The Ajabakan were an indigenous Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland.
The Ajabakan's lands extended over 1,400 square miles (3,600 km2) around the Upper Edward River. [1] Ursula McConnel in the late twenties identified members of the Ajabakan, together with the Wikianji living westwards of the Aiyaboto who were living south of Coen. [2]
The Ajabakan spoke Bakanha/Ayabakan(u), classified by Robert M. W. Dixon as one of the languages of the Wik subgroup of the Northern Cape York Peninsula [3] A list of words has been compiled by Philip Hamilton as part of a comparative Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola online dictionary project. [4]
Ajabakan culture was sufficiently similar to that of the Munkan to lead McConnel to suspect that they had only detached themselves from the latter in recent times in order to form a distinct tribal grouping, and one which then formed close associations with the Ayapathu. [5] Their social groups were divided into two moieties kuyen (u) and katpen (u), [6] virtually interchangeable with those of the Wikianji. [7] [lower-alpha 1] According to Lauriston Sharp, the Ajabakan ic system belonged to what he called the Group V Yir Yoront typology, [8] with clans having a single totem, exclusively under its control in terms of choice of ceremonial site, and strong phratric groupings of clans, bound to the totems of their constituent clans. [9] Clan descent was patrilineal, with; the spirit babies (bukwa nepi) usually located on the land belonging to the father's clan. [10] The Ajabakan, together with the southern Ayapathu and Koko olkolo, . would come from their respectives heartlands on the upper Edward, upper Holroyd, and Coleman Rivers to meet up with the Kaantju on ceremonial occasion on the Ebagoolah cattle-run. These Kaantju had an important wedge role as a territorial mediator between Gulf watershed and east coast tribes. [11] [2]
|volume= has extra text (help)The Yir-Yoront, also known as the Yir Yiront, are an Indigenous Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula now living mostly in Kowanyama but also in Lirrqar/Pormpuraaw, both towns outside their traditional lands.
The Uw Oykangand, otherwise known as the Kwantari, are an Aboriginal Australian people living on the southwestern part of the Cape York Peninsula, in the state of Queensland in Australia. Their neighbours to the northwest are the Yir-Yoront people. Their traditional lands are around the Alice River and the Crosbie River, and further west around the Mitchell River and into Gulf Country.
The Ayapathu people, otherwise known as the Ayabadhu or Aiyaboto, were an Indigenous Australian group, living on the western side of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.
The Kugu Nganhcara, also Wikngenchera, Wik-Ngandjara (Ngandjara) are an Australian group of peoples living in the middle western part of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland in Australia. Today they are primarily concentrated at Aurukan and the Edward river settlement.
The Night Island Kawadji, or Uutaalnganu, were an Indigenous Australian group of Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland. The name is also used collectively for several tribes in this area, such as the Pontunj / Jangkonj (Yanganyu), whose language is unconfirmed.
The Umpila are an Indigenous Australian people of the eastern Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland. The majority of the remnant of the Umpila now live in Lockhart.
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The Lotiga, also known as the Okara, were an indigenous Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula of North Queensland.
The Atjinuri were an indigenous Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland.
The Wikampama were an indigenous Australian people of Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.
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The Wakara or Wakura were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland.
The Wikepa are an indigenous Australian people, one of the Wik tribes of the Cape York Peninsula of northern Queensland.
The Wik Paach or Wikapatja were an indigenous Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula of northern Queensland.
The Wikatinda were an indigenous Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula of northern Queensland. They were one of the Wik peoples, but their language is unattested.
The Yungkurara were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland.
The Ngundjan (Ogh-Undjan) were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland.
The Yindjilandji are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory.