Worrorra facts for kids
The Worrorra people are an Aboriginal Australian group from the Kimberley area in north-western Australia. Sometimes, the name "Worrorra" refers to people who speak the Worrorra language. Other times, it means all the groups whose traditional languages are part of the larger Worrorran language family. These people are also known as the Dambimangari or Dambeemangarddee people. This name comes from "Dambina" (a name for the Worrorra) and the Ngardi people.
The Worrorra, Wunambal, and Ngarinyin peoples are part of a special cultural group called Wanjina Wunggurr. The Ngardi people are sometimes included in this group too.
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Worrorra Country
The Worrorra people live along the coast. Their land stretches from Collier Bay and Walcott Inlet in the south, up the coast past Montgomery Reef to the Saint George Basin and Hanover Bay. Their land goes inland about 25 to 30 miles (40 to 48 km) to places like Mount Hann. It also includes islands like Heywood and Augustus Islands.
Their neighbours are the Umiida and Unggumi people to the south, the Ngarinyin to the east, and the Wunambal to the north.
The Worrorra region is very hot. They have three main seasons:
- aajaajirri: The monsoon season from mid-December to April.
- mawingki: In June and July, when nights are a little cooler.
- mirringunu: The very hot months from October to mid-December.
The land has hills made of sandstone, covered with spinifex grass and trees like bloodwood eucalypts, woollybutts, and boabs.
Wanjina Wunggurr Culture
The Worrorra, Wunambal, and Ngarinyin peoples share a culture known as Wanjina Wunggurr. This culture is based on their Dreamtime stories and laws. The creators of these laws are the Wanjina and Wunggurr spirits, who are ancestors of these peoples.
You can see evidence of this shared culture in the rock paintings. There are paintings of Wanjina figures and also the Gwion Gwion ("Bradshaw") paintings.
Wunggurr is like the Rainbow Serpent creator spirit, which is a common belief in Aboriginal cultures. The Wanjina are local spirits connected to specific places and clans. While some people use the terms "Wanjina" and "Wunggurr" to mean the same thing, wungurr is a broader life force that gives power to everything, including the Wanjina. One part of Wunggurr is shown as a rock python, called Wanjad.
The Ngardi people are also often included with the Wanjina Wunggurr groups. They have a strong connection to the Worrorra (Dambina) people, sometimes called Dambina-Ngardi or Dambimangari.
The Wanjina Wunggurr group is known for several unique cultural things:
- The supernatural Wandjina (Wanjurna) ancestors and heroes.
- A social system that divides people into two main groups, called Arrbalarriya and Arrwunarriya in Worrorra.
- Languages that share many similar words and features.
- Beautifully made stone spearheads, known as Kimberley points.
- A special type of double-raft called a kalam.
- A unique way of organizing families, where large families live in specific areas of land.
- The wurnarn cycle, which is a long-distance exchange network for trading goods and sharing culture.
Native Title Claim
In 1998, the Wanjina Wunggurr RNTBC (a group that manages native title rights) made a native title claim for the Worrorra, Wunambal Gaambera, and Ngarinyin peoples. This claim was called the Dambimangari claim.
On May 26, 2011, the Worrorra people's claim over a large area of land was officially recognized. This area covers about 27,932 square kilometres (10,785 sq mi). It stretches from King Sound, Camden Sound, and Montgomery Reef, including the Buccaneer Archipelago, to Hall Point and Horizontal Falls. It includes sea, coastal lands, and inland areas, such as traditional Worrorra lands between the Prince Regent River and the Robinson River. It also includes parts of the Prince Regent National Park. Much of this land is under the exclusive control of the Dambimangari people.
The Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation handles the business matters for the Dambimangari people. The Wanjina Wunggurr RNTBC works for the Worrora/Dambimangari, Ngarinyin (Wilinggin), and Wunambal Gaambera (Uunguu) native title holders to protect their rights and interests.
Marine Parks
As of 2020, the Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation (now spelt Dambeemangarddee) helps manage the Lalang-garram / Horizontal Falls Marine Park. In 2016, there were plans to combine this park with others:
- Lalang-garram / Camden Sound Marine Park
- North Lalang-garram Marine Park (in Dambimangarddee saltwater country)
- North Kimberley Marine Park (in Uunguu waters)
These parks would form the new Great Kimberley Marine Park. They are managed together with the Government of Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Many sacred sites are located within these marine park areas.
