The Panyjima, also known as the Pandjima/Banjima, 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

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Language

The Panyjima speak one of the Ngayarda sub-group of the Pama-Nyungan languages. The number of speakers was estimated in 2002 to be around fifty.

Country

According to

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 ...

, the Panyjima held sway over of tribal territory. They dwelt on the upper plateau of the

Hamersley Range The Hamersley Range is a mountainous region of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The range was named on 12 June 1861 by explorer Francis Thomas Gregory after Edward Hamersley, a prominent promoter of his exploration expedition to the ...

and as far south as the

Fortescue River The Fortescue River is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the third longest river in the state. Course The river rises near Deadman Hill in the Ophthalmia Range about 30 km south of Newman, Western Austr ...

. Their eastern frontier lay at Weeli Wolli Creek, near Marillana. Their southern limits lay around

Rocklea Rocklea is a southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Rocklea had a population of 1,672 people. Low-lying parts of the suburb are flood prone. Geography Rocklea is located 9 kilometres south of the city. The ...

and on the upper branches of Turee Creek, as ran east as far as the Kunderong Range.

History of contact

Before the period of contact with European, the highlander Kurrama pressured them out to shift east as far as Yandicoogina and the

Ophthalmia Range The Ophthalmia Range is a mountain range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, approximately north of Perth, Western Australia, Perth. There are some variations of the spelling of Ophthalmia. The eastern end of the range is connected to ...

, a movement which in turn drove the Mandara and

Niabali The Niabali, otherwise written ''Nyiyaparli,'' are an indigenous Australia tribe of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Language Their language is called Nyiyaparli. It was customary to classify it as one of the Ngayarda languages until Alan ...

eastwards.

Native title

Alternative names

* ''Bandjima'' (western tribal pronunciation) * ''Mandanjongo'' ("top people",

Nyamal The Nyamal are an Indigenous Australian people of the Pilbara area of north-western Western Australia. Language A version of Nyamal became the basis of a pidgin used among workers on pearling luggers in the late 19th century, and was spoken sev ...

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

for plateau people such as the Panyjima and the

Yindjibarndi The Yindjibarndi are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They form the majority of Aboriginal people around Roebourne (the Millstream area). Their traditional lands lie around the Fortescue River. Languag ...

) * ''Panjima, Pand'ima''

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia Pilbara Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia