Mission Beach Djiru resident and artist Leonard Andy with the Gunduy Midja created for the 2019 Cassowary Festival

​​“The Djiru people’s sense of identity as ‘rainforest people’ is very strong and is demonstrated by their relations with their rainforest neighbours and their affinity with the rainforest environment.
 
Clump Point is universally seen by the Djiru people, both young and old, as a core place in their homeland, a hub of traditional life in pre-European times and a place today that they enjoy for its beauty, for its natural benefits and for the sense of connection to tradition and country that it brings to them. The cultural components within the Clump Point area are seen as tangible expressions of connection. The fish traps on either side of Clump Point and the ceremony ground are seen to be very significant as they invoke potent images of traditional life. 

The natural estate of the Mission Beach area is extremely significant to the Djiru people. There is a unique affinity between the people and the rainforest that provided food, shelter and spiritual regeneration to their people.
 
An integral part of this relationship is the highly visible and ubiquitous gunduy (cassowary) which is important to the health of both the people and the rainforest).
 

Djiru people at the Gunduy Midja created by artists Leonard Andy and Nina Dawson for the 2018 festival

'Indigenous Cultural Significance Assessment Mission Beach'  An initiative of FNQ NRM Ltd  2007)  
(Reproduced with permission from The Djiru Traditional Owners in conjunction with Girringun Aboriginal Corp)