Ngaanyatjarra is an Aboriginal Australian dialectal group of the Western Desert cultural bloc. Ngaanya literally means "this" and "tjarra" means with, the name meanining: "those that use ngaanya to say 'this'". Neighbouring dialectal groups are called Ngaatjatjarra (using ngaatja) or Nyangatjatjarra (using nyangata).

Regions

The Ngaanyatjarra people make use of the resources of the following biogeographic regions

• North Western Great Sandy Desert
• Little Sandy Desert
• South East Gascoyne
• Gibson Desert
• Central Great Victoria Desert
• Western Central Ranges

The Western Desert cultural bloc covers about 600 000 square kilometres with more than 40 such dialectal groups. Among them are the Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Pintupi, Mardu and so on. All dialectal groups speak a dialect of a common language called Wati (or Western Desert Language), which is itself not spoken. Wati literally means initiated man and is used by linguists for this group of dialects because they all seem to be using this word with the same semantic.

Western Desert peoples were among the last to get in contact with the Western world (see for example the Woomera joint project and Maralinga atomic testing). Today most of them live in lands they have been able to claim back from Crown.

Languages

Only five of the many indigenous Aboriginal languages of Western Australia are classified as being "healthy" and four belong to Mgaanyatjarra group^[1], namely

• Nyangumarda (around Telfer)
• Mardu (around Lake Disappointment and Rudall River)
• Mandjindja (Great Victoria Desert region)
• Ngaanyatjarra (Warburton region)

Information

The Ngaanyatjarra lands consists of Wingellina, Blackstone, Jameson, Warburton, Wanarn, Warakurna, Tjukurla, Kiwirrkurra, Tjirrkarli, Patjarr, Kanpa, Cosmo Newberry.

On 29 June 2005 the Ngaanyatjarra lands were the subject of the largest native title determination in Australian history (according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner for Social Justice^[2]) with a Federal Court hearing presided by Justice Black taking place on the lands between Blackstone and Warburton (specifically, )

External links

• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Media Release
• Legal Information regarding the determination
• Background Information regarding the determination
• Ngaanyatjarra entry in the AusAnthrop database
• Ngaatjatjarra Shire Councile website
• Ngaatjatjarra community website
• Ngaatjatjarra Media website - education material and cultural awareness outlet
• Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association website (the official outlet for purchasing recording from the ngaanyatjarra people

References

See also

• Aboriginal groupings of Western Australia

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