The Pitjantjatjara (;
or ) are an
Aboriginal people of the
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...
n desert near
Uluru
Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially Gazette#Gazette as a verb, gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone geological formation, formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the ...
. They are closely related to the
Yankunytjatjara
The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia.
Language
Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...
and
Ngaanyatjarra
The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory.
Language
Ngaanyatjarra is a ...
and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are varieties of the
Western Desert language).
They refer to themselves as
aṉangu
Aṉangu is the name used by members of several Aboriginal Australian groups, roughly approximate to the Western Desert cultural bloc, to describe themselves. The term, which embraces several distinct "tribes" or peoples, in particular the Nga ...
(people). The Pitjantjatjara live mostly in the northwest 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 ...
, extending across the border into the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
to just south of
Lake Amadeus
Lake Amadeus (together with Lake Neale, Pitjantjatjara: ''Pantu'' ("salt lakes")) is a large salt lake in the southwest corner of Northern Territory of Australia, about north of Uluru. The smaller Lake Neale is adjacent to the northwest. It ...
, and west a short distance into
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 ...
. The land is an inseparable and important part of their identity, and every part of it is rich with stories and meaning to aṉangu.
They have, for the most part, given up their nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle but have retained their language and much of their culture in synergy with increasing influences from the broader
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 ...
n community.
Today there are still about 4,000 aṉangu living scattered in small communities and outstations across their traditional lands, forming one of the most successful joint land arrangements in
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 ...
with
Aboriginal traditional owner
Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...
s.
Pronunciation
The
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...
''Pitjantjatjara'' is usually pronounced (in normal, fast speech) with elision of one of the repeated syllables ''-tja-'', thus: ''pitjantjara''. In more careful speech all syllables will be pronounced.
Etymology
The name ''Pitjantjatjara'' derives from the word ''pitjantja'', a
nominalised form of the verb "go" (equivalent to the English "going" used as a noun). Combined with the
comitative
In grammar, the comitative case (; abbreviated ) is a grammatical case that denotes accompaniment. In English, the preposition "with", in the sense of "in company with" or "together with", plays a substantially similar role (other uses of "with", l ...
suffix ''-tjara'', it means something like "''pitjantja''-having" (i.e. the variety that uses the word ''pitjantja'' for "going"). This distinguishes it from its near neighbour Yankunytjatjara which has ''yankunytja'' for the same meaning. This naming strategy is also the source of the names of
Ngaanyatjarra
The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory.
Language
Ngaanyatjarra is a ...
and
Ngaatjatjarra
The Ngaatjatjarra (otherwise spelt Ngadadjara) are an Indigenous Australian people of Western Australia, with communities located in the north eastern part of the Goldfields-Esperance region.
Name
The ethnonym Ngaatjatjarra, in line with a gener ...
but in that case the names contrast the two languages based on their words for "this" (respectively, ''ngaanya'' and ''ngaatja''). The two languages Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara may be grouped together under the name Nyangatjatjara (indicating that they have ''nyangatja'' for "this") which then contrasts them with
Ngaanyatjarra
The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory.
Language
Ngaanyatjarra is a ...
and
Ngaatjatjarra
The Ngaatjatjarra (otherwise spelt Ngadadjara) are an Indigenous Australian people of Western Australia, with communities located in the north eastern part of the Goldfields-Esperance region.
Name
The ethnonym Ngaatjatjarra, in line with a gener ...
.
Language
Pitjantjatjara language
Pitjantjatjara (; or ) is a dialect of the Western Desert language traditionally spoken by the Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia. It is mutually intelligible with other varieties of the Western Desert language, and is particularly c ...
is used as a general term for a number of closely related dialects which together, according to Ronald Trudinger were "spoken over a wider area of Australia than any other Aboriginal language". With
Yankunytjatjara
The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia.
Language
Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...
it shares an 80% overlap in vocabulary.
