Wangaibon

Last updated

Wangaibon
Total population
possibly under 100
(less than 1% of the Australian population, less than 1% of the Aboriginal population)
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia
(Queensland)
Languages
English, formerly Warrongo language and Gugu Badhun language
Religion
Aboriginal mythology

The Wangaibon are a tribe of Indigenous Australians who traditionally lived between Nyngan, the headwaters of Bogan Creek and on Tigers Camp and Boggy Cowal creeks [1] [2] [3] and west to Ivanhoe, New South Wales. [4]

In anthropology, a tribe is a human social group. Exact definitions of what constitutes a tribe vary among anthropologists. The concept is often contrasted with other social groups concepts, such as nations, states, and forms of kinship.

Indigenous Australians are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, descended from groups that existed in Australia and surrounding islands before British colonisation. The time of arrival of the first Indigenous Australians is a matter of debate among researchers. The earliest conclusively human remains found in Australia are those of Mungo Man LM3 and Mungo Lady, which have been dated to around 50,000 years BP. Recent archaeological evidence from the analysis of charcoal and artefacts revealing human use suggests a date as early as 65,000 BP. Luminescence dating has suggested habitation in Arnhem Land as far back as 60,000 years BP. Genetic research has inferred a date of habitation as early as 80,000 years BP. Other estimates have ranged up to 100,000 years and 125,000 years BP.

Nyngan Town in New South Wales, Australia

Nyngan [pr: ning-gan] is a town in the centre of New South Wales, Australia, in the Bogan Shire local government area within the Orana Region of central New South Wales. At the 2011 census, Nyngan had a population of 2,073 people. Nyngan is situated on the Bogan River between Narromine and Bourke, on the junction of the Mitchell Highway and Barrier Highway, 583 km north-west of Sydney by road. The Barrier Highway starts at Nyngan, and runs west to Cobar and on through Wilcannia and Broken Hill into South Australia.

Contents

Ethnonym

The tribal ethnonym derives from their word for 'no', variously transcribed worjai, [4] wonghi [5] or wangaay. [6] [7]

An ethnonym is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms and autonyms, or endonyms.

Language

They spoke a distinct dialect of Ngiyampaa

Like other Ngiyampaa people such as the Weilwan, they also referred to themselves according to their home country. [6] [7]

The Ngiyambaa language is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup. It was the traditional language of the Wangaibon and Weilwan peoples of New South Wales, Australia, but is now moribund; according to Donaldson by the 1970s there were only about ten people fluent in Wangaibon, whilst there were only a couple of Weilwan speakers left.

The Weilwan are an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales.

Country

According to Norman Tindale, the Wangaibon's traditional lands extended over some 27,000 sq. miles of territory, taking in the headwaters of the Bogan River, the Tigers Camp and Boggy Cowal creeks. Their area encompassed Trida, Narromine, Nyngan, Girilambone, Cobar, and Gilgunnia. The western boundary lay around Ivanhoe and near the Neckarboo Range. Their southern borders ran to Trundle. When severe drought struck they were known to venture into Wiradjuri land, to their west, [8] on the Lachlan River and Little Billabong Creek. [4]

Norman Tindale Australian biologist

Norman Barnett Tindale AO was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist.

Bogan River river

Bogan River, a perennial river that is part of the Macquarie–Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central west and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia.

Trida is a locality in Central Darling Shire in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia.

Social organization

According to an early observer, A. L. P. Cameron, the Wangaibon's social divisions were as follows: [9]

classesTotems
Ipaiwagun (crow)
Kumbumurua (kangaroo)
Murritali (iguana)
Kubbikuru (bandicoot); kurakai (opossum)

The Wangaibon intermarried with the Wiradjuri, and the marriage pattern, again according to Cameron, was as follows:: [10]

The Wiradjuri people are a group of Indigenous Australian Aboriginal people that were united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and survived as skilled hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans scattered throughout central New South Wales.

MaleMarriesChildren are
(M) Ipai(F) MathaKubbi/Kubbitha
(M) Kumbu(F) KubbithaMurri/Matha.
(M) Murri(F) IpathaKumbu/Butha.
(M) Kubbi(F) ButhaIpai/Ipatha.

Cameron elsewhere [11] states that Ipatha, Butha, Matha and Kubbitha were the famel equivalents of Ipai, Kumbu, Murri and Kubbi.

