The Koreng, also spelled Goreng, are an indigenous

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

people of south-west of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Language

''Koreng'' belonged to the Nyungic language family, and, specifically, the Koreng appear to have spoken the Wilmun dialect of

Nyungar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

Country

The total area of lands of which the Koreng are traditional owners is from the

Gairdner River Gairdner River is a river located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The river was first recorded by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe in 1848, when carrying out exploration of the area, noting that natives referred to it an ...

to the

Bremer Bay Bremer may refer to: People *Bremer (surname) * Bremer Ehrler (born 1914), American politician * Bremer (born 1997), Brazilian footballer Places ;Australia *Bremer Bay, Western Australia * Bremer Marine Park *Bremer Island * Bremer River (disambig ...

inland to Jerramungup,

Pingrup Pingrup is a small town in the Great Southern (Western Australia), Great Southern region of Western Australia. The name of the town is Indigenous Australian in origin and was the name of a lake that is close to the townsite. The meaning of Ping ...

and west to Tambellup and Gnowangerup. Their neighbouring tribes were the

Wiilman Wiilman are an indigenous Noongar people from the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and South West regions of Western Australia. Variant spellings of the name include Wilman, Wilmen and Wheelman. ''Wiilman'' is the endonym. Language Their original lan ...

to the north, the

Njakinjaki The Njakinjaki (Nyaki Nyaki) are an indigenous Noongar people of southern Western Australia, in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt and Great Southern (Western Australia), Great Southern regions. Country Njakinjaki traditional territory ...

, northeast by north, the

Mineng Mineng, also spelled Minang or Menang or Mirnong, are an indigenous Noongar people of southern Western Australia. Name The ethnonym ''Minang'' is etymologized to the word for south, ''minaq,'' which means that the tribe were defined as "sout ...

, directly south, the

to the north, the

Pibelmen The Bibulman (Pibelmen) are an indigenous Australian people of the southwestern region of Western Australia, a subgroup of the Noongar. Name Their autonym may be related to the word for stingray, ''pibilum''. Country Pibelmen lands comprised ...

in the southwest, and the Kaneang on their western flank.

History of contact

Koreng lands began to be expropriated in 1859, at a time when white settlers estimated their numbers to be about 500. Within a little over two decades, these had been reduced to 200 (1880).

Burial rites

Koreng people were buried in oval sandpits, roughly deep, facing east. The knees are bent up and then bound, with the right hand forefinger and thumb, the latter's nail having previously been burnt off, tied in a ligature. The purpose of this nail burning and bondage is to ensure that the dead person will not dig his way out of his grave, and, returning, be capable of wielding his spears. The overburden of earth dug out to excavate the burial site must not be used to fill the grave, which is otherwise covered with bark, rushes and sticks. A fire is then kindled, his worldly goods, including his broken spears, are then laid nearby, and trees are scarred with rings to mark the site.

Mythology

A considerable amount of information concerning Koreng mythology was written down in the 1880s by Edith Hassell, wife of

Albert Young Hassell Albert Young Hassell (15 November 184120 September 1918) was a prominent Australian pastoralist and politician. Born in Albany, on 15 November 1841, Albert was the second son of pastoralist John Hassell who had pioneered the area around K ...

. The manuscript was neglected until it was turned up by the visiting American anthropologist

Daniel Sutherland Davidson Daniel Sutherland Davidson (July 9, 1900—December 26, 1952) was an American anthropologist who also did important work among the Australian Aborigines in the 1930s. Life Davidson was born in Cohoes in New York in 1900, the son of a travelling s ...

in 1930. Davidson edited the material for the English journal ''Folklore'' over 1934–1935, and this remains an important resource for reconstructing Koreng traditions.

Native title

The Wagyl Kaip and Southern Noongar claim for

Native Title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

was made in September 2006.

Alternative names

* Ko:rengi * Kuriny, Corine * Cororan * Bremer Bay tribe * Warangu, Warrangoo * Warranger, Warrangle * Kojonup * Stirling tribe * Mongup * Kokar (east) * Kaialiwongi (''kaiali'' = north, Minang people name for their language)

Some words

* ''mam'' (father) * ''ngangk'' (mother) * ''twurt'' (tame dog) * ''moakin'' (wild dog) * ''nyituing'' (whiteman) * ''nawp'' (baby)

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * Great Southern (Western Australia) Noongar {{Noongar-stub