The Gia people, also known as Giya, Kia, Bumbarra, and variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Little is known of them.

Language

The Gia spoke Giya/Bumbarra, a dialect of the Biri language, belongs to the Proserpine 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 ...

AIATSIS The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

, in its

AUSTLANG The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

database, assigns a separate code to

Ngaro Ngaro ("vanished") is mentioned as a delicacy of the dead in a Māori legend from the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. Te Atarahi was five days and five nights in Te Reinga, the place from where the spirits of the dead leap into ...

, but its status is shown as unconfirmed, as the only source for it is a wordlist by Tindale.

Country

According to Norman Tindale, the Gias' lands extended over some of land from

Bowen Bowen may refer to: Places Australia * Bowen, Queensland, a town * Bowen Hills, Queensland, a suburb ** Bowen Hills railway station, a railway station in Bowen Hills ** Bowen Park, Brisbane, a park in Bowen Hills * Bowen Bridge, crossing the Derw ...

to St. Helens and Mount Dalrymple. Inland they reached the

Clarke Range The Clarke Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, is a rainforest-covered mountain range located in North Queensland, Australia. The range is located approximately from the Coral Sea and west of the coastal city of Mackay. The highest poi ...

. They were present at Proserpine, Gloucester Island, and Repulse Bay. Tindale registered this as a distinct tribe, directly south of Port Denison, but this has been questioned by Barker. Although Ngaro is given as a synonym for Gia, and vice versa, it appears that the

Ngaro people The Ngaro are an Australian Aboriginal group of people who traditionally inhabited the Whitsunday Islands and coastal regions of Queensland, employing a seafaring lifestyle in an area that archaeologically shows evidence of human habitation since ...

inhabited the Whitsunday Islands. The

Yuwibara The Yuwibara, also written Yuibera and Juipera and also known as Yuwi, after their language, are an Aboriginal Australian people, originating from the area around present-day Mackay, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Country Accordin ...

people occupied land to their south. A Traditional Owner Reference Group consisting of representatives of the Yuwibara,

Koinmerburra The Koinmerburra people, also known as Koinjmal, Guwinmal, Kungmal and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. They are the traditional owners of an area which includes part of the Great Barrier Reef. Cou ...

, Barada Barna, Wiri,

, and those Gia and

Juru people The Juru people also known as the ‘Yuru’ people are the proud Aboriginal people of the state of Queensland Country In Norman Tindale's estimate, the Yuru had some of land, extending northwards from Bowen to the Burdekin River at the site of ...

whose lands are within Reef Catchments Mackay Whitsunday Isaac (MWI) region, helps to support natural resource management and look after the cultural heritage sites in the area.

Earliest description

In response to inquiries made by Edward Micklethwaite Curr, Sergeant B. Shea, a resident of the Gia area, provided a sketch of the natives of his district. He identified them as the Bumbarra tribes. He provided the names of the tribal divisions: those applying to men were ''Karilla'' and ''Whychaka'', while women belonged either to the ''Denterbago'' or ''Helmerago,'' Marriage was contracted when girls reached the age of 12.

Alternative names

* ''Kia.'' * ''Bumbara, Bumbarra.''

Some words

* ''wina.'' (fish) * ''pigina.'' (mosquito) * ''kroopulla.'' (fly) * ''worniwoma.'' (black woman) * ''yaboo.'' (father) * ''yanga.'' (mother) * ''koloona.'' (young man) * ''kutha.'' (old man) * ''kummi.''(old woman) * ''korea.''(head) * ''dilli.'' (eye) * ''wolloo.'' (ear). * ''dongalla.'' (excrement) * ''nikkana.'' (food) * ''kangoola.'' (thirsty). * ''wangalla.''(boomerang)

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * {{authority control Aboriginal peoples of Queensland