In 2020, a new plan was released to create the Lalang-gaddam Marine Park. This new park will combine four existing marine parks: Lalang-garram / Camden Sound, Lalang-garram / Horizontal Falls, North Lalang-garram, and the new Maiyalam Marine Park. All of these are in the sea country of the Dambeemangarddee people.
The new Maiyalam Marine Park will add about 47,000 hectares (120,000 acres) to the Kimberley marine reserves. The bigger plan is to create a total of 5,000,000 hectares (12,000,000 acres) of new national and marine reserves in Western Australia. The new spelling "Lalang-gaddam" shows the correct way to say the word, and "Maiyalam" means "between islands" or "a gap through". The Maiyalam Marine Park is located off the north-western coast of King Sound and around Macleay Island.
The Lalang-gaddam Marine Park borders the proposed Mayala Marine Park to the south-west and the North Kimberley Marine Park to the north-east. To the south, it borders Bardi Jawi land and a proposed Bardi Jawi Marine Park.
An Indigenous land use agreement (ILUA) already covers some of the marine parks. Another ILUA will be needed for the new Maiyalam Marine Park. Most of Collier Bay will be a general use zone, but the Walcott Inlet will be a sanctuary zone.
Indigenous Protected Area (IPA)
In 2013, an Indigenous Protected Area was created over 642,294 hectares (1,587,140 acres) of land. This area stretches from north of Derby to the Prince Regent area. It is managed by the Dambimangari Rangers, a team of Indigenous rangers who look after the land.
History Since European Contact
In 1838, an explorer named George Grey described three rock paintings he found in Worrorra territory. Inside a cave, he saw a large figure, over 10 feet (3.0 m) long, painted on the roof. It looked like it was wearing a red garment and a head wrap, with only its eyes showing. On either side were two other figures that he couldn't quite understand. Grey made a copy of the painting for his book. People had many ideas about where these paintings came from, but they were later identified as Wandjina figures from Worrorra stories.
Around 1912, more and more European settlers started to come into contact with the Worrorra people.
In 1927, James Robert Beattie Love, a Presbyterian minister, became the head of the Presbyterian Mission to the Aborigines. This mission was set up in 1912 at Kunmunya, also known as Port George IV. Love had visited the area before and knew it well.
In 1956, the Worrorra people left their traditional lands. They moved to Mowanjum and later also to Derby. A few also lived at Mount Barnett station and Kalumburu. Moving away from their traditional lands made it harder to keep their unique language and culture strong, as they started living closely with people who spoke Ungarinyin or Wunambal. Later, many started speaking Kriol instead.
Worrorra Language
The Worrorra language is also known as Western Worrorran. It is one of the three main languages in the Worrorran language family.
Around 1912, when Europeans had more contact with the Worrorra, it was thought that about 300 people spoke the Worrorra language fluently. Many more in nearby areas spoke it as a second language.
Today, the Worrorra language is considered to be very close to disappearing. Only seven people were recorded as speaking it in the 2016 Australian census.
A linguist named Robert M. W. Dixon became interested in Aboriginal languages after learning about how complex they were in the Kimberley region. He was especially fascinated by the Worrorra language, which was said to have 444 different forms of the verb "to be."
Even though the Worrorra people don't have as many hand signs as some other groups, they have many signs to show different animals and birds, even telling the sex of the animal.
Notable People
- Daisy Utemorrah (1922–1993): A Wunambal elder, poet, and writer. She spoke Wunambal, Ngarinyin, and Worrorra. She became famous internationally for her books that shared the traditional stories of her people.
- Vinka Barunga: She grew up in Mowanjum and Derby. In 2016, she became the first Worrora doctor and the first Aboriginal doctor in Derby, after graduating from the University of Western Australia.
Alternative Names
- Maialnga (a possible name for a northern group)
- Worora, Wo'rora
- Wurara, Worara (how the Ngarinyin people say it)
