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 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 t ...

. They come from the lower Fitzroy River (which they call ''mardoowarra''). Traditional lands of Australian Aboriginal Tribes around Derby

Language

The

Nyigina language Nyikina (also Nyigina, Njigina) is an Australian Aboriginal language of Western Australia, spoken by the Nyigina people. Warrwa may have been a dialect. Classification R. M. W. Dixon (2002) regards Nyikina, Warrwa, Yawuru and Jukun as a si ...

is one of several eastern varieties of the

Nyulnyulan languages The Nyulnyulan languages are a small family of closely related Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northern Western Australia. Most languages in this family are extinct, with only three extant languages, all of which are almost extinct. ...

, closely related to

Warrwa The Warrwa, also spelt Warwa, are an Indigenous Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Language Warrwa is an eastern Nyulnyulan language, sufficiently closely related to Nyigina to be classified as a dialect of the l ...

and Yawuru. It is still (2012) spoken by around 10 people.

Education

The Nyigina, together with the

Mangala people The Mangarla, or Mangala, are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Australia. The Mangarla people traditionally lived in the north-western area of the Great Sandy Desert, west of the Karajarri people, east of the Walmajarri, with the Juwalin ...

, run the Nyikina Mangala Community School a school at Jarlmadangah in West Kimberley. The Nyigina-Mangala peoples also run another school, together with the

Walmajarri The Walmadjari (Walmajarri) people, also known as Tjiwaling and Wanaseka, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Name The two names reflect different Walmadjari preferences. Their western bands accept ...

, at Looma.

Native title

In 1998 the Nyigina people undertook legal proceedings to pursue their

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, ...

claims. One consisted of a ''Nyikina Mangala'' claim, which they shared with the Mangala while the other comprised the ''Nyikina- Warrwa'' pursued together with the closely related Warrwa people. The Shire of Derby settled an

Indigenous land use agreement 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 ...

with the Indigenous plaintiffs, regarding the ''Nikina Mangala'' area, and set down a

protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

that provided guarantees for surveying the Aboriginal cultural heritage before any development projects on the land could be undertaken. In 2014, after an 18-year legal battle, the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...

granted the Nyikina-Mangala petitioners native title over of territory, from King Sound through the Fitzoy Valley to the

Great Sandy Desert The Great Sandy Desert is an interim Australian bioregion,IBRA Version 6.1
data

Prominent people

Paddy Roe Paddy Roe (1912 (estimate) – 2001), also known as Lulu was an Aboriginal Elder of the Goolarabooloo tribe (also spelt ''Gularabulu'') of the Nyigina (also spelt ''Nyikina'', and listed as ''Njikena'' by Tindale) ethnic group in Australia. He ...

was an Nyigina elder who wrote about Nyigina culture and religion. *

Butcher Joe Nangan Joe Nangan (Butcher Joe Nangan) (1900-1989) was an Aboriginal Australian lawman, ''jalngunguru'' (healer or cleverman) and artist. In his role as a custodian of legends, Nangan was responsible for the preservation of the sounds and performances ...

Language

Education

Native title

Prominent people

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading