Ngalia (Northern Territory) facts for kids
The Ngaliya (also known as Ngalia) are one of the many Aboriginal peoples who live in the Northern Territory of Australia. They speak a special version of the Warlpiri language. It's important not to confuse them with another group called the Ngalia from the Western Desert area.
Ngaliya Country
The Ngaliya people have lived on their traditional lands for a very long time. According to studies by a researcher named Norman Tindale, their country covered a large area. It was about 11,200 square miles (29,000 square kilometers).
Their land stretched north from the Stuart Bluff Range. It went west to places like Mounts Cockburn and Carey. It also included Mount Ethel Creek, Farewell, Singleton, Saxby, and Mount Doreen. Important places like Cockatoo Creek, the Treuer Range, Mount Davenport, and Vaughan Springs (also called Pikilji or Pikilyi) were also part of their territory.
History and Research
The first outsider to write about the Ngaliya people was Carl Strehlow. This happened a long time ago.
Later, in August 1931 and again in August 1952, researchers from the University of Adelaide visited the Ngaliya at Cockatoo Creek. During the first visit, a young Ngaliya man shared a lot of information. He was going through an important part of his initiation. He listed over 300 place names. These names were for special spots along his tribe's dreaming tracks. He had visited these places the year before as part of his learning journey. The names of these places were not published at the time. This was because it was very difficult to find the exact locations of all these spots on a map.
A researcher named Charles P. Mountford later wrote about the 'Jarapiri'. This is the name for the Rainbow Serpent in their stories. He described how the Jarapiri traveled across the lands of both the Warlpiri and Ngaliya peoples. This journey created many important places.
In the early 1950s, it was thought that there were about 300 to 400 Ngaliya people.
Other Names for Ngaliya
The Ngaliya people have been known by several different names, including:
