Nyigina

Last updated

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.

Contents

They come from the lower Fitzroy River (which they call mardoowarra).

Traditional lands of Australian Aboriginal tribes around Derby, Western Australia Traditional lands of Australian Aboriginal Tribes around Derby.png
Traditional lands of Australian Aboriginal tribes around Derby, Western Australia

Language

The Nyigina language is one of several eastern varieties of the Nyulnyulan languages, closely related to Warrwa and Yawuru. [1] As of 2012 it was spoken by around 10 people. [2]

Country

The Nyigina (Njikena) inhabited an area, estimated at 11,300 square miles (29,000 km2). The area is located on the lower Fitzroy River from Yeeda upstream to Noonkanbah, on both banks. [3]

Education

The Nyigina, together with the Mangala people, 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, at Looma.

Native title

In 1998 the Nyigina people undertook legal proceedings to pursue their native 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.[ citation needed ] The Shire of Derby settled an Indigenous land use agreement with the Indigenous plaintiffs, regarding the Nikina Mangala area, and set down a protocol that provided guarantees for surveying the Aboriginal cultural heritage before any development projects on the land could be undertaken.[ citation needed ] In 2014, after an 18-year legal battle, the Federal Court of Australia granted the Nyikina-Mangala petitioners native title over 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) of territory, from King Sound through the Fitzoy Valley to the Great Sandy Desert. [4]

Prominent people

Notes

  1. This map is indicative only.

Citations

Sources

Further reading

Related Research Articles

Nyikina is an Australian Aboriginal language of Western Australia, spoken by the Nyigina people.

The Yawuru, also spelt Jawuru, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Jarlmadangah Burru is an Aboriginal community located 86 kilometres (53 mi) southeast of Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley.

Jimbalakudunj is a small Aboriginal community located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) north west of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley.

Bidan is a small Aboriginal community, located 110 km east of Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley. Bidan occupies a unique location in the West Kimberley settlement pattern in the sense that it is proximate to the midway point between the coastal regional centres of Broome and Derby.

Pandanus Park is a medium-sized Aboriginal community, located 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, within the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley. It is on the banks of the Fitzroy River just off the Great Northern Highway opposite the Willare Roadhouse.

The Karajarri are an Aboriginal Australian people, who live south-west of the Kimberleys in the northern Pilbara region, predominantly between the coastal area and the Great Sandy Desert. They now mostly reside at Bidyadanga, south of Broome. To their north live the Yawuru people, to the east the Mangala, to the northeast the Nyigina, and to their south the Nyangumarta. Further down the coast are the Kariera.

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 Juwaliny and Yulparija to the south. Many Mangarla people now live in Jarlmadangah and Bidyadanga.

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 Miriwoong people, also written Miriwung and Miriuwung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia.

The Jawi people, also spelt Djaui, Djawi, and other alternative spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley coast of Western Australia, who speak the Jawi dialect. They are sometimes grouped with the Bardi people and referred to as "Bardi Jawi", as the languages and culture are similar.

The Yawijibaya, also written Jaudjibaia, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. Along with the Unggarranggu people, they are the traditional owners of the Buccaneer Archipelago, off Derby, together known as the Mayala group for native title purposes. Yawijibaya country includes Yawajaba Island and the surrounding Montgomery Reef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umiida</span>

The Umiida, also written Umida and Umede, were an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of north Western Australia.

The Gooniyandi, also known as the Konejandi, are an Aboriginal Australian people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unggarrangu</span> Aboriginal Australian people of Western Australia

The Unggarranggu, also traditionally transcribed as Ongkarango, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrwa</span> Indigenous people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia

The Warrwa, also spelt Warwa, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The Unggumi, also written Ongkomi, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nimanburru</span>

The Nimanburu were an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The Walmadjari (Walmajarri) people, also known as Tjiwaling and Wanaseka, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The Pitapita or Pitta Pitta are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland.