The Ngardi, also spelled Ngarti, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Arthur Capell took the term Ngardi to refer, not to a distinct tribe, but to a branch of the Warlpiri, a point contested by Norman Tindale, who maintained they were distinct. [1]
The Wanjina and Wunggurr spirits are essential elements of the life of the cultural bloc known as the Wanjina Wunggurr, generally consisting of the Worrorra, Wunambal and Ngarinyin peoples of the Kimberley. [2] For the purpose of a mineral rights agreement with a mining company in 2006, the Worrorra were also grouped with the Ngardi, as Dambimangari (Dambima-Ngardi), said to share the Wanjina-Wunggurr belief systems. Rock paintings depicting Wanjina, as well as the Gwion Gwion ("Bradshaw") paintings, are evidence of the shared culture. [3]
In Norman Tindale's calculations, the Ngarti's tribal territory stretched over approximately 25,000 square miles (65,000 km2), covering the sandhill country west of the Tanami track, extending from Chilla Well, the Granites, and Gardiner Range over the border into Western Australia at Ima Ima. They were present at Sturt Creek, and the Pallottine Mission area at Balgo Hill. Their southern extension, he adds, went as far as across the mulga scrubland to Milidjipi and Tekkari north of Lake Mackay. [4]
On 21 August 1980 a land claim was submitted by 90 claimants on behalf of the Warlpiri, Kukatja and Ngarti peoples, as traditional owners, under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 , for an area of about 2,340 square kilometres (900 sq mi). It was the 11th traditional land claim presented on behalf of Aboriginal traditional owners by the Central Land Council. The land borders on areas in which each of the languages – Ngarti, Warlpiri, and Kukatja – is dominant. People from the different language groups have been influenced by each other when residing at Balgo, Western Australia and Lajamanu, Northern Territory. The claim was presented at Balgo Mission. The recommendation handed down by Justice Sir William Kearney on 23 August 1985 [5] and presented on 19 August 1986 was that "the whole of the claim area be granted to a Land Trust for the benefit of Aboriginals entitled by tradition to its use or occupation, whether or not the traditional entitlement is qualified as to place, time, circumstance, purpose or permission". [6]
in April 2006, the Aztec Resources (now Mount Gibson Iron [7] ) mining company signed a co-existence agreement with the Dambimangari (Dambima/Worrorra-Ngardi) traditional owners of Koolan Island regarding their iron ore mining operations on the island. The agreement aimed to ensure that 30% of the 220 person workforce is filled by Indigenous people by the eighth year of operation. [8]
The Ngarti people spoke the Ngardi language. [9]
Source: Tindale 1974 , p. 234
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: CS1 maint: others (link)[From] Land Rights News Vol 2, No 2, March 1987
The Wandjina, also written Wanjina and Wondjina and also known as Gulingi, are cloud and rain spirits from the Wanjina Wunggurr cultural bloc of Aboriginal Australians, depicted prominently in rock art in northwestern Australia. Some of the artwork in the Kimberley region of Western Australia dates back to approximately 4,000 years ago. Another closely related spirit entity is the creator being Wunngurr, a being analogous to the Rainbow Serpent in other Aboriginal peoples' belief systems, but with a different interpretation.
The Warlpiri, sometimes referred to as Yapa, are a group of Aboriginal Australians defined by their Warlpiri language, although not all still speak it. There are 5,000–6,000 Warlpiri, living mostly in a few towns and settlements scattered through their traditional land in the Northern Territory, north and west of Alice Springs. About 3,000 still speak the Warlpiri language. The word "Warlpiri" has also been romanised as Walpiri, Walbiri, Elpira, Ilpara, and Wailbri.
The Western Desert language, or Wati, is a dialect cluster of Australian Aboriginal languages in the Pama–Nyungan family.
Ngardi, also spelt Ngarti or Ngardilj, is an Australian Aboriginal language that is considered moribund. It was previously thought to be an alternative name for the Bunara language, but these are now classified as separate languages. It was/is spoken by the Ngarti people of the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.
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Balgo, previously Balgo Hills and Balgo Mission, is a community in Western Australia that is linked with both the Great Sandy Desert and the Tanami Desert. The community is in the Shire of Halls Creek, off the Tanami Road, and was established by German missionaries in 1939. In the 2021 census Balgo's population numbered 430.
Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, known as Kimberley Land Council (KLC), is an association of Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The land council was formed at a meeting at Noonkanbah Station in May 1978. The corporation is registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations as ICN 21.
Mitchell River National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 2,140 kilometres (1,330 mi) northeast of Perth. The park adjoins the northern boundary of the Prince Regent National Park. The nearest towns are Derby, 350 kilometres (217 mi) to the southwest, as well as Wyndham, 270 km (168 mi) to the southeast. Created in 2000, the park covers an area of over 1,150 km2 (440 sq mi) on the Mitchell Plateau (Ngauwudu).
Prince Regent National Park, formerly the Prince Regent Nature Reserve, is a protected area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1978 the area was nominated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
Kukatj, also rendered Gugadj, is an extinct Paman language of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. The name Kalibamu has also been assigned to it, although this may be a separate dialect. It is spoken by the Kukatj people. A single speaker was last recorded in 1975.
The Worrorra, also written Worora, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley area of north-western Australia.
The Ngarinyin or Ngarinjin are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Their language, Ngarinyin, is also known as Ungarinyin. When referring to their traditional lands, they refer to themselves as Wilinggin people.
The Umiida, also written Umida and Umede, were an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of north Western Australia.
The Yeidji, also spelt Yiiji and other variants, commonly known as Gwini/ Kwini, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley area of Western Australia, who also self-identify as Balanggarra.
The Kambure, more commonly known now as Gamberre, were an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The Wunambal (Unambal), also known as Wunambal Gaambera, Uunguu, and other names, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The Kukatja people, also written Gugadja, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The Luritja or Loritja people, also known as Kukatja or Kukatja-Luritja, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory. Their traditional lands are immediately west of the Derwent River, that forms a frontier with the Arrernte people, with their lands covering some 27,000 square kilometres (10,300 sq mi). Their language is the Luritja dialect, a Western Desert language.
The Yumu were an Indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory.
The Ngaliya (Ngalia) are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory who speak a dialect of the Warlpiri language. They are not to be confused with the Ngalia of the Western Desert.