Getting to know Gulmmerogin: the Traditional Place name of Darwin
As a comedian and talented singer-songwriter, Senior Larrakia Elder, Uncle Doctor Richard Fejo, knows about jokes. But he thinks using Darwin’s Traditional Place name, Gulmerrogin (gul-merr-gun), when addressing letters and parcels through Australia Post is nothing to laugh at—and everything to celebrate.
The story behind the Traditional Place name, Gulmerrogin
“Gulmerrogin is the Larrakia (la-ruh-kee-yah) word for ‘our land’,” explains Uncle Doctor Richard Fejo. But there is a story behind the word.
“A long time ago there was an old man walking along the beach with his family when he grew tired and decided to have a rest in the shade of the cliffs. His family went around the corner and when he woke up, he called out for them but there was no response. So he created Larrakia people and he told us to go look for his family.”
“At low tide, he walked up to a rock that emerged from the ocean but he didn't realise how fast the tide would come back in. And he got stuck there. Knowing that he would pass away, he lay down and his spirit became that rock. So Larrakia people say today, this is the place where our spirit comes from and our spirit has to return to.”
The Larrakia people have inhabited the Country in and around Darwin for over 65,000 years. They feel strongly about their role as Traditional Owners for the Territory’s capital, looking after visitors to their Country.
Uncle Doctor Richard is a Larrakia man of direct male descent through his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He has devoted his life to cross-cultural communication and his career has taken him from legal aid to the Darwin Waterfront Corporation to Chair of Larrakia Nation and the Senior Elder on campus at Flinders University.
For him, having Traditional Place names acknowledged on Australia Post letters and packages is significant.
“I think it's really important that we use Traditional Place names because Abo