Djagaraga-Gudang territory in Cape York, Queensland, Australia

The Djagaraga or Gudang (Pantyinamu/Yatay/Gudang/Kartalaiga and other clans) are an

Australian Aboriginal 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 ...

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

, traditionally lived in the coastal area from Cape York to Fly point, including also Pabaju (Albany Island), in the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

, Queensland. In the early period of white settlement as the Somerset tribe, after the settlement of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

established on their lands in 1863. The names Yatay, Gudang and Kartalaiga appear to be exonyms from

Kalau Lagau Ya ''Kalau Lagau Ya'', ''Kalaw Lagaw Ya'', ''Kala Lagaw Ya'' (), or the ''Western Torres Strait language'' (also several other names, see below), is the language indigenous to the central and western Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. O ...

(the Western and Central Torres Strait Islanders), respectively yadai "words", gudalnga ("mouthy") and katalaiga "green frog person"; the totem of the Kartalaiga was the green frog.

Language

They spoke

Gudang language Gudang or Djagaraga (Pantyinamu/Yatay/Gudang/Kartalaiga and other clans) is an Australian Aboriginal language. It is the traditional language of the Gudang people, and is the northernmost language of the Cape York Peninsula. It is closely relate ...

, alt. Djagaraga, which according to Kenneth L. Hale's classification, was one of 10 languages of a northern Paman subgroup.

Social organization

The Djagaraga were divided up into hordes, of which four, according to Tindale, are thought to be registered, though some of these are now counted as distinct tribes. * '' Gudang/Alauian'' (Cape York) * ''Unduamo.'' * ''Kekosino.'' (Escape River) * ''Kokiliga.'' (?).

Social culture

Nonie Smith states that their 'relations with the Western Torres Strait Island people the

Kaurareg Kaurareg (alt. Kauraraiga, plural Kauraraigalai, Kauraregale) is the name for one of the Indigenous Australian groups collectively known as Torres Strait Islander peoples, although many or most identify as Aboriginal Australians. They are the ...

were 'so close that despite their distinct identity they could be regarded almost as an outpost of the latter.' They also shared trade, kin and ritual links with their eastern coastal tribal neighbour, the

Unduyamo The Unduyamo (Andooyomo) were an indigenous Australian people who once lived around the northern shore of Newcastle Bay, Cape York Peninsula Queensland. It has been hypothesized that, among other aspects of their life, they functioned as religious ...

Some recent scholarship, basing its inferences on the density of ceremonial rock structures throughout the territory of the Gudang and Unduyamo, speculates that they may have functioned as ceremonial masters for rites of initiation and the magical increase of natural species also for the Torres Strait peoples with whom they had close relations of trade, marriage and religion.

History

According to Dr. Creed, large numbers of the Djagaraga were killed off by the Yadhaykenu within living memory.

Notes

Citations

Sources

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