Walgalu
Encyclopedia
The 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. Steven Avery
wrote in Aboriginal and European Encounter in the Canberra Region: a question of change and the archaeological record, "The Walgalu estate is located in the Namadji (Namadgi
) region to the southwest of Queanbeyan".
The language of the Walgalu was a form of Ngarigo
.
According to Norman Tindale
in his 1974 catalogue of Australian Aboriginal, the specific areas where Walgalu lived were the:
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.'"
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...
, the capital of 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 is officially recognised as the original indigenous australian
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....
custodian of country. Steven Avery
Steven Avery
Steven Avery is an American who was convicted of murder. He served 18 years on a rape conviction in which DNA analysis later linked the crime to another man...
wrote in Aboriginal and European Encounter in the Canberra Region: a question of change and the archaeological record, "The Walgalu estate is located in the Namadji (Namadgi
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....
) region to the southwest of Queanbeyan".
The language of the Walgalu was a form of 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:...
.
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, the specific areas where Walgalu lived were the:
headwaters of the MurrumbidgeeMurrumbidgee RiverThe Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
, and Tumut rivers; at Kiandra; south to Tintaldra; northeast to near Queanbeyan. ParkesHenry ParkesSir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
obtained some details from a 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...
man at Brungle under the name Guramal or Gurmal. (These notes also apply in part to the NgarigoNgarigoThe 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:...
). Both tribes were to him ['guarai], or hostile people. The Walgalu spent their summers in the BogongMount BogongMount Bogong , located in the Alpine National Park, is the highest mountain in Victoria, Australia. The Big River separates the massif of the mountain from the Bogong High Plains to the south. "Bogong" in the local Aboriginal language means bigfella...
Mountains ['Bu:ga:?] southeast of Tumut. This tribe was omitted in error from my 1940 work. Mrs. J. M. Flood has drawn my attention to Howitt's note saying that the Walgalu went as far as Kauwambal on the upper Murray RiverMurray RiverThe Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
, which she identifies as between Mount Kosciusko and Mount CobberasCobberas RangeThe Cobberas Range is a mountain range in north-eastern Victoria in Australia. The range is located in the Cobberas Wilderness area of the Alpine National Park.Peaks include:*Mount Cobberas No. 1*Mount Cobberas No...
. It can perhaps be assumed that they extended their bogong-gathering forays by following the highlands along the eastern border of Djilama-tang territory.
The Cooma government web site states that "the two main groups on Monaro were the 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:...
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.'"