The Birri Gubba people, formerly known as Biria, are an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

people of the state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Language

The Birri Gubba people spoke a number of languages in the

Biri language Biri, also known as Biria, Birri Gubba, Birigaba, Wiri, Perembba and other variants, is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Mackay area of Queensland spoken by the Birri Gubba people. There are at least eight languages regarded as dialec ...

group.

Country

The Biria held sway over some , from the Bowen River north to its junction with the

Burdekin The Shire of Burdekin is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia in the Dry Tropics region. The district is located between Townsville and Bowen in the delta of the Burdekin River. It covers an area of , and has existe ...

. On its eastern flank was the

Clarke Range The Clarke Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, is a rainforest-covered mountain range located in North Queensland, Australia. The range is located approximately from the Coral Sea and west of the coastal city of Mackay. The highest poi ...

, while its western borders reached the Leichhardt Range. To the south, its territory extended down to

Netherdale Netherdale is a sports complex in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, consisting of two adjacent stadiums used for rugby union and football. The rugby ground is the home of Gala RFC and was formerly used by the professional Border Reivers team. It host ...

Alternative names

Alternative names for the Biria people include Biriaba, Birigaba, Breeaba, Perembba, Perenbba, and Birri Gubba.

European contact

In 1846, after their ship ''Peruvian'' was wrecked, a group of British crew members made it to shore on Birri Gubba land, and were helped to survive by Birri Gubba people. The castaways stayed with various groups for some time, with one, James Morrill, living among the Aboriginal people for around 17 years. His memoir, ''Sketch of a Residence Among the Aboriginals of Northern Queensland for Seventeen Years'' tells of his efforts to leave his group of Birra Gubba people on their land, and to encourage harmonious living between the two groups. Today he is seen as an early pioneer of Indigenous land rights in Australia. A forthcoming (2022) film, ''

The Wild One ''The Wild One'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando, whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1 ...

'' starring Matt Oxley,

John Jarratt John Jarratt is an Australian television film actor, producer and director and TV presenter who rose to fame through his work in the Australian New Wave. He has appeared in a number of film roles including '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ' ...

and Marlena Law, is based on the story of Morrill and the people who took him in, directed by Australian filmmaker Nathan Colquhoun.

Notable Biri people

Cathy Freeman Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman (born 16 February 1973) is an Aboriginal Australian former sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman of all time, set ...

, Olympic-level athlete *

Jackie Huggins Jacqueline Gail "Jackie" Huggins (born 19 August 1956) is an Aboriginal Australian author, historian, academic and advocate for the rights of Indigenous Australians. She is a Bidjara/Pitjara, Birri Gubba and Juru woman from Queensland. she ...

, activist and academic * Boori Pryor, formerly the joint inaugural Australian Children's Laureate and storyteller *

Gracelyn Smallwood Gracelyn Smallwood (born 1951) is a professor of nursing and midwifery at Central Queensland University. She is an Aboriginal Australian of Biri people, Biri descent. Early life Smallwood was born in 1951 in Townsville, Queensland, of Biri d ...

, midwife, academic, NAIDOC Person of the Year in 2014 *

Samuel Wagan Watson Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet. Early life Samuel Wagan Watson was born in Brisbane and is of Mununjali clan, Munanjali and Germanic descent. His father is the novelist and political activist, Sam Watson (act ...

, award-winning poet, narrator, and storyteller * Sam Watson, activist, writer, lecturer, and storyteller

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * {{authority control Aboriginal peoples of Queensland