Ngarluma facts for kids
The Ngarluma are an Indigenous Australian group from the western Pilbara region in northwest Australia. They live near the coast, around the towns of Roebourne and Karratha.
Ngarluma Language
The Ngarluma people speak the Ngarluma language. It is part of the larger Pama-Nyungan language family. This language is quite complex. When Ngarluma people met outsiders, they sometimes used a simpler version of their language.
Today, only about 20 people speak the Ngarluma language fluently. Most of these speakers are older people.
Ngarluma History
The Ngarluma people quickly adapted to the pearling industry that grew along the northwest coast. They might have traveled south to find work in places like Cossack.
In 1875, two shipwreck survivors from Dalmatia, Michele Bacich and Giovanni Iurich, were helped by the Yinikutira people. The Yinikutira people had learned a simple form of the Ngarluma language from Ngarluma workers in the pearling industry. This suggests that Ngarluma people were involved in pearling.
Kinship System
The Ngarluma people use a special kinship system called a "four group skin system." This system helps people understand their family connections and who they can marry. It also guides their roles in the community.
| Banaga | Balyirri |
| Burungu | Garimarra |
Interesting Words
In several Pilbara languages, including Ngarluma, Ngarla, Kariyarra, Yinjibarndi, and Nyamal, the word for sea turtle is tartaruga or thartaruga. This word is very similar to the Portuguese word for turtle.
Some experts believe this similarity means that Portuguese sailors might have visited the northwest coast of Australia before the Dutch arrived. This idea was explored by Carl Georg von Brandenstein. He thought there might have been a secret Portuguese settlement in the area around the 1520s. While the idea of a secret colony is debated, the shared word for turtle is a strong clue.
Native Title Rights
In 2015, the Ngarluma people's native title rights were officially recognized by the Federal Court of Australia. Native title means that Indigenous people have special rights to their traditional lands and waters.
The Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation, located in Karratha, helps manage these native title rights and interests for the Ngarluma people.
Since 1998, the Ngarluma people and the Yindjibarndi people have had an agreement about land access for the Woodside-operated North West Shelf Gas Project. This project includes the Karratha Gas Plant. The Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi people are recognized as the traditional owners of this project area.
The 1998 agreement also helped create the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL). This foundation is based in Roebourne. NYFL works to bring social and economic benefits to both the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi people, and to the wider Roebourne community.
