Maikulan facts for kids
The Maikulan were an Aboriginal people who lived in the state of Queensland, Australia. They were one of Australia's many First Peoples. Sometimes, people have confused them with another group called the Maithakari.
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What Does Their Name Mean?
An early person who lived in the area said that the Maikulan's own name for themselves came from the word for the Australian brushturkey. This is a type of bird found in Australia.
Where Did the Maikulan Live?
Norman Tindale, a famous researcher, estimated that the Maikulan people lived on about 7,600 square miles (19,684 square kilometers) of land. Their territory stretched from the middle parts of the Norman River, Yappar River, and Clara River northwards to a place called Milgarra.
Their land's eastern edge was near the Gregory Range. The western border was at Iffley Station and Canobie Station.
How Did Contact with Europeans Affect Them?
When European settlers first arrived, it's thought that about 400 Maikulan people lived in the area. But within 20 years, their numbers were cut in half, with only about 200 people remaining.
A group of Maikulan people later moved down the Norman River. They settled near Normanton. This led some early reports to mistakenly believe that the Maikulan originally came from Normanton.
Other Names for the Maikulan
The Maikulan people were known by a few different names, including:
- Maikulung, Maikolon
- Makulu
- Mygoolan, Mykoolan, Mycoolon, Micoolan, Miccoolin, Mikkoolan, Mikoolun
- Mykulau (This was likely a spelling mistake)
Some Maikulan Words
Here are a few words from the Maikulan language:
- meekoolan (This word meant "whiteman")
- mirage (This word meant "mother")
- yadoo (This word meant "father")
- yalbal (This word meant "wild dog" or "tame dog")
