When Wiradjuri mayiny (people) yarra (talk) about Aboriginal Song Lines you may think that it is something to do with singing?

Well that is only part of what an Aboriginal Song Line means.

Aboriginal Song Lines are very important to our culture and heritage. A song line is about our murru (journey) through our garray (land) and ngurambang (country). A song line can be a physical thing like a focal point in country, such as Kengal (The Rock) and also somewhere like Berry Jerry National Park near Collingullie.

Kengal (The Rock) is an ancient Wiradjuri special place that connects us to land, time and Wiradjuri lore. Berry Jerry is likewise a very special learning place as well as a stopover point for travelling mayiny (people). Berry Jerry State Forest sits on the side of Old Man Creek and has been a place where we took shelter, prepared meals and camped.

So how are these song lines? These places and madhu (many) more are our trade routes and meeting places. A song line is something that allows Aboriginal people to connect to country, time and place. A song line can be a place, plants, artwork, people and more. Song lines are our history, culture and heritage.

Song lines can be found still today in country, scar trees, axe quarries, bush tucker areas, rock arrangements all relate to our culture. The paths of the song lines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance, and painting. Song lines can also be known as dream time stories. These can tell of our pathways through our country or can also be dreaming stories in our mulaa wir (night sky). Stories about the dinawan (emu) or the yugay (dingo) are just two of madhu (many) stories that tell us about custom and Aboriginal lore.

Rock cave paintings and artwork are another way to share our song line stories. In art we can tell far more with a brush then we can ever write. Also Dreamtime stories about Gobbagumbalin and Pomingalarna, two young Wiradjuri mayiny (people) who disobeyed “lore” and were punished, is another song line.

Another song line is in the Sydney area where they have rock engravings of a Dinawan (emu) that tells us when it is a good time to collect dinawan gabuga (emu egg). How does that happen? Well we have a dinawan (emu) in the mulaa wir (night sky) which is very near the Southern Cross star group, at a certain time in the year, both the dinawan in the mulaa wir (night sky) and the rock engraving dinawan will line up or face the same way, when they do, this is a good time to hunt and collect dinawan (emu). Just another amazing song line that still exists today.

Bush tucker plants and trees also can tell us where our song lines are as well. Wiradjuri people would carry our bush tucker seeds on our murru (journey) planting as we went, that way ensuring food was always on hand for our people and leaving behind song lines to follow.

In summer, people visited the high country where the bogong moth would rest. The moths are rich in stored fats and oils, yet another song line in our murru (journey) in ngurambang (country).

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