Gajirrawoong facts for kids

The Gajirrawoong people, also known as Gadjerong or Gajerrong, are an Aboriginal Australian group. Most of them now live in the north-eastern part of Western Australia, though their traditional lands were in the Northern Territory.

Language

The Gajirrawoong people have their own language, also called Gajirrawoong. It is part of a language family known as the Jarrakan group. Sadly, very few people still speak Gajirrawoong today, making it a language at high risk of disappearing. A dictionary of the language was created in 2007 by Frances Kofod to help preserve it.

Traditional Lands

The traditional lands of the Gadjerong people covered a large area, about 800 square miles (2,072 square kilometers). These lands stretched west along the coast, full of ecosystems like mangroves, waterholes, creeks, and waterfalls. They went from the mouth of the Fitzmaurice River to where the Keep River flows into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf. Inland, their country reached areas like Legune Station and near Border Springs. They also used offshore islands like Quoin Island and Clump Island.

Native Title Rights

The Gajirrawoong people, along with the Miriuwung people, have successfully claimed their native title rights. Native title is a legal way for Aboriginal people to have their traditional rights and interests in land and waters recognised.

The Federal Court of Australia officially recognised the native title rights of the Miriuwung Gajerrong peoples on December 9, 2003. This claim covered a large area of 7,095 square kilometers. It includes places like Kununurra in the east Kimberley, Lake Argyle, the Keep River, and the Ord River Irrigation scheme. Another claim, approved in November 2006, covered 6,758 square kilometers, including Carlton Hill Station, Ivanhoe Station, and parts of the Rosewood Station. This recognition gave them special rights over several community-leased areas.

History

Major changes happened to the Gadjerong people and other groups in the east Kimberley area because of the Ord River Irrigation scheme. This big project meant that parts of their traditional lands were taken, and some very important cultural sites were damaged. Because of this, many Gajirrawoong people moved to an Aboriginal reserve in Kununurra.

Another change happened in 1969 when Aboriginal people were given equal pay for equal work. While this sounds good, it also had a difficult side effect for many Indigenous peoples in the Kimberley and the Northern Territory. Many managers of large farms, called pastoral leases, decided to remove most Indigenous peoples from the land where they lived. This meant people lost their jobs and had to rely on government support instead.

Other Names

The Gajirrawoong people are also known by several other names, including:

• Kadjerawang
• Kadjarong, Kadjeroen
• Kujera
• Ginmu