Nunga is a term of self-identification for

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...

, originally used by Aboriginal people in the southern settled areas of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, and now used throughout Adelaide and surrounding towns. It is used by contrast with ''Gunya'', which refers to non-Aboriginal persons. The use of "Nunga" by non-Aboriginal people is not always regarded as appropriate. The term comes from Wirangu, the language spoken around Ceduna, and is effectively the South Australian counterpart of Koori as used in

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 Victoria. Other words used for Aboriginal people in South Australia are Anangu (north-west), Nharla (western Lake Eyre Basin), and Yura ( Flinders Ranges). Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)
licence. In the variety of Aboriginal English known as Nunga English, most of the terms of Indigenous origin are from

Ngarrindjeri The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal Australian people of the lower Murray River, eastern Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of the southern-central area of the state of South Australia. The term ''Ngarrindjeri'' means "belo ...

, with quite a number from the west coast ( Kokatha and Wirangu) and some from Narungga, but very few from the Kaurna language (the language of Adelaide). The language evolved from the people who grew up in missions such as Point Pearce (Bukkiyana) and Point McLeay (Raukkan), and so reflects their experience with European culture. Some are working on the emergence of a separate Kaurna culture, so would like to see Kaurna language to be taught rather than Nunga English. Use of the term in official capacities includes the Nunga Court (Aboriginal sentencing courts), the "Nunga Way" cultural teaching framework for schools, the SA Department of Human Services' Yunga Nungas program (to support Aboriginal young people with complex needs) and Nunga Screen (a film event, formerly known as Black Screen).

References

{{authority control Aboriginal peoples of South Australia

See also

References