Anindilyakwa people facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Anindilyakwa

Anindilyakwa men and boys in a bush shelter in Groote Eylandt, 1933
Total population
1,596 (2016)
Regions with significant populations
Australia Northern Territory
Languages
Anindilyakwa language (written in various ways)

The Anindilyakwa people, also known as Warnumamalya (meaning 'True People'), are Aboriginal Australian people. They live on Groote Eylandt, Bickerton Island, and Woodah Island. These islands are located in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Who are the Anindilyakwa People?

The Anindilyakwa people are the Traditional Owners of the Groote archipelago. Even though they have a strong shared identity, the fourteen different clans on these islands didn't have one single name for themselves. In the past, they were sometimes called the Warnindilyakwa. However, this name actually belongs to just one specific clan from the Dilyakburra peninsula.

A Look at Anindilyakwa History

Trading with Macassan People

Long before Europeans arrived, the Anindilyakwa people traded with Macassan people from Sulawesi. These traders sailed to northern Australia every December, using the strong monsoonal winds. They came in their traditional boats called praus.

The Macassans traded for things like sea cucumbers (called trepang), beeswax, and pearls. These items were then sold in China. In return, they offered beads, metal tools, canoe parts, sails, and fishing hooks. This trading was very big. One explorer, Matthew Flinders, even saw an expedition with about 1,000 sailors and 60 praus! This trade slowed down after the Australian government started adding taxes in the 1880s. The last trading season was in 1906–1907.

The Macassans also brought new things to the islands, like tamarind trees. Some people on the island have a health condition called Machado–Joseph disease. It is thought that this condition came from a Macassan ancestor who carried the disease.

European Settlement and Changes

Church Mission Society

By the 1950s, many Anindilyakwa people moved into settlements. These included places like Angurugu and Umbakumba. These settlements were managed by a church group called the Church Missionary Society. But their lives were about to change a lot when a mineral called manganese was found on the island.

Manganese Mining

In 1964, a company called the Groote Eylandt Mining Company was given permission to mine on the island. They paid royalties (money) to the Church Missionary Society. The first manganese ore was shipped out in 1966. By 2015, the mine was producing over 3 million tonnes of manganese each year. This was more than 15% of all the manganese produced in the world! The mine is expected to keep producing until at least 2027.

Life Today

The mine's creation caused big changes for the Anindilyakwa people. They were moved and had to live closer together. Because of these changes, two clans, the Mamarika and Amagula, have had disagreements for many years. These disagreements might be linked to older rivalries.

The Anindilyakwa Language

The Anindilyakwa people speak the Anindilyakwa language. Some experts believe Anindilyakwa has one of the most complex grammars of any Australian language. It shares this special feature with the nearby mainland language of Nunggubuyu, also known as Wubuy.

Anindilyakwa is not related to the main group of Australian languages, called the Pama–Nyungan language family. While it has similar grammar to Wubuy, their basic words are different.

There is also a different way of speaking Anindilyakwa, mostly used in the Umbakumba community. This version uses slightly different sounds and a stronger pitch. Anindilyakwa words are often very long, from two to fourteen syllables. This is because they add prefixes (small parts at the beginning of words) to show number, person, and gender for almost all nouns, adjectives, and other words. For example, an eyelash is mwamwitjingwila mwanpwa, which means 'eye's plumage'. A man is nanimwamwalya, meaning 'human male possessing body fat'.

Anindilyakwa Land and Nature

Anindilyakwa land covers about 1,000 square miles (2,600 square kilometers). It includes three islands: Groote Eylandt, Bickerton, and Woodah. There are three main Indigenous communities in this area: Angurugu and Umbakumba on Groote Eylandt, and Milyakburra on Bickerton Island.

Groote Eylandt has many different natural areas. You can find thick monsoon forests behind coastal sand dunes. There are also mangrove swamps and mudflats. Sandstone rocks and laterite (a type of soil) create great places for shellfish to live.

