Her Story: The place we call home
Lois Kay Cook is the daughter of Lewis Cook, Elder and custodian of the Nyangbul Country in the Bundjalung Nation. Lois was raised at Cabbage Tree Island in her father’s country, Cook family is recorded as surviving the Massacres of the 1800’s.
Lois became strongly connected and aware of the importance of continuing to maintain the tradition of oral history Passed on to her by her elders and ancestors. Lois career in the arts includes film and television, a graduate of NAISDA (Islander Dance Association), she taught dance and culture on the Far North Coast and in the late 1989 she joined Bangara Dance Theatre Australia and became their Administrator/Tour Manager and Performer, performing in remote communities in NSW.
From 1992 – 2002 she was the Managing Director of Goobah Goobah Koori Theatre Company for 10 years. Lois received a Dolphin Award in 1999 from the Far North Coast Entertainment Industry in recognition of her creative and cultural input within the Region.
Lois is politically active expressing the Senior Custodian’s views on cultural and significant sites within her country. Upon gathering this information, Lois strengthened her passion for local Indigenous history and protection of our beautiful country. She has taught in schools, as a consultant she worked tirelessly protecting Aboriginal Sacred Sites of Significance, Community Development and Infrastructure programs. She has since studied Arts Law at UNSW and more recently completing a diploma in Community Development at Tranby Aboriginal College.
Lois has a Diploma in dance, Dramatic Arts, Diploma in Community Development and studied Arts /law to improve her knowledge and passion for cultural retention, maintenance and continuation.
Over the last 20 years Lois has successfully runs her small business Aboriginal Cultural Concepts delivering cultural programs, workshops and heritage tours from Byron Bay to Ballina and the surrounds. Lois has travelled to Japan for the Beacon of Light ceremonies in Japan and at the Peace tower and family Festival in Miyazaki, and other cultural ceremonies at Mt Fugj, Mount Aso, Lois also travelled to Aotearoa to Raglan for more gatherings and ceremonies.
Ngangbul it is one of 13 dialects or languages spoken within the Bundjalung Nation. I am a descendant of Babba Jack (John) Cook(1854-1961), recorded the Custodian 1960's living at Cabbage Tree Island. Our Clans Totem is the 'Dolphin' (Gwandi) Mythological site of the Dolphin is found in the Richmond River, a special and sacred place and story of 'How Dolphins Came About'. There are many stories of dolphins each has its origin and sacred dreaming site (djurbil).
My fathers uncle, Douglas Cook recalls stories from his father and mother of the massacres in the 1850's to 1900's. His mother Susan was born at Bangalow her father was Jack Foster early settlers did not know how to read or right took this name from her father Jack Foster and Bobby Foster. She was a descendant of People from the Brunswick River. Susan met Bubba at a race meeting in Mullumbimby and was married at Whyralla near Lismore at the Tucki Tucki Bora Grounds not far from the river. They had seven sons and five daughters. The Cook family was recorded as using a 45,000 year old site for ceremonies in our traditional homelands as well as the stone Arrangement Ceremonial Circles at Mullumbimby.
Bubba was known to have use ceremonial sites at Mt Butherm near Mullumbimby, Wooyong, Tyagrah North of Byron Bay, Byron Bay, Broken Head, Parrots Nest, Youngmans Creek, Tucki Tucki Bora, Pumpkin Creek near Woodburn, middens and camping area at the Pass and Taylors lake he was also known to be the last man to lead ceremonies at Broken Head, and Evans Head, some of these ceremonies and gatherings he initiated, was to celebrate rain its banishment or its forth coming. His son Douglas Cook often practiced spiritual business at Wooyung near Brunswick Heads, Broken Head, Ballina and the Evans River and many other places of significance to him.
Before settlement coastal and inland boundaries of the Ngangbul people were patrolled by Ngangbul warriors to keep the uninvited out. Mythological story of the Goanna and Poison Snake Dreaming story create western, northern and Southern tribal boundary of our People. Song lines created by dream time giants trails was used by visiting clans as passage to attended gatherings, ceremony, feasts, festivals, initiation of young boys and seasonal gatherings.
The Brunswick river is the boundary between Ngangbul and Minyangbul tribes before settlement Where the Byron Bay Lighthouse stands was once a traditional bora ground used to invite other Bundjalung clans in the north & west to ceremonies initiated by our tribe, when the flames are igniting. Distant clans formed pilgrimage to our festivals returning kidnapped wives and children to our homelands.
Butherm stories or lore established customs, lore/law. These stories tell of the legendary journey of the Three Brothers who first came to this land with their families and mother. The Eldest Brother Yarbirin according to legends handed down the lore/law of the land from Bubarah the Creator (God) whom then taught his brothers Mamoon and Birung.
Nyangbul Custodians are direct descendants of Yarbirin the Law/Lore Maker. Our dreamtime stories beliefs, ceremonial and spiritual stories was past down through customary law and through our elders in ceremony, today we survived as the original inhabitants for over 60,000 years.
