Geawegal facts for kids
The Geawegal were an Aboriginal people who lived in the Hunter Valley area of eastern New South Wales, north of Sydney. Recently, a researcher named Jim Wafer from Newcastle University has questioned this identification. He also thinks their original name might have been Kayawaykal.
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Language and Communication
The Geawegal language was likely related to other Aboriginal languages in the area. Researchers are still trying to figure out its exact connections. Some think it was similar to the Gamilaraay language, while others believe it was more like the Warrimay or Awabakal languages.
The name "Geawegal" might mean "no-sayers." This is because the word geawe (or keawai) means "no," and -gal is a suffix that means "belonging to." So, it could mean "the people who say no."
Horatio Hale, a language expert who was part of an early American exploration trip, was one of the first people to describe some of their language.
Their Traditional Land
Historians have different ideas about where the Geawegal people lived. One early description said they occupied part of the Hunter River valley. However, another researcher, Norman Tindale, believed they lived further north-west. He thought their land covered about 8,500 square kilometres (3,300 square miles), stretching from the northern parts of the Hunter River to Murrurundi. This area would have included towns like Muswellbrook, Aberdeen, Scone, and Mount Royal Range.
However, Jim Wafer has challenged Tindale's ideas about the Upper Hunter River area. He suggests that the land Tindale described as "Geawegal" was actually home to people who spoke a different dialect, which he calls the "Upper Hunter dialect."
The Geawegal People
The Geawegal people had connections with nearby Aboriginal groups. Tindale suggested they were closely linked to the Warrimay people. However, other researchers have different ideas, with some suggesting they were part of the Gamilaraay nation or the Hunter River-Lake Macquarie language group.
The Geawegal often married people from the Aboriginal groups in Maitland and sometimes from the Paterson River area. They were said to be afraid of the Gamilaraay people, who sometimes came down from the upper Hunter River and entered their territory, even as far as Jerrys Plains.
Their society had at least two main groups, called Yipai and Kampu. These groups helped decide who could marry whom. The Geawegal also used special messengers, called heralds, to communicate with other tribes, even distant ones. These heralds were highly respected and allowed to travel safely, even among tribes that might be unfriendly.
When a warrior died, their fighting and hunting tools were carefully buried with their body.
Early Records of the Geawegal
The first descriptions of the Geawegal people might be found in the writings of a French explorer named François Péron in 1807. Later, in 1846, Horatio Hale wrote about their language using notes he got from interviews with Lancelot Threlkeld.
In 1880, when it was thought that the Geawegal tribe no longer existed, researchers Lorimer Fison and Alfred William Howitt wrote a short piece about them. They got their information from George William Rusden, who had learned some of the Geawegal language when he was young.
Debate About Their Identity
It has been difficult for a long time to figure out exactly which Aboriginal tribes lived in the upper Hunter Valley. Even maps of Aboriginal territories often left this area blank.
While Tindale identified the Geawegal people in this area, many old documents suggest that the Gamilaraay people were also present in the same region, especially around the Hunter River and Murrurundi. The names "Geawegal" and "Garewagal" were first used by Fison and Howitt to describe this tribe.
Other Names for the Geawegal
- Geawagal
- Garewagal
- Keawaikal/ Keawekal
Some Geawegal Words
- barrucun (boomerang)
- kuratji (witch doctor or medicine man)
- murramai/maRamay or maRama (a special rock crystal believed to have supernatural powers, used in important ceremonies)
