Antakirinja people facts for kids
The Antakirinja people, also known as Antakarinya or Ngonde, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They come from the land now known as South Australia.
Contents
What Does Their Name Mean?
The name Antakirinja means "westerners." It comes from the words andakara or antakiri, which mean 'west'. The ending -nja means 'name'. So, their name tells us they are the people from the west.
Their Language
The Antakirinja people speak the Antakirinya language. This language is part of the Western Desert language group. It belongs to a larger family of languages called Pama-Nyungan languages.
Their Traditional Lands
The Antakirinja people lived on a large area of land. Norman Tindale, a famous researcher, estimated their traditional country was about 63,475 square kilometers (24,500 square miles).
Their homeland was around the beginnings of four rivers: the Hamilton, the Alberga, the Wintinna, and the Lora. Their land stretched north into the Northern Territory, reaching as far as Kulgera.
To the south, their land reached areas like Mount Willoughby and Arckaringa. This was near the Kokata people's land at Coober Pedy. The northern edge of the "bluebush plains" often marked the border with the Matuntara tribe.
How They Organized Their Society
The Antakirinja people lived in groups called "hordes" or clans. These were smaller family groups that lived and traveled together.
- Walarangunja was a group living in the eastern Everard Ranges.
- Kadjilaranda was a clan found north of the eastern Everard Ranges.
In 1875, a man named Christopher Giles wrote about their social system. He said they had four main family groups or "class names":
- Parroola
- Panungka
- Booltara
- Koomurra
These groups had rules about who could marry whom. This system helped keep their society organized. Here is how the marriage rules worked:
| Male Group | Marries Female Group | Children's Group |
|---|---|---|
| Parroola | Panungka | Koomurra |
| Panungka | Parroola | Booltara |
| Booltara | Koomurra | Poonungka |
| Koomurra | Booltara | Parroola |
This table shows that a male from one group would marry a female from a specific other group. Their children would then belong to a third group. This system ensured that families were connected across different groups.
Other Names for the Antakirinja People
Over time, the Antakirinja people have been known by many different names. Some of these names are:
- Antakarinja, Antakerinya, Antakerrinya
- Andagirinja, Andagarinja, Andekerinja (this is how the Arrernte people might say it)
- Andekarinja, Antekarinja, Andigarinya
- Andigirinji, Antingari, Andigari, Andgari
- Andegilliga, Andigarina, Antigari, Andigiri, Anjirigna
- Anterrikanya, Antegarinya, Antigerinya, Andjirigna
- Untergerrie
- Aldolinga
- Ngonde
- Tangara
- Yandairunga
- Njuntundjara (this is a name given by the Yankunytjatjarra people)
- Walarangunja
- Walarenunga
- Kadjilaranda
- Aluna (this was the language name for the groups living in the southern parts of their land)
