Maung people facts for kids

The Maung people, also known as Warruwi, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They live on the Goulburn Islands in the Arafura Sea, which is off the coast of the Northern Territory in Australia.

Maung Language

The Maung language is special because it's different from most other Aboriginal languages. It's part of the Iwaidjan languages family. This language is spoken on Goulburn Island, along with another language called Manangkardi. Researchers like Arthur Capell and Heather Hinch were among the first to study and describe the Maung language in detail.

Maung Country and Lifestyle

The Maung people's traditional land covered about 500 square miles (1,300 km²). This area included the Goulburn Islands and the nearby coastal lands. Their country stretched east to the King River and west to Sandy and Angularli creeks.

Seasons and Nature's Calendar

The Maung people understood their year in two main seasons: the wet season and the dry season. The wet season usually lasted until May or June, and the dry season ended around October or November. They used nature to tell time. They watched for small changes in animals and plants to know when seasons changed.

For example, when the peewee bird arrived, it meant the wet season was ending. This was also the time to gather mawain, a type of water lily root. Brown scum on the coastal waters, called mangirgirra, told them it was August. This was when a small type of shark was plentiful for fishing. When the waluru or stringy bark trees started to flower, it meant turtles were mating. Once the blossoms fell, the turtle hunting season began.

Farming and Gathering

Many people think Aboriginal groups were only hunters and gatherers. However, the Maung people also practiced a form of farming. They would gather roots and replant them for future harvests. For instance, Lamilami's grandfather would collect mungubdi lilies and gurabel roots. He would then plant them in new places like billabongs. They also planted banyan and cabbage trees to provide shade.

Maung History

A Methodist mission was set up on Goulburn Island in 1916. The missionaries wanted the Maung people to adopt Western work habits. To change their traditional way of life, especially for Maung women, they introduced basketry in 1922.

The basket-making technique they taught came from the Ngarrindjeri tribe in South Australia. A Methodist teacher named Gretta Matthews learned it there. This new skill became very important. Relatives on Croker Island, the Gunavidji people in the Maningrida area, and the Kunwinjku people at Gunbalanya all learned it. From there, the technique spread across Arnhem Land and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Notable Maung People

• Lazarus Lamilami (1908/1913–1977) was a very important Maung man. He became the first full-blooded Aboriginal person to be ordained as a Methodist minister in 1965. He also wrote a book about his life and times.
• Mondalmi was Lazarus Lamilami's sister. She was a guardian of her people's culture, a linguist, and an activist. She worked with anthropologist Catherine Berndt to record the traditional ways of the Maung people.

Other Names for the Maung People

• Kunmarung (a name used by the Kunwinjku people)
• Manangari
• Mau
• Mauung