The Bigambul people are an
Aboriginal Australian people of the
Northern Tablelands and
Border Rivers
Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
regions of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
.
Name
In the traditional language, the name of this group is derived from the Bigambul word or which translates in English to ''yes''. The Bigambul are bounded to the south–east by the
Ngarabal, the
Kamilaroi
The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous Australians, Indi ...
to the south, the
Kooma to the west, the
Mandandanji
The Mandandanyi are an Aboriginal Australian people of Queensland.
Country
The Mandandanji occupied of tribal territory, which took in the Maranoa and Balonne rivers north of St. George. Their western extension reached as far Bollon and Wall ...
and
Kabi to the north, and the
Baruŋgam to the north–east.
Country
Norman Tindale
Norman Barnett Tindale AO (12 October 1900 – 19 November 1993) was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist. He is best remembered for his work mapping the various tribal groupings of Aboriginal Australians ...
ascribed to the Bigambul a traditional territory spreading over east of
Nindigully, on the
Weir
A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
and
Moonie rivers, north to
Tara; at
Talwood; on the
Macintyre River
The Macintyre River, a perennial river that forms part of the Border Rivers group, is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray-Darling basin, located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, and the So ...
from east of
Boomi to
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
; at
Yetman,
Boggabilla
Boggabilla is a small town in the far north of inland New South Wales, Australia in Moree Plains Shire. At the , the town had a population of 529, of which 43.5% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
The name Boggabilla ...
, and at
Middle Creek.
Alternate names
* ''Bigabul''
* ''Pikambul''
* ''Bigambal''
* ''Bigambel''
* ''Bee-gum-bul''
* ''Bigumble''
* ''Pikumbul,'Pikumpal, Pikambal''
* ''Pikum-bul, Pickum-bul, Pickimbul''
* ''Pickumble, Picumbul, Pikumbil''
* ''Begumble''
* ''Peekumble''
* ''Pickumbil''
* ''Picumbill''
* ''Preagalgh''
* ''Wigal-wollumbul''
* ''Wee-n' gul-la-m' bul''
Source:
Clans
The Bigambul have a
cultural
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
connection with the northern Kamilaroi people and these people regularly participated in joint ceremonies at
Boobera Lagoon.
Language
The
Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies states that the
Bigambul language was used by the Bigambul people, with
Gambuwal and
Kwiambal (or Gujambal) known dialects.
However, it is more likely that the
Gamilaraay
The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Austr ...
(or Yuwaaliyaay) language was used by those peoples living in southern Bigambul territory.
History of contact
The Bigambul people actively opposed European
colonisation
475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence.
Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
of their territory. From the early 1840s they mounted a 14–year
guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
campaign to expel the settlers. The Bigambul leadership understood the importance of economics in warfare and they specifically targeted horses and cattle rather than just the settlers themselves. The campaign was initially successful with 17 selections being abandoned in Macintyre region in 1843, of which only 13 were re-occupied when Europeans returned 3 years later. The economic war was so successful that it is recorded that one selection was making a loss of £150 per year until 1849. The tide of the campaign turned in 1848 when the Governor set aside £1000 to form the
Native Police
Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...
and appointed
Frederick Walker to command them. Walker took the battle to the Bigambul, attacking them in their camps with his stated objective being their annihilation. By 1851 the economic war was effectively over, land values in the area doubled and the wages paid by settlers to employees were halved. Most of the work done on selections in the area was performed by Aborigines in return for food rations. By 1854 only 100 of the Bigambul people were left alive.
Native title
On 23 February 2001 the Bigambul people lodged a successful
native title claim over in South Western Queensland.
Notable Bigambul people
*
Chris Sandow
Chris Sandow (born 9 January 1989) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a goal-kicking or , he could also play as a .
Background
Sandow was born in Kingaroy, Queensland.
Sandow grew up in Quee ...
a professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer
Notes
Citations
Sources
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External links
Bibliography of Bigambul people and language resources at the
{{Authority control
Aboriginal peoples of New South Wales
Aboriginal peoples of Queensland