The Widi were 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 I ...
people of the
Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
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 ...
.
Country
The Widi were native to the area between
Lakes Monger and Moore. To the north, they were present around
Yuin
The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, one or more of the Yuin language dialects. Sub-group ...
, Talleringa Peak, and
Nalbarra. Their western confines ran to
Mullewa and
Morawa (Morowa). Their eastern limits lay at
Paynes Find and
Wogarno, south of Mount Magnet.
Yalgoo and
the upper Greenough River were also part of Widi territory.
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 ...
suggested that their tribal lands spread over about .
Reputation
To gather from evidence taken at
Lake Darlot
Lake Darlot is an ephemeral lake in the centre of Western Australia, lying approximately east-north-east of Leinster, and north of Leonora in the Goldfields-Esperance region. Its surface elevation is 434 metres above mean sea-level.
Discove ...
, the Widi had a certain reputation for savagery even among tribes far to their west.
Social organization and customs
The Widi made both circumcision and subincision an integral part of their initiation ceremonies.
Alternative names
* ''Wiri'' (''wiri'' signifies 'no').
* ''Minango.'' ('southerners.'
Watjarri
The Wajarri people, also spelt Wadjari, Wadjarri, Watjarri, and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands are in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Boolardy Station, along with the tiny settlement of ...
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 ...
)
* ''Minangu.''
* ''Nanakari.'' (
Nokaan
The Nokaan or Nhugarn were an indigenous Australian people of the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Country
The Nokaan dwelt on the plateau west of the Murchison, at least as far south from Curbur to Yallalong and Coolcalaya. Their inland ex ...
exonym)
* ''Nanakati.'' ('my people')
* ''Barimaia.'' (Watjarri exonym denoting both the Widi and the
Badimaya
The Badimaya people (also written Badimia) are an Aboriginal Australian people from the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Country
Traditional Badimaya country was calculated by Norman Tindale to encompass approximately , and is bordered by ...
).
* ''Jaburu.'' ("northerners", perhaps a
Ballardong
Ballardong are an indigenous Noongar people of the south western area of Western Australia.
Country
The Ballardong's land encompasses an estimated . Northwards they occupy the Avon River. From York, To the east they extend to Tammin, Kununop ...
term).
Notes
Citations
Sources
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Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia