Thangkaali facts for kids

The Thangkaali (also known as Danggali) are an Indigenous Australian group from South Australia. They are one of the many First Nations peoples of Australia.

Thangkaali Language

The Thangkaali people spoke a language called Yakkumban. This was noted by explorer Edward John Eyre in his journals.

Traditional Lands

The Danggali people lived on a large area of land. According to researcher Norman Tindale, their traditional country covered about 25,000 square kilometres (9,800 square miles).

They lived in the dry mallee country west of the Darling River. Their lands also included the plains southwest of Broken Hill. This area stretched from Tandou Lake southwest towards Mount Bryan and Burra Creek. To the northwest, their land reached past Morgan.

Their neighbours to the north were the Malyangapa people.

Daily Life and Customs

Much of the Thangkaali land was very dry. They found water from the roots of plants like red mallee and Hakea. Their homes, called wurlies, were built low to the ground. They used mallee branches covered with spinifex grass.

When they met European settlers, they did not hunt rabbits. However, they liked to eat cats. They also gathered ants' eggs using a coolamon (a wooden dish). They would then roast the eggs over hot ashes. The Thangkaali people did not have scarification marks on their bodies.

Thangkaali History

Explorer Edward John Eyre wrote about a group called the Paritke in 1840-1841. Norman Tindale believed these were the Danggali people.

In 1863, a report from Yelta told of a family near the Darling River. This family was led by a man named Nanja. He had left his own group and found safety in Danggali territory.

Later, around 1891-1892, a group of about thirty people called Nanja came to Avoca Station. They set up camp at Urntah and were known as the Scotia blacks. A writer named C. Richards described them in 1901. He called them Dthang'gha, meaning they were people from the uplands west of the Darling River.

Two other groups, the Nanjara and Njuwiki, camped near Njuwiki Creek. When a severe drought dried up their waterhole, the Nanjara people were helped by police. They were guided to a place near Mount Bryan. Sadly, this group did not survive. The Njuwiki people moved back to the Murray River area.

Social Groups

The Danggali people were organised into at least four main groups, sometimes called hordes. These groups often lived and moved together.

• Momba (from the area around Momba)
• Nanja
• Nanjara
• Nju:wiki

Traditional Dances

If Eyre's Paritke people were the Danggali, then he described their dances like this: The dancers painted their bodies or decorated themselves with feathers. Each dancer tied bunches of green branches around their legs, above the knees. They danced by stamping their feet. With each stamp, they made a deep sound from their stomach. The branches around their knees made a loud rustling noise. This sound matched the rhythm of the music.

One person led the dance. They held a diamond-shaped object made of two sticks. This object was covered in string made from possum hair. It also had bunches of cockatoo feathers at each corner. The leader moved this object up and down to the music. This helped guide the dancers' movements.

In another dance, women were the main performers. Their bodies were painted with white lines. Their hair was decorated with cockatoo feathers. They held large sticks and stood in a row at the front. The men stood in a line behind them with their spears. Everyone started moving, but the men and women danced separately.

This dance was simple, but the people seemed to enjoy it. Sometimes, young girls would dance by themselves or with friends. They would join their hands over their heads and keep their feet together. They would then quickly move their knees outwards and bring them back in. This made a sharp sound. In another dance, young girls would keep their feet on the ground. They would move their bodies in a special way to move forward in a small semicircle.

Other Names for Thangkaali

The Thangkaali people were known by several other names, including:

• Dthang-gaa-lee
• Dthang'gka. (meaning 'upland')
• Dthang'gha.
• Jakojako, Jokajoka, Yokka Yokka, Yaak-yakko
• Momba. (a place name)
• Nanja
• Nanjara
• Nganya. (also known as "Scotia blacks.")
• Nju:wiki
• Nonnia
• Paritke, Paridke
• Tungarlee, Tung-arlee
• Yakayok
• Yakkumbata
• Yakumban