Australian Aboriginal History ~

Yam Daisy, also known as Murnong and Nyamin (Microseris lanceolata), was an essential and abundant staple food for the Aboriginal people of southeastern Australia for tens of thousands of years. The plant grew so profusely that it appeared like a vibrant yellow blanket from a distance. The Aboriginal people held the plant in high regard, considering it a vital part of their culture and identity. It not only provided nourishment but also symbolised their connection to the land.

However, the arrival of European farmers and grazing animals in the 18th century led to the plant’s near-extinction by the 1860s. The introduction of millions of sheep and cattle caused significant damage to the plant’s habitat. The grazing animals cropped the plants with their teeth, compacted the soil with their hard hoofs, and caused the loss of vegetation. Consequently, the plant’s population began to decline rapidly, making it challenging for foragers to find it.

Foragers could only find Murnong in cemeteries or railway tracks where the plant’s shoots were protected from grazing animals, leading to the gradual loss of knowledge about the plant. Sadly, this often happens through violence. The introduction of European settlers brought about significant changes to the landscape, which disrupted the delicate balance between the natural environment and the Aboriginal people’s way of life.

In 1985, botanist Beth Gott created a garden dedicated to Aboriginal wild plants by marking a plot of land at Monash University in Melbourne. After studying over a thousand species, she concluded that murnong was crucial to pre-colonial life in Australia. Gott set out to find the plant in the wild and grow it in her garden. However, she found it challenging to locate the plant and uncover its history due to the loss of knowledge.

Gott’s research included the journals of early colonists, which provided valuable insights into the plant’s history. She discovered that murnong grew in millions across the open spaces and woodlands of southern Australia. Aboriginal gatherers spread the plant across the landscape by separating and scattering its disturbed tubers. Murnong can be eaten raw or baked in earth ovens. Aboriginal people consumed an average of King of Murnong daily, except for winter when the tubers were less succulent and often tasted bitter.

The decline of murnong due to the introduction of millions of sheep and cattle by European farmers was a significant loss for the Aboriginal people. They lost not only a vital source of food but also a symbol of their connection to the land. In 1839, only four years after the founding of Melbourne, an Aboriginal man named Moonshine told James Dredge, a Methodist preacher, that too many sheep and cattle had eaten the mourn. The state-appointed Chief Protectors of the Aborigines were aware of what was happening in the Aboriginal territories.