Ngunnawal or Ngunawal is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Ngunawal people.

Classification

Ngunawal is currently classified as a sub-tribe of the larger Ngarigu/Ngarigo dialect area that covers the limestone plains of Monaro/Maneroo in NSW to ACT across the Monaro tableland through to the Australian Alps of NSW/VIC Snowy Mountains.

Prominent place names

Some meanings for Ngunawal words:

• Kambera - where the name Canberra may have come from, said to mean 'meeting place' for big Bogong moths
• Tuggeranong, a district of Canberra, comes from the Ngarigo/Ngarigu word
• Ginninderra - is also a Ngarigo
• Yeal-am-bid-gie is the name for the Molonglo River, recorded by C. THROSBY in 1820 http://www.abs.gov.au/
• Murrumbidgee means "big river" (See Murrumbidgee River )

Other Ngarigo/Ngarigu words

• Mura Gadi means 'pathways for searching' http://www.nla.gov.au/muragadi/foreword.html. Gadi by itself means 'searching for', http://hds.canberra.edu.au/dri/DRI_2medical.html the Gadi Research Centre at the University of Canberra with this name.

• Bimbi - Bird
• Nengi Bamir - See far (View)
• Dulwa - Casuarina trees
• Bargang - Melliodora trees
• Yerra - swim
• Gummiuk - bulrushes
• Ngadyung - water
• Nguru - camp
• Mundang - canoe http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/di/2004-217/current/pdf/2004-217.pdf http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/di/2004-216/current/pdf/2004-216.pdf (pdf format)

• Weereewa - Lake George http://www.thechoreographiccentre.org.au/fellowships/options.html

• Several Ngunawal sub-tribe words of Ngarigo/Ngarigu were used as street names in the suburb of Ngunnawal area http://sutherland-studios.com.au/heritage.html such as:
  • Gadali - to hunt
  • Guginya - kookaburra
  • Gula - koala
  • Mura - pathway (Also used here http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/lbry/fct_shts/lbry_fs002.htm
  • Burin - stringybark http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/di/1993-36/current/pdf/1993-36.pdf

• Other explanations for street names in Ngunawal sub-tribe Ngarigo language listed by the ACT planning and land authority http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/actlic/places/index.htm:
  • Bargang - yellow box
  • Bimbiang - shield
  • Birrigai - to laugh
  • Budyan - birds
  • Bunburung - small lizard
  • Burin - stringy bark
  • Burrai - quick
  • Bunduluk - rosella
  • Berra - boomerang
  • Bamir - long
  • Balbo - kangaroo rat
  • Bural - day
  • Gamburra - flowers
  • Giliruk - pee wee
  • Gunyan - slow
  • Gurubun - koala
  • Karrugang - magpie
  • Kudyera - fighting club
  • Mirrabei - the name for tribal elder Matilda Sissy Williams (died 1973)
  • Mulleun - eagle
  • Murrung - lizard
  • Mundawari - bandicoot
  • Nangi - see or look
  • Walga - hawk
  • Warabin - curlew
  • Warrumbul - youth
  • Wirria - tree goanna
  • Yerra - to fly like a bird
  • Yerrabi - to walk
  • Yumba - eel

• Narragunnawali - means 'alive/well-being/ coming together' as used in the Peace Park near the National Library. http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/understanding/capital_facts/peace_park.asp

• winyu - sun http://www.atsic.gov.au/News_Room/ATSIC_News/Spring_2002/Successful_employment.asp

• umbagong - axe http://www.pedalpower.org.au/services/rides_library/act/ride75.asp Umbagong district park in Belconnen was named after this.

Possible Ngunawal words

The Gang-gang Cockatoo is possibly named after a Ngunawal word

• gang-gang - name for a 'small black cockatoo' (possibly the only non-locality Ngunawal word in current use - for the Gang-gang Cockatoo, although the word is claimed as being of Wiradhuri origin by another source.) http://canberrabirds.org.au/gg05jul_files/July%202005%20Gang-gang.pdf

• Gungahlin - name for a district in Canberra, which gets its name from the homestead built in 1862 by Edward Crace called 'Goongarline' , which is said to be an aboriginal word for 'white man's house', or mean 'wonderful' or 'beautiful'. http://www.gungahlin.net/about_gungahlin/gungahlin_about.html

• Yhar - running water (town of Yass named after this, where many Ngunawal people had camped.) http://yassvalley.local-e.nsw.gov.au/files/3297/File/ManagementPlanYVC2005PartA.pdf

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources