Ngarlawangga facts for kids
The Ngarlawongga (say "Nar-la-wong-ga") are an Aboriginal Australian people. They lived in the inland Mid West region of Western Australia. Sometimes they are also called Ngarla. It's important not to confuse them with another group called Ngarla who lived near the coast.
Their Traditional Homeland
The Ngarlawongga people lived in a large area. This land was in the middle of Western Australia. It was near the start of the Ashburton and Gascoyne rivers. Their land stretched south towards places like Three Rivers and Mulgul. To the east, their territory reached Ilgarari.
Experts like Norman Tindale estimated their traditional lands. They covered about 8,700 square miles (22,500 square kilometers). The Ngarlawongga shared borders with several other Aboriginal groups. To their north were the Mandara people. To the northeast were the Wirdinya. The Wardal lived to their east. The Madoitja were to the south and southeast. The Watjarri lived to their southwest. On their western side were the Ninanu and Inawongga peoples.
Meeting the Ngarlawongga
The famous Australian writer Katharine Susannah Prichard spent time with the Ngarlawongga. This was before she wrote her novel, Coonardoo, in 1929. She stayed on a cattle station run by local Aboriginal people.
Katharine Prichard called the Ngarlawongga people Gnarler. She described them as both 'poetic' and 'naive'. Her time with them helped her write her book.
Other Names for the Ngarlawongga
The Ngarlawongga people were known by a few different names. These include:
- Ngalawongga
- Nalawonga
- Ngarla-warngga
- "Southern Pad'ima" Ngalawonga
- Ngarla (but remember, this is different from the Ngarla people of the De Grey River area)
