Palms and Pandanus of Mangarrayi Country 
Prepared by elders, Parks and Wildlife (DNRETAS) and Diwurruwurru-jaru AC. Contact Glenn Wightman 8999 4513

Palms and Pandanus of Mangarrayi Country 

This outline of palms and pandanus has been developed to promote Mangarrayi biological knowledge. This booklet is based on the Mangarrayi knowledge of Jessie Garalnganjak Roberts, Sheila Yenybarrak Conway, Edna Burrbanja Farrar, Eileen Daylight & Fay Banjanja Roberts. 
 
Linguistic support was provided by Eugenie Collyer, Diwurruwurru-jaru. 
 
This booklet has been developed by Glenn Wightman and Taegan Calnan of the Ethnobiology Project, Parks and Wildlife (DNRETAS). 

Illustrations and images are from the image library of DNRETAS NT Herbarium. All images are copyright and must not be duplicated or used in any manner without permission from the source. 
 
For assistance with biological knowledge recording and for advice on using this template contact:  
Glenn Wightman 
Parks and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, Arts & Sport 
glenn.wightman@nt.gov.au, phone 8999 4513 


Garnbaj 			Fan Palm 
				Livistona humilis 
KNOWLEDGE 
The cabbage at the base of the new leaves is eaten raw. It is obtained by chopping open the leaf bases to expose the cream coloured flesh. It has a crispy texture and pleasant starchy taste. 

Lerrga 				Cabbage Palm 
				Livistona mariae subsp. rigida 
KNOWLEDGE 
The soft central cabbage is eaten raw or cooked in ashes or boiled in water, the cabbage is sweet and well regarded as food. The cabbage obtained from one palm would be sufficient to feed four or five people. The underground fleshy roots of juvenile palms are also eaten raw. Miririb can only be collected from certain areas as it is considered sacred in some places.  

Wan.garr 			River Pandanus 
				Pandanus aquaticus 
KNOWLEDGE 
The fruit are eaten by turtles and are referred to as galalijorn. The new leaves are pulled out by hand and the soft non-stringy basal section is eaten, this cabbage is also eaten by white cockatoos and kangaroos. The leaves are not considered a good source of string as they are too soft.  
The soft inner part of the stems that can be used as a torch is called bodjolg. 

Jamog 				Spring Pandanus 
				Pandanus spiralis 
KNOWLEDGE 
The seed is eaten after extraction from fruit. The cabbage at the leaf base is also eaten raw. The soft base of the orange fruit can be sucked, they are sweet. If they are sucked for too long you will get sore lips. The leaves are used as a source of fibre to produce string for dilly bags, it is considered to be high quality fibre. The roots are used to extract sugar bag, as well as being crushed and boiled in water to dye fibres a grey-green colour. This string bag woven from jamog (Pandanus spiralis) is used to leach out yams that are cheeky. Yams are placed in running water inside this bag to take out the toxins, and then they are good to eat.