In June of 2021, Dr James ‘Jim’ Wafer from the University of Newcastle produced a report for the Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal Corporation. Jim is an anthropologist whose expertise is listed as ‘Australian Indigenous languages, with a focus on those of NSW in general and of the Hunter River-Lake Macquarie region in particular.’

Page 17 of the report reads:

Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2003 to represent Aboriginal people whose ancestors came from the Central Coast region, and a number of its members are descendants of Bungaree.

While Jim is correct about the founding date of Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal Corporation, he is incorrect regarding their motivation.

We know from Guringai Tribal Link’s Consolidated Rule Book that the organisation’s objectives, which remains unchanged to this day are as follows:

You’ll notice no mention of the Central Coast, and instead a very narrow focus on only the membership of Guringai Tribal Link. Either Jim Wafer missed this, or he didn’t think to possibly check what he is told by GuriNgai, rather than what they actually do.

Unfortunately Jim Wafer does not open the can of worms over which GuriNgai members are actually descendants of Bungaree, rather than which members falsly claim descent. As we now know, GurinGai Tribal Link members who are descended from what they refer to as the ‘Ashby line’ are not in anyway related to Bungaree, Matora, or any members of my Aboriginal family. These people include Warren Whitfield, Tracey-Lee Howie, Paul Craig, and many more involved in the GuriNgai enterprise.

Clearly, it is their prerogative to decide on the name they use for their 

organisation,  and for the language that their ancestors (sic) spoke.

While I agree it is Guringai Tribal Link Directors “prerogative to decide on the name they use for their organisation,” it is most certainly not their prerogative to decide the name for the language their ancestors (sic) spoke, and is deeply concerning that a researcher in Languages would ever make this incredibly irresponsible claim.

Nonetheless, there has recently been some scurrilous public criticism of this usage, particularly by Mr Robert Syron, who appears to believe that the Guringai have fraudulently adopted the name of  his own dialect group, which is usually spelt as “Gringai”.

Jim is correct there has been public criticism of Guringai Tribal Link, but incorrect in his use of the word ‘scurrilous.’ Jim fails to mention that many, many genuine Aboriginal People have raised concerns over the actions of the leadership of Guringai Tribal Link for a long time. Jim does not mention the numerous newspaper articles written critical of the GuriNgai and their false claims. Jim must have been aware of at least some of the information now fully detailed on guriNgai.org, yet rather than address these, Jim instead choses to focus on one critic of the GuriNgai, Mr Robert Syron.

Mr Robert Syron is a well respected Guringay/Gringai Biripai Worimai man, and a Rwandan War veteran.

There is no discernible logic in Mr Syron’s argument. The two groups are clearly associated with quite distinct locations (Gringai being situated north of the Hunter) and are recognised as speaking distinct dialects.

It is bewildering that Jim can’t follow the logic of Mr Syron’s reasoning, when to my eyes Mr Syron’s wording from this Koori Mail article dated December 2019 is crystal clear:

“Look, I say ‘high five’ to those people who discover later in life that they are connected to Aboriginal people, but when you discover that you’re an Aboriginal person you need to then follow cultural protocol and actually connect to your local Aboriginal communities. What I’m hearing a lot from Aboriginal people right across Australia is we have these people coming in, with a relatively recent discovery of Aboriginal ancestry, and before they get involved with their community at all, they go off and make what can often turn out to be highly unsubstantiated claims.”

Syron said that instead of approaching the community they are claiming to be part of, with real and genuine concern and proper consultation, some people claiming to be of Aboriginal descent are starting all kinds of businesses, off the back of their newfound identity, all for the benefit of lining their own pocket.

“And it’s disgusting. It’s culturally wrong and it’s historically wrong when this type of thing happens in our communities,” he said. As a registered Aboriginal owner of Guringay/Gringai and Worimi lands, Syron said it is highly disrespectful to take another mob’s language, group, or tribal name, and use it as your own. “And I’d go as far as to say that these people are bastardising our Guringay/Gringai language and culture. I have no choice other than to honour all of my old people who have gone before me, and I will spend the rest of my life fighting for the acknowledgement of what it truly means to be Guringay/Gringai. “This is about changing history. And I’m talking about a grossly inaccurate and misleading interpretation of the many different language groups of Aboriginal people from around Australia, mainly recorded erroneously over the last 200 odd years.”

