egng ubanyj egng alko mayi wi'a |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola in Pakanh |
Sugarbag, near Oriners Station, February 1996 |
Sugarbag is the honey of wild Australian stingless bees (Trigona spp., belonging to the family Apidae). The bees are called sugarbag bees. The words above are used as the generic for any sugarbag and sugarbag bee species in each language. There were few sweet foods available to Aboriginal people in traditional times and so sugarbag was highly prized. |
egng ew egng ulbmul mayi mee'e |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola in Pakanh |
Sugarbag entrance, near Oriners Station |
Different sugarbag bees make different types of entrances for their hives. Some are thick, some are fine and pointed. The entrance for this sugarbag was inside the rotted out knot of a tree. The sugarbg entrance is important because sugarbags are classified by the shape and size of the entrace. Sugarbags are also categorized by the size and colour of the bee. Hunting for sugarbag involves following the movements of the bees. Bees may be followed by sight flying from a nectar source to the hive. When the bees are observed entering a tree, you can tap on the outside of the trunk to find out where it is hollow. |
egng od egng oto or egng ulginb mayi mangka |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola in Pakanh |
egng orch egng ojo or egng olgngg |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola |
Sugarbag honey and wax inside a billycan. |
Sugarbag honey is very sweet and tastes good! After harvesting a sugarbag, the honey and wax is put into a container such as a billycan, coolamon, bark dish or shell to carry it back to camp. |
egng ongor | in Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola |
egng ayogol or egng oyogol egng akamar mayi wama |
in Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola in Uw Olkola in Pakanh |
Sugarbag wax ball, Kowanyama Land and Natural Resources Management Office, March 1996 |
The wax inside a sugarbag is saturated with honey. It needs to be processed by chewing and squeezing it to remove the honey. It may then be used much as other traditional waxes, to fasten together the parts of various implements. Sugarbag wax is very important in traditional material culture. Its uses include the following:
Sugarbag wax is softened by heating it over a fire or by chewing it. It may then be applied in the desired way, smoothed out and/or flattened with a resin pallet, and left to harden. When being stored it is normally rolled into a ball, as shown in the accompanying image. |
egng onyen | in Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola |
egng ubanyj egng upanyj mayi thupan |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola in Pakanh |
egng adn egng adna mayi kuna |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola in Pakanh |
ug ewen | in Uw Olkola |
egng enychem mayi muula |
in Uw Oykangand in Pakanh |
Cut sugarbag |
After harvesting a sugarbag, a portion of it may be left in place. In this case we placed the pieces of the tree trunk back in place. The bees will return, fasten the loose pieces of wood in place, and continue to build the hive and produce honey. A sugarbag may be harvested regularly in this way. |
egng og egng oko |
in Uw Oykangand in Uw Olkola |