Wonnarua

The Wonnarua people, otherwise written Wanarruwa, are a group of Aboriginal Australian people united by strong ties of kinship, and who survived in family groups or clans scattered along the inland area of what is now known as the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Their creation spirit is Baiami, also known as Koin, the creator of all things and the Keeper of the Valley.[8]

Wonnarua people
aka: Wonnuaruah/Wonarua/Wannerawa[1]
Hunter Region bioregion
Hierarchy
Language family:Pama–Nyungan
Language branch:Yuin–Kuric
Language group:(??)
Group dialects:Hunter River and Lake Macquarrie Language (Awabakal-Wanarruwa)[2]
Area (approx. 5,200 sq. km)
Bioregion:Hunter Region
Location:Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Coordinates:32°35′S 150°50′E[1]
Mountains:
Rivers
Other geological:Yengo National Park[6]
Notable individuals
Jackey Jackey

Language

The language of the Wonnarua was a dialect of the language spoken in the Hunter River and Lake Macquarie region. The original name of the language is Ghuthung, Ghuthung is spoken from Biripi Worimi and Guringai,is the Language belt. The term denotes the geographical location of the closely related dialects; it is not the name of the language group. The area extends from north of the Hawkesbury–MacDonald River (HMR) language and south of the Lower North Coast language (LNC). Exact geographical locations of the language groups are, at this stage, speculative.[9]

Country

Their traditional territory, estimated to comprise an area extending over 2,000 square miles (5,200 km2), spreads from the Upper Hunter River, above Maitland west to the Great Dividing Range, towards Wollombi.[1] The Wonnarua were bounded to the south by the Awabakal, to the north–west by the Nganyaywana, to the north–east by the Awabakal, and to the south–east by the Worimi peoples. The Wonnarua also had trade and ceremonial links with the Kamilaroi people.

People

The Wonnarua, at the beginning of contact with whites, are estimated to have numbered around 500.[10]

The Gringai were a clan of the Worimi,[5] whose traditional lands are in the Dungog area.[11]

Native title

On behalf of the Plains Clans of the Wonnarua People, Scott Franks and Anor put in a native title claim on 19 August 2013.[12] The document claimed rights over an area of roughly 9,500 square kilometres (3,700 sq mi), embracing the catchment zone within the Great Dividing Range, the Liverpool Range, and the major rivers coming out of the Barringtons, under Yango. The claim included Singleton, Muswellbrook, Dungog, Maitland, and the shire council lands of the Upper Hunter.[13] The legitimacy of the claim was recognised in January 2015 and duly registered in order to have a Federal Court deliberate over the claim and to make a determination.[14][4] Ongoing legal challenges regarding the validity of claims continue, with the latest being decided by the Federal Court[15] on 15/12/2020 recognizing the legitimacy of the claim in a case brought by Glencore against Mr. Franks.

Notable Wonnarua people

Alternative names
  • Wannerawa
  • Wonnah
  • Wonnuaruah/Wonarua

Source: Tindale 1974, p. 201

Notes

    Citations
    1. Tindale 1974, p. 201.
    2. Hobson 2010, p. 110.
    3. Miller 1887, pp. 352–357.
    4. McCarthy 2015.
    5. Tindale 1974.
    6. Strategic Plan 2009–2019.
    7. Frick 2014.
    8. Maitland History: Wonnarua People.
    9. Wafer & Lissarrague 2008.
    10. Miller 1887, p. 352.
    11. Wafer 2014, p. 63.
    12. Franks & Lester 2013.
    13. Meet the Mob 2015.
    14. Newcastle Herald 2015.
    15. "Glencore Coal Pty Limited v Franks [2020] FCA 1801". www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

    Sources

    Further reading
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.