Powerhouse Parramatta recovers lost Dharug language words for eucalyptus

Powerhouse Parramatta installed an artwork to honor Daniel Moowattin, a Burramattagal man who collected native plants for a British botanist in the early 1800s.

The new museum in Western Sydney added bronze plaques into its rooftop pavement to recognize Moowattin's contributions, which were largely omitted from official historical records. Curator Emerson Radisich spent months searching international archives to find evidence of Moowattin's work.

While George Caley received the official credit for the botanical collections, Radisich discovered handwritten notes in herbarium records stating that Caley received clippings from Moowattin. Radisich traced these records to the Natural History Museum in the UK, where he located about 100 herbarium sheets. He found that many original handwritten notations had been removed from official records over the last 200 years.

Artist Keg de Souza and Dharug elder Uncle Chris Tobin collaborated to retrace Moowattin's journey and collect new eucalyptus clippings from Dharug country. This research led to the recovery of four Dharug language words for eucalyptus species. The Bayala Aboriginal Corporation confirmed one name, Dhuramba, for Eucalypt Paniculata, and will confirm the remaining three words before they are formally published.