Nyamal facts for kids

The Nyamal are an Indigenous Australian people. They live in the Pilbara area. This is in north-western Western Australia.

Nyamal Language and Words

The Nyamal people have their own language. A version of Nyamal was used a long time ago. It helped workers on pearling boats talk to each other. This was in the late 1800s. One Nyamal word is now used in English. This word is kaluta. It refers to a special type of small marsupial. This animal is called the Dasukaluta Rosamondae. Scientists first thought it was a different animal. They correctly identified it in 1982.

Nyamal Traditional Lands

The Nyamal people traditionally lived near the coast. Their lands also stretched inland. These lands reached the Yarrie country. This area is near the De Grey River. The word yari means the white ochre found there. Their country was east of the Karajarri coastal zone. It went from Port Hedland to Marble Bar. It also reached Nullagine. Their lands went south over the Shaw River. They went north over the Oakover River. This was up to the borders of other Indigenous groups. These groups included the Martu, Manyjilyjarra, Wanman, Nyangumarta, and Ngarla. A researcher named Norman Tindale estimated their land was about 16,300 square miles (42,217 square kilometers).

Traditional Food Sources

The Nyamal people gathered and hunted food. This was known as bush tucker. They ate mangkurrka cuts. These came from the Punara tree. They hunted two types of kangaroo. One was the plain variety (warrinykura). The other was a hill species (wijunu). They also caught bush turkey. They used the native fig tree fruit as a lure. The turkey was caught in a grass net. This net was spread out in the branches. Emus were also hunted. They were led through a gap in a hedge. Then they fell into spiked ditches. These ditches were dug and hidden with leaves and sand.

Nyamal History and Changes

Part of the Nyamal lands changed in 1963. This was around the De Grey River. A pastoralist named Walter Padbury took up some land. A pastoralist is someone who raises livestock. Later, the land changed hands. It was managed by others. Eventually, Nyamal people found work there. They worked on the new pastoral leases. A white trainee (jackaroo) earned £5 a month. In 1885, Nyamal workers sheared many sheep. They sheared over 13,000 sheep in six weeks. They were not paid with money. Instead, they received flour, sugar, and tobacco. Large groups of sheep ate the grasses. They also ate the bush tucker resources. These resources were important for the Nyamal people. This made the Nyamal more reliant on the stations.

Peter Coppin: A Nyamal Elder

Peter Coppin was an elder of the Nyamal people. His life story was written down. This happened before he passed away. He was born in 1920. His birth-name was Karriwarna. He was born near Yarrie Station. Peter avoided a difficult fate. Many children of mixed heritage in the region were taken away. They were taken by the person then called the "Protector of Aborigines." This person was a man named Mitchell. He was related to Sir James Mitchell. This Mitchell would gather children of mixed descent. He would take them to the Moore River Native Settlement. Peter's mother moved him to the Warralong station. The Hardie brothers ran this station. Peter remembered that the Aboriginal people there became very skilled. He said they were the best stockmen in the world.