Margaret Sharpe records 'Gabenbah' a Ngangbul word from Byron Bay meaning (place near the big scrub). To
learn more about Lois and her people the Traditional Owners contact her for a leisurely tour or make a booking to hear her stories of legends and country.
Lois became strongly connected and aware of the importance of continuing to maintain the tradition of oral history Passed on to her by her elders and ancestors. Lois career in the arts includes film and television, a graduate of NAISDA (Islander Dance Association), she taught dance and culture on the Far North Coast and in the late 1989 she joined Bangara Dance Theatre Australia and became their Administrator/Tour Manager and Performer, performing in remote communities in NSW.
From 1992 – 2002 she was the Managing Director of Goobah Goobah Koori Theatre Company for 10 years. Lois received a Dolphin Award in 1999 from the Far North Coast Entertainment Industry in recognition of her creative and cultural input within the Region.
Lois is politically active expressing the Senior Custodian’s views on cultural and significant sites within her country. Upon gathering this information, Lois strengthened her passion for local Indigenous history and protection of our beautiful country. She has taught in schools, as a consultant she worked tirelessly protecting Aboriginal Sacred Sites of Significance, Community Development and Infrastructure programs. She has since studied Arts Law at UNSW and more recently completing a diploma in Community Development at Tranby Aboriginal College.
Lois has a Diploma in dance, Dramatic Arts, Diploma in Community Development and studied Arts /law to improve her knowledge and passion for cultural retention, maintenance and continuation.
Over the last 20 years Lois has successfully runs her small business Aboriginal Cultural Concepts delivering cultural programs, workshops and heritage tours from Byron Bay to Ballina and the surrounds. Lois has travelled to Japan for the Beacon of Light ceremonies in Japan and at the Peace tower and family Festival in Miyazaki, and other cultural ceremonies at Mt Fugj, Mount Aso, Lois also travelled to Aotearoa to Raglan for more gatherings and ceremonies.
Ngangbul it is one of 13 dialects or languages spoken within the Bundjalung Nation. I am a descendant of Babba Jack (John) Cook(1854-1961), recorded the Custodian 1960's living at Cabbage Tree Island. Our Clans Totem is the 'Dolphin' (Gwandi) Mythological site of the Dolphin is found in the Richmond River, a special and sacred place and story of 'How Dolphins Came About'. There are many stories of dolphins each has its origin and sacred dreaming site (djurbil).
My fathers uncle, Douglas Cook recalls stories from his father and mother of the massacres in the 1850's to 1900's. His mother Susan was born at Bangalow her father was Jack Foster early settlers did not know how to read or right took this name from her father Jack Foster and Bobby Foster. She was a descendant of People from the Brunswick River. Susan met Bubba at a race meeting in Mullumbimby and was married at Whyralla near Lismore at the Tucki Tucki Bora Grounds not far from the river. They had seven sons and five daughters. The Cook family was recorded as using a 45,000 year old site for ceremonies in our traditional homelands as well as the stone Arrangement Ceremonial Circles at Mullumbimby.
Bubba was known to have use ceremonial sites at Mt Butherm near Mullumbimby, Wooyong, Tyagrah North of Byron Bay, Byron Bay, Broken Head, Parrots Nest, Youngmans Creek, Tucki Tucki Bora, Pumpkin Creek near Woodburn, middens and camping area at the Pass and Taylors lake he was also known to be the last man to lead ceremonies at Broken Head, and Evans Head, some of these ceremonies and gatherings he initiated, was to celebrate rain its banishment or its forth coming. His son Douglas Cook often practiced spiritual business at Wooyung near Brunswick Heads, Broken Head, Ballina and the Evans River and many other places of significance to him.
Before settlement coastal and inland boundaries of the Ngangbul people were patrolled by Ngangbul warriors to keep the uninvited out. Mythological story of the Goanna and Poison Snake Dreaming story create western, northern and Southern tribal boundary of our People. Song lines created by dream time giants trails was used by visiting clans as passage to attended gatherings, ceremony, feasts, festivals, initiation of young boys and seasonal gatherings.
The Brunswick river is the boundary between Ngangbul and Minyangbul tribes before settlement Where the Byron Bay Lighthouse stands was once a traditional bora ground used to invite other Bundjalung clans in the north & west to ceremonies initiated by our tribe, when the flames are igniting. Distant clans formed pilgrimage to our festivals returning kidnapped wives and children to our homelands.
Butherm stories or lore established customs, lore/law. These stories tell of the legendary journey of the Three Brothers who first came to this land with their families and mother. The Eldest Brother Yarbirin according to legends handed down the lore/law of the land from Bubarah the Creator (God) whom then taught his brothers Mamoon and Birung.
Nyangbul Custodians are direct descendants of Yarbirin the Law/Lore Maker. Our dreamtime stories beliefs, ceremonial and spiritual stories was past down through customary law and through our elders in ceremony, today we survived as the original inhabitants for over 60,000 years.
Margaret Sharpe records 'Gabenbah' a Ngangbul word from Byron Bay meaning (place near the big scrub). To
learn more about Lois and her people the Traditional Owners contact her for a leisurely tour or make a booking to hear her stories of legends and country.
