Respecting culture
People need to come here and relax.
Sit on the country, feel the spirits of this country and go home and feel the same way
- Natasha Nadji, Bunidj clan
Bininj/Mungguy culture has its own set of social behaviours and customs, which are considered good manners. Please consider these while you are in Kakadu.
- Show respect by not entering restricted areas. They may be sacred sites, ceremonial sites, burial grounds or even someone's home.
- Traditionally, Bininj/Mungguy do not greet each other every time they meet. However, most Bininj/Mungguy are used to non-Aboriginal people doing so and may expect a 'hello'.
- Many Bininj/Mungguy do not use personal names as freely as non-Aboriginal people do and often address each other by kinship terms.
- Bininj/Mungguy appreciate privacy. It is good manners not to enter living areas and not to take photographs of Bininj/Mungguy without permission.
- Some Bininj/Mungguy find constant eye contact uncomfortable.
- In Bininj/Mungguy culture it is important to listen carefully and consider the response carefully before giving an answer.
- It is polite to say goodbye when leaving. The Bininj/Mungguy word for goodbye is Boh Boh (pronounced bor bor).
- In Bininj/Mungguy culture it is often not appropriate to use the names or display images of deceased people.
- Areas in Kakadu may close at short notice for cultural purposes at the request of traditional owners.
Pronouncing Bininj/Mungguy names
Unlike English, the spelling system used to record local Aboriginal languages is very consistent. So once you have learnt the alphabet, it is quite easy to pronounce words by sounding them out. The Aboriginal Language Park Note details the Gun-djeihmi alphabet. In this guide, English approximations for some names are given in brackets.
Kakadu Aboriginal Language Park Note (PDF file 390KB)