The stunning Northern Flinders Ranges Country belongs to the Adnyamathanha people. ‘Adnya’ means rock and ‘mathana’ means people – the Adnyamathana people are ‘the people of the rocks’.

Adnyamathanha songs, stories and Law are all part of the Yuramuda. This program is about the journey of one of the major Adnyamathanha Creation Ancestors, Yurlu the Kingfisher Man. Yurlu’s Coal, explores the travels of Yurlu as he moved across Country, followed by two Arkurra, Giant Rainbow Serpents and why the coal mined at Leigh Creek Coal Mine today belongs, from an Adnyamathanha perspective, to Yurlu, the Kingfisher Man.

In the first of this two part series, we will move through Country with Senior Cultural Custodians learning about important features of the landscape brought into existence by these Ancestral Beings and why there are deep implications for the digging of Yurlu’s Coal or Muda (Dreaming) from the ground.

Liz thanks Senior Adnyamathanha Cultural Custodian, Cliff Coulthard who was deeply involved in all aspects of production of this program. Thanks also to cultural custodians Vince, Linda and Mick Coulthard and Gladys Wilton for their contributions and to Senior Adnyamathanha Custodian and linguist Terrence Coulthard for his invaluable contributions. Thanks go to Mick Coulthard and Noel Wilton for reading the story in language, Arthur Brady for his English language version, to Anne Marie Taranto and Nigel Carney, The Chapel, and Terry Fuchs and staff at Alinta Energy.

‘Amazing Grace’ was sung in Adnyamathanha by Aunty Lily Neville and recorded at Umeewarra Radio Station. Additional sound elements by Nathan May and Doug Petherick at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music at the University of Adelaide.

The Yurlu’s Coal song was performed by Terrence Coulthard and written by Terrence and Cliff Coulthard and Buck McKenzie.

The Welcome Song was performed by Terrence Coulthard and written by Uncle Leo Coulthard, Auntie Shirley Coulthard, Josephine Coulthard and Terrence Coulthard for the Adnyamathanha Women’s choir in 1997.

Original recordings by Taz Miller and Liz Thompson, assisted by Gavin Spokes.