The Waluwara were an
indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
people of the state of
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 ...
.
Language
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 ...
of the people comes from the name for their language,
Warluwarra, which is classified as one of the
Ngarna languages
The Ngarna or Warluwar(r)ic languages are a discontinuous primary branch of the Pama–Nyungan language family of Australia.Bowern, Claire. 2011.How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?, ''Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web'', Dece ...
.
Country
In
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 ...
's schema, the Waluwara are assigned tribal lands of . They were on the
Georgina River
The Georgina River is the north-westernmost of the three major rivers of the Channel Country in Central West Queensland, that also flows through a portion of the Northern Territory, in central Australia. Part of the Lake Eyre basin, the Georg ...
, northwards from Roxborough Downs to
Carandotta and
Urandangi
Urandangi (formerly also spelled Urandangie) is an outback town in the locality of Piturie in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland, Australia.
Geography
The town is located on the banks of the Georgina River in Central West Queensland, north ...
. Their territory took in
Moonah Creek and the area in the vicinity of Rochedale. Their southwestern frontier was around Pituri Creek.
Social organization
The Waluwara were composed of several hordes of which the following are known:
* ''Didjadidja'' (Roxborough)
* ''Kapula'' (Carandotta)
* ''Panggara'' (Moonah Creek)
Foreign impressions
J. G. Edge, reporting on some words in their language, thought the Waluwara 'poor specimens of the dark race', citing as an illustration of their backwardness a lack of knowledge of the sea. He was also under the impression that native lore attributed the rites of subincision in their Miki ceremony of initiation as originating in a lack of water sufficient to provide enough food to sustain their numerous children, so that a ceremony of emasculation was established.
Alternative names
* ''Walugara''
* ''Walukara''
* ''Elookera''
* ''Wollegarra''
* ''Waloo-kera''
* ''Warluwara''
* ''Wallawarra''
* ''Wolga'' (
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
)
* ''Walgra''
* ''Didjadidja''
* ''Kapula''
* ''Panggara/Pangara''
* ''Paringgara'' ('creek dwellers')
* ''Yannalinka'' (? horde name at Carandotta)
* ''Maula''
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of Queensland