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Bodaruwitj facts for kids

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The Bodaruwitj people are an Aboriginal Australian group from South Australia. They are also known as the Bedaruwidj or Potaruwutj. Some old records also called them the Tatiara. Researchers like David Horton thought they might be the same as the Bindjali people. Today, the names Bindjali and Bodaruwitj are often used for the same language.

What's in a Name?

The name Potaruwutj comes from their own language. It means "wandering." The part -wutj means "man." This name shows how they moved their camps often. They lived in the mallee scrubland, shifting from place to place.

Their Language

The Bodaruwitj people spoke a language called Yaran. It is also known as Bindjali. People in the Padthaway area spoke a version of this language. Sadly, not many people speak it today.

Some early settlers and researchers wrote down words from their language. William Haynes, who lived in the area, shared two lists of words. Later, Norman Tindale collected words from Milerum, whose mother was a Potaruwutj. In 1973, another researcher, R.M. Dixon, recorded Bindjali words from Bertie Pinkie. This shows how important it was to save parts of their language.

Their Traditional Lands

The Bodaruwitj people lived on a large area of land. Researchers believe their lands covered about 3,000 square miles (7,800 square kilometers). This stretched from Naracoorte west towards the Coorong area. Their northern border was near Tatiara. Their country included towns like Bordertown, Wirrega, and Keith.

Their land was often dry and had less rain than nearby areas. The Bodaruwitj, like other Aboriginal groups, marked their territory. They used stones or cairns (piles of stones) to show their boundaries. Their clans often named places based on a special feature of the area. They would add words like -injeri (meaning "belonging to") or -orn (meaning "man") to the place names.

How They Lived Together

When Europeans first arrived, there were thought to be about 500 Bodaruwitj people. But over a few decades, their numbers dropped. Today, we only have small pieces of information about their groups.

The Bodaruwitj people were made up of at least five main groups, or clans:

  • Coolucooluk
  • Wirigirek (who lived in the north, like the place Wirrega)
  • Tatiara (a place name)
  • Polinjunga
  • Kangarabalak

History with Europeans

When Europeans settled in South Australia, it changed the lives of the Bodaruwitj people. Robert Lawson, a Scottish businessman, started a farm near Padthaway. He called the local Aboriginal people the Coolucooluck or Padthaway people.

There are also stories about difficult times between different Aboriginal groups. One story tells of a big event near Tailem Bend. Many Tatiara people were involved in a conflict with the Ngarrindjeri people. Even though traditions said the Tatiara and Yaraldi people did not marry each other, records show that some did.

Other Names for the Bodaruwitj

The Bodaruwitj people have been known by many different names over time:

  • Bindjali
  • Bunyalli
  • Cangarabaluk
  • Coolucooluk
  • Dadiera
  • Djadjala
  • Jaran (their language name)
  • Kangarabalak
  • Padthaway tribe
  • Polenjunga
  • Polinjunga
  • Potangola
  • Potaruwutj/Potaruwutji
  • Tatiara
  • Tattayarra, Tatiarra
  • Tyattyalla
  • Tyatyalli
  • Tyedduwurrung
  • Tyeddyuwurru
  • Wepulprap (meaning "southern people" in the Tanganekald language)
  • Wereka
  • Wereka-tyalli
  • Werekarait
  • Wergaia
  • Wimmera
  • Wirigirek (a northern group; Wirrega is a place name)
  • Wirrega
  • Woychibirik
  • Wra-gar-ite
  • Yaran

Some Words from Their Language

Here are a few words from the Bodaruwitj language:

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