The Amurdak, people, also written Amarak and Ngamarak, are an indigenous Australian people of the

Cobourg Peninsula The Cobourg Peninsula is a peninsula located east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about , and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Language

The language of the Amarak,

Amurdak The Amurdak, people, also written Amarak and Ngamarak, are an indigenous Australian people of the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. Language The language of the Amarak, Amurdak language, Amurdak, is now virtually extinct, the last kn ...

, is now virtually extinct, the last known speaker being

Charlie Mungulda Charlie Mungulda of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, was the last native speaker of the Amurdak language Amurdak, also rendered Amurdag, Amurdak, Amurag, Amarag and Wureidbug, is an Aboriginal Australian language historic ...

. It was also known as ''Wardadjbak'', and belongs to the Iwaidja language family. It had two dialects, ''Urrik'' and ''Didjurra''.

Country

The Amurdak's traditional lands extended over some around the eastern coast of

Van Diemen Gulf Van Diemen Gulf is a gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia. It connects to the Timor Sea in the north via Dundas Strait. Most of its area is also gazetted as a locality with the name Van Diemen Gulf. History The gulf was named after th ...

. Their northern extend lay beyond Murgenella Creek and in the vicinity of Cooper Creek, while their southern frontier was close to the

East Alligator River Alligator Rivers is the name of an area in an Arnhem Land region of the Northern Territory of Australia, containing three rivers, the East, West, and South Alligator Rivers. It is regarded as one of the richest biological regions in Australia, ...

Mythology

According to the widespread creation story of the Cobourg Peninsula

dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally u ...

, the Amurdak (Umoriu) descended from Imberombera deposited who children at a place near Cooper Creek known as Mamul. One of the children was called Kominuuru, and, on leaving, she told them to speak Amurdak, and an

edible bulb Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans or animals as food. In agricultural and culinary terminology, the term applies to true roots, such as taproots and root tubers, as well as non-roots such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and ...

called .

Alternative names

* ''Amarag, Amuruk, Amurag, Amurrak'' * ''Ngamurak, Ngamurag, Nga:mu:rak'' * ''Umoriu'' * ''Monobar'' (?) * ''A'moordiyu'' * ''Amardak'' * ''Amurdag'' * ''Amurtak'' * ''Amuruk'' * ''Mamurug'' * ''Namurug'' * ''Umoreo'' * ''Umorrdak'' * ''Wardadjbak'' * ''Woraidbug'' * ''Wureidbug''

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{authority control Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory