Himberrong is a clan of the

Anēwan The Anēwan, also written Anaiwan and Anaywan, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional territory spans the Northern Tablelands in New South Wales. The Anēwan people are a subgroup of the Djangadi tribe. Language The Anēwan lan ...

(also 'Nganyaywana') Aboriginal tribe of what is now known as the New England Tablelands region in northeast

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Part of their traditional land, once an

Aboriginal reserve An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...

called Inglebah, is now a heritage

Aboriginal Place The ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974'' is the legislation passed by the New South Wales Parliament with the explicit intent of conserving the's natural and cultural heritage of the state of New South Wales; fostering public appreciation, u ...

Territory

The territory of the Himberrong clan stretches from the

Moonbi Range The Moonbi Range, a mountain range that is part of the Great Dividing Range, is located in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The range is located roughly north east of the city of Tamworth situated at the bottom of the W ...

in the west (adjoining

Gamilaraay The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Aust ...

), past

Yarrowitch Yarrowitch is a small rural locality on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the picturesque Yarrowitch River Valley on the Oxley Highway 48 kilometres east of Walcha. The settlement is included in the W ...

and Kunderang in the east (adjoining

Dunghutti The Djangadi people, also spelt Dhungatti, Dainggati, Tunggutti or Dunghutti are an Aboriginal Australian people resident in the Macleay Valley of northern New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , ...

), and from Nowendoc in the south (adjoining Biripi) to north of Walcha (adjoining Inuwon). Border disputes over the Moonbi Range were common between the Himberrong and a clan of the Gamilaraay. The main camp of the Himberrong was on the bank of the ''Muluerindie''/Macdonald River about two miles upriver from where the area of Inglebah now stands. Inglebah was declared an

by the NSW

Aborigines Protection Board Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...

in 1893, and is now preserved as a heritage Aboriginal Place. Inglebah is the Anaiwan word for whirlpools of

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

; the swamps and gullies throughout the Inglebah district are perforated with thousands of crayfish holes. Inglebah was home to 50 or families until the 1940s, when most of them moved away. The land was handed over to the

Aboriginal Land Trust In Australia, an Aboriginal land trust (ALT) is a type of non-profit organisation that holds the freehold title to an area of land on behalf of a community of Aboriginal Australians. The land has been legally granted to a community by the governme ...

in 1975, and later to the Amaroo Local Aboriginal Land Council. Aboriginal community gatherings are often held at Inglebah. "Traditionally Aboriginal people camped around Inglebah for fishing and ceremonial activities. Inglebah was favored because it was a sheltered, secure camping spot nestled between hills and the banks of the MacDonald River. It has a permanent water supply from the springs in the area, and various animals could be hunted there." Inglebah Aboriginal Reserve

Language

The Himberrong clan spoke a dialect of the Anaiwan language. An elicitation of Anaiwan words was recorded on tape by Harry Wright in 1963 ''"as they were spoken by tribesmen coming into Armidale from Inglebah"''.

History

At the time of first contact, the Himberrong clan numbered around 600. Each year when winter was approaching, the clan would leave their camp at Inglebah, always heading east in the direction of the

Macleay River The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...

(Dunghutti territory), but they would not push too far over the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

. On returning from their winter trips, the clan would have a great

corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the l ...

Inglebah Massacre

In the late 1800s, colonists used explosives to massacre the Himberrong clan at their main camp. The death toll is unknown. ''"There were pieces of burning wood of all sizes hurled hundreds of feet into the air...the shrieks of natives could be heard as they fled in all directions...what became of them for the next six months was never known...they disappeared completely from their usual hunting grounds..."''

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * {{authority control Aboriginal peoples of New South Wales