Gunggari people

The Gunggari, or Kunggari, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southern Queensland.[1] They are to be distinguished from the Kuungkari.

Country

The traditional tribal lands of the Gunggari stretched over some 8,200 square miles (21,000 km2), taking in the Upper Nebine and Mungallala creeks from Bonna Vonna and Ballon[lower-alpha 1] north to Morven and Mungallala.[2]

Language

They speak the Gunggari language, a member of the Maric language family. Their language is closely related to, and sometimes considered a dialect of neighbouring Bidjara and Manandanji languages.[3]

History of contact

As white pastoralists began to seize and develop properties, the neighbouring Mandandanji began to be absorbed into the Gunggari, as the latter moved eastwards.

Social Organisation

According to information supplied by James Lalor to Alfred William Howitt, the Gunggari clan names were as follows:

  • Urgilla. Totem = Ngorgu (Kangaroo)
  • Anbeir. Totem = Bondun (Bandicoot)
  • Wango. Totems =(a)Tonga (opossum) (b)Bulbora (flying fox)
  • Ubur. Totems = (a) Tambool (Brown snake) (b)Abboia (lizard)[4]

Native title

The Gunggari people received a positive determination of native title in 2012. This is now administered by the Gunggari Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (GNTAC), a Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC). More information on native title in Australia and Gunggari land and culture is available at the GNTAC website.[5][6][7]

Alternative names

  • Congaro
  • Coongurri
  • Gungari, Gunggari, Goongarree
  • Kogai (language name)
  • Kogurre
  • Kungeri
  • Kungri
  • Ngaragari. (Koamu word for the tongue spoken between Bollon and Nebine Creek)
  • Unggari
  • Unggri, Unghi
  • Ungorri

Notes

  1. Using Tindale's spelling, in case his "Ballon" is a different place from "Bollon". (Tindale 1974, p. 178)

Citations

  1. NTTC n.d.
  2. Tindale 1974, p. 178.
  3. SLQ n.d.
  4. Howitt 1904, pp. 110–111.
  5. "Home". Gunggari Native Title Aboriginal Corporation. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  6. NNTT 2012.
  7. Caruana 2012.

Sources

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