The Dangu (Dhaŋu, Dhangu) are an

Aboriginal Australian 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 ...

people of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

, in 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 ...

, one of many

Yolŋu The Yolngu or Yolŋu () are an aggregation of Aboriginal Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. ''Yolngu'' means "person" in the Yolŋu languages. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnumata, M ...

peoples. They are, 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 ...

, to be carefully distinguished from the Djaŋu. Two prominent clans of the Dangu are the Rirratjingu and Galpu clans.

Country

The extent of Dangu territory could not be established by Tindale, who located them in the general area of Yirrkala Mission, Cape Arnhem, Melville Bay, and Port Bradshaw.

Social organisation

Like all

societies, the Dangu, identified as a grouping of clans (''mala'') sharing similar dialects, were organised according to the ''Dhuwa'' and ''Yirritja'' (''Jiritja'') moieties. Their

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 ...

ic identity as a unified group was based on their common word for the

demonstrative pronoun Demonstratives (abbreviated ) are words, such as ''this'' and ''that'', used to indicate which entities are being referred to and to distinguish those entities from others. They are typically deictic; their meaning depending on a particular frame ...

"this." They are divided into six clans according to which moiety they belong to, of four Dua, and six Yirritja. The Dua moiety: * 1. ''Galpu'' (Gälpu, Galbu, Kalpu). * 2. ''Golumala.'' * 3. ''Ngajimil.'' (Ngayimil, Ngeimil, Makkanaimulmi). * 4. ''Riratjingu.'' (Rirratjingu, Rirraljinga, Riraidjango, Wurrulul, Woralul, Urorlurl). The Yirritja moiety: * 5. ''Lamami.'' (Lamumiri). * 6. ''Wanguri.'' (Wangurri, Wonguri, Wan:guri).

Mythology

In the Gälpu clan legends, Wititj, the huge ancestral

rainbow serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many different Aboriginal peoples. It is a common motif in the art and religion ...

was said create thunder and lightning as it moved across the land, but is also associated with the calm

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

systems where the spirits reside, among

water lilies ''Water Lilies'' (or ''Nymphéas'', ) is a Serial imagery, series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionism, Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his Fondation Monet in Giverny, flower garden at Fond ...

and

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

Alternative names

* ''Yirgala.'' (A

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

Notable people

Djalu Gurruwiwi Djalu Gurruwiwi, also written Djalu ( – 12 May 2022), was a Yolngu man from Arnhem Land in northern Australia, known worldwide for his skill as a player, maker and spiritual keeper of the yiḏaki (didgeridoo). He was also a respected arti ...

, highly respected elder, maker and player of the

yiḏaki The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

, of the Galpu clan, and other members of the

Gurruwiwi Gurruwiwi is a surname of the Yolngu, an Aboriginal Australian people of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of Australia, and family members have close connections with the Yunupingu and Marika families. Notable people with the surname include: *Dja ...

Country

Social organisation

Mythology

Alternative names

Notable people

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading