Dadi Dadi facts for kids

Map of Victoria Aboriginal tribes

The Dadi Dadi or Tatitati are an Aboriginal Australian people. Their traditional lands are located along the southern banks of the Murray River in Victoria, Australia.

The Dadi Dadi Language

The Dadi Dadi language is a very old language. It is part of the Lower Murray languages group. This group belongs to the larger Pama-Nyungan language family. Sadly, the Dadi Dadi language is almost gone today.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a researcher named Luise Hercus recorded some parts of the language. This helped to save some of its words and sounds. The Dadi Dadi language is related to the Yita Yita language. Many tribal names in this area, like Nari-Nari and Latjilatji, repeat a word. For the Dadi Dadi, the word 'tati' means 'no'.

Where the Dadi Dadi Lived

The traditional lands of the Dadi Dadi people were very large. According to Norman Tindale, their country covered about 2,330 square kilometers (900 square miles). This area stretched from Euston to about 24 kilometers (15 miles) above the Murrumbidgee junction.

Most of their land was on the southern side of the Murray River. However, they also traveled north as far as Benanee. This region is part of the Murray–Darling basin. People have lived in this area for a very long time, possibly between 27,000 and 36,000 years.

How Dadi Dadi Society Worked

The Dadi Dadi people had a special way of organizing their society. Like the Latjilatji people, they were divided into two main groups. These groups are called moieties. The two Dadi Dadi moieties were named Kailpara and Makwara.

Children belonged to the same moiety as their mother. This system helped to keep families and communities connected. It also guided who people could marry and how they interacted with others.

Early Encounters and Changes

Before European settlers arrived, diseases like smallpox greatly affected the Aboriginal people living along the Murray Valley. These diseases caused much illness and loss of life. In 1830, explorer Charles Sturt described how sick many people were.

In the past, some Aboriginal burial sites along the New South Wales side of the Murray River were disturbed. Ancestral remains were taken from five of these sites by George Murray Black. These remains are now part of a collection known as the Murray Black Collection. Today, Aboriginal groups are working hard to have these ancestral remains returned to their traditional lands.

Other Names for Dadi Dadi

The Dadi Dadi people were known by several names, including:

• Darty-Darty
• Nimp-mam-wern (meaning 'light lip')
• Tataty, Tatatha, Tat(h)i, Ta-ta-thi, Tar-tarthee, Ta-tathi, Taa-tatty
• Tunggut

Some Dadi Dadi Words

Here are a few words from the Dadi Dadi language:

• bet. (father)
• malol. (wife)
• met. (father's father)
• mim. (father's mother)
• paka. (mother's mother)
• tamburay. (frilled lizard)
• ŋak (mother)
• ŋatai (mother's father)