The Bandjalang Cultural Calendar

The Bandjalang Cultural Calendar was developed by the Minyumai IPA Women Rangers and our Elders, guided by our traditional knowledge of how natural indicators mark the changing seasons. It shows changes throughout the year, such as migratory birds visiting during summer, many species of wildflowers blossoming during the warm months, bush tucker species that can be harvested at certain times of the year, and changes for species that are important to us such as the Gehrr (glossy black cockatoo, Wijoon (Gliders), Boorubi (Koala), Ngugum (Dingo) . These ‘biocultural indicators’ tell us when the seasons change, when is a good time to burn, and what foods to harvest sustainably.

Through ongoing partnerships, we are monitoring how these indicators are changing with the impacts of climate change, by taking observations of the native floral and fauna, reading scientific literature, attending workshops and setting up experiments based on the prescribed fires implemented on Minyumai IPA.

This data collection is ongoing, and the calendar will be updated as we learn more.