Some major communities
See WARU community directory for a complete list
* in South Australia type 2
** in the
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara
Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, also known as APY, APY Lands or ''the Lands'', is a large, sparsely-populated local government area (LGA) for Aboriginal people, located in the remote north west of South Australia. Some of the aṉangu ...
, including:
***
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti, ...
also called Pukatja
***
Amata
According to Roman mythology, Amata (also called Palanto) was the wife of Latinus, king of the Latins, and the mother of their only child, Lavinia. In the Aeneid of Virgil, she commits suicide during the conflict between Aeneas and Turnus over ...
***
Kalka
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. It is near Panchkula city. The name of the town is derived from the Hindu goddess Kali. It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state o ...
***
Pipalyatjara
Pipalyatjara (formerly Mount Davies) is an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on " ...
**
Yalata
Yalata is an Aboriginal community located west of Ceduna and south of Ooldea on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia. It lies on the traditional lands of the Wirangu people, but the settlement began as Yalata Mission in the ea ...
**
Oak Valley
* In the Northern Territory
**
Docker River
Kaltukatjara , also known as Docker River, is a remote Indigenous Australian community in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is southwest of Alice Springs, west of the Stuart Highway, near the Western Australia and Northern Territory bord ...
**
Areyonga
**
Mutitjulu
Mutitjulu is an Aboriginal Australian community in the Northern Territory of Australia located at the eastern end of Uluṟu (also known as Ayers Rock). It is named after a knee-shaped water-filled rock hole at the base of Uluṟu, and is loca ...
* In Western Australia
**
Wingellina also called Irruntju
History
A tract of land was established in the north west 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 ...
for the Pitjantjatjara in 1921 after they lost much land due to hostile encroachment by hunters and ranchers.
Extended droughts in the 1920s and between 1956 and 1965 in their traditional lands in the
Great Victoria and
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
deserts led many Pitjantjatjara, and their traditionally more westerly relations, the
Ngaanyatjarra
The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory.
Language
Ngaanyatjarra is a ...
, to move east towards the railway between
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
in search of food and water, thus mixing with the most easterly of the three, the
Yankunytjatjara
The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia.
Language
Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...
. They refer to themselves as ''
aṉangu
Aṉangu is the name used by members of several Aboriginal Australian groups, roughly approximate to the Western Desert cultural bloc, to describe themselves. The term, which embraces several distinct "tribes" or peoples, in particular the Nga ...
'', which originally just meant people in general, but has now come to imply an Aboriginal person or, more specifically, a member of one of the groups that speaks a variety of the Western Desert Language.
In response to continuing outside pressures on the aṉangu, the
Government of South Australia
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
gave its support to a plan by the
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. (The larger Uniting Church in Australia incorporated about two-thirds of the PCA in 1977.)
History
Beginnings
When captain James Cook lande ...
to set up the
Ernabella
Pukatja (formerly Ernabella) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/Kaltjiti, ...
Mission in the
Musgrave Ranges
Musgrave Ranges is a mountain range in Central Australia, straddling the boundary of South Australia (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) and the Northern Territory (MacDonnell Shire), extending into Western Australia. It is between the Great V ...
as a safe haven. This mission, largely due to the actions of their advocate,
Charles Duguid
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place = Kent Town, Adelaide
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinates =
, burial_place = ...
, was ahead of the times in that there was no systematic attempt to destroy Aboriginal culture, as was common on many other missions.
From 1950 onwards, many aṉangu were forced to leave their traditional lands due to
British nuclear tests at Maralinga
Between 1956 and 1963, the United Kingdom conducted seven nuclear tests at the Maralinga site in South Australia, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area about north west of Adelaide. Two major test series were conducted: Operation Buffalo in 1956 ...
. Some aṉangu were subsequently contaminated by the
nuclear fallout
Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioac ...
from the
atomic test
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...
s, and many have died as a consequence. Their experience of issues of
land rights
Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these kinds of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use ...
and
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, ...
in South Australia has been unique. After four years of campaigning and negotiations with government and mining groups, the ''
Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act 1981'' was passed on 19 March 1981, granting freehold title over of land in the northwestern corner of South Australia.
