The Kungarakany people, also spelt Koongurrukuñ, Kungarrakany, Kungarakan and other variants, are an
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the T ...
people of the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...
. They were called the "Paperbark People" by European settlers.
Country
Norman Tindale
Norman Barnett Tindale AO (12 October 1900 – 19 November 1993) was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist.
Life
Tindale was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1900. His family moved to Tokyo and lived ...
estimated their tribal lands covered approximately . They included the inland area north-east of
Mount Litchfield, around the mid-waters of the
Reynolds River and the headwaters of the
Adelaide River. Their north-eastern limits were close to
Rum Jungle
Rum Jungle is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 105 kilometres south of Darwin on the East Branch of the Finniss River. It is the site of a uranium deposit, found in 1949, which has been mined.
The area deriv ...
and
Batchelor. Kungarakan traditional land encompasses Adelaide River, Batchelor, Rum Jungle,
Finniss River, Litchfield Park, and Berry Springs, including the Territory Wildlife Park.
Language
Alternative names
They were known to European settlers as the "Paperbark People".
Alternative names and spellings include:
* ''Gunerakan''
* ''Kangarraga''
* ''Kangarranga''
* ''Warnunger''
* ''Ungnakan''
Notable people
*
Kathy Mills, first woman on the
Northern Land Council
The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin.
While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strug ...
*
Marlon Motlop, footballer and musician
(on his mother's side
)
*
Tom Calma, Chancellor of the
University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{Authority control
Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory