Yir-Yoront people
Encyclopedia
The Yir-Yoront are an Australian people living on the southwestern part of the Cape York Peninsula
, Queensland
in Australia
, primarily in the two settlements Kowanyama
and Pormpuraaw
, having their foundations in the Mitchell River Mission and Edward River Missian, respectively. They are originally speakers of the Yir-Yoront language
, but today only a handful of speakers remaining, the other having shifted
to English
.
The Yir-Yoront remained quite isolated until the early 1900s, when the Mitchell River Mission was established, and they managed to stay politically autonomous until 1933. The mission introduced European goods and easy trading
, which slowly and steadily caused their culture
to vanish. Prior to the European contact
the Yir-Yoront retained a flourishing culture with tradition
s, one of them being axe making
. Only initiated men had the skills to make axes, which meant that those who didn't have these skills had to rely upon those who had. However, along with the Europeans came steel axes, which in general were superior to the handmade ones and much more accessible, and the tradition of axe making died out. The missionaries started handingnthese out freely to the members of the community. This had a very serious impact on the Yir Yoront culturally. Traditionally, the axe was a symbol of masculinity and power reserved for men, not for women and children. Also, due to it's variety of practical uses, women and children could only borrow an axe from the man. This created a patriarchal subordination that vanished when the axes were spread amongst everyone.
This troubled many of the culture's members a great deal because of the way that their outlook upon life was formed by their religious belief. A central dogma of their religion is that the life of their ancestors will shape how their lives will be today. This goes all the way down to ownership. For example, if a family has never owned a boat, they will believe that they were never supposed to own a boat and never will. This religious belief was allowed to stay as the group stayed relatively isolated, and it would not allow for change to happen to anyone's life. Therefore, when the axes were introduced, not just improved but also in multitude and to women and children and men alike, this shook the culture at it's foundations and was instrumental to causing it's eventual disappappearance.
Intertribal marriage
and political relations with the other peoples in the area, especially the Thaayorre people
, were common and made the peoples in the area very unified. This also means that some of the traditional lands of the Yir-Yoront today are occupied by speakers of other languages than the Yir-Yoront language
, but which nevertheless are designated the Yir-Yoront. They had a developed sign
form of their language.
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, primarily in the two settlements Kowanyama
Kowanyama, Queensland
Kowanyama is a town on the Gulf of Carpentaria side of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.At the 2006 census, Kowanyama had a population of 1,017....
and Pormpuraaw
Pormpuraaw, Queensland
Pormpuraaw is an Aboriginal community situated on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula approximately half way between Karumba and Weipa on the Edward River. It is by road from Cairns. Pormpuraaw currently has a 2-man police station...
, having their foundations in the Mitchell River Mission and Edward River Missian, respectively. They are originally speakers of the Yir-Yoront language
Yir-Yoront language
Yir-Yoront is a Paman language spoken in two settlements, Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw on the southwestern part of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland in Australia, by the Yir-Yoront people. As of 1991 only 15 speakers remain, with the rest of the Yir-Yoront people speaking English or even Kuuk...
, but today only a handful of speakers remaining, the other having shifted
Language shift
Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
The Yir-Yoront remained quite isolated until the early 1900s, when the Mitchell River Mission was established, and they managed to stay politically autonomous until 1933. The mission introduced European goods and easy trading
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, which slowly and steadily caused their culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
to vanish. Prior to the European contact
European exploration of Australia
The European exploration of Australia encompasses several waves of seafarers and land explorers. Although Australia is often loosely said to have been discovered by Royal Navy Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, he was merely one of a number of European explorers to have sighted and landed on the...
the Yir-Yoront retained a flourishing culture with tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
s, one of them being axe making
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
. Only initiated men had the skills to make axes, which meant that those who didn't have these skills had to rely upon those who had. However, along with the Europeans came steel axes, which in general were superior to the handmade ones and much more accessible, and the tradition of axe making died out. The missionaries started handingnthese out freely to the members of the community. This had a very serious impact on the Yir Yoront culturally. Traditionally, the axe was a symbol of masculinity and power reserved for men, not for women and children. Also, due to it's variety of practical uses, women and children could only borrow an axe from the man. This created a patriarchal subordination that vanished when the axes were spread amongst everyone.
This troubled many of the culture's members a great deal because of the way that their outlook upon life was formed by their religious belief. A central dogma of their religion is that the life of their ancestors will shape how their lives will be today. This goes all the way down to ownership. For example, if a family has never owned a boat, they will believe that they were never supposed to own a boat and never will. This religious belief was allowed to stay as the group stayed relatively isolated, and it would not allow for change to happen to anyone's life. Therefore, when the axes were introduced, not just improved but also in multitude and to women and children and men alike, this shook the culture at it's foundations and was instrumental to causing it's eventual disappappearance.
Intertribal marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
and political relations with the other peoples in the area, especially the Thaayorre people
Thaayorre people
The Thaayorre are an Australian people living on the southwestern part of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland in Australia, primarily in the settlement Pormpuraaw, having its foundation in the Edward River Mission....
, were common and made the peoples in the area very unified. This also means that some of the traditional lands of the Yir-Yoront today are occupied by speakers of other languages than the Yir-Yoront language
Yir-Yoront language
Yir-Yoront is a Paman language spoken in two settlements, Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw on the southwestern part of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland in Australia, by the Yir-Yoront people. As of 1991 only 15 speakers remain, with the rest of the Yir-Yoront people speaking English or even Kuuk...
, but which nevertheless are designated the Yir-Yoront. They had a developed sign
Australian Aboriginal sign languages
Many Australian Aboriginal cultures have or traditionally had a manually coded language, a sign-language counterpart of their spoken language. This appears to be connected with various speech taboos between certain kin or at particular times, such as during a mourning period for women or during...
form of their language.