Wodiwodi

The Wodiwodi or Wodi Wodi, also pronounced Whardi Whardi (according to an interview with Joan Mc Grady- nee Kearney in the early 1990s), are a sub-group of the Dharawal people, an Indigenous Australian people of the east coast of the continent.

Language

The Wodiwodi language, considered to be a dialect of Dharawal, was partially described by William Ridley in 1875, who obtained his information from John Malone who had obtained information from his wife, Lizzie Malone, whose mother was a Shoalhaven Indigenous person.

Country

The Wodiwodi are estimated, by Norman Tindale, to have lived over some 2600 square kilometres (1000 square miles) of country of the Illawarra north of the Shoalhaven River including Lake Illawarra, Berkeley and Hooka Creek. The area underwent significant change with sea level rise 18,000 to 7,500 years ago which completely displaced inhabitants of previous coastal areas and resulted in dramatic changes in distributions of peoples. The Wodiwodi descendants are considered one of the custodians of the land in this area. The Wodi Wodi track at Stanwell Park, New South Wales, now a walking track, was used by the Wodiwodi people before becoming an early cart track through the Illawarra Escarpment into the Illawarra.

Mythology

The Wodiwodi word for the creator figure called Baiame by contiguous tribes, was ''Mirrirul'', from the word ''mirīr'', meaning "sky."

Alternative spellings and names

* ''Wodi Wodi''
* ''Woddi Woddi''
* ''Whardi Whardi''
* ''Illawarra'' (a regional name)

Some words

* ''būnbāri'' (boy)
* ''būrrū'' (kangaroo)
* ''jiruŋgaluŋ'' (white man)
* ''kudjaguz'' (child)
* ''mirriguŋ'' (dog)

Citations

Sources

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{{authority control

Aboriginal peoples of New South Wales