Dhay'yi people facts for kids
The Daii or Dhay'yi are an Indigenous Australian people. They come from the Northern Territory in Australia.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Daii comes from a word in their language. It means 'this' or 'here'.
Daii Country and Land
The Daii people traditionally lived on about 800 square miles (2,100 square kilometers) of land. This area stretched north from the shores of Blue Mud Bay. It went as far as the Koolatong River. Inland, their land reached at least to a place called Ngilipidji.
How Daii Society Was Organized
The Daii people had two main groups, called clans. These clans helped decide who could marry whom. The two clans were:
- Dalwangu
- Djawark
Each clan belonged to a larger group called a moiety. The Dalwangu clan was part of the jiritja moiety. The Djawark clan was part of the dua moiety. These groups were important for their social rules and traditions.
Trading Goods and Resources
The Daii's land included a special place called Ngilipidji. This area had a rich source of quartzite stone. Quartzite is a very hard rock. The Daii used this stone to make valuable tools. They could then trade these tools with other groups.
Archaeologists believe that this stone tool industry grew because of contact with people from Asia. Before Europeans arrived, voyagers from Makassar in South Sulawesi (part of modern-day Indonesia) visited Australia. They likely encouraged the Daii's stone trade.
Other Names for the Daii People
Over time, the Daii people have been known by several different names. These include:
- Taii
- Tai
- Dalwango
- Dalwongo
- Dalwongu
- Darlwongo
- Dhalwangu
- Djawark
- Djarlwa:g