The ''
Maralinga Tjarutja Land Rights Act 1984
The Maralinga Tjarutja, or Maralinga Tjarutja Council, is the corporation representing the traditional Anangu owners of the remote western areas of South Australia known as the Maralinga Tjarutja lands. The council was established by the ''Mara ...
'' (SA) granted freehold title of an area of to
Maralinga Tjarutja
The Maralinga Tjarutja, or Maralinga Tjarutja Council, is the corporation representing the traditional Anangu owners of the remote western areas of South Australia known as the Maralinga Tjarutja lands. The council was established by the ''Mara ...
. The subsequently named
Mamungari Conservation Park
Mamungari Conservation Park (formerly known as Unnamed National Park, Unnamed Conservation Park and also known as the Unnamed Biosphere Reserve) is a protected area located in South Australia within the southern Great Victoria Desert and norther ...
) with was transferred to the Maralinga Tjarutja in 2004.
Recognition of sacred sites
![Uluru 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Uluru_1.JPG)
The sacred sites of Uluru / Ayers Rock and
Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga possess important spiritual and ceremonial significance for the ''Anangu'' with more than 40 named sacred sites and 11 separate
Tjukurpa
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...
(or "Dreaming") tracks in the area, some of which lead as far as the sea. Uluru / Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga are separated from the Pitjantjatjara lands by the border between the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and South Australia and have become a major tourist attraction and a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
. The
Central Land Council
The Central Land Council (CLC) is a land council that represents the Aboriginal peoples of the southern half of the Northern Territory of Australia (NT), predominantly with regard to land issues. it is one of four land councils in the Northern Te ...
laid claim to the
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia. The park is home to both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It is located south of Darwin by road and south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter ...
and some adjoining vacant Crown land in 1979, but this claim was challenged by the
Northern Territory Government
The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...
.
After years of intensive lobbying by the land council, on 11 November 1983 the prime minister,
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
, announced that the federal government intended to transfer inalienable freehold title to them. He agreed to ten main points they had demanded in exchange for a lease-back arrangement to the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service in a "joint-management" régime where ''Anangu'' would have a majority on the board of management. This was implemented in 1985, after further negotiations extended the lease period from 50 to 99 years and agreement was reached on the retention of tourists' access to Uluru / Ayers Rock.
The Arrernte land is Aboriginal land in central Australia. It is controlled by the Arrernte Council which in turn is controlled by the Central Land Council from
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
.
Notable people
*
Gordon Briscoe
Gordon Briscoe AO (born 1938) is an Aboriginal Australian academic and activist. In 1997, he became the first Indigenous person to be awarded a PhD from an Australian University. He is also a former soccer player.
Early life
Born in Alice ...
, an association football player
*
Ian Abdulla
Ian Abdulla (1947–2011) was an Aboriginal Australian contemporary artist. A Ngarrindjeri man who grew up on the banks of the Murray River, Murray in South Australia, he has been called Australia's greatest naïve art, naive artist.
Early l ...
, an award-winning author, and artist
*
Trevor Adamson
Trevor Adamson is a country/gospel singer best known for his song ''Nyanpi Matilda'', a Pitjantjatjara version of Waltzing Matilda. He is from Pukatja, South Australia and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English. He was the subject of an episode ...
, a country/gospel singer
*
Anmanari Brown, pioneering artist
*
Hector Burton
Hector Tjupuru Burton (1937 - 27 February 2017) was an Australian Aboriginal artist. He is a leading artist from Amaṯa, in north-western South Australia. His work has been shown in exhibitions since 2003, in several cities in Australia and ot ...
, an artist
*
Wawiriya Burton, an artist, known for acrylic works
*
Angkaliya Curtis, an artist
*
Malpiya Davey
Malpiya Davey, also known as Irpintiri Davey, is an Aboriginal Australian artist from Pukatja, South Australia. She is best known for her ceramic artworks, but she also does painting, printmaking and weaving. Davey works for Ernabella Arts, t ...