These same people that are comfortable appropriating the name of Mr Syron’s clan, are the very same that stole my Ancestors and regularly claim decent from them despite being proven to have zero biological or Cultural connection to them, or the areas they reside.
Jim doesn’t understand this, and instead of making any effort to (you know, like a researcher) he brushes of Mr Syron’s very legitimate concerns.

In short, Mr Syron’s attack on the use of the term “Guringai” by the people who call themselves by that name appears to be an exercise in intimidation and bullying, without any plausible foundation.

Not understanding an Aboriginal Man standing up for his Clan is part and parcel with being non-Aboriginal. Labelling the publication of an article in a respected Aboriginal News outlet as the Koori Mail as intimidation and bullying without any plausible foundation demonstrates a racialized ignorance of Aboriginal People and Culture that is frankly embarrassing, and more than a little racist, in my humble opinion. Not understanding the people you are working with and advocating for is pretty silly.

Page 18 provided us with conclusion, under the subtitle of “truth-telling.”

16. Conclusion: “truth‐telling” The foregoing account of the language history of the Central Coast is, to a large extent, such a sorry saga of misunderstandings, blunders and confusion, that I have seriously questioned my own ability to get it straight – or, simply put, to tell the truth. 

This startling admission in the opening lines of his conclusion does a lot in demonstrating the confidence of a researcher relying on less than solid evidence, at the beck and call of an impatient patron who demands proof where none can exist.

Oddly Jim doesn’t notice that the source of a great deal of this confusion are the very people for whom he wrote this report.

What has kept me going is the advice of a friend who said “Leave it to Country”. 

Because, in the end, it will be Country that decides. 

The ancestors know which language they spoke, and they still exercise their power through language, however long it has been asleep, in the world of the 21st century. 

Its possible Jim’s friend was advising him to leave the matter alone, or advising to leave the matter with Aboriginal People. Aboriginal Culture and history is not democratic, and we don’t play games of picking and choosing what suits us at a given time.

Country does not ‘decide’, Country knows, and we know as Aboriginal People. We’re as fallible as any other human, but we don’t pick and chose our Clan names, or Language like a tourist at a buffet.

I have undertaken the writing of this report at the request of the Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal  Corporation, in the hope that it will enable the voices of the ancestors to be heard once again on the  land now known as the Central Coast of NSW.

The voices of Ancestors are heard by their descendants, and no Aboriginal Person needs your help with that thanks Jim Wafer.

My concern here is only with language. 

My concern is only with a group of non-Aboriginal frauds passing themselves off as Aboriginal People, with the assistance of a handful of academics who really should know better. Assuming there is a “takeover’ of the Central Coast, dubbing the efforts of an Aboriginal Organisation ‘propaganda’, while uncritically accepting the claims of the GuriNgai seems to stretch a little further than concerns over language.

I have made no attempt to untangle the complex web of family relationships that has led people to identify with one language name or another.

That would be a different exercise requiring a depth of local knowledge that I make no claim to having.

Without this knowledge, Jim Wafer accepts Guringai Tribal Link at face value, and subsequently becomes simply the latest non-Aboriginal academic to be drawn in by the discovery of these unusual people. I too am fascinated with the GuriNgai, but for very different reasons.

Nor am I in a position to undertake the necessary research, which has, in any case, already been carried out for the Awabakal and Guringai People’s native title claim.

Assuming adequate research has been carried out for a Native Title Claim that was withdrawn under unusual circumstances is an error that Jim Wafer appears committed to.

The relevant documentation, which I understand was written by anthropologist Natalie Kwok, is not public, and I have not seen it.

Why? Why would Jim Wafer, having been employed by Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal Corporation, not have access to this documentation? Surely having more information is preferable, and surely the GuriNgai would also want to share this information, so why did this not take place?

In the matter of language, however, I take all responsibility for any errors of fact or interpretation. 

Unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose what aspects of your own research you take responsibility for.

Jim Wafer, as the author of the work is responsible for ALL errors of fact or interpretation, whether they relate to language or not.

Sadly Jim has followed in the footsteps of the small handful of gullible non-Aboriginal People to be taken for a ride by this lot, and contributed nothing more to academic discourse than a cautionary tale for academics to beware of race-shifters, pretendians, and frauds.

Jim Wafer, if you ever find the time to read bungaree.org or guriNgai.org I hope you can learn to take responsibility for your contributions to the ongoing farce that is the so-called Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal Corporation.

UPDATE: https://guringai.org/2024/11/05/guringaygupa-djuyal-barray-language-and-country-of-the-guringay-people-by-amanda-lissarrague-and-robert-syron/