Wotjobaluk people

The Wotjobaluk were an indigenous Australian people of the state of Victoria.

Language

R. H. Mathews supplied a brief analysis of the language, describing what he called the Tyattyalla dialect of the Wotjobaluk around Albacutya[1] He stated that it was characterized by four numbers: the singular, the dual, trial, and plural.[2] There were, in addition, two forms of the trial number for the Ist person, depending on whether the person addressed was included or excluded.[2] Thus one obtains: wutju (a man); "wutju-buliñ" (two men); wutju-kullik (three men); wutju-getyaul (several men).[2][3]

Country

Wotjobaluk territory took in some 4,800 square miles (12,000 km2) inclusive of the Wimmera River, Outlet Creek and the two eutrophic lakes, Hindmarsh and Albacutya. Their southern borders down ran to Dimboola, Kaniva, and Servicetown. Their western frontier lay beyond Yanac, and to the east, as far as Warracknabeal and Lake Korong. Their northern horizon reached Pine Plains.[4]

Social organization

The Wotjobaluk were divided into 11 hordes:[5]

  1. Lail-buil between Pine Plains and the River Murray.
  2. Jakelbalak between Pine Plains and Lake Albacutya.
  3. Kromelak at Lake Albacutya.
  4. Wanmung Wanmungkur at Lake Hindmarsh.
  5. Kapuu-kapunbara on the River Wimmera, towards Lake Hindmarsh.
  6. Duwinbarap west of River Wimmera.
  7. Jackalbarap west of Duwinbarap.
  8. Jarambiuk at Yarriambiack Creek (so called).
  9. Whitewurudiuk, east of Yarriambiack Creek.
  10. Kerabialbarap south of Mount Arapiles.
  11. Murra-murra-barap in the Grampians.

Hunting lore

Wotjobaluk hunters told Adolf Hartmann that kangaroos had acute hearing, and could twig the presence of a predator at 150 yards simply by hearing the noise of ankle-bones cracking. Older kangaroos were apt to cast their young from their marsupial pouch if chased by dingos, to distract the dogs from their main prey.[6]

Alternative names

  • Wotjo-ba-laiuruk (lit. "men and women")
  • Wuttyabullak, Wuttyuballeak
  • Buibatjali (dialect name), buibatyalli
  • Wattyabullak
  • Woychibirik (name for man = wotjo])
  • Woitu-bullar (plural of man as used in Barapa Barapa tribe)
  • Tjatijala (regional name west of Lake Hindmarsh)
  • Tyattyalla, Djadjala
  • Kurm-me-lak (horde name = Gromiluk)
  • Wimmera tribe
  • Gourrbaluk (Gour =Lake Hindmarsh, name used by Wemba-Wemba)
  • Gnallbagootchyourl[7]
  • Ngalbagutja denoting Lake Albucutya, a Wemba-Wemba exonym used of northern hordes of the Wotjobaluk)
  • Malikunditj (northern tribal exonym)
  • Malleegunditch[4]

Some words

  • wotjo (a man)
  • laiaruk. (a woman)
  • kulkun. (a boy)
  • lanangurk. (a girl).[3]
  • mindyun (a kangaroo)
  • dhallung (male or buck klangaroo)
  • muty (doer or female kangaroo)[8]
  • gal. (dog)[8]
  • winya nyua. (Who is there?)[9]

Notes

    Citations

    Sources

    • Bride, Thomas Francis, ed. (1898). Letters from Victorian Pioneers (PDF). Melbourne: Robert S Brain Government Printer.
    • Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (1887). Curr, Edward Micklethwaite, ed. The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent (PDF). Volume 3. Melbourne: J. Ferres.
    • Hartmann, Rev. Adolf (1878). Smyth, Robert Brough, ed. The Aborigines of Victoria: with notes relating to the habits of the natives of other parts of Australia and Tasmania (PDF). Volume 1. Melbourne: J. Ferres, gov't printer. pp. 39, 249–251.
    • Howitt, Alfred William (1904). The native tribes of south-east Australia (PDF). Macmillan.
    • Mathews, R. H. (1902). "Aboriginal languages of Victoria". Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. 36: 71–106.
    • Parker, K. Langloh (1905). The Euahlayi tribe; a study of aboriginal life in Australia (PDF). A. Constable & Co.,.
    • Smyth, Robert Brough (1878). The Aborigines of Victoria: with notes relating to the habits of the natives of other parts of Australia and Tasmania (PDF). Volume 1. Melbourne: J. Ferres, gov't printer.
    • Stone, A. C. (1911). "Aborigines of Lake Boga". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 23: 433–468 – via BHL.
    • Tindale, Norman Barnett (1974). "Wotjobaluk (VIC)". Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names. Australian National University Press. ISBN 978-0-708-10741-6.
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