There were five grades classified for the ages of man: a boy was eramurrung; bimbadjeri during the initiatory months; then bigumjeri. On reaching middle age, he became gibera and in old age giribung.: [12]

Lore

According to a Wangaibon story, the emu once had enormous wings, and, flying high, grew curious at the sight of numerous birds engaged in fishing in a lake. On its descent, the other species flew off in alarm, save for the brolga or native companion. The emu inquired about how it might learn the craft of fishing, and the brolga, with treacherous mischief in mind, told it that in order to trawl up fish, it would have to have its immense wings removed which, on the emu consenting, the native companion set about doing, and, once the shearing was completed, scorned the emu, which was now deprived of flight. On meeting up again after many years, it turned out the emu had a brood of ten chicks, while the brolga had only one. The brolga apologized for her bad behaviour and was forgiven. But, unable to change her malicious ways, she jumped at the excuse provided by the emu's admission it was hard to feed her nurslings, by suggesting they eat them. Once more the emu was inveigled into accepting the brolga's advice, only, once the latter had gorged itself, to be cajoled for its stupidity in having its young killed. On a third occasion, the brolga, seeing the emu on a brood of 10 eggs, tried to get them, but was fended off as the emu rushed off the nest and charged the native companion. It in turn, leapt at the opportunity to smash the eggs by dropping down from the sky. Only one remained intact. The outraged emu, finding nothing to throw at her antagonist, took this last egg and launched it after the brolga as it flew high into the sky. It hit its target, and, as it broke, formed the sun. [8]

Alternative names and spellings

Some words

Notes

  1. ↑ The source from the Bench of Magistrates, Obley, gives murria. The toponym Merrigal meant a place where many dingos gathered. [16] [17]

Citations

Sources


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

Related Research Articles

The Barindji, also written Parrintyi, are an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales. They are to be neatly distinguished from the Paaruntyi, who spoke a similar language but whom they called the spitting people.

The Overflow, New South Wales New South Wales, Australia

The Overflow is a bounded rural locality, cadastral parish and Sheep station, 100 kilometers south of Nyngan, New South Wales. It is located at 32°12′05″S 146°38′31″E on Gunningbar Creek near the junction with the Bogan River and is in Bogan Shire and Flinders County. The locality is 32 kilometers south of the town of Nymagee, and west of Tottenham, New South Wales.

Grahway, New South Wales New South Wales, Australia

Grahway is a bounded rural locality, and cadastral parish, 100 kilometers south of Nyngan, New South Wales. It is located at 32°12′05″S 146°38′31″E on Gunningbar Creek near the junction with the Bogan River and is in Bogan Shire and Flinders County.The locality is 32 kilometers south of the town of Nymagee, and west of Tottenham, New South Wales.

Delby, New South Wales

Delby' is a bounded rural locality, and cadastral parish, 100 kilometers south of Nyngan, New South Wales. It is located at 32°15′57″S 146°43′29″E on Gunningbar Creek near the junction with the Bogan River and is in Bogan Shire and Flinders County. The locality is south of the town of Nymagee, and west of Tottenham, New South Wales.

Walton, New South Wales

Walton is a bounded rural locality, and cadastral parish, 100 kilometers south of Nyngan, New South Wales. It is located at 32°10′26″S 146°34′16″E on Gunningbar Creek near the junction with the Bogan River and is in Bogan Shire and Flinders County. The locality is south of the town of Nymagee, and west of Tottenham, New South Wales.

The Tulua were an indigenous Australian tribe of Queensland.

The Kwatkwat were an indigenous Australian tribe of the State of Victoria, though some scholars consider them part of the broader Yorta Yorta/Pangerang macrogroup.

The Gunggari are an indigenous Australian people of southern Queensland. They are to be distinguished from the Kuungkari.

The Kuungkari are an indigenous Australian people of Queensland. They are to be distinguished from the Kunggari.

The Ngiyampaa also known as the Ngemba, are an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales.

The Kwiambal were an indigenous Australian people of New South Wales.

The Punthamara were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland.

The Mian were an indigenous people of the state of Queensland.

The Karingbal (Garaynbal) are an indigenous Australian people of the state of Queensland. They spoke a dialect of Biri.

The Jeithi were an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales.

The Kawambarai (Gawambaraay) were an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales. Their domain was in the central–western district of New South Wales

The Paaruntyi are an indigenous Australian people of the state of New South Wales. They are not to be confused with the Parrintyi.

Eilginbah, New South Wales

Elinginbah, New South Wales is a rural locality of Bogan Shire and a civil parish of Oxley County, New South Wales, a Cadastral divisions of New South Wales.