Walmbaria facts for kids

The Walmbaria are an Indigenous Australian group from the northern part of Queensland, a state in Australia. They traditionally lived on the Cape York Peninsula.

Their Name: The Dingaal People

Today, the Walmbaria people often call themselves the Dingaal. When they make land claims, the Walmbaar Aboriginal Corporation explains that the Dingaal are adults who belong to the Dingaal clan or community. This means they are connected through their father's family line (called patrilineal descent), or they were adopted into such a family. A Dingaal father is someone whose father's side comes from the Baru, Yoren, or Charlies families.

Their Language

The Walmbaria people had their own language. An early researcher named Norman Tindale said its name was Yalgawara. This language had two different versions, or dialects: one for people living on the mainland and another for those on the islands. More recently, people prefer to call their language Gambilmugu.

Their Traditional Lands

The Walmbaria's traditional lands covered about 130 square kilometers (50 square miles). This area included the reefs and the Flinders Island group, which are north of Princess Charlotte Bay. Their land stretched south to a place called Alumukuan in Bathurst Bay and the eastern edge of Charlotte Bay.

How They Lived

The Walmbaria people were divided into two main groups, or clans:

• The Wureimnu were mainly islanders.
• The Tartali lived near Bathurst Head on the mainland.

According to old records, the Walmbaria had a marriage system with two main groups:

• (A) Owaimini
• (B) Ungawu

Some researchers believed that the Walmbaria were mostly islanders. They thought these islanders only visited the mainland, like Bathurst Head and Cape Melville, with permission from other groups.

A traditional practice for both boys and girls was the removal of one of their upper front teeth (either the right or left one). This was a part of their cultural rituals.

A Look at Their History

In the past, some Walmbaria people worked on luggers, which were boats used for fishing and collecting sea resources in their area. Some men from Flinders Island were involved in an event known as "the Wild Duck massacre," where four European sailors died.

While the specific groups involved are not named in all reports, a clue comes from a crew member with Captain Blackwood in 1843. They landed south of Cape Melville, and some Aboriginal people there were surprised by the captain's dog, yelling angooa. This word was thought to mean 'dog'. However, later studies suggest it might be related to a word for 'dog's bark' from the Barrow Point language (angwurr) or 'to bark' from the Flinders Island language (nganggwoyi). This suggests that the Flinders Island and Barrow Point peoples might have shared the same areas.

By 1926, a study found that only about 25 Walmbaria people had survived after European settlement. Ten of them were male and the rest were female. There were no known children, and the youngest person found was 18 years old.

The last person who spoke the Flinders Island language from the Aba Agathi clan was known as Chinaman Gilbert.

Tools and Culture

The Walmbaria women from Flinders Island and Bathurst Head used two types of mallets (hammer-like tools) to mash food and break open oyster shells. The men made a heavier, thicker mallet from ironwood. This tool was similar to a drum gong used in Melanesia. They also used the more common regional mallet that other groups, like the Barungguan and Mutumui, used for the same purpose.