Ayabakan facts for kids

The Ajabakan were an Indigenous Australian people. They lived on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. They were one of many Aboriginal groups in this area.

Their Homeland

The Ajabakan people lived on a large area of land. It was about 1,400 square miles (3,626 square kilometers). This land was around the Upper Edward River. An expert named Ursula McConnel studied them in the late 1920s. She found Ajabakan people living near the Wikianji people. They lived west of the Aiyaboto area, which is south of Coen.

Their Language

The Ajabakan people spoke a language called Bakanha or Ayabakan(u). A language expert named Robert M. W. Dixon said it was part of the Wik group of languages. These languages are found in the Northern Cape York Peninsula. A list of words from their language has been put together. This was done by Philip Hamilton for a dictionary project. It compares Bakanha with Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola languages.

How They Lived Together

The Ajabakan culture was quite similar to that of the Munkan people. Because of this, some thought they had only recently formed their own group. They also had strong connections with the Ayapathu people.

Family Groups and Beliefs

Their society was divided into two main groups. These were called kuyen (or kuyenu) and katpen (or katpenu). These groups were very similar to those of the Wikianji people.

According to Lauriston Sharp, the Ajabakan had a special system of beliefs. This system connected clans to certain animals or plants, called totems. Each clan had its own totem. They had special control over the ceremonial sites linked to their totem. Larger family groups, called phratries, were also very important. They were connected to the totems of their smaller clans.

Family lines were traced through the father's side. This is called patrilineal descent. They believed that spirit babies (bukwa nepi) usually lived on the land belonging to the father's clan.

The Ajabakan people would meet with other groups for ceremonies. These groups included the southern Ayapathu and the Koko olkolo people. They would travel from their homelands on the Upper Edward, Upper Holroyd, and Coleman Rivers. They met with the Kaantju people at the Ebagoolah cattle-run. The Kaantju people played an important role. They helped connect tribes from the Gulf watershed and the east coast.

Other Names for the Ajabakan

• Aiabakan
• Bakanu
• Baganu
• Pakanh
• Yirrq-mayn (Bakanh)