Arabana people facts for kids
The Arabana people are an Aboriginal Australian group from South Australia. They are also known as the Ngarabana. Their traditional lands are in the northern part of South Australia.
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What's in a Name?
The Arabana people's original name for themselves was Ngarabana. It is thought that early European settlers might have misheard this name. That is why the name Arabana became more common. Today, both names are accepted by the community.
Their Language
The Arabana language is part of the Pama-Nyungan language family. This is a very large group of Aboriginal languages. Arabana is closely related to the Wangganguru language. They share about 90% of their words.
Where They Lived
The Arabana people traditionally lived on a large area of land. This land covered about 50,500 square kilometers (19,500 square miles). Their country was west of Lake Eyre, near the Neales River. It stretched west to the Stuart Range. Their lands also included Macumba Creek. To the south, their country reached Coward Springs. Important places like Oodnadatta, Lora Creek, and Lake Cadibarrawirracanna were also in their territory.
Their neighbors to the west were the Kokata people. The border between them was near Coober Pedy. To the east, their neighbors were the Wangkanguru people.
Native Title Rights
In 2012, the Arabana people received Native Title rights. This was a big moment for them. The National Native Title Tribunal recognized their strong connection to their land and culture. They were granted native title over more than 68,000 square kilometers of land. This land is in northern South Australia.
Today, the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation looks after these lands. They work to protect their culture and country.
Traditional Stories
The Arabana people have many interesting traditional stories. One well-known story is about three animals.
- Wantu Wantu is a Black-breasted Buzzard. In the story, he is a man-eater.
- Irritye (or Irretye) is a friendly Wedge-tailed Eagle.
- Kutta Kutta (also called Akwete Akwete) is a small hawk. This bird is actually a Spotted nightjar.
These stories teach important lessons about their culture and the world.
Arabana History and Research
In the past, researchers like Walter Baldwin Spencer and Francis James Gillen visited the Arabana people. They came in 1903 to learn about their customs. They wanted to understand how Arabana traditions were different from other Aboriginal groups.
Today, new research is happening. Scientists are working with Arabana people. They are combining traditional knowledge with modern science. This helps them understand and create models for climate change. This shows how important their traditional knowledge is for modern challenges.
How They Organized Their Society
The Arabana people were organized into different kin groups. Each group had its own territory, called a wadlu.
- Jendakarangu (from Coward Springs)
- Peake tribe
- Anna Creek tribe
They also had two main family groups, called moieties. These were named Mathari and Kararru. These groups helped decide who could marry whom.
Other Names for Arabana
Over time, the Arabana people have been known by several different names.
- Arabuna
- Arrabunna
- Arrabonna
- Arubbinna
- Arapani
- Arapina (used by the Iliaura people)
- Ngarabana (their original name)
- Nulla
- Rabuna (sometimes used by the Aranda people)
- Urapuna
- Urabuna
- Urabunna
- Urroban
- Wangarabana (meaning "speech")
- Wongkurapuna
- Wangarabunna
- Yendakarangu
A Few Arabana Words
Here are a couple of words from the Arabana language:
- kutyu: This refers to a ritual assassin, also known as a kurdaitcha.
- thanthani: This word means "cormorant." It is also the name of a totem.
See Also
- Aboriginal Australians
- Native Title
