Pilatapa facts for kids
The Pilatapa people were an Indigenous group from South Australia. They are also known by names like Pirlatapa, Birladapa, or Biladaba. Sadly, this group is now extinct.
Where the Pilatapa Lived
A researcher named Norman Tindale estimated that the Pilatapa people had a large area of tribal land. This land was about 5,000 square miles (13,000 square kilometers) in size.
Their country stretched northeast from the northern parts of the Flinders Ranges. It also went north of the Lake Frome area, which is a basin where water collects but doesn't flow out to the sea.
To the northwest, they lived around what is now called the Strzelecki Desert Lakes Important Bird Area. This included places like Lake Blanche and Blanchewater. Their land reached east to Lake Callabonna and near a place called Tilcha. The southern edge of their territory was around Wooltana and Hamilton Creek.
Their Language
The Pilatapa people spoke a language also called Pilatapa. This language was very similar to the Diyari language.
How They Lived
A person named Samuel Gason wrote about the Pilatapa people. His writings describe how they lived and their customs. He included information about them when he wrote about other groups like the Diyari, Ngameni, Yandruwandha, and Yauraworka people.
Other Names for the Pilatapa
The Pilatapa people were known by several other names, including:
- Pidlatapa
- Piladapa
- Pilladapa
- Pillitapa
- Billidapa
- Pulladapa
- Berluppa
- Pilliapp
- Jarikuna (This was a name given by the Wailpi people, and it was not a friendly term.)
- Yarrikuna
