Ngambri
Encyclopedia
Ngambri or Kamberri is the name of the ancestral group and their descendants after whom the capital of Australia
, Canberra
, is named.
Since the Native Title Act was passed in 1994, the mainly Yass
- and Boorowa
-based Ngunnawal
(also spelled Ngunawal, which is the name of a language not a people) have been asserting their claims to be the 'rightful traditional custodians' of the area now incorporating the Australian Capital Territory and surrounds, mainly through their kinship connections to Ngambri descendants, many of whom also identify as Ngunnawal through non-Ngambri kinship lines. The Ngunnawal claims are mainly based on the linguistic map published by Dr Norman Tindale
in 1974, Aboriginal Tribes of Australia, yet even Tindale did not place the 'Ngunawal' south of the Molonglo River
. The area south of the Molonglo River was, according to Tindale, the country of the Walgalu speaking peoples, made up of two close kin groups, the Ngambri and the Ngurmal. These two groups merged under the leadership of Onyong (Ngambri) and Noolup, aka Jimmy the Rover (Ngurmal) soon after white settlement in the 1820s.
The current ACT Government, however, supports the Ngunnawal claims. In response to a recent question in the ACT Government
about the 'official' status of the Ngambri, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope stated that "Ngambri is the name of one of a number of family groups that make up the Ngunnawal nation," and that his government "recognises members of the Ngunnawal nation as descendants of the original inhabitants of this region. There is no specific recognition of the Ngambri group outside of this broader acknowledgement."
However, while some Ngambri descendants married into the Yass and Boorowa-based Ngunnawal and can refer to themselves as Ngunnawal through those lines, this does not necessarily mean that Ngunnawal descendants can claim a Ngambri identity.
The name, Canberra, is a corruption of the original name written in Roman script of this region, Canberry, also spelled Canburry, which is itself a corruption of the original Aboriginal name for both the local people and country in the region that now incorporates the Australian Capital Territory: Ngambri.
The European invasions not only devastated and decimated the original Aboriginal populations in New South Wales
and the modern ACT
, they also created new political and geographical constructs and under 19th century NSW policies deliberately moved Aboriginal peoples around to disassociate them from their ancestral countries. Many Ngambri had fled to the mountains and to the tops of trees when they heard through the trading links that the white explorers were on their way past Weereewaa (Lake George) and were about to enter Ngambri country in 1821
.
Matilda House is a Ngambri-Ngunnawal elder. Black Harry Williams, also known as Ngoobra, House’s great-grandfather, and Harry Williams her grandfather, both identified as Ngambri. House is the Chair of the Ngunnawal Local Aboriginal Land Council in Queanbeyan and the Joint Chair of the Interim Namadgi National Park
Committee. In 2006 she was named as the Canberra Citizen of the Year.
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...
, 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...
, is named.
Since the Native Title Act was passed in 1994, the mainly Yass
Yass, New South Wales
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
- and 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...
-based Ngunnawal
Ngunnawal
Ngunnawal or Ngunawal may refer to:* The Ngunnawal people, the indigenous people of the Canberra region of Australia.* The Ngunnawal language, their traditional language....
(also spelled Ngunawal, which is the name of a language not a people) have been asserting their claims to be the 'rightful traditional custodians' of the area now incorporating the Australian Capital Territory and surrounds, mainly through their kinship connections to Ngambri descendants, many of whom also identify as Ngunnawal through non-Ngambri kinship lines. The Ngunnawal claims are mainly based on the linguistic map published by Dr 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 1974, Aboriginal Tribes of Australia, yet even Tindale did not place the 'Ngunawal' south of the Molonglo River
Molonglo River
The Molonglo River rises on the western side of the Great Dividing Range of eastern Australia in the state of New South Wales. Its source is on the other side of the mountain range from where the Shoalhaven River rises, in Tallaganda state forest at ~1200 metres altitude...
. The area south of the Molonglo River was, according to Tindale, the country of the Walgalu speaking peoples, made up of two close kin groups, the Ngambri and the Ngurmal. These two groups merged under the leadership of Onyong (Ngambri) and Noolup, aka Jimmy the Rover (Ngurmal) soon after white settlement in the 1820s.
The current ACT Government, however, supports the Ngunnawal claims. In response to a recent question in the ACT Government
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
about the 'official' status of the Ngambri, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope stated that "Ngambri is the name of one of a number of family groups that make up the Ngunnawal nation," and that his government "recognises members of the Ngunnawal nation as descendants of the original inhabitants of this region. There is no specific recognition of the Ngambri group outside of this broader acknowledgement."
However, while some Ngambri descendants married into the Yass and Boorowa-based Ngunnawal and can refer to themselves as Ngunnawal through those lines, this does not necessarily mean that Ngunnawal descendants can claim a Ngambri identity.
The name, Canberra, is a corruption of the original name written in Roman script of this region, Canberry, also spelled Canburry, which is itself a corruption of the original Aboriginal name for both the local people and country in the region that now incorporates the Australian Capital Territory: Ngambri.
The European invasions not only devastated and decimated the original Aboriginal populations in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the modern ACT
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 also created new political and geographical constructs and under 19th century NSW policies deliberately moved Aboriginal peoples around to disassociate them from their ancestral countries. Many Ngambri had fled to the mountains and to the tops of trees when they heard through the trading links that the white explorers were on their way past Weereewaa (Lake George) and were about to enter Ngambri country in 1821
1821 in Australia
See also:1820 in Australia,other events of 1821,1822 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales- Major-General Lachlan Macquarie...
.
Matilda House is a Ngambri-Ngunnawal elder. Black Harry Williams, also known as Ngoobra, House’s great-grandfather, and Harry Williams her grandfather, both identified as Ngambri. House is the Chair of the Ngunnawal Local Aboriginal Land Council in Queanbeyan and the Joint Chair of the Interim Namadgi National Park
Namadgi National Park
Namadgi National Park is located in the southwestern part of the Australian Capital Territory, bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately 40 km southwest of Canberra, and makes up approximately 46% of the ACT's land area....
Committee. In 2006 she was named as the Canberra Citizen of the Year.