Gamilaraay community welcomes return of sacred tree

Left to right: Swiss Ambassador to Australia Nikolas Stürchler Gonzenbach, Professor Brian Martin, Professor N’arweet Carolyn Briggs AM, Professor Tristan Kennedy, Professor Brad Webb, Director of Indigenous Research Ebony Henderson, and curator for Oceania at the Museum der Kulturen Basel Beatrice Voirol.

The Gamilaraay community from north-east New South Wales has welcomed the return of a highly significant carved tree, known as a dhulu, during a special event in Canberra.

The event marked the dhulu’s return to

the Gamilaraay community after it had been taken from Country over 100 years ago, and cared for by the Museum der Kulturen Basel in Switzerland for 84 years.

Dhulu, a Gamilaraay word that translates to tree, holds immense cultural significance for Indigenous communities, playing a vital role in ceremonies.

The Canberra event, hosted by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), was attended by representatives of the Gamilaraay community; The Hon Linda Burney MP; Swiss Ambassador to Australia Nikolas Stürchler Gonzenbach; British High Commissioner to Australia Victoria Treadell; AIATSIS CEO Leonard Hill; and Chief Executive of the National Capital Authority Karen Doran PSM.

Monash University was represented by Noongar man Professor Tristan Kennedy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) and Senior Vice-President; Bundjalung, Gamilaraay and Muruwari man Professor Brian Martin; Bundjalung and Dunghutti man Professor Brad Webb; Boon Wurrung Senior Elder Professor N’arweet Carolyn Briggs AM; and Palawa woman Ebony Henderson, Director of Indigenous Research.

The Gamilaraay community had been negotiating the return of the dhulu since 2022, with support from Monash University’s Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab and AIATSIS.

Gamilaraay Elder Greg Bulingha Griffiths and Gamilaraay Representative, Wayne Griffiths Jnr previously stated that the return of the dhulu “represents more than just an artefact coming back; it’s a reconnection to our ancestral heritage and the teachings that have sustained our community for thousands of generations”.

Professor Tristan Kennedy said the repatriation of Indigenous cultural heritage is part of the process of truth-telling.

“The return of the dhulu to Country is a positive step towards revitalising Indigenous culture and identity,” Professor Kennedy said.

“It is fantastic to see Wominjeka Djeembana at Monash University continuing its positive impact on communities across this continent and the world.”

The dhulu was located in 2022 during a research trip by Professor Brian Martin, Professor N’arweet Carolyn Briggs AM and Yorta Yorta woman Kimberley Moulton to study the significance of trees in south-east Australian Aboriginal cultures. This was part of an Australian Research Council Project More than a Guulany (tree): Aboriginal Knowledge Systems, led by both Professor Martin and Professor Brook Andrew.

In November 2024, a formal ceremony took place at the Museum der Kulturen Basel for the repatriation of the dhulu. During the ceremony, the Gamilaaray community gifted the museum a newly carved dhulu, symbolising their wish that the story of Gamilaraay culture continues to be shared with the world.

Professor Brian Martin described this relational exchange as a collaboration and moment of respect between the museum and the Gamilaraay people, marking the process as a return rather than a retrieval.