Ngaanyatjarra
Encyclopedia
Ngaanyatjarra is an Indigenous Australian cultural group in the Western Desert, Central Australia.
and the Nyangatjatjarra, who use ngaatja and nyangatja respectively for 'this'.
The Western Desert cultural bloc covers about 600 000 square kilometres with diverse cultures, traditions and language groups.
The Ngaanyatjarra refer to themselves as Anangu (people).
(see Western Desert Language
)
The Ngaanyatjarra people are very proactive in maintaining their own language, using informal teaching and music recording since 1994.
, Wanarn, Warakurna, Tjukurla, Kiwirrkura
, Tjirrkarli, Patjarr, Kanpa, Cosmo Newberry.
On 29 June 2005 the Ngaanyatjarra lands were the subject of the largest native title determination in Australian history (according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner for Social Justice) with a Federal Court hearing presided by Justice Black taking place on the lands between Blackstone and Warburton (specifically, 25.8835990289°S 127.627352919°E)
Arts Organisations Websites:
Media Organisations
Links to Policy Documents:
Meaning and origin of the name
Ngaanya literally means 'this' (that is, the demonstrative pronoun) and -tjarra means 'with/having' (the comitative suffix); the compound term means 'those that use "ngaanya" to say "this"'. Some neighbouring dialect groups are the NgaatjatjarraNgaatjatjarra
Ngaatjatjarra is an Australian Aboriginal dialect of the Western Desert language. It is spoken in the Western Desert cultural bloc which covers about 600 000 square kilometres of the arid central and central-western desert...
and the Nyangatjatjarra, who use ngaatja and nyangatja respectively for 'this'.
Regions
The Ngaanyatjarra people make use of the resources of the following biogeographic regions- North Western Great Sandy DesertGreat Sandy DesertThe Great Sandy Desert is a desert located in the North West of Western Australia straddling the Pilbara and southern Kimberley regions. It is the second largest desert in Australia after the Great Victoria Desert and encompasses an area of...
- Little Sandy Desert
- South East GascoyneGascoyne region of Western AustraliaThe Gascoyne region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the north west of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne...
- Gibson DesertGibson DesertThe Gibson Desert covers a large dry area in the state of Western Australia and is still largely in an almost "pristine" state. It is about in size, making it the 5th largest desert in Australia, after the Great Sandy, Great Victoria, Tanami and Simpson deserts.-Location and description:The Gibson...
- Central Great Victoria DesertGreat Victoria DesertThe Great Victoria Desert is a barren and sparsely populated desert area of southern Australia.-Location and description:The Great Victoria is the biggest desert in Australia and consists of many small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with a closely packed surface of pebbles and salt lakes...
- Western Central Ranges
The Western Desert cultural bloc covers about 600 000 square kilometres with diverse cultures, traditions and language groups.
Languages
Most people in the region speak Ngaanyatjarra as a first language, some people may also speak English, Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Noongar and other regional Indigenous languages.The Ngaanyatjarra refer to themselves as Anangu (people).
(see Western Desert Language
Western Desert Language
Western Desert Language is the name used to refer to an otherwise un-named Australian Aboriginal language. It is one of the Wati languages of the large Southwest branch of the Pama–Nyungan family.-Location and list of communities:...
)
The Ngaanyatjarra people are very proactive in maintaining their own language, using informal teaching and music recording since 1994.
Regional culture
The Ngaanyatjarra region has very diverse regional cultures.- Indigenous Australian musicIndigenous Australian musicAustralian indigenous music includes the music of Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who are collectively called Indigenous Australians; it incorporates a variety of distinctive traditional music styles practiced by Indigenous Australian peoples, as well as a range of contemporary...
- Indigenous Australian art
- Wood carvingWood carvingWood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...
- Off-RoadingOff-roadingOff-roading is a term for driving a vehicle on unsurfaced roads or tracks, made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain.-Off-road vehicle:...
- ReggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
Information
The Ngaanyatjarra lands consists of Wingellina, Blackstone (Papulankutja), Jameson, WarburtonWarburton, Western Australia
Warburton or Warburton Ranges is an Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia, just to the south of the Gibson Desert and located on the Great Central Road and Gunbarrel Highway...
, Wanarn, Warakurna, Tjukurla, Kiwirrkura
Kiwirrkurra, Western Australia
Kiwirrkurra is a small community in Western Australia in the Gibson Desert, 1,200 km east of Port Hedland and 850 km west of Alice Springs. It has been described as the most remote community in Australia....
, Tjirrkarli, Patjarr, Kanpa, Cosmo Newberry.
On 29 June 2005 the Ngaanyatjarra lands were the subject of the largest native title determination in Australian history (according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner for Social Justice) with a Federal Court hearing presided by Justice Black taking place on the lands between Blackstone and Warburton (specifically, 25.8835990289°S 127.627352919°E)
External links
General information on the region:Arts Organisations Websites:
- Western Desert Mob website
- Wilurarra Creative website
- Warakurna Artists website
- Papulankutja Artists website
- Kayili Artists website
- Tjarlirli Art website
- Tjanpi Desert Weavers website
Media Organisations
Links to Policy Documents: