The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...

n desert near

Uluru Uluru (; ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone monolith. It outcrop, crops out near the centre of Australia in the southern part of the Northern Territory, south-west of Alice Spri ...

. They are closely related to the

Yankunytjatjara The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia. Language Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...

and

Ngaanyatjarra The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory. Language Ngaanyatjarra is ...

and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are varieties of the

Western Desert language The Western Desert language, or Wati, is a dialect cluster of Australian Aboriginal languages in the Pama–Nyungan family. The name ''Wati'' tends to be used when considering the various varieties to be distinct languages, ''Western Desert'' w ...

). They refer to themselves as Anangu (people). The Pitjantjatjara live mostly in the northwest 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 ...

, extending across the border into 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 ...

to just south of

Lake Amadeus Lake Amadeus (together with Lake Neale, Pitjantjatjara: ''Pantu'' ("salt lakes")) is a large salt lake in the southwest corner of Northern Territory of Australia, about north of Uluru. The smaller Lake Neale is adjacent to the northwest. I ...

, and west a short distance into

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 ...

. The land is an inseparable and important part of their identity, and every part of it is rich with stories and meaning to aṉangu.

Pronunciation

The

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

''Pitjantjatjara'' is usually pronounced (in normal, fast speech) with elision of one of the repeated syllables ''-tja-'', thus: ''pitjantjara''. In more careful speech all syllables will be pronounced.

Etymology

The name ''Pitjantjatjara'' derives from the word ''pitjantja'', a nominalised form of the verb "go" (equivalent to the English "going" used as a noun). Combined with the

comitative In grammar, the comitative case (abbreviated ) is a grammatical case that denotes accompaniment. In English, the preposition "with", in the sense of "in company with" or "together with", plays a substantially similar role. Other uses of "with", l ...

suffix ''-tjara'', it means something like "''pitjantja''-having" (i.e. the variety that uses the word ''pitjantja'' for "going"). This distinguishes it from its near neighbour Yankunytjatjara which has ''yankunytja'' for the same meaning. This naming strategy is also the source of the names of

and

Ngaatjatjarra The Ngaatjatjarra (otherwise spelt Ngadadjara) are an Indigenous Australian people of Western Australia, with communities located in the north eastern part of the Goldfields-Esperance region. Name The ethnonym Ngaatjatjarra essentially translat ...

but in that case the names contrast the two languages based on their words for "this" (respectively, ''ngaanya'' and ''ngaatja''). The two languages Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara may be grouped together under the name Nyangatjatjara (indicating that they have ''nyangatja'' for "this") which then contrasts them with

and

Language

Pitjantjatjara language Pitjantjatjara ( ; or ) is a dialect of the Western Desert language traditionally spoken by the Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia. It is mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible with other varieties of the Western Desert languag ...

is used as a general term for a number of closely related dialects which together, according to Ronald Trudinger were "spoken over a wider area of Australia than any other Aboriginal language". It shares an 80% overlap in vocabulary with

Some major communities

See WARU community directory for a complete list * in South Australia type 2 ** in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, including: ***

Pukatja Pukatja (formerly Ernabella, ) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pipalyatjara, Fregon/ Kaltji ...

***

Amata According to Roman mythology, Amata (also called Palanto) was the wife of Latinus, king of the Latins, and the mother of their only child, Lavinia. In the Aeneid of Virgil, she commits suicide during the conflict between Aeneas and Turnus over ...

***

Kalka Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. It is near Panchkula city. The name of the town is derived from the Hindu goddess Kali. Kalka is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring st ...

***

Pipalyatjara Pipalyatjara (formerly Mount Davies) is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands" (the others being Amata, Pukatja, Kaltjiti, Indu ...

Yalata Yalata ( ), in the isolated far west of South Australia, is both an Indigenous Protected Area and, within that, a township of the same name where an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal community lives. The township is west of Ceduna, South Aus ...

** Oak Valley * In the Northern Territory ** Kaltukatjara ** Areyonga **

Mutitjulu Mutitjulu is an Aboriginal Australian community in the Northern Territory of Australia located at the eastern end of Uluṟu (also known as Ayers Rock). It is named after a knee-shaped water-filled rock hole at the base of Uluṟu, and is loc ...

* In Western Australia ** Wingellina also called Irruntju

History

From 1950 onwards, many aṉangu were forced to leave their traditional lands due to

British nuclear tests at Maralinga British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

. Some aṉangu were subsequently contaminated by the

nuclear fallout Nuclear fallout is residual radioactive material that is created by the reactions producing a nuclear explosion. It is initially present in the mushroom cloud, radioactive cloud created by the explosion, and "falls out" of the cloud as it is ...

from the atomic tests. Their experience of issues of

land rights Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these kinds of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use ...

and

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty to that land by another colonising state. The requirements of proof for the recognition of ab ...

in South Australia has been unique. After four years of campaigning and negotiations with government and mining groups, the '' Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act 1981'' was passed on 19 March 1981, granting freehold title over of land in the northwestern corner of South Australia.

Recognition of sacred sites

The sacred sites of Uluru / Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga possess important spiritual and ceremonial significance for the ''Anangu'' with more than 40 named sacred sites and 11 separate

Tjukurpa 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 mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his ...

(or "Dreaming") tracks in the area, some of which lead as far as the sea. Uluru / Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta / Mount Olga are separated from the Pitjantjatjara lands by the border between the

and South Australia and have become a major tourist attraction and a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Notable people

Gordon Briscoe Gordon Briscoe AO (1938 – 30 June 2023) was an Aboriginal Australian academic and activist. In 1997, he was awarded a PhD from the Australian National University. He was also a soccer player. Early life Born in Alice Springs, Northern Terr ...

, an association football player * Ian Abdulla, an award-winning author, and artist *

Trevor Adamson Trevor Adamson is an Australian country/gospel singer best known for his song ''Nyanpi Matilda'', a Pitjantjatjara people, Pitjantjatjara version of Waltzing Matilda. He is from Pukatja, South Australia and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and Engl ...

, a country/gospel singer * Tiger Tjalkalyirri, an elder and guide * Anmanari Brown, pioneering artist * Hector Burton, an artist * Wawiriya Burton, an artist, known for acrylic works * Angkaliya Curtis, an artist * Malpiya Davey, also known as Irpintiri Davey, an artist, known for ceramic artworks * Jimmy James OAM, a tracker * Rene Kulitja, an artist, a famous design is Yananyi Dreaming, which covers a Qantas Boeing 737 * David Miller, an artist * Dickie Minyintiri, an award-winning artist, and sacred lawman *

Tiger Palpatja Tiger Palpatja ( - 16 April 2012) was an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. Life Tiger was born around 1920 (though the exact year is not known). He was ...

, an artist * Walter Pukutiwara, an artist * Kunmanara Stewart, an artist * Tjunkaya Tapaya, a batik artist * Malya Teamay, an Aboriginal Australian artist, and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park management board member * Wingu Tingima, an artist * Tony Tjamiwa, also known as Tony Curtis, a traditional healer and storyteller * Harry Tjutjuna, an artist * Yannima Tommy Watson, known as Tommy Watson, an artist * Ginger Wikilyiri, an artist * Ruby Williamson, an artist, known for acrylic works * Nipper Winmarti, Aboriginal tracker and Traditional Owner of Uluru *

Bart Willoughby Bartholomew Edwin Willoughby (born 1960) is an Aboriginal Australian musician, noted for his pioneering fusion of reggae with Indigenous Australian musical influences, and for his contribution to growth of Indigenous music in Australia. A mul ...

, a musician, noted for his pioneering fusion of reggae *

Frank Yamma Frank Yamma (born ) is an Aboriginal singer and songwriter from Central Australia. He is a Pitjantjatjara man who speaks five languages and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English. Yamma is the son of Isaac Yamma, an early artist who pioneere ...

, an early proponent of singing Western style songs in traditional language *

Isaac Yamma Isaac Yamma (1940 – January 1990), also spelt Yama, was a country singer from Central Australia. He is the father of Frank Yamma. Early life Isaac Yamma was a Pitjantjatjara man who was born by a waterhole near Docker River ( Kaltukatjara) ...

, a country singer *

Harold Allison Harold Allison (10 July 1930 – 28 June 2025) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seats of Mount Gambier from 1975 to 1993 and Gordon from 1993 to 1997 for the Liberal Party The Liberal Party i ...

, initiated as a member of the Pitjantjatjara shortly after becoming Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * (reprint) * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Ngapartji
Online course of Pitjantjatjara language, and related performance event
Web portal for Anangu Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra peoples, communities and organisations

Yalata Land Management

Pitjantjatjara entry in the AusAnthrop database

Pitjantjatjara People at ''Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements'' (ATNS)
{{Authority control Native title in Australia