Wangkatha facts for kids
The Wangkatha people, also known as Wongatha or Wongi, are an important group of Indigenous Australians from the Eastern Goldfields area of Western Australia. They have their own special language, also called Wangkatha. This language and identity belong to eight different Aboriginal Australian groups. The Wangkatha language is spoken in towns like Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Menzies, Leonora, and Laverton. These towns are in the north-eastern part of the Goldfields region in Western Australia.
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What's in a Name?
The words wangai and wongi come from a root word that means 'to speak'. So, these names are all about talking or language.
The more proper names for the language and people are Wangkatha or Wongatha. You might also see it spelled Wongutha or Wangkatja.
A Look at Wangkatha History
The Wongi people were very active in their traditional lands. They were the first to show European explorers around their country. They helped them find important things like water and valuable minerals. The Wongi even showed an Irish explorer named Paddy Hannan his very first gold nugget.
Gold was a very special stone to the Wongi people. They respected it because of their traditional beliefs, called Tjukurrpa. These ancient stories and practices are still highly respected today. In the 1890s, the Wongi sometimes fought with white settlers who came to their land looking for gold.
In the early 1900s, the Wongutha/Wangkatha people were known for being very independent and strong. The Australian Government wasn't sure how to work with them.
Because of this, missionaries from New South Wales came to Western Australia. They set up a place now known as the Mount Margaret Aboriginal Community. Many Wongutha/Wangkatha people lived at Mount Margaret. They learned about the Western education system and Christianity. Other Aboriginal groups who spoke similar languages and shared Tjukurrpa, like the Pitjantjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra, also came to Mount Margaret. Some groups with different languages and customs, such as Ngadju, Tjupan, and Mirning, were also placed there.
Wangkatha Traditional Lands
The Wongi or Wongatha/Wangkatha language groups come from areas including Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Leonora, Menzies, and Laverton. The Wongi group is made up of eight different peoples: Maduwongga, Waljen, Ngurlutjarra, Ngaanyatjarra, Bindinni, Madatjarra, Koara (Kuwarra), and Tjalkatjarra.
Today, the Goldfields Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Corporation helps represent the land rights of the Wongi people.
The Wangkatha Language
The Wangkatha language is still spoken today. There are about 200 to 300 people who speak it fluently. Most of these speakers live in their traditional country. This includes towns like Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Menzies, Leonora, Laverton, Cosmo Newberry, and Mulga Queen.
The eight different groups who speak Wongi as a main language also have their own special ways of speaking, called dialects. These dialects are also part of their tribal identities.
Famous Wangkatha People
- Mrs. Sadie Canning MBE OAM: She was the first Aboriginal Nurse and Matron in Australia. She worked as the head matron at Leonora Hospital in the 1950s.
- Mrs. May O'Brien BEM: She was the first Aboriginal female teacher in Western Australia.
- Mr. Ben Mason OBE: He was an Aboriginal evangelist who traveled with the famous Billy Graham Ministries.
- Mr. James Brennan OAM: He was a local veteran and survivor of World War 2.
- Miss Gloria Brennan: She was the first Aboriginal person to graduate from the University of Western Australia (UWA). She earned an honors degree in arts, focusing on anthropology and linguistics. A scholarship at UWA is named after her for Aboriginal university students.
- Miss Geraldine Hogarth AM: She received an award for her hard work in keeping the Koara dialect alive.
- Miss Annette Stokes AM: She was honored for her important work in Aboriginal health research.
- Mr. Daniel Wells: He is a well-known AFL footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club.
- Delson Stokes of Yabu Band: Yabu Band is an Indigenous Australian rock band that started in Kalgoorlie in the 1990s. The word yabu means 'rock' or 'gold' in the Wongutha language.
- Boyd Stokes of Yabu Band: He is also a member of the Yabu Band.
- Mr. Syd Jackson: He was a champion player in WAFL and VFL for East Perth and Carlton. He is part of the Indigenous Team of the Century. Syd was taken from his family as a child and grew up in the Roelands Mission.
See also
- Indigenous Australians
- Aboriginal history of Western Australia
- Australian outback literature of the 20th century
