A humpy, also known as a gunyah, wurley, wurly or wurlie, is a small, temporary shelter, traditionally used by
Australian Aboriginal people
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 ...
. These impermanent dwellings, made of branches and bark, are sometimes called a
lean-to, since they often rely on a standing tree for support.
Etymology
The word humpy comes from the
Jagera language (a
Murri people from
Coorparoo
Coorparoo is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coorparoo had a population of 16,282 people.
Geography
Coorparoo is by road south-east of the Brisbane GPO. It borders Camp Hill, Holland Park, Stones Corner, ...
in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
); other
language groups would have different names for the structure. In
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...
, such a shelter is known as a "wurley" (also spelled "wurlie"), possibly from the
Kaurna
The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurna ...
language.
Usage
Both names were adopted by early white settlers, and now form part of the
Australian lexicon. The use of the term appears to have broadened in later usage to include any temporary building made from any available materials, including canvas, flattened metal drums, and sheets of corrugated iron.
Gallery
File:StateLibQld 2 239273 Bark humpy on Cleveland Road, Brisbane, 1874.jpg, Bark humpy, Brisbane, 1874
File:StateLibQld 1 113072 Bushman with his dog and horse outside a humpy, Hughenden district^, 1910-1920.jpg, Bushman humpy, 1910s
File:Humpy, Gunyah, south west Queensland. part of scenes of far western Queensland, Fred McKay gulf patrol, 1937 - (John Flynn?) (19306853893).jpg, Humpy in far western Queensland, 1937
File:Native Wurley.jpg, Native Wurley, 1886
See also
*
Wiltja
Wiltjas are shelters made by the Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and other Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Is ...
*
Hogan
A hogan ( or ; from Navajo ' ) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house. A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or squ ...
*
Igloo
An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow.
Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only b ...
*
Longhouse
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Many were built from timber and often re ...
*
Tipi
A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan, and in use in Dakhótiyapi, Lakȟó ...
*
Yurt
A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia ...
Notes
External links
State Library of Victoria photo of Aboriginal people and humpy
Australian Aboriginal bushcraft
Australian Aboriginal cultural history
Huts in Australia
Human habitats
Indigenous architecture
Architecture in Australia
Australian Aboriginal words and phrases
House types
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