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GAPUWIYAK
at Lake Evella & Ngadunggay Homelands
Statistics Population – Grants Com 1,154 - ABS 885 - ERP 977 Barge – Buckingham River bank - road unsealed. Airstrip – Sealed Creation story, Daisy Marrawunga says the creators of the region decided to have a ceremony. Honey Bee Dreaming– "They thought about cutting down a hollow coffin made out of a tree, so that they can do the paintings and have a ceremony where they crush all the bones and make a proper burial for the deceased. When they dug the hole in the ground, the water started to rise and that's how the fresh water lake was born." PAST – Gapuwiyak means place of brackish water (Gapu water – Wiyak salty). It lies close to the ancient track that crosses the Arafura Swamp to Ramingining & Milingimbi. The lake was first seen by Bapa Sheppy from his Miles Hawk in 1935 - he named it Lake Evella after his wife Ella and for Evelyn the wife of fellow missionary Rev. TT Webb. The community was established in 1969 by Geoff & Judy Davey as an outstation of Galiwin'ku & centre for Cyprus pine logging – it is unique in that each of the major clan groups has been allocated an area of land within the town area to avoid humbug. There has been a resident Doctor since 1997. The homelands are extensive and include Dhoindji, Raymingirr, Hardy Island, Burrum where Clancy sits down & Balma on the Gulf Coast home of the Wunugmurra families. | ||
