The Unduyamo (Andooyomo) were an indigenous Australian people who once lived around the northern shore of Newcastle Bay, Cape York Peninsula Queensland. [1] It has been hypothesized that, among other aspects of their life, they functioned as religious specialists for Torres Strait Islanders, whose mastery of increase rituals attracted the native mariners from the north. [2] Together with the Gudang, who apparently spoke the same language [3] and whose territory ran from Cape York to Fly Point opposite Pabaju (Albany Island), the Unduyamo had strong cultural, kin and trade ties with the Kaurareg, the southwestern islanders centered on Muralag, with whom they enjoyed an alliance that permitted reciprocal residence on each other's territory. [1] All three groups regarded the Yadhaigana and Gumakudin as hostile. [4]
Archaeology has uncovered a dense network of ritual sites consisting of stone rings and turtle mounds in various forms located on rocky headlands jutting forth towards Torres Strait which are thought to have functioned as sentinels or 'approach points' for travellers from the north, in the areas associated with the Gudang and Unduyamo peoples. According to Greer, McIntyre-Tamwoy and Henry these stoneworks were raised by ritual specialists among these northern Cape tribes for ceremonial purposes associated with initiation rites and increase magic, for example to ensure the reproduction of maritime species prized by hunters, such as the dugong.
Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today, there are many more Torres Strait Islander people living in mainland Australia than on the Islands.
The Mabuyag are an Indigenous Australian group of Torres Strait Islander people united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and survived as skilled hunter–fisher–gatherers and horticulturalists in family groups or clans living on and around Mabuiag Island, in Torres Strait in Queensland, Australia. They are ethnically Melanesian.
The Western Desert language, or Wati, is a dialect cluster of Australian Aboriginal languages in the Pama–Nyungan family.
Badu or Badu Island, is an island in the Torres Strait 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia. Badu Island is also a locality in the Torres Strait Island Region, and Wakaid is the only town, located on the south-east coast. This island is one of the Torres Strait Islands. The language of Badu is Kala Lagaw Ya.
Urradhi is a Paman language of the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, and is apparently extinct. It was spoken by the Urradhi people. Urradhi proper is the south-western dialect of the language. The name is composed of urra "this" and the proprietive dhi "having". The south-eastern dialect of the same language, Wudhadhi, is made of the same elements, wudha being "this". These are part of a group of closely related and highly mutually intelligible dialects, these being Angkamuthi to the north of Urradhi, Atampaya inland from these, Utudhanamu inland north from Atampaya, Yantaykenu further north, being the language of the Bamaga area, Yadhaykenu on the east coast north of Wudhadhi, and Yaraytyana further north again. This group has no common language name, though Urradhi is commonly used as a cover name. It is unknown when it became extinct.
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.
The Djagaraga or Gudang are an Australian Aboriginal tribe, traditionally lived in the coastal area from Cape York to Fly point, including also Pabaju, in the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. In the early period of white settlement as the Somerset tribe, after the settlement of Somerset established on their lands in 1863.
The Northern Peninsula Area Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering areas on the northwestern coast of Cape York Peninsula. It was created in March 2008 out of three Aboriginal Shires and two autonomous Island Councils during a period of statewide local government reform.
The Torres Strait Regional Authority is an Australian Government body established in 1994 to administer the Torres Strait Islands. It consists of 20 elected representatives. The primary function of the authority is to strengthen the economic, social and cultural development of the peoples of the Torres Strait area.
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.
Mbariman-Gudhinma, one of several languages labelled Gugu Warra 'unintelligible speech' as opposed to Gugu Mini 'intelligible speech', is an extinct dialect cluster of Aboriginal Australian languages of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, Australia. Another one in the group is Wurangung, also known as Yadaneru or Jeteneru.
Mayi-Kutuna, also spelt Mayaguduna, Maikudunu and other variants, is an extinct Mayabic language once spoken by the Mayi-Kutuna, an Aboriginal Australian people of the present-day Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, Australia.
Wamin, also known as Agwamin or Ewamian, is an Australian Aboriginal language of North Queensland spoken by the Ewamian people. Wamin was traditionally spoken in the Etheridge region, in the areas around Einasliegh, Georgetown, and Mount Surprise.
Kaurareg is the name for one of the Indigenous Australian and Papuan groups collectively known as Torres Strait Islander peoples, although some identify as Aboriginal Australians. They are the traditional owners of Thursday Island (Waiben) as well as a number of Torres Strait Islands.
The Gumakudin were an indigenous Aboriginal tribe of the Cape York Peninsula. They may have been a sub-clan of the Yadhaigana. They were decimated during the earlier period of colonisation of northern Queensland.
Badu people are an Indigenous Australian group of Torres Strait Island people based on the central-west Badu island.
The Kaantyu people are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula in north Queensland. They live in the area around the present-day town of Coen. Most of their traditional tribal land has been taken over for cattle stations. Kaantju refers to the hook of the yuli, their word for woomera.
The Yadhaykenu, otherwise known as the Jathaikana or Yadhaigana, are an Australian aboriginal tribe of northern Queensland. The name appears to be an exonym from the Western and Central Torres Strait yadaigal "talkers, chatterers,people who speak a lot".
The Dingaal people, also known as Walmbarddha or Walmbaria, are an Aboriginal Australian people of Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.
The Ngathokudi (Ngadhugudi) were an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Their language was possibly a dialect of Uradhi.