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The Gweagal (also spelt Gwiyagal) are a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe of Indigenous Australians, who are traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.〔(Aussie People - Aborigines )〕 The Gweagal lived on the southern shores of Botany Bay (Kurnell Peninsula). The tribe territory, although not clearly defined, spanned the areas between the Cooks and Georges River, south to the Port Hacking estuary and westwards towards Liverpool. They were the northernmost tribe of the Dharawal nation.〔(Kurnell - A Pictorial History )〕 ==Culture== Each Gweagal tribe consisted of approximately 20 to 50 people who lived in their own territory amongst social and economic units having strong ties to land and sacred sites. They had no written language and each tribe had its own dialect, they also knew how to light fires long before the arrival of Europeans. They were often seen by early settlers to be naked but with minimal clothing that consisted of a woven hair sash in which they used to carry tools and weapons and sometimes the optional possum-skin coat for the winter season. They wore resin in their hair that gave it a mop-like appearance and used native animal hide to make fur coats and ceremonial attire. Tool makers chose to grind axes close to pools or streams, as the water was used as a lubricant for grinding and sharpening. The stone that was used was mainly igneous or metamorphic rock, and only one of the ends was ground to a blade. Axe grinding grooves used in for this purpose can be found near a stream between River Road and Salt Pan Creek at Revesby Heights. In 1961 a notice was erected describing the site.〔.〕 The Gweagal Aborigines were the guardians of the sacred white clay pits in their territory. Members of the tribe walked hundreds of miles to collect the clay, it was considered sacred amongst the indigenous locals and had many uses. They used it to line the base of their canoes so they could light fires, and also as a white body paint, (as witnessed by Captain James Cook). Colour was added to the clay using berries, which produced a brightly coloured paint that was used in ceremonies. It was also eaten as a medicine, an antacid. Geebungs and other local berries were mixed in the clay and it was eaten as a dietary supplement with zinc. 〔(Gweagal )〕〔''Pictorial Memories ST. GEORGE: Rockdale, Kogarah, Hurstville'' Joan Lawrence, Kingsclear Books, 1996〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gweagal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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