Wakka Wakka, or Waka Waka, people 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 ...

community 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 , establishe ...

Name

"''Wakka''" was assigned the meaning "no" by Western linguists who documented the

Wakawaka language The Wakka Wakka language, also spelt Waga, or Wakawaka, is a Pama–Nyungan language spoken by the Wakka Wakka people, an Aboriginal Australian nation near Brisbane, Australia.Ethnonyms based on the duplication of the respective words for "no" were said to be markers distinguishing one tribe from another in the area, as is also the case with the adjacent

Gubbi Gubbi The Gubbi Gubbi people also known as Kabi Kabi are an Aboriginal Australian people native to south-eastern Queensland. They are now classified as one of several Murri language groups in Queensland. Naming As is often the case, ethnonyms dist ...

Language

Wakka Wakka language belongs to the Waka–Kabic branch of the Pama-Nyungan languages. Linguistic work by the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and anthropologist

John Mathew John Mathew (31 May 1849 – 11 March 1929) was an Australian Presbyterian minister and anthropologist, author of ''"Eaglehawk and Crow"'' and ''"Two Representative Tribes of Queensland"''. Biography Mathew was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on ...

and, more recently, by

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

s such as Nils Holmer, provided materials that conserved elements of the grammar and vocabularly. Recently efforts have been undertaken to revive the language and preserve it from extinction. Eidsvold State School has worked with community members to rejuvenate Wakka Wakka language by introducing lessons for primary age students. Lachlan Mackenzie (teacher) and Aunty Doris (Eidsvold Wakka Wakka Group) worked in collaboration with Wakka Wakka people local the Eidsvold area.

Country

Map of Traditional Lands of Australian Aboriginal peoples in SE Qld

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 ...

estimated that Wakawaka lands extended over some , running northwards from

Nanango Nanango is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,599 people. Geography Nanango is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane, at the junc ...

to the area of Mount Perry. Their western extension was at the Boyne River, the upper Burnett River, and

Mundubbera Mundubbera ( ) is a town and a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mundubbera had a population of 1261 people. Mundubbera is the self-proclaimed "Citrus Capital of Queensland", although this is disputed by the ...

. They were also present in the areas of

Kingaroy Kingaroy is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways, north-west of the state capital Brisbane and south west of Gympie. As a ...

Murgon Murgon is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,378 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland known as the South Burnett, the southern ...

, and

Gayndah Gayndah is a town and locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Gayndah had a population of 1,981 people. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. Geography Gayndah is on the Burnett River and ...

Native Title

On April 12, 2022, following 25 years of legal battle, Wakka Wakka people were granted Native Title recognition in the form of 114,000 hectares of the

Burnett region Burnett may refer to: Places ;Antarctica * Burnett Island, an island in the Swain Islands ;Australia * Burnett County, New South Wales, a cadastral division * The Burnett River in Queensland * Burnett Heads, Queensland * Shire of Burnett, a for ...

. Included in the title was

Ban Ban Springs Ban Ban Springs is a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Ban Ban Springs had a population of 7 people. Geography Ban Ban Springs is located at the junction of the Burnett and Isis highways. The locality is sur ...

, a significant spiritual and cultural site for Wakka Wakka people. Due to the extensive traditional lands occupied by Wakka Wakka people, additional Native Titles are expected to be recognised in the coming years.

History of contact

Many Wakka Wakka and Gubbi Gubbi people – along with many other groups from across Queensland – were shifted on to the

Barambah Aboriginal Mission Cherbourg (), formerly known as Barambah, Barambah Aboriginal Settlement and Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Cherbourg, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Cherbourg had a p ...

near

in the early 20th century. This mission later became the town of Cherbourg and is now self-administered by the

Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council Cherbourg (), formerly known as Barambah, Barambah Aboriginal Settlement and Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Cherbourg, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Cherbourg had a p ...

. Wakka Wakka people have many important sites located throughout their territory, including

Barambah Creek Barambah is a rural locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, a sacred area near Maidenwell, and in the foothills of the

Bunya Mountains The Bunya Mountains are a distinctive set of peaks forming an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland. The mountain range forms the northern edge of the Darling Downs in the locality also called Bunya Mountains ne ...

. There are also a number of bora rings which have survived destruction. In pre-European times, the Wakka Wakka people were one of the many groups that took part in the regular bunya nut feasts at the Bunya Mountains and other large gatherings in other parts of the South Burnett.

Alternative names

* ''Mungar'' (

Spotted gum Spotted gum usually refers to the Australian tree species ''Corymbia maculata'' but may also refer to other closely related species within the genus '' Corymbia'' as follows: *''Corymbia citriodora'' (usually referred to as the lemon-scented gum) *' ...

tree people) * ''Nukunukubara''(?) * ''Wa:bar.'' (applied to several tribes) * ''Waa'' * ''Waka'' * ''Wakaa'' * ''Wakar, Wakkar, Wackar'' * ''Wakkawakka'' * ''Wakuwuka'' * ''Wapa.'' (Kabikabi

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

Language

Country

Native Title

History of contact

Alternative names

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading