The Ngintait, or Ngindadj, 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 ...
peoples of the northwest corner of the state of Victoria, and partly in South Australia. 9 people, all of one family, claim descent from the tribe, which was dispersed in the 19th century.
Language
The
Ngintait language belonged to the
Lower Murray languages
The Lower Murray languages form a branch of the Pama–Nyungan family. They are:Bowern, Claire. 2011.How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?, ''Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web'', December 23, 2011correctedFebruary 6, 2012)
* ...
and is often classified as a dialect of
Yuyu.
Country
The Ngintait's territory extended over , mainly around the southern bank of the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...
. It covered the area above
Paringa in south Australia, to near
Mildura in Victoria. Its southern boundaries reached down some 50 miles from the Murray. Their tribal lands encompassed
Ned's Corner and also the Salt Creek area of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
Jaraldekalt informants of the anthropologist
Ronald Berndt
Ronald Murray Berndt (14 July 1916 – 2 May 1990) was an Australian social anthropologist who, in 1963, became the inaugural professor of anthropology at the University of Western Australia.
He and his wife Catherine Berndt maintained a close ...
and his wife
Catherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
that the area defined by Norman Tindale as Ngintait territory was actually dwelt in by the
Erawirung
The Erawirung (Yirawirung, Jirawirung) people, also known as Yirau, Juju and other names, were an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional territory was located in what is today the Riverland of South Australia. They consisted of sub-groups ...
, and located the Ngintait further away from the Murray.
History
According to Darren Perry, the former chair of the ''Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations,'' and the only person tracing his and his family of nine's origins to the Ngintait, the original Ngintait clans were dispersed during the
guerilla wars of the early 1840s about the
Rufus River
Rufus River, a watercourse of the Murray catchment and part of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in south western New South Wales, Australia.
The river leaves Lake Victoria, flowing generally west and then south-west, before reaching its ...
.
Native title
The Ngintait, as represented by Perry, have made
a claim for native title claiming they have custodian obligations to the rich native burial grounds in their area.
Alternative names
* ''Inteck''
* ''Merri'' (This referred their language).
* ''Nutcha''
* ''Takadok''
Some words
* ''Broolach'' (kangaroo).
* ''nutchaa'' (mother)
* ''ruchaa'' (father)
* ''thougha'' (white man)
* ''wilking'' (tame dog)
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of South Australia