Walu people facts for kids
The Walu were an Indigenous Australian group of people. They lived near the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia.
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Where the Walu Lived
The Walu people originally lived on Vanderlin Island. This island is located in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Experts like Norman Tindale estimated that their land covered about 260 square kilometers (100 square miles).
About the Walu People
Not much is known about the Walu people. Most of what we know comes from an old report written in 1893 by W. G. Stretton. He was a special magistrate in a place called Borroloola.
However, modern studies are looking closer at Stretton's report. Some researchers now believe that the Walu might not have been a completely separate group. They might have been a part of the larger Yanyuwa people.
Today, the Yanyuwa people do not use the name "Walu" for a language or a group of people. They think it might be a changed version of a Yanyuwa word, allu. This word means 'them' or 'those others'.
Contact with Other Cultures
W. G. Stretton believed that the Walu people had contact with traders from Makassar. These traders came from what is now Indonesia. He thought their features showed the influence of this trade and interaction.
Evidence of these Makassan traders has been found on Vanderlin Island. When Stretton wrote his report, he estimated there were about 130 people in the group he called the Leewalloo.
Other Names for the Walu
- Walloo
- Leewalloo
