Warumungu facts for kids

The Warumungu (also called Warramunga) are an Aboriginal Australian group. They live in the Northern Territory of Australia. Today, most Warumungu people live near Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.

Warumungu Language

The Warumungu people speak the Warumungu language. It is part of the large Pama–Nyungan language family. This language is similar to the Warlpiri language spoken by the Warlpiri people.

Warumungu is a "suffixing language." This means that words are changed by adding endings (suffixes). For example, a verb's tense is shown by adding a suffix. Some verbs are also made by joining two words together.

Like many Indigenous Australian languages, Warumungu is changing quickly. Younger speakers use the language differently from older speakers. For example, an older speaker might say: "apurtu im deya o warraku taun kana." This means: "Father's mother, is she there, in town, or not?"

Warumungu is still spoken today. However, the number of people who speak it has been going down. In the mid-1950s, about 700 people spoke some Warumungu. By 2016, this number was 320 speakers. Many speakers have started using Kriol instead since 2007.

Traditional Lands

The Warumungu people's traditional lands were very large. They covered about 21,300 square miles (55,167 square kilometers). These lands stretched from Mount Grayling in the north. They went south to the Gosse River.

The eastern border of their land was near Alroy and Rockhampton Downs. The western border reached about 50 miles west of Tennant Creek.

Warumungu History

In the 1870s, early European explorers wrote about the Warumungu. They described them as a strong and thriving group. However, by 1915, European settlement had caused many problems. The Warumungu faced great hardship.

In 1934, a special area of land set aside for the Warumungu was taken away. This was done to allow people to search for gold. By the 1960s, the Warumungu people had been moved completely from their traditional lands.

One expert said that the history of the Warumungu after Europeans arrived is sad. It shows how Aboriginal society was pushed aside for European interests. European settlement meant that Warumungu people lost their land. This happened over many years, even into the 1960s. They were moved around to make way for cattle farms and mining.

Returning to Tennant Creek

Tennant Creek is a main town in Warumungu country. In the 1970s, the Australian government started a new policy. It was called "self-determination." This meant Aboriginal people could make more decisions for themselves. Many Aboriginal people began to return to Tennant Creek. They came from cattle stations and other settlements.

At first, there was opposition to them settling in the town. But Aboriginal people started their own groups. These groups worked to get representation, housing, and services. Over the next ten years, they opened a housing association, a health service, and a land council office.

Today, Aboriginal people in the region have rights to the land around Tennant Creek. These rights are recognized under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. The Warumungu first asked for their land back in 1978. They fought for ten years. In 1988, the decision was made in their favor. The return of their traditional lands began soon after.

Early Conflicts and Displacements

In the 1870s, there was conflict at the telegraph station in Barrow Creek. This was between local Kaytetye people and Europeans. This led to violent actions. Many Kaytetye, Warumungu, Anmatyerre, and Alyawarre and Warlpiri people were killed.

Conflicts often happened over cattle. This violence caused Aboriginal people to be moved from their homes. In the early 1900s, Alyawarre and Wakaya people left violence at Hatcher's Creek. They moved to Alexandria Station and other places. Many later moved to Lake Nash. Eastern Warlpiri people also fled after the Coniston massacre in 1928. Many came to Warumungu country.

By the 1890s, about 100 people lived in camps near the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station. Some received food supplies. Others worked for the station. Many came during droughts between 1891 and 1893. They used the waterholes along the creek, which Warumungu people traditionally used in dry years. A dry area east of the Telegraph Station was made a Warumungu Reserve in 1892. But it was taken away in 1934 for mining.

Gold Rush and Work

In the 1930s, gold was found in the area. This started a "gold rush." Many people came hoping to find gold. Aboriginal people worked in the mines. Many of these mines were on what used to be the Warumungu Reserve.

Tennant Creek town was started in 1934. It was about 7 miles (11 km) south of the Telegraph Station. Aboriginal people were not allowed in the town until the 1960s. Warumungu and Alyawarre people also worked in mines in the Davenport Murchison Ranges. This was after wolfram was found at Hatcher's Creek in 1913. Many Aboriginal people spent a lot of their lives there. They also worked on the nearby Kurandi Station. In 1977, Aboriginal workers there went on strike.

Most Warumungu people have lived on cattle stations at some point. These stations eventually surrounded the first European settlements. Huge areas of Warumungu land were given out as leases for cattle farms. Cattle were brought in from the 1880s. Having cattle on these lands made it hard for Aboriginal people to continue their traditional hunting and gathering. People were forced to live on the stations or the reserve.

Many Warumungu men worked as stockmen, drovers, butchers, and gardeners. Women did domestic work in the station houses. They were usually paid only with food supplies. The living conditions were often very poor.

Native Title Rights

In 1978, the Central Land Council of the Northern Territory made a claim for the Warumungu people. This was under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. A long legal battle followed. The case eventually went to the High Court of Australia.

Fifteen years later, in 1993, most of the land was finally returned to the Warumungu. The Warumungu Land Claim includes ten separate pieces of land. Together, they cover about 3,090 square kilometers (1,193 square miles).

In March 1993, Michael Maurice, a former Aboriginal Land Commissioner, spoke about the struggle. He said: "The problem with the Northern Territory Government then, was it didn't accept the underlying principles of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. It didn't accept that it was for the Commonwealth to determine the conditions on which Aboriginal people could acquire land in the Northern Territory, so its attitude was one of resistance."

Mythology and Beliefs

Wollunqua is the Warumungu people's version of the Rainbow Serpent. The Rainbow Serpent is a powerful creator being in many Aboriginal creation stories. It is believed to have created the world and everything in it.

Other Names for Warumungu

The Warumungu people are also known by several other names:

• Warimunga, Warramunga, Warramonga
• Warrmunga, Waramunga
• Wurmega
• Leenaranunga
• Airamanga. (This is a name used by the Kaytetye people for them.)
• Uriminga. (This is a name used by the Iliaura people for them.)

See also

In Spanish: Warrumungu para niños