The Alawa people are an Indigenous Australian people from

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

in the Northern Territory,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The suburb of Alawa in the Darwin's north, is named in their honour.

Language

The

Alawa language Alawa (Galawa) is a moribund Indigenous Australian language spoken by the Alawa people of the Northern Territory. In 1991, there were reportedly 18 remaining speakers and 4 semi-speakers. Phonology Consonants Alawa has a typical consonant inve ...

is a non Pama-Nyungan language, classified by Jeffrey Heath as one of three of a subgroup, together with Marra and Warndarang, though this is now contested. It had only 18 speakers in a report dated 1991 (''Ethnologue''). That number was reduced to 12 by 2013. The speakers of Alawa are mainly adults, and most Alawa speak Kriol, though there are Alawa language revival efforts at the Minyerri School in the Alawa community.

Country

Traditional Alawa territory covered some and extended from the southern tributaries of the Roper River upstream from the mouth of the

Hodgson River The Hodgson River is a tributary of the Roper River between Roper Bar and Ngukurr, Northern Territory, Australia. The river is in the Limmen National Park and the traditional owners of the river are the Yukul people.Norman Barnett Tindale Aborigi ...

west to Roper valley; south to Mason Bluff (Mount Mueller) and Hodgson Downs; east to the headwaters of Mountain Creek.

Lifestyle

The traditional lifestyle of the Alawa consisted of harvesting and hunting the abundant food resources provided by their land, which was rich in species of turtle, duck, crocodiles and fish. They had a technique of conserving foods for considerable periods. Norman Tindale was shown in 1922 a refuge cave they maintained at Mountain Creek well stocked with buried stores of water lily seeds, and roots, which were first sun-dried, then rubbed with red ochre before being wrapped and packed in paperbark sheets. After the loss of their lands they specialized in working as jackaroos on pastoral stations.

History

The Alawa tribe, like many others in the Roper River region, were hunted down in an extermination policy developed by the pastoral company that took over the Hodgson Downs in 1903, and remnants took refuge from the killing teams by seeking the protection of pastoralists who would employ them, or on church missions.

Native title

Together with the

Ngandji The Gudanji, otherwise known as the Kotandji or Ngandji, are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory. Language The Gudanji were formerly thought to speak a Ngurlun language, belonging to the eastern Mirndi languages group of ...

people, the descendants of the Alawa have laid a native title claim to the Cox River block.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * {{authority control Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory