Injinoo
Formerly known as Cowal Creek, Injinoo is southwest of Umagico and west-southwest of Bamaga on Cape York Peninsula's northwestern coast, 38 kilometres south of Thursday Island and about 762 kilometres north-northwest of Cairns in the Northern Peninsula Area Region — Atambaya, Gudang, Yadhaykenu, Ankamuthi, Wuthathi and Kaurareg country.
After remnants of the Yadhaykenu, Wuthathi, Unduyamo and Gudang people established themselves at Red Island Point and other Yadhaigana and Wuthathi people formed a group at Small River, approaches to the Queensland government for land to establish gardens saw an Aboriginal reserve established at Cowal Creek in 1915.
By the end of World War I, the Cowal Creek community was an autonomous, self-sufficient settlement, managed by an elected council and community police. However, the post-war influenza epidemic took its toll, and although the population recovered when Wuthathi man
Alick Whitesand encouraged many in nearby communities to relocate to Cowal Creek, and a request to the Queensland government saw Anglican missionaries and school teachers arrive in 1923.
A post-World War Ii influx of Torres Strait Islanders saw new settlements at Red Island Point and Muttee Heads to accommodate people from Saibai displaced when a storm surge inundated the island in 1948. The new settlements were subsequently amalgamated with the Cowal Creek Reserve, with a new settlement at Bamaga being developed as the area's administrative centre.
After changes in the local government structure in the 1980s, Aboriginal councils administered the settlements at Cowal Creek, Umagico, Seisia, New Mapoon, and Bamaga. In October 1986, a Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) lease transferred the previous Aboriginal reserve to the Cowal Creek Aboriginal Council, and the community's name officially changed to Injinoo on 2 September 1989.
Further changes to the cocal government arrangements saw the area's three Aboriginal Councils and two Torres Strait Islander councils mergedc into the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council in March 2008.
Sources:
Queensland Government: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community histories: Injinoo: https://www.qld.gov.au/firstnations/cultural-awareness-heritage-arts/community-histories/community-histories-e-i/community-histories-injinoo
Wikipedia: Injinoo, Queensland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injinoo,_Queensland
