Aboriginal languages.
We respectfully acknowledge our Ancestors and Elders for their strength, guidance and wisdom shared with family and researchers at a time when our people were being dispossessed of language and culture.
