Wirangu people facts for kids
The Wirangu are an Aboriginal Australian people. They live along the western coast of South Australia. Their history and culture are very old and important.
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What's in a Name?
A writer named Daisy Bates once said that the name Wirangu comes from two words. These words are wira, which means "cloud," and wonga, which means "speech." So, the name might mean "cloud speech" or "people of the cloud."
Their Language
The Wirangu language is part of a larger group of languages called the Thura-Yura language family. Early researchers, like R. H. Mathews, believed that the Barngarla, Nauo, and Wirangu people were very similar. He thought they shared almost the same language and ways of life.
Their Traditional Land
According to Norman Tindale, a famous researcher, the Wirangu people's traditional land was very large. It covered about 55,685 square kilometers (21,500 square miles). This area stretched along the coast between places like Head of Bight, Cape Blanche, and Streaky Bay. It also went inland to areas like Ooldea, Kokatha, and Kondoolka.
Ancient Stories and Beliefs
The Wirangu people have many important stories that explain their world. One well-known story tells about a large mother snake.
The Story of the Mother Snake
Long ago, a huge mother snake traveled from the west to a place called Juldi'kapi (which is Ooldea). Two men, known as the Wati Kutjara, followed her because they wanted to kill her. They chased the snake southeast to a waterhole called Pedinga'kapi. This waterhole was the snake's resting place. The round dips in the rocks there are said to be where the snakes made their nests.
The Wati Kutjara speared the snake here, hurting her badly. They left her, thinking she would die soon, and went back west. But the snake managed to crawl a little further south to a place called Mul'tan'tu. This was a pan of ochre, which is a type of colored clay. She rested there, leaving behind the red, yellow, and white ochre that is found there today. After resting, the snake continued her journey, going northeast and then west back to her own camp.
History with Others
Even before Europeans arrived, the Wirangu people were already facing changes to their land. The Kokata people were moving into some parts of the Wirangu's traditional territory.
Other Names for the Wirangu
The Wirangu people have been known by several other names over time. Some of these names were given by other Aboriginal groups.
- Hilleri (a name used by the Barngarla and Kuyani people)
- Jilbara (a name used by the Kokata people, meaning "southerners")
- Naljara (another name from the Kokata people)
- Ngoleiadjara (a name from the Yankuntjatjarra people)
- Nonga (meaning "man")
- Tidni, Tidnie, Titnie (also from the Barngarla and Kuyani people)
- Wanbiri (a Kokata name, meaning "people of the sea coast")
- Wangon (a name for their language)
- Willeuroo (a Barngarla name, where wilyaru means "west")
- Windakan (a term also used for the Ngalia language)
- Wirrongu
- Wirrung
- Wirrunga, Wirangga
- Yilrea (a different way to say Hilleri)
