The Wanggumara, also spelt Wangkumara, Wongkumara, Wangkumarra, and other variants, are an
Aboriginal people of the state of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia.
Language
Old Wankumara, spoken along the
Bulloo River with the
Kalali people, was a
'Karna–Mari fringe' language which died out with the passing of its last speakers in the late 20th century.
'Modern' Wankumara, spoken along the
Wilson River, is a
Karnic language
The Karnic languages are a group of languages of the Pama–Nyungan family. According to Dixon (2002), these are three separate families, but Bowern (2001) establishes regular paradigmatic connections among many of the languages, demonstrating ...
, which according to Breen (1967) was identical to the speech of other peoples speaking the
Wilson River language. The disambiguator 'modern' simply refers to the fact that the Wanggumara people continued speaking that language more recently than the other.
Country
According to
Norman Tindale, the Wanggumara lands covered some , stretching over
Cooper Creek
The Cooper Creek (formerly Cooper's Creek) is a river in the Australian states of Queensland and South Australia. It was the site of the death of the explorers Burke and Wills in 1861. It is sometimes known as the Barcoo River from one of its t ...
east of
Nappa Merrie and Orientos to the area around the
ephemeral
Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...
Wilson River at
Nockatunga.
Writing in 1886, F. W. Myles described their neighbouring tribes as follows:
The names of the tribes which adjoin the Wonkomarra are, to the south, the Poidgerry (on the Currowinya Downs station) and the Bitharra (on the Bulloo Downs station); to the west, the Thiralla (on the Nockatoongo station) and Eromarra (on the Conbar station); to the north, the Bunthomarra (on the Mount Margaret station) and the Murgoin (on the Ardock station); and on the east by the same tribe (on the Dynevor station).
History of contact
The first settlers arrived in 1863, and within two decades their population had been reduced substantially to just 90 people. Those surviving moved to Chastleton and NCarcowlah where they mingled with the
Kalali.
Social organisation
The Wanggumara were divided into
hordes, concerning which two names possibly referring to their clans survive:
* ''Balpamadramadra'' (perhaps a clan at Nappa Merrie)
* ''Jaramarala'' (perhaps a clan at Baryulah).
Alternative names
* ''Wangkumara, Wonkamara, Wonkomarra'', ''Wonkamarra, Wonkamura, Wonkamurra''
* ''Wonkubara'', ''Wanggumara''
* ''Papagunu'' (derogatory
Yandruwandha 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, ...
name, signifying "dog shit")
* ''Balpamadramadra''
* ''Jaramarala''
Some words
* ''mari''. (dog, whether wild or tame)
* ''wanyu''. (father)
* ''unu''. (mother)
* ''doona''. (whiteman, meaning properly "ghost").
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of Queensland