The Weilwan (also known as Wayilwan, Wailwan, Ngiyampaa Wailwan and Ngemba Wailwan) are an
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...
people of the state of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. They are a clan of the
Ngiyampaa
The Ngiyampaa, also known as the Ngemba, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of New South Wales. The generic name refers to an aggregation of three groups, the Ngiyampaa, the Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan, and the Ngiyampaa Weilwan, resp ...
nation.
Name
The Weilwan
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and us ...
is derived from their word for "no" in the
Ngiyambaa language, (''weil/wail/wayil'').
Like other Ngiyampaa people such as the
Wangaaypuwan, they also referred to themselves according to their home country.
Language
The Weilwan spoke the dialect of Ngiyambaa called "Ngiyampaa Wayilwan" and as such also called themselves "those who speak Ngiyampaa the Wayilwan way".
Country
Weilwan country covered , running along the southern bank of the
Barwon River from
Brewarrina
Brewarrina (pronounced 'bree-warren-ah'; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. The name Brewarrina is derived from 'burru waranha', a Weilwan name for a ...
to
Walgett
Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is near the junctions of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways. In 2016, Walgett had a population of 2,145.
In the 2 ...
, and along Marra Creek and the
Castlereagh,
Marthaguy, and
Macquarie rivers. Their southern frontier was at
Quambone and in the vicinity of
Coonamble
Coonamble is a town on the central-western plains of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Castlereagh Highway north-west of Gilgandra. At the 2016 census, Coonamble had a population of 2,750. It is the regional hub for wheat growing and ...
.
Social organisation
The Weilwan were divided into
kin groups
In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...
, one of which is known: the ''Waiabara''.
Alternative names
* ''Ngemba'' (name of their language)
* ''Ngemba'' (name of their language)
* ''Ngiumba'' (name of their language)
* ''Ngiyampaa'' (name of their language)
* ''Ngiyampaa Wayilwan'' (those who speak Ngiyampaa the Wayilwan way)
* ''Waal-won''
* ''Wahoon'' (misprint) )
* ''Wailwan''
* ''Wailwun''
* ''Wali''
* ''Waljwan''
* ''Wallwan''
* ''Wayilwan''
* ''Weilwun''
* ''Wilawun''
* ''Wile Wan''
* ''Wilwan''
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of New South Wales