Mununjali clan facts for kids
The Mununjali clan is one of the main groups of the Yugambeh people. The Yugambeh are an Aboriginal Australian nation. The Mununjali's traditional lands are around the Beaudesert area in the Scenic Rim, Queensland, Australia.
Contents
What Does the Name Mununjali Mean?
The name Mununjali comes from the Yugambeh language. The word munun means "black soil," and -jali means "people." So, Mununjali means "Black Earth People." This name describes their traditional lands, which had a lot of black soil.
Mununjali Language
The Mununjali people spoke a special form of the Yugambeh language. We still know a few hundred words of their language today.
In 1968, a person named Margaret Sharpe wrote down many words and grammar rules from Joe Culham. Joe Culham was the son of Coolum, who was known as the "King of the Mununjali." Later, in 1978, a Swedish language expert named Nils Holmer also created a dictionary and grammar from Mununjali people.
These records help us understand their language. They show that the Mununjali spoke a similar language to their neighbours, like the Wanggeriburra clan.
Mununjali Traditional Country
The traditional lands of the Mununjali people stretched across a wide area. To the east, their country reached the Birnam range. To the north, it went up to Jimboomba. In the south, it extended to Tamrookum, and to the west, it reached the Teviot Brook.
Maps from the early 1900s show that the Mununjali lived south of the Gugingin clan, near the Logan River. Their main area was around Beaudesert. They were north of the Migunburri clan, and the Wangerriburra clan lived in the hills to their east.
Notable Mununjali People
- Ellen van Neerven: An award-winning writer and poet.
- Chelsea Watego: An academic and writer.
See Also
