Wanggumara


The Wangkumarra are an indigenous people of the state of Queensland, Australia.

Language

, spoken along the Bulloo River with the Kalali people, was a 'Karna–Mari fringe' language which died out with the passing of its last speakers in the late 20th century. 'Modern' Wankumara, spoken along the Wilson River, is a Karnic language, which according to Breen was identical to the speech of other peoples speaking the Wilson River language. The disambiguator 'modern' simply refers to the fact that the Wanggumara people continued speaking that language more recently than the other.

Country

According to Norman Tindale, the Wongkumara lands covered some, stretching over Cooper Creek east of Nappa Merrie and Orientos to the area around the ephemeral Wilson River at Nockatunga.
Writing in 1886, F. W. Myles described their neighbouring tribes as follows:
The names of the tribes which adjoin the Wonkomarra are, to the south, the Poidgerry and the Bitharra ; to the west, the Thiralla and Eromarra ; to the north, the Bunthomarra and the Murgoin ; and on the east by the same tribe.

History of contact

The first settlers arrived in 1863, and within two decades their population had been reduced substantially to just 90 people. Those surviving moved to Chastleton and NCarcowlah where they mingled with the Kalali.

Social organization

The Wongkumara were divided into hordes, concerning which 2 names possibly referring to their clans survive.