Ngarigo
Encyclopedia
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:
The Cooma government web site states that "the two main groups on Monaro
were the Ngarigo people of the tablelands
and the Wogul or Wolgalu group in the high country.".
The Ngarigo people spoke the Ngarigu language and a southern dialect, southern Ngarigu, which were used as far south as Goongerah in Victoria.
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
whose traditional lands lie south-east of the 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...
area.
According to Norman Tindale
Norman Tindale
Norman Barnett Tindale was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist and entomologist. Born in Perth, his family moved to Tokyo from 1907 to 1915, where his father worked as an accountant at the Salvation Army mission in Japan. Soon after returning to Australia, Tindale got a job at the South...
in his 1974 catalogue of Australian Aboriginal people groups, the specific areas lands of the Ngarigo are:
the MonaroMonaroMonaro may refer to several topics:* Monaro , a region in the south of the state of Australia* the Monaro Highway, the main state highway from Canberra to the Monaro region...
tableland north to Queanbeyan; Bombala RiverBombala RiverBombala means "meeting of the waters" in the Aboriginal language. The head of the Bombala River is in the Brown Mountain area with other rivers running into it. The one that meets it at Bombala is the Coolumbooka River. The river than meanders along to the Quidong River where it also meets the...
from near DelegateDelegate, New South WalesDelegate is a small town in New South Wales, Australia in Bombala Shire, south of the state capital, Sydney. Delegate lies just a few kilometres from the state border between New South Wales and Victoria. At the 2006 census, Delegate had a population of 306 people. The township of Delegate lies on...
to Nimmitabel; west to divide of the Australian AlpsAustralian AlpsThe Australian Alps are the highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia. They are located in southeastern Australia and straddle the Australian Capital Territory, south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria...
. The WiradjuriWiradjuriThe 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...
considered the Ngarigo and WalgaluWalgaluThe Walgalu one of the two Aboriginal peoples who originally lived in the region now occupied by Canberra, the capital of Australia, and is officially recognised as the original indigenous australian custodian of country...
as one people using the name Guramal which has the basic meaning of ['gurai] or 'hostile people.' CanberraCanberraCanberra 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...
, the capital city of the federal capital territory is very close to the boundary line between this and the Ngunawal tribe. In winter these tableland people sometimes came down to the surrounding territories for shelter, hence their reputation for aggressiveness.
The Cooma government web site states that "the two main groups on Monaro
Monaro
Monaro may refer to several topics:* Monaro , a region in the south of the state of Australia* the Monaro Highway, the main state highway from Canberra to the Monaro region...
were the Ngarigo people of the tablelands
Monaro, New South Wales
Monaro is the name of a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. A small area of Victoria near Snowy River National Park is geographically part of the Monaro, whilst the Australian Capital Territory is frequently considered part of the region: most towns have very close links with...
and the Wogul or Wolgalu group in the high country.".
The Ngarigo people spoke the Ngarigu language and a southern dialect, southern Ngarigu, which were used as far south as Goongerah in Victoria.