A humpy, also known as a gunyah, wurley, wurly or wurlie, is a small, temporary shelter, traditionally used by
Australian Aboriginal people. 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 in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
); other
language groups
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ''ancestral language'' or ''parental language'', called the proto-language of that family. The term "family" reflects the tree model of language origination in ...
would have different names for the structure. In
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a 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 of Australia's states and territories ...
, such a shelter is known as a "wurley" (also spelled "wurlie"), possibly from the
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
*
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 ...
*
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 rep ...
*
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, Lakȟ� ...
*
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
{{IndigenousAustralia-stub