Ngunnawal people
Encyclopedia
The Ngunnawal people are the Indigenous Australian
inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra
, Australia
and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory
. They speak the Ngunawal language.
When first encountered by European settlers in the 1820s, the Ngunawal people lived in an area roughly bounded by what is now the towns of Queanbeyan
, Tumut
, Boorowa
and Goulburn
. The Ngunnawal people were neighbours of the Yuin
(on the coast), Ngarigo
(who lived south east of Canberra), Wiradjuri
(to the west) and Gundungurra (to the north) peoples.
Some Indigenous people claim to be part of the Ngamberri
nation located inside the Ngunawal country border. However, the claim of the nation status is disputed by other Aboriginal Australians, who state that the Ngamberri are a just a small family clan of the Wiradjuri nation.
The earliest direct evidence for Indigenous
occupation in the area comes from a rock shelter near the area of Birrigai near Tharwa
, which has been dated to approximately 20,000 years ago. However, it is likely (based on older sites known from the surrounding regions) that human occupation of the region goes back considerably further. Whether the original occupants of these early sites were ancestral to the Ngunnawal is not directly known, however Ngunnawal lore and tradition identify strongly with these sites and the surrounding lands, indicating a lengthy association.
They were gradually displaced from the Canberra area beginning in the 1820s when graziers began to occupy the land there. In 1826 a thousand Aborigines at Lake George protested an incident involving a shepherd and Aboriginal woman, though the protesters moved away peacefully. Some Ngunnawal people worked at properties in the region.
Some histories of Australia record the last full-blooded Ngunnawal person, Nellie Hamilton, dying in 1897. However, it has been regarded by some Indigenous Australians as a biased attempt to claim that they were wiped out when there are many Ngunnawal people still around today.
The Ngunnawal people had no part in the founding of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
in 1972.
The opening speech by the chairman at the constitutional convention at Old Parliament House held on 2 February 1998 included
In October 2002, some Ngunnawal members wanted to evict the residents of the tent embassy who had "lost their way".
The ACT Planning and Land Authority's annual report in 2004 called for research into the Ngunnawal language to name beaches at Lake Tuggeranong
and Lake Ginninderra
, and to agree to recognise traditional names of geographic features.
In 2007, Ngambri/Ngunnawal woman Matilda House became the first Indigenous person to welcome to country an Australian Prime Minister, at the request of new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. They speak the Ngunawal language.
When first encountered by European settlers in the 1820s, the Ngunawal people lived in an area roughly bounded by what is now the towns of Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Queanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction, high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is the council seat of the...
, Tumut
Tumut, New South Wales
Tumut is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut is at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is referred to as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains Scheme...
, Boorowa
Boorowa, New South Wales
Boorowa is a farming town in the South West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Boorowa had a population of 1,070 people. It is located in a valley 243 km west of Sydney and 487 m above sea-level...
and Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
. The Ngunnawal people were neighbours of the Yuin
Yuin
Yuin people are those Australian Aborigines from the South Coast of New South wales who are considered to be the traditional owners of the land and water from Merimbula to Port Jackson.- Country :...
(on the coast), Ngarigo
Ngarigo
The Ngarigo is the Aboriginal people group whose traditional lands lie south-east of the Canberra area.According to Norman Tindale in his 1974 catalogue of Australian Aboriginal people groups, the specific areas lands of the Ngarigo are:...
(who lived south east of Canberra), Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
(to the west) and Gundungurra (to the north) peoples.
Some Indigenous people claim to be part of the Ngamberri
Ngamberri
Ngabri or Ngamberri is a term used by a group of Aboriginal Australians.Some Indigenous people of the area where is now located Canberra, the capital of Australia, claim to be part of the Ngamberri nation located inside the Ngunawal country border...
nation located inside the Ngunawal country border. However, the claim of the nation status is disputed by other Aboriginal Australians, who state that the Ngamberri are a just a small family clan of the Wiradjuri nation.
The earliest direct evidence for Indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
occupation in the area comes from a rock shelter near the area of Birrigai near Tharwa
Tharwa, Australian Capital Territory
Tharwa is a small village within the Australian Capital Territory, south of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. At the 2006 census, Tharwa had a population of 109....
, which has been dated to approximately 20,000 years ago. However, it is likely (based on older sites known from the surrounding regions) that human occupation of the region goes back considerably further. Whether the original occupants of these early sites were ancestral to the Ngunnawal is not directly known, however Ngunnawal lore and tradition identify strongly with these sites and the surrounding lands, indicating a lengthy association.
They were gradually displaced from the Canberra area beginning in the 1820s when graziers began to occupy the land there. In 1826 a thousand Aborigines at Lake George protested an incident involving a shepherd and Aboriginal woman, though the protesters moved away peacefully. Some Ngunnawal people worked at properties in the region.
Some histories of Australia record the last full-blooded Ngunnawal person, Nellie Hamilton, dying in 1897. However, it has been regarded by some Indigenous Australians as a biased attempt to claim that they were wiped out when there are many Ngunnawal people still around today.
The Ngunnawal people had no part in the founding of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
in 1972.
The opening speech by the chairman at the constitutional convention at Old Parliament House held on 2 February 1998 included
- We acknowledge that we are meeting today on country of which the people of the Ngunnawal tribe have been custodians for many centuries and on which the members of that tribe performed age-old ceremonies of celebration, initiation and renewal.
In October 2002, some Ngunnawal members wanted to evict the residents of the tent embassy who had "lost their way".
The ACT Planning and Land Authority's annual report in 2004 called for research into the Ngunnawal language to name beaches at Lake Tuggeranong
Lake Tuggeranong
Lake Tuggeranong is an artificial lake in the Canberra district of Tuggeranong. The lake was created by the construction of a dam in 1987 coinciding with urban development in the district. The lake was built as a sediment trap to stop sediment from entering the Murrumbidgee River.The lake is a...
and Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra is an artificial lake located on the Ginninderra Creek in Canberra. It is adjacent to the Belconnen Town Centre. The lake was constructed in 1974 to collect stormwater discharge from a 98.8km² catchment that includes the surrounding suburbs of Aranda, Macquarie, Cook, Bruce,...
, and to agree to recognise traditional names of geographic features.
In 2007, Ngambri/Ngunnawal woman Matilda House became the first Indigenous person to welcome to country an Australian Prime Minister, at the request of new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
.