Ninanu facts for kids

The Ninanu were an Aboriginal Australian people who lived in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. They were one of the many different groups of Aboriginal people who have lived on the Australian continent for thousands of years.

Ninanu Country: Where They Lived

The Ninanu people lived on a large area of land, covering about 4,500 square miles (11,650 square kilometers). This land was located around the Lyons River and the North Lyons River. Their territory stretched west towards Mount Phillips and a place called Peedawarra Bluff. To the east, their land reached the end of the Teano Range, and to the south, it was near Mount Augustus.

A famous researcher named Norman Tindale studied and mapped the traditional lands of many Aboriginal groups, including the Ninanu. His work helps us understand where these different communities lived and how they used the land.

Another Name for the Ninanu?

Sometimes, Aboriginal groups were known by more than one name. For the Ninanu, there might have been an alternative name: Ngaunmardi. This name was found in old notes written by a researcher named Carl Georg von Brandenstein. His notes suggested that the Ngaunmardi people lived on Dooley Downs, which is also on the Lyons River.

However, Norman Tindale couldn't find other records to confirm that the Ngaunmardi were a completely separate group. Because they lived in the same area, he thought that "Ngaunmardi" might have been another name for the Ninanu people.