The fruit of the Zamia palm, called burrawang, contains a deadly toxin. The Anindilyakwa people generally avoided it, unless food was very scarce. However, they knew several ways to make it safe to eat, such as soaking it in running water for several days.

Family and Clan Systems

There are 14 different clan groups on Groote Eylandt. Each clan has its own territory spread across the islands. The Warnindilyakwa people have lived here for about 8,000 years. From the mid-1700s, many Nunggubuyu people from the nearby mainland community of Numbulwar moved to the islands. They married into the Anindilyakwa clans, mixing the two cultures.

All Anindilyakwa people are connected by a complex kinship system. This system means everyone is related to each other and shares in important ceremonies.

These clans are patrilineal, meaning family lines are traced through the father. They are also divided into two main groups called moieties. Unlike other Aboriginal groups, these moieties don't have specific names. Anindilyakwa people refer to their own moiety as Yirrenikbaburra ('Our Moiety'). They call the other moiety Wurrenikbaburra ('Their Moiety'). In English, they are simply called Moiety 1 and Moiety 2.

In the 1950s, Anindilyakwa people started using surnames to follow government rules. Many of these surnames come from a clan's totem. For example, Mamarika means 'Southeast wind'. Before surnames, people would refer to themselves by their area or totem.

Moieties and Clans

Poison Cousins

Like other Aboriginal cultures, Anindilyakwa culture has 'poison cousins' (wurrudajiya). These are special avoidance relationships. Certain people are required to avoid direct contact with specific family members or clans. This means no direct talking, no facing each other, and keeping a certain distance.

For a woman, her 'poison cousin' or nadija is her son-in-law (her daughter's husband) or the son of her mother's mother's brother. For a man, his 'poison cousin' or dadija is his mother-in-law (his wife's mother) or the daughter of his mother's mother's brother.

Anindilyakwa in Popular Culture

Anindilyakwa Musicians

• Emily Wurramara is a talented Anindilyakwa singer and songwriter from Groote Eylandt. She has even been nominated for an ARIA award! Emily writes and sings songs in both English and Anindilyakwa.
• Yilila is a band from Numbulwar. The lead singer, Grant Nundhirribala, is a master of traditional music. He is a respected song man and dancer. The band performs their music in Wubuy, Anindilyakwa, Maccassan language, and English.
• Other great bands from the area include Mambali from Numbulwar, Groote Eylandt Band from Angurugu, and Salt Lake Band from Umbakumba.

Films and TV about Anindilyakwa

• The Last Wave (also known as Black Rain in the US) is a 1977 Australian mystery drama film. It was directed by Peter Weir. In the movie, a lawyer represents a group of Aboriginal men accused of murder. Several Anindilyakwa men, including Nandjiwarra Amagula, Walter, Roy Bara, Cedrick Lalara, and Morris Lalara, played the men on trial.
• Bakala is an award-winning short film from 2017. It was written and directed by Nikolas Lachajczak and is told completely in the Anindilyakwa language. The film tells the story of Steve 'Bakala' Wurramara, an Anindilyakwa man who has Machado–Joseph disease (MJD). This is a genetic disorder that affects muscle control and coordination.
• Anija is another award-winning short film from 2011, written and directed by David Hansen. It is mostly filmed in the Anindilyakwa language. This film won the Best Indigenous Resource award at the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards in 2011.
• The Anindilyakwa language was featured on Spread the Word. This was an Indigenous Australian languages show on The Disney Channel. The show highlighted the Anindilyakwa word ngarrarndirrarjena, which means 'kicking a tree to get something off of it.'

Special Commemoration

• In 2019, the Royal Australian Mint released a special 50-cent coin. It celebrated the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The coin features 14 different words for 'money' from various Australian Indigenous languages. One of these words is awarnda from the Anindilyakwa language. The coin was designed by Aleksandra Stokic, who worked with Indigenous language groups.