Yandel’ora
The Land of Peace Between Peoples
A very long time ago, all the peoples and all the animals spoke the same language. And whenever the three sisters in the sky danced in a straight line, everyone would come together to meet and have a great Bunya, a festival to celebrate their friendship, and to lay down the laws for the next generation. When a handsome guest betrays the laws, he creates enormous disharmony between the peoples. Wiritjiribin the lyrebird yearns for integrity, reconciliation, and salvation, and in doing so is gifted a great ability from The Creator Spirit.
Storyteller: Aunty Fran
Yandel’ora, translated as ‘‘The Land of Peace Between Peoples’’ is a D’harawal Dreaming story that illustrates why only the lyrebird can speak all languages and how the lyrebird became the interpreter and peacemaker.
The story is preceded with an introduction of the Yandel’ora, and Frances Bodkin (Aunty Fran) a descendant of the Bidigal clan of the D’harawal Peoples (with ancestral and spiritual links to Wiritjiribin - the First Lyrebird).
The Scenic Hills of Campbelltown, New South Wales are of high geographic significance in Australian history and D’harawal heritage in particular. The Yandel’ora was a vast meeting ground, centred on Mt Annan but included the upper reaches of Bunbury Curran Creek, the lands north of Razorback Range, west of the Georges River, east of the Wollondilly/Nepean River, and south of Prospect Creek.
Open Source education materials
The following resources have been documented by members of the D’harawal Traditional Descendants and Knowledge Holders Circle.
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Picture book (PDF)
Documented by Frances Bodkin and Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews.
Illustrations by Lorraine Robertson. -
Academic paper (Article)
“The Colonial Story of Good Intent Or the inspired erasure of our Ancestors” Published by Griffith Review.
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Longer version of story (video)
Spoken by Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews
Published by Australian Museum. -
Text document (PDF)
Documented by Frances Bodkin and Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews. Includes a Foreword and additional information about the animals in the story.
Above: Artist & Director, Bernadette Trench-Thiedeman painting the Bunya scene in Yandel’ora.
This project is a not-for-profit educational resource.
No part of the Yandel’ora Story, or any part of this content and its accompanied media maybe used for profit.