Gia people facts for kids

The Gia people, also known as Giya, Kia, or Bumbarra, are an Aboriginal Australian group from the state of Queensland, Australia. They are one of the many First Nations peoples who have lived on the Australian continent for thousands of years.

The Gia Language

The Gia people spoke a language called Giya or Bumbarra. This language was a dialect of the Biri language. The Biri language belongs to a larger group of languages known as the Maric languages.

Experts from the AIATSIS keep a database of Aboriginal languages. They have a separate entry for a language called Ngaro. However, they are still checking if Ngaro is a distinct language or related to Giya. Most of what we know about Ngaro comes from an old list of words collected by a researcher named Tindale.

Gia Country and Neighbors

The traditional lands of the Gia people covered about 4,144 square kilometers (1,600 square miles). This area stretched from Bowen down to St. Helens and Mount Dalrymple. Inland, their country reached the Clarke Range. The Gia people also lived in places like Proserpine, Gloucester Island, and Repulse Bay.

A researcher named Norman Tindale recorded the Gia as a separate group. Their land was just south of Port Denison. However, another expert, Barker, has questioned some of these details.

While the names Ngaro and Gia are sometimes used for the same group, it seems the Ngaro people mainly lived on the Whitsunday Islands. The Yuwibara people lived on the land to the south of the Gia.

Today, a group of Traditional Owners works together to care for the land. This group includes representatives from the Yuwibara, Koinmerburra, Barada Barna, Wiri, Ngaro, Gia, and Juru people. Their lands are within the Reef Catchments Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region. They help manage natural resources and protect important cultural heritage sites in the area.

Early Information About the Gia

One of the first written descriptions of the Gia people came from Sergeant B. Shea. He lived in the Gia area and responded to questions from Edward Micklethwaite Curr. Sergeant Shea called them the Bumbarra tribes.

He described their tribal divisions, which were different for men and women. Men belonged to either the Karilla or Whychaka groups. Women belonged to the Denterbago or Helmerago groups. Girls would usually get married when they were about 12 years old.

Other Names for the Gia

The Gia people were also known by these names:

• Kia
• Bumbara or Bumbarra

Some Gia Words

Here are a few words from the Gia language: