First Nations Language Collection

Grosvenor Street, Toowong, S.W.1. 28th February, 1940.

Dear Sir,

In replying to your letter of 27th inst. asking for aboriginal words meaning plenty of water, I have no knowledge of the western languages, but the word kung, or koong, a word meaning water, was used by the natives over a large part of S.E.Q'land including the Darling Downs and probably was in vogue at Roma. If the name is to be applied to a large extent of water the words koong gumai, meaning big water, may suit. These are Logan district words. Common Kabi (Wide Bay) words for plenty, much & many, are maiyan, murrin, and murra, differing so with locality or speaker. If the name is to apply to a place where the water is plentifully available I would suggest the name Kunģamuŕra (Koong(a)murra) as being the most euphonious. The intermediate letter a (to be barely accented) is inserted to liquify the sound of the compound word as is aboriginal custom.

I have some hesitation in suggesting a name for a western place because the adjectival syllables here given may have quite different meaning in the local dialect.

Surely two such common words might have been acquired locally from some old hand who has been in contact with the blacks about Roma.

Yours faithfully, FJWatson (F.J.Watson).

To/ Mr. Sydney May, Hon. Secretary, Place Names Committee, University of Queensland.

Kobbo-walla

Grosvenor Street, Toowong, S.W.1. 3rd June, 1939.

Mr. Sydney May, Hon. Secretary, Place Names Committee, University.

Dear Sir,

I have your letter of the 1st June. I am sorry that I can give you little information as to the names of places in the districts that you mention. Regarding Booval, I have frequently tried to find out the origin of this name without success. I think, however that this name must be derived from bopval or bobval, a native name of the frilled lizard. Of Pouincraddie, Mihi, Borallon and Wanora I can give no information. So many names are so mis-spelled that without local knowledge one can arrive at nothing. On the Brisbane Valley Railway are two or three names which may be literally translated, as, for instance. Nukku, a watershed or the land about the head of a creek or other water-course; Yimbun, a reed with an edible root; and Gilla, one of the native names for the wild bee and its honey.

At Coominya, a resident of many years standing told me that he had been given to understand that the name indicated water within sight; if this is so the name should be Koonginya, from koong, water and nya, to see; in compound native words an intermediate unstressed vowel fequently occurs, hence the inclusion of the letter i. I am sorry that I can give no no information re. the spelling of Dr. Dorsay's? name. The only somewhat similar name of earlier days that I have come across is that of W.A.Dorsey who, in the early eighties was in charge of one of the Border Customs stations.

Regretting that my information is, this time, so meagre, I am, yours faithfully, FJWatson (F.J.Watson).