The Walmadjari (Walmajarri) people, also known as Tjiwaling and Wanaseka, 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 Isl ...

people of the Kimberley region 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 ...

Name

The two names reflect different Walmadjari preferences. Their western bands accept Tjiwaling as an ethnonym for its it a designation peoples neighbouring them further west employ. The eastern bands prefer the Walmadjari

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

, or conversely, define themselves as the ''Wanaseka'', as opposed to the ''Tjiwaling'', side.)

Language

Walmadjari belongs to the Ngumpin–Yapa branch of the Pama-Nyungan language family.

Country

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 assigned the Walmadjari roughly of territory on the desert plateau south of the Fitzroy and Christmas Creek valleys and from Kunkadea(Noonkanbah), as far east as the Cummins Range. Their southern limits ran along the Canning Stock Route to ''Kardalapuru'' (Well 47). Sometime in the latter half of the 19th century, a group of Walmadjari, who are called ''Ngainan,'' took over some

Gooniyandi The Gooniyandi, also known as the Konejandi, are an indigenous Australian people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Language Gooniyandi with Bunuba is one of the two languages of the Bunuban language family. Country Gooniyandi tra ...

territory, the downs north of Christmas Creek between Mellon Spring and Landrigan Cliffs.

Alternative names

* ''Walmajari, Walmadjeri, Walmade're, Wolmadjari, Walmajeri, Wolmaijari.'' * ''Wulumari, Wolmeri, Wolmera.'' * ''Walmaharri, Walmaharry, Wolmaharry.'' * ''Warigari Pundur'' (

Gugadja The Kukatja people, also written Gugadja, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Country The Kukatja's traditional lands were, according to Norman Tindale, roughly , centering around Lake Gregory, an ...

exonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

signifying 'cannibals') * ''Walmajai.'' (

Nyigina The Nyikina people (also spelt Nyigina and Nyikena, and listed as Njikena by Tindale) are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. They come from the lower Fitzroy River (which they call ''mardoowarra''). ...

pronunciation) * ''Wulumarai.'' * ''Wanmadjari.'' * ''Tjiwaling'' (

Mangala Mangala (Sanskrit: मङ्गल, IAST: ) is the personification, as well as the name for the planet Mars, in Hindu literature. Also known as Lohita (), he is the celibate deity of anger, aggression, as well as war. According to Vaishnavism, ...

exonym) * ''Djualin.'' * ''Tjiwali.'' * ''Tjiwalindja, Djiwalinja.'' * ''Djuwali, Djiwalinj.'' * ''Ngadjukura.'' (language name) * ''Pitangu.'' (pejorative Gugadja ethnonym) * ''Wanaeka, Waneiga.'' * ''Ngainan, Nganang.'' * ''Warmala.'' (generic term for several Western Desert tribes).

Notable Walmadjari

Ningali Lawford Ningali Josie Lawford, also known as Ningali Lawford-Wolf and Josie Ningali Lawford, (1967 – 11 August 2019) was an Aboriginal Australian actress known for her roles in the films ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (2002), ''Bran Nue Dae'' (2009), and '' ...

(1967–2019), actress *

Jimmy Pike Jimmy Pike (c1940-2002) was a Walmatjarri Aboriginal artist. Life Born east of Japingka, an important jila or permanent waterhole in the Great Sandy Desert, he grew up as a hunter-gatherer. Like many of his people he drifted north toward t ...

(c.1940–2002), artist

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * {{authority control Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia Mid West (Western Australia) Pilbara