Talk:Pituri

Pituri, [the story of a Pitchery man, Aaron Paterson] also spelt Pitcheri, Pitchery, is a native Australian inland bush which name first came into the English language in 1861 from William John Wills' journals of his role as second in command of the Royal Victorian Exploration Expedition, more commonly known as the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition of 1860-61.

William Wills recorded the name Pedgery and Pedgery from the Yandruwandha natives he came into contact with and who offered him a chew of the prepared PITJIDI, Wills added that "it has a highly intoxicating affect when even chewed in small portions."

Many similar inland (desert) type plants have commonly been referred to as "Pitchery".

It was provided to explorer Wills by members of the "pitjidi" clan of the Yandruwandha tribe near Innamincka (Yinimingka) waterhole, a section of Cooper Creek in North East South Australia Between Malkanpa waterhole (present day location of Innamincka township) and Cullyamurra waterhole, Cooper Creek - Kinipapa to the Yandruwandha).

In his journals, Wills records while travelling alone along the creek, he spotted an elder her referred to as his friend "Chief Pitchery" who invited him to cross over and walk up the creek to his camp where his clan entertained Wills for nearly three days supplying him with a large amount of fish cooked for him, a nice fat [marsupial] rat, and nardoo [ngardu] cake. He was given a place to camp in a humpie with young men, and sat around the fire at night jotting down native words he heard them speak and showing him things and giving the native names for these things.

Chief Pitchery was a Yandruwandha native who's native name was Minpidli, who died in 1897, his son, Danpidli, was called Jimmy Mariner [Marana] by the European After Minpidli's death, his son Danpidli became 'headman-chief' of his clan, for which the Europeans named him, "king Jimmy of the Innaminka blacks."

Danpidli had a full blood son and daughter, Wulgili and the daughter name remained secret/taboo from her second son, a half-caste Yandruwandha man named Mangili, his whitefella name was Benny Kerwin, a son of Innamincka station boundary rider named Jack Kirwan.

Benny 'Mangili' Kerwin was born in 1890, seven years before the death of his grandfather Minpidli aka Wills' [Chief Pitchery].

Benny was recorded by language salvist, Gavan Breen from 1967 near Windorah, western Queensland speaking his native language, Yandruwandha and gave his Yandruwandha dialect as 'Thayipilthirringuda' translated as 'people from stonechip country'.

Benny said his people, the Pitchery men of the Yandruwandha tribe would walk for days from Yinimingka to a location west of present day Birdsville to the sandhill country along the Mulligan river and trade stone grinders and nardoo pounders with the Pitchery men of the Wangkangurru tribe as this location was deemed sacred and held the most potent Pitjidi aka [Pitjirri] available.

Only a number of tribes had a 'pitchery totem clan' and the trade was only carried out between men from these clans and taken back to their own lands where they could trade it on, as well as keep their own supplies of it.

Women of the Yandruwandha tribe could also chew Pitchery!

Benny Kerwin was working on Nappa Merrie station on Ngapa Miri waterhole, Cooper Creek when he met his first wife, Nellie Parker, who's native name was Timpika in 1920.

Nellie and Benny are my maternal grandmother's parents. Nellie chewed Pitchery all her adult life, and my mother, Gloria Jean Kerwin (her maiden name) told me that as a young girl, her grandmother taught her how to prepare Pitchery.

Gloria, my mother, said her granny, Tim (Timpika) taught her to find a particular acacia tree, collect the leaves, place them on wire netting over hot coals and burn them to ash and carefully gather up the ash into a tobacco tin which her grandmother would mix with the dried crushed up Pitchery leaves and chew them together until she formed what is known as 'ngungku' a Pitchery ball. Flour mixed with water is a dough, rolled into balls is also called 'ngungku', a 'ball'.

In 1999, I was staying at Innamincka on a field trip which included two elderly men who were Yandruwandha and Yawarrawarrka, the older brother, Willie Harris living at that time in Birdsville would quietly saunter off to a private location, he would stand under the shade of a tree and open a tobacco tin and start chewing something on his own, I didn't know why he was doing at the time and asked my mum why 'uncle Willie' was always walking off, by himself and she told me because he wanted to be alone while he had a chew of his Pitchery.

I saw her approach him back in town and she said, "hey uncle, I know what your chewing in that tobacco tin!", he looked at her with a cheeky grin and simply smiled. He was getting happily'high' indulging in an ancient cultural practise and enjoying himself.

Rockhampton, Queensland has an Aboriginal Community Health Centre called BIDGERDII, the original logo for this medical centre featured two Pitchery leaves, which can be googled but today, the logo features a new logo with Aboriginal art.

Thanks for reading, Aaron Paterson, Yandruwandha descendant of past generations of Pitchery chewers.. Rockhampton 07/06/2024.

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