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This page is about the Indigenous Australian people. For the place, see Wiradjuri, New South Wales.
Not to be confused with Wurundjeri.
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Wiradjuri
Hierarchy
Language family: Pama–Nyungan
Language branch: Yuin–Kuric
Language group: Wiradhuric
Group dialects: Wiradjuri
Area (approx. 97,100 square kilometres (37,500 sq mi))
Bioregion: Central New South Wales
Location: Central New South Wales
Coordinates: 33°50′S 147°30′E / 33.833°S 147.500°E / -33.833; 147.500
Rivers Kalare (Lachlan), Wambuul Macquarie, Marrambidya (Murrumbidgee), Millewa (Murray)
Notable individuals
Windradyne, Linda Burney, Tai Tuivasa

The Wiradjuri people are an important group of Aboriginal Australian people. They come from the central part of New South Wales in Australia. These people are connected by their family ties and shared traditions.

For a long time, the Wiradjuri people were skilled at hunting, fishing, and gathering food. They lived in family groups or clans. Today, many Wiradjuri people still use these traditional skills as part of their daily lives.

In the 21st century, many Wiradjuri groups live in towns like Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera, and Griffith. There are also large groups in Wagga Wagga and Leeton. Smaller groups live in places such as West Wyalong, Parkes, Dubbo, Forbes, Cootamundra, Darlington Point, Cowra, and Young.

What Does "Wiradjuri" Mean?

Windradyne, Aust. Aboriginal warrior from the Wiradjuri
A Wiradjuri warrior, possibly Windradyne.

The name "Wiradjuri" comes from their own language. It combines the word wirraay, which means "no" or "not", with the ending -dhuurray or -juuray, meaning "having". So, "Wiradjuri" means "those who have 'wirraay' as their word for no".

This way of naming groups after their word for "no" was common. Several other Aboriginal tribes in New South Wales, west of the Great Dividing Range, were named in a similar way. It was a unique feature of their speech.

The Wiradjuri Language

Main article: Wiradjuri language

The Wiradjuri language belongs to the Pama–Nyungan family. It is part of the smaller Wiradhuric group of Australian languages. These languages are found in Central New South Wales.

Sadly, the Wiradjuri language is not widely spoken today. However, there are big efforts to bring it back to life! Experts have put together a grammar based on old records and the memories of Wiradjuri families. This reconstructed language is now taught in schools. This important work was started by elder Stan Grant and John Rudder.

Wiradjuri Country

The Wiradjuri are the largest Aboriginal group in New South Wales. They once lived in a huge area in central New South Wales. This land was on the plains west of the Blue Mountains.

Their land was often called "the land of the three rivers". These rivers are the Wambuul (now known as the Macquarie), the Kalare (now the Lachlan), and the Murrumbidgee (or Murrumbidjeri).

The Wiradjuri territory covered about 127,000 square kilometers. Their eastern border stretched from above Mudgee down to the foothills of the Blue Mountains. This included areas east of Lithgow, Oberon, Cowra, Young, and Tumut. It went south to the upper Murray at Albury and east to Tumbarumba.

The southern border reached Howlong. To the west, their land went along Billabong Creek past Mossgiel. It also extended southwest near Hay and Narrandera. Many towns like Condobolin, Wagga Wagga, Cootamundra, Parkes, Trundle, Gundagai, Boorowa, Rylstone, Wellington, and Carcoar are within Wiradjuri country.

The Murray River forms the southern edge of Wiradjuri land. The change from thick woodlands to open grasslands marks their eastern boundary.

Wiradjuri Social Life

The Wiradjuri people lived in smaller groups called bands. Some of these local groups included:

  • Narrandera (named after a prickly lizard)
  • Cootamundra (named after the kutamun or turtle)
  • Murranbulla (meaning "two bark canoes")

Burial Customs

The Wiradjuri were known for their special carved trees. These trees, called taphoglyphs, marked the burial sites of important people. These could be medicine-men, leaders, warriors, or speakers of the tribe.

When an important Wiradjuri person died, initiated men would remove bark from a tree. Then, they would carve symbols into the side of the trunk facing the burial mound. The carvings that remain show amazing artistic skill. Four such trees still stand near Molong at the Grave of Yuranigh.

These carved trees are often found near rivers. The softer earth there made it easier to bury people. It was believed that these trees helped heroes go to and from the sky. They also helped the spirits of the dead return to the sky.

Wiradjuri Daily Life

The Wiradjuri diet included yabbies and fish like Murray cod from the rivers. When it was dry, they hunted kangaroos and emus. They also gathered food from the land. This included fruits, nuts, yam daisies, wattle seeds, and orchid tubers. In the summer, the Wiradjuri would travel to the Alpine areas to feast on Bogong moths.

The Wiradjuri were also famous for their beautiful possum-skin cloaks. These cloaks were made by stitching together several possum furs. In 1815, Governor Macquarie was given one of these cloaks by a Wiradjuri man when he visited Bathurst.

Arrival of British Settlers

British colonists first entered Wiradjuri territory in 1813. In 1822, George Suttor claimed a large area of land. This land later became known as Brucedale Station. Wiradjuri guides had shown him the area because it had plenty of water.

Suttor learned the Wiradjuri language. He became friends with Windradyne, an important Wiradjuri leader. Suttor believed that conflicts happened because of the harsh behavior of his own people. He thought the Wiradjuri were generally friendly towards the white settlers.

However, clashes between British settlers and the Wiradjuri increased as more colonists arrived. These conflicts became known as the Bathurst Wars. The settlers taking over Wiradjuri lands and farming them led to food shortages for the Wiradjuri. The Wiradjuri had a different idea of what "property" meant. They believed wild animals and things that grew naturally belonged to everyone. Things made by people belonged to those who made them.

By the 1850s, there were still traditional gatherings called corroborees around Mudgee. However, there were fewer clashes between the groups.

Important Wiradjuri People

Historical Figures

  • William Punch: A survivor of a massacre and a soldier in World War One.
  • Windradyne: A very important Aboriginal leader during the Bathurst War.
  • Yuranigh: A highly valued guide for the explorer Thomas Mitchell. He helped Mitchell on his expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1845–1846. When Yuranigh died in 1852, Mitchell paid to have his gravesite marked with a tombstone.

Modern Leaders and Achievers

Music and Arts

Sporting Stars

Rugby League

Other Sports

Important Wiradjuri Places

Wiradjuri Culture in Stories

  • The short story Death in the Dawntime is a murder mystery. It takes place entirely among the Wiradjuri people before Europeans arrived in Australia.
  • In Bryce Courtenay's novel Jessica, the story is set in the Wiradjuri region. Jessica's best friend, Mary Simpson, was Wiradjuri.
  • Noel Beddoe's novel The Yalda Crossing explores Wiradjuri history from an early settler's view. It tells the story of a lesser-known massacre from the 1830s.
  • Andy Kissane's poem, "The Station Owner's Daughter, Narrandera," is about what happened after that same massacre. This poem inspired Alex Ryan's short film, Ngurrumbang.

Different Ways to Spell the Name

The name Wiradjuri has been spelled in many different ways. There are over 60 recorded spellings of the word!

Some Wiradjuri Words

  • guwandhaang: This word means 'native peach'. The English word quandong is thought to come from this Wiradjuri term.
  • wagga: This word means 'crow'. The name of the town Wagga Wagga might come from this word. The repeated "Wagga" could mean "place of many crows". However, some Wiradjuri elders and academics now suggest the word is waga, meaning "dance". If so, "Wagga Wagga" would mean "many dances" or "much dancing".

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Wiradjuri para niños

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