was, properly speaking, a language known as Ngandatha, bearing the sense of "What is it?".
Country
The Mirning's traditional lands covered, according to Norman Tindale, roughly of territory, reaching from Point Culver eastwards across to White Well in South Australia. Their northern limit was generally the ecological line separating them from the beginning of the karst plateau of the Nullarbor Plain, though good rains would see them penetrating further north. In Norman Tindale's estimation their tribal territory encompassed roughly.
Jirkala-mirning meaning the people of Jirkala, modern day Eucla, jirkala referring, according to Tindale, to their habitat, which was a treeless plain where Salsola tragus or buckbush thrived.
For ceremonial rites, involving the tribe's adoption of circumcision and subincision, the Wonunda-mirnung and Jirkala-mirning would gather at Jadjuuna, just south of Cocklebiddy. Their kinship system has 4 classes:- Būdera, Būdū, Kūra, and Wenŭng. Howitt describes the tribe's marriage system as "very peculiar", in which two classes have a privileged position as follows:
Male
Marries
Children are
Būdera
Kūra
Būdera, Kūra
Būdera
Wenŭng
and Būdera
Kūra
Būdera
Kūra, Būdera
Kūra
Būdū
and Kūra
Būdū
Wenŭng
Būdū, Wenŭng
Wenŭng
Būdū
Wenŭng, Būdū
People and history of contact
The Mirning were, according to measurements made of old people from a remnant of the tribe in 1939, relatively short in stature and practice rites of circumcision and subincision. The Jirkala-mirning were first contacted by whites in 1872, when their numbers were estimated to be 30, consisting of 11 men, 8 women, 5 adolescents, and 6 children. It was estimated by the first whites who settled in Wonunda-mirnung territory in 1877 that they numbered no more than 80 persons, 15 men, 15 women, 10 adolescents, and some 40 children. Writing in 1931, A. P. Elkin stated: 'The Wanbiri-speaking tribe, referred to as the Yerkla-mining is now extinct.'
Media
In April 1994Julian Lennon proposed making a documentary, with the provisory title 'Eyes of the Soul -Legends of Whales, Dolphins and Tribes' which would have touched on the Mirnung's cultural relationship to whales. A new documentary called Whaledreamers - the Gathering, which includes mention of the Mirning, was made in 2006.