Umpithamu facts for kids
The Umpithamu are an Aboriginal Australian people who live in the eastern part of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland. They were also known as the Koko Ompindamo by people who study different cultures. The Umpithamu are part of a larger group called the Lamalama people.
Contents
The Umpithamu Language
The Umpithamu people speak their own special language, also called Umpithamu language. It is part of a bigger group of languages known as Paman languages. Sadly, by the early 2000s, only two people could speak Umpithamu fluently. One of these important speakers was Florrie Bassani.
To help keep the language alive, a book called A Dictionary of Umpithamu was created. It was published in July 2020. A linguist named Jean-Christophe Verstraete worked with Florrie Bassani and her niece Joan Liddy to put the dictionary together.
Umpithamu People and Their Land
The Umpithamu people lived in the southernmost part of a group known as the Kawadji. The Kawadji were also called the "sandbeach peoples." In the Umpithamu language, they were known as ma-yaandhimunu, meaning "people who own the sandbeach."
Their traditional land covered about 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers) along the western coast of Princess Charlotte Bay. Their northern border was near Cape Sidmouth. Other groups of "sandbeach peoples" lived to their north, including the Yintyingka, Umpila, Pontunj, Pakadji, and Wuthathi.
A Brief History
In the 1950s, a cattle station owner in the Umpithamu area wanted the Aboriginal people to leave his land. After working to get his way, the Umpithamu people were moved from their homes in 1961. Local police took them from their country around Port Stewart to an Aboriginal reserve near Bamaga. This place was about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of their traditional lands.
After many years, the Umpithamu people were able to return south. They settled in Coen, which is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) from their original tribal center. Since then, they have set up three smaller communities, called outstations, in the Port Stewart area.
The Umpithamu are one of several groups that make up the larger Lama Lama people.
Other Names for Umpithamu
- Baka (a name used by the Kaantjuu people)
- Banjigam (a name used by the Bakanambia people)
- Barungguan
- Ganganda
- Njindingga
- Umbuigamu
- Umbindhamu
- Yintjingga (the native name of a place at the mouth of the Stewart River)
