Pontunj facts for kids

The Pontunj people, also known as the Yankonyu, are an important group of Indigenous Australians from the eastern side of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland. They have lived on their traditional lands for a very long time.

Their Traditional Lands

The Pontunj people's traditional country is located in a beautiful part of northern Queensland. Their territory covered about 300 square miles (around 777 square kilometers). This area stretched from Cape Weymouth in the north, southwards along the coast. It reached just north of Night Island and included areas near the Lockhart River and Lloyd Bay.

Sometimes, the Pontunj people's lands are seen as overlapping with those of the Kawadji people. Some experts, like Norman Tindale, considered Yankonyu to be another name for the Kawadji. However, he also saw the Pontunj as a distinct group, separate from the Kawadji people who lived around Night Island and the nearby coast.

Other Names for the Pontunj

The Pontunj people are also known by a few other names. These include:

• Jangkonju
• Yankonya