The Bidia, also called Biria, are an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

people of the central west and western regions of the state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Their language is known as Pirriya (also known as Biria/Birria).

Language

The

Pirriya language Pirriya (also ''Birria'', ''Bidia'', ''Kunggari'', ''Kulumali'', and ''Kungadutji'') is an extinct and unclassified Australian Aboriginal language. It was spoken by the Bidia people (also known as ''Biria'') of the western and central wester ...

, also known as Bidia, Birria and other variations, was proposed by

Gavan Breen Gavan Breen (born 22 January 1935), OAM, also known as J.G. Breen, is an Australian linguist, specialising in the description of Australian Aboriginal languages. He has studied and recorded 49 such languages. Life Early life Breen was born at ...

to be one of a group he called

Karnic languages The Karnic languages are a group of languages of the Pama–Nyungan family. According to Dixon (2002), these are three separate families, but Bowern (2001) establishes regular paradigmatic connections among many of the languages, demonstrating ...

. There is now some doubt about the validity of that category. Robert M. W. Dixon classifies it as one of two languages, the other being Kungkari, forming a subgroup of the

Maric languages Maran or Maric is an extinct branch of the Pama–Nyungan family of Australian languages formerly spoken throughout much of Queensland by many of the Murri peoples. The well attested Maric languages are clearly related; however, many languages ...

Country

Bidia country enclosed some . The western frontier was around Whitula Creek, the eastern one at Keeroongooloo and the Canaway Range. The Bidia lived on the western side of the Thomson River and

Cooper Creek The Cooper Creek (formerly Cooper's Creek) is a river in the Australian states of Queensland and South Australia. It was the site of the death of the explorers Burke and Wills in 1861. It is sometimes known as the Barcoo River from one of its t ...

, from

Jundah Jundah is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Barcoo, Queensland, Australia. Jundah is the administrative centre of the Barcoo Shire local government area. In the , the locality of Jundah had a population of 106 people. Geography The t ...

across to the vicinity of Gilpeppee.

Customs

The Biria were one of the tribes that practiced initiatory circumcision.

Tooth evulsion Tooth ablation (also known as ''tooth evulsion'', ''dental evulsion'' and ''tooth extraction'') is the deliberate removal of a person's healthy teeth, and has been recorded in a variety of ancient and modern societies around the world. This type ...

was imposed on males at the age of 12. The Bidia built huts out of hollowed sand, which were then strengthened by wicker-type sapling and earth mounds. Fires for cooking and warmth were then kindled inside. They fashioned fishing nets from a type of native hemp. Apart from reptiles, their diet, subject to the austerities of a harsh climate often subject to drought, was based on a staple of

damper A damper is a device that deadens, restrains, or depresses. It may refer to: Music * Damper pedal, a device that mutes musical tones, particularly in stringed instruments * A mute for various brass instruments Structure * Damper (flow), a mechan ...

, from flour leached out of the sporocarps of

nardoo ''Marsilea drummondii'' is a species of fern known by the common name nardoo. It is native to Australia, where it is widespread and common, particularly in inland regions. It is a rhizomatous perennial aquatic fern that roots in mud substrates an ...

and grass seeds, cooked into a damper over ashes. It was said by recently arrived settlers that the dry spell was so severe in 1876–1878 that they ate all of their children, for want of food. Marriage was monogamous, males being denied any other wife than the one they had, and the couple married in mid-adolescence. A ban existed on having children until a much later stage, around 30 years of age, a practice that made infanticide common. White observers were surprised to note that the Bidia would embrace and even kiss on meeting up after a long period of separation.

History of contact

Pastoral development of their territory began in 1874, with the establishment of the Whitula Creek Station. At that time the Bidia's numbers were estimated to be roughly 500. Their longevity was noted.

Language

Country

Customs

History of contact

Alternative names

Notes

Citations

Sources