The Kungarakany people, also spelt Koongurrukuñ, Kungarrakany, Kungarakan and other variants, are an
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands.
Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...
people of 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 ...
. They were called the "Paperbark People" by European settlers.
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 ...
estimated their tribal lands covered approximately . They included the inland area north-east of
Mount Litchfield, around the mid-waters of the
Reynolds River and the headwaters of the
Adelaide River
The Adelaide River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Course and features
The river rises in the Litchfield National Park and flows generally northwards to Clarence Strait, joined by eight tributaries including the west branc ...
. Their north-eastern limits were close to
Rum Jungle and
Batchelor. Kungarakan traditional land encompasses Adelaide River, Batchelor, Rum Jungle,
Finniss River, Litchfield Park, and Berry Springs, including the Territory Wildlife Park.
Language
Alternative names
They were known to European settlers as the "Paperbark People".
Alternative names and spellings include:
* ''Gunerakan''
* ''Kangarraga''
* ''Kangarranga''
* ''Warnunger''
* ''Ungnakan''
Notable people
*
Alngindabu, Aboriginal elder
*
Joe McGinness, Aboriginal rights activist
*
Kathy Mills, first woman on the
Northern Land Council
The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin.
While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strug ...
*
Marlon Motlop
Marlon Motlop (born 17 April 1990), also professionally known as Marlon (stylised in all caps), is an Indigenous Australian former Australian rules footballer and musician.
Motlop played with the Port Adelaide Football Club from 2008 to 2011 i ...
, footballer and musician (on his mother's side
)
*
Tom Calma
Thomas Edwin Calma (born 1953), is an Aboriginal Australian human rights and social justice campaigner, and 2023 senior Australian of the Year. He was the sixth chancellor of the University of Canberra (2014-2023), after two years as deputy ch ...
, Chancellor of the
University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public university, public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is from Belconnen Town Centre, and from Canberra's Civic, Australian ...
*
Val McGinness, Aboriginal rights activist
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{Authority control
Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory