The Ngameni are an
indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
people of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
who once spoke the
Ngameni language.
Country
According to
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 ther ...
's estimation, the Ngameni held of tribal territory, along the southern edge of
Goyder Lagoon, and on the
Warburton River, and Lakes Howitt and Berlino. The northern reach extended to
Pandipandi and, over the border into what is now southwest Queensland, the area south of
Birdsville
Birdsville is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Birdsville had a population of 110 people. It is a popular tourist destination with many people using it as a starting point acro ...
and Miranda.
Social organization and customs
Both circumcision and
subincision
Penile subincision is a form of genital modification or mutilation
The terms genital modification and genital mutilation can refer to permanent or temporary changes to human sex organs. Some forms of genital alteration are performed on adults w ...
were integral parts of Ngameni rites of
initiation.
Alternative names
* ''Ngamini, Ngaminni, Gnameni, Ngnaminni''
* ''A:mini, Aumini, Auminie, Aumine, Amini''
* ''Ominee''
* ''Ahminie, Ahminnie''
* ''Uminnie''
* ''Agaminni''
* ''Awmani''
Some words
* ''chookeroo''. (kangaroo)
* ''kinthalla'' (tame/wild dog)
* ''appurree'' (father)
* ''andree''. (mother)
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of South Australia