Captain Cook and the Birpai nation both saw three brothers, only a millennia apart | ABC Australia

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Passing what is now known as the mid-north coast of NSW, Captain Cook thought he named these mountains the Three Brothers due to their resemblance to one another from his perspective at sea.

Unbeknownst to Cook, the Birpai nation has been calling them the Three Brothers Mountains for millennia.

There are many different versions of the Three Brothers story held by other Traditional owners of the Birpai nation. This video is just one of these Three Brothers stories as shared by Birpai elder Aunty Marian Holten.

In collaboration with the National Museum of Australia’s exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s voyage to Australia, this collection focuses on the history and culture of Indigenous communities along Australia’s east coast, from the locations Cook wrote about in his journals from that fateful voyage.

The National Museum of Australia’s exhibition, Endeavour VoyageThe Untold Stories of Cook and the First Australians, which is now open. The online exhibition can be viewed here

Thank you to

Aunty Marian Holten

Nardja Carter

Ashley Davies

Rhonda Radley

for sharing their time and knowledge

Editor

Peter O’Donoghue

Produced by

Wiriya Sati

Carmen Pratap

Additional footage

Anthony Scully

Filmed on Birpai country

Produced by the ABC. Financed with the assistance of the National Museum of Australia.

Abc.net.au/thisplace

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