, also known as Irpintiri Davey, an artist, known for ceramic artworks
*
Jimmy James OAM, a tracker
*
Rene Kulitja
Rene Kulitja (born 1958), also known as Wanuny Kulitja, is an Aboriginal Australian artist. She works with a range of media, including paint, glass and ceramics. Her most famous design is probably ''Yananyi Dreaming'', which covers a Qantas Boein ...
, an artist, a famous design is Yananyi Dreaming, which covers a Qantas Boeing 737
*
David Miller, an artist
*
Dickie Minyintiri, an award-winning artist, and sacred lawman
*
Tiger Palpatja, an artist
*
Walter Pukutiwara, an artist
*
Kunmanara Stewart
Kunmanara "Nellie" Stewart ( 1938–2012), a senior Pitjantjatjara woman, was an Australian artist. She commenced painting later in life, and painted about Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa, Two Women Creation Dreaming.
Collections
Her works are found ...
, an artist
*
Tjunkaya Tapaya
Tjunkaya Tapaya (born 1947) is an Aboriginal Australian artist. She is most recognised for her batik work and is one of the best-known batik artists in Australia. Her works also include acrylic paintings, weaving, fibre sculpture, ceramics, w ...
, a batik artist
*
Malya Teamay
Malya Teamay is an Aboriginal Australian artist. He is also an administrator of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, serving as a member of its Board of Management. As an artist, Teamay works for Walkatjara Art Uluṟu. This art centre is part of ...
, an Aboriginal Australian artist, and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park management board member
*
Wingu Tingima, an artist
*
Tony Tjamiwa, also known as Tony Curtis, a traditional healer and storyteller
*
Harry Tjutjuna, an artist
*
Yannima Tommy Watson
Yannima Tommy Watson known as Tommy Watson (born 1930s) was an Indigenous Australian artist, of the Pitjantjatjara people from Australia’s central western desert. He was described by one critic as "the greatest living painter of the Western ...
, known as Tommy Watson, an artist
*
Ginger Wikilyiri, an artist
*
Ruby Williamson, an artist, known for acrylic works
*
Bart Willoughby
Bart Willoughby (born 12 September 1960) is an Indigenous Australian musician, noted for his pioneering fusion of reggae with Indigenous Australian musical influences, and for his contribution to growth of Indigenous music in Australia.
A Pitj ...
, a musician, noted for his pioneering fusion of reggae
*
Frank Yamma
Frank Yamma is a singer and songwriter from Central Australia. He is a Pitjantjatjara man who speaks five languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English. Yamma is the son of Issac Yamma, an early artist who pioneered singing Western sty ...
, an early proponent of singing Western style songs in traditional language
*
Isaac Yamma
Isaac Yamma (or Yama) (1940 – January 1990) was a country singer from Central Australia. He was a Pitjantjatjara man who was born by a waterhole near Docker River ( Kaltukatjara). He started his musical career as a member of Areyonga Desert Ti ...
, a country singer
*
Harold Allison
Harold Allison (born 10 July 1930) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seats of Mount Gambier from 1975 to 1993 and Gordon from 1993 to 1997 for the Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many ...
, initiated as a member of the Pitjantjatjara shortly after becoming Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
See also
*
Wiltja
Wiltjas are wikt:shelter, shelters made by the Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and other Aboriginal Australian peoples. They are temporary dwellings, and are abandoned and rebuilt rather than maintained. Open and semi-circular, wiltjas are meant ...
, a shelter made by the Pitjantjatjara people and other indigenous Australian groups
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* (reprint)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
NgapartjiOnline course of Pitjantjatjara language, and related performance event
Web portal for Anangu Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra peoples, communities and organisationsYalata Land ManagementPitjantjatjara entry in the AusAnthrop databasePitjantjatjara People at ''Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements'' (ATNS)
{{Authority control
Native title in Australia