Luritja facts for kids

The Luritja or Loritja people are an Aboriginal Australian people from the Northern Territory. Their traditional lands are located west of the Derwent River. This river formed a border with the Arrernte people. Their lands cover about 26,680 square kilometers (10,300 square miles). The Luritja people speak the Luritja dialect, which is part of the Western Desert language family.

A Luritja man showing how to use a boomerang with a shield (1920).

Understanding the Luritja Name

The Luritja people are also known as Kukatja or Kukatja-Luritja. The name Kukatja is also used by a few other Aboriginal groups in Australia. The word "Kukatja" might mean "meat eaters." This suggests they were proud of hunting for food, rather than just gathering plants.

The Arrernte people, who lived next to the Luritja, sometimes called them Loritja or Aluritja. These names could sometimes mean "outsiders" or "different."

Today, the people living west of the Western Aranda area call themselves Luritja or Kukatja-Luritja. This is how they refer to their family history and background.

Luritja Traditional Lands

The Luritja people's traditional lands cover a large area. They live west of the Gosse Range and Palm Valley. These areas are in the southern MacDonnell Ranges.

Their lands stretch south to Tempe Downs. They also go southwest towards Lake Amadeus, the George Gill Range, and the Cleland Hills. They were also found around Palmer, Walker, and Rudall creeks.

There are two main groups of Luritja speakers. Southern groups speak a language influenced by Yankunytjatjara language. They live south of Hermannsburg. Another group is called Pintupi-Luritja. Their traditional land is northwest and west of Hermannsburg. This includes places like Haasts Bluff, Papunya, Mt Liebig, and Kintore.

Protecting Luritja Land Rights

In 1974, the Luritja people created the Luritja Land Association. This was the first group in Central Australia to work for Australian Aboriginal land rights.

In December 1993, a large area of land was bought for the traditional owners. This land was about 4,750 square kilometers (1,830 square miles). It included the pastoral leases of Tempe Downs and Middleton Ponds. More than 350 Luritja people lived or planned to live on this land.

Studying the Luritja People

The first important studies of the Kukatja people were done by Carl Strehlow. He was a Lutheran missionary. He wrote six large books in German about the Luritja and Arrernte people. These books were published between 1907 and 1920.

Other Names for Luritja

Luritja Language

The Luritja people speak the Luritja language. Here are some words from the Luritja language:

• kanala (grey kangaroo)
• katu (father)
• malu (red kangaroo)
• papa inura (wild dog)
• papa (tame dog)
• yako (mother)

Famous Luritja People

• Harold Thomas (born 1947), who designed the Aboriginal flag.
• Molly Jugadai Napaltjarri (1954–2011), a talented artist.