The Barababaraba people (also spelt ''Barapabarapa'') are an

indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

people whose territory covered parts of southern New South Wales and northern Victoria. They had close connections with the

Wemba Wemba The Wemba-Wemba are an Aboriginal Australian people in north-Western Victoria and south-western New South Wales, Australia, including in the Mallee and the Riverina regions. They are also known as the Wamba-Wamba. Language Wemba-Wemba bears ...

. Barababaraba have extensive shared country with their traditional neighbours, the Wemba Wemba and

Yorta Yorta The Yorta Yorta, also known as Jotijota, are an Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally inhabited the area surrounding the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day north-eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales ...

, covering what is now

Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the intersection of the Riverina ...

, the

Kow Swamp The Kow Swamp, a freshwater lake and wetland, was formerly a swamp, that is now used for water storage. The lake is located in the Mallee region in north-central Victoria, Australia. Description Kow Swamp lies in the Murray River valley, abo ...

and Perrricoota/Koondrook. The Barababaraba form part of the North-West Nations Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Group, and undertake significant cultural heritage and Natural Resource Management work in the area.

Language

R. H. Mathews wrote an early sketch of the grammar of the

Barababaraba language Barababaraba (Baraba-Baraba), or Baraparapa, is an extinct Indigenous Australian language once spoken along the southern tributaries of the Murrumbidgee River, Victoria and New South Wales. It was a dialect of Wemba–Wemba. References Ext ...

, and stated that one dialect at least existed, spoken on the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

near

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peopl ...

Country

Barababaraba territory which covered areas in what are now the states of New South Wales and Victoria, is estimated to have taken in some of land, southern tributaries of the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

from above

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

down to

Kerang Kerang is a rural town on the Loddon River in northern Victoria in Australia. It is the commercial centre to an irrigation district based on livestock, horticulture, lucerne and grain. It is located north-west of Melbourne on the Murray V ...

. One early source also has them, perhaps a distinct horde, present in

Moulamein Moulamein is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the , Moulamein had a population of 484 . Moulamein is the oldest town in the Riverina. The town is located between Balranald, Hay, ...

It included

Cohuna Cohuna is a town situated north of Melbourne, on the Murray Valley Highway, in northern Victoria, Australia. At the , Cohuna had a population of 2,428. History A post office opened in the area on 18 September 1875, known as Mologa until 1876, ...

, Gunbower, Brassi,

Conargo Conargo is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Edward River Council local government area. It is on Billabong Creek, a tributary of the Edward River. The nearest towns are Jerilderie and Deniliquin. ...

, and the land south of

Carrathool Carrathool is a village in the western Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in Carrathool Shire. In , Carrathool had a population of 296 people. It is about north of the Sturt Highway between Darlington Point Darlington Point is a ...

Their neighbours to the north west were the

, the

Wergaia The Wergaia or Werrigia people are an Aboriginal Australian group in the Mallee and Wimmera regions of north-Western Victoria, made up of a number of clans. The people were also known as the Maligundidj (in the Wotjobaluk language) which means ...

frontier was directly to the west, the

boundaries ran north and south to their east. The

Dja Dja Wurrung Dja Dja Wurrung (Pronounced Ja-Ja-war-rung), also known as the Djaara or Jajowrong people and Loddon River tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people who are the Traditional owners of lands including the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca rive ...

lay to the south.

Social organization

The Barababaraba hordes had a moiety (kin ship) society divided into two phratries, each comprising two sections. The rules of marriage and affiliation are as follows. :::::Phratry A: * (a) a Murri man marries an Ippatha woman. Their sons are Umbi, daughters Butha. * (b) a Kubbi man marries a Butha woman. Their sons are Ippai, daughters Ippatha. :::::Phratry B * (a) An Ippai man marries a Matha woman. Their sons are Kubbi, daughters Kubbitha. * (b) An Umbi man marries a Kubbitha woman. Their sons are Murri, daughters Matha. In terms of initiation ceremonies, the Barababaraba rites were essentially the same as those prevailing among the

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

Lifestyle

The Barababaraba were one of the Murray River Wongal-chewing groups: ''wangul''

bulrush Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **''Scirpus'' **'' Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **''Scirpoides'' **''Isolepis'' **''Schoenoplectus'' **''Trichophorum'' *Typhacea ...

es were chewed both for the tuberous pith and for the fibrous cortex which was torn away to obtain the latter. The fibre was conserved to make strings for fashioning nets and bags.

History

A mortar in Barababaraba territory, at Koondrook Perricoota Forest near Barbers Creek, was recovered in 2012 and an analysis led to the suggestion that it might have been employed to grind gypsum, used by more northerly tribes in funerals, but here perhaps for obtaining a corroboree body paint.

Alternative names

* ''Barapa Barapa'', ''Barapabarapa'' * ''Birraba-birraba, Burreba-burreba'' * ''Boorabirraba'' * ''Booraboora'' * ''Boort'' (

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

) * ''Bureba, Burabura'' * ''Burrabura-ba, Baraba-baraba, Barraba-barraba, Bareber Bareber'' * ''Burrappa, Burrapper, Burapper, Barappu'' * ''Karraba'' (typo) * ''Perrepa Perrepa''

Some words

* ''bangga'' (a boy) * ''barapa'' (no) * ''dyelli-dyellic'' (yesterday) * ''gillaty'' (today) * ''kurregurk'' (a girl) * ''lêurk'' (a woman) * ''ngungni'' (yes) * ''perbur'' (tomorrow) * ''wutthu'' (a man) Source:

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control Aboriginal peoples of New South Wales Aboriginal peoples of Victoria (Australia) Riverina