Kungarakany Explained

See also: Koongurrukuñ language. The Kungarakany people, also spelt Koongurrukuñ, Kungarrakany, Kungarakan and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory. They were called the "Paperbark People" by European settlers.

Country

Norman Tindale estimated their tribal lands covered approximately 2000mi2. They included the inland area north-east of Mount Litchfield, around the mid-waters of the Reynolds River and the headwaters of the Adelaide River. Their north-eastern limits were close to Rum Jungle and Batchelor. Kungarakan traditional land encompasses Adelaide River, Batchelor, Rum Jungle, Finniss River, Litchfield Park, and Berry Springs, including the Territory Wildlife Park.

Language

See main article: Kungarakany language.

Alternative names

They were known to European settlers as the "Paperbark People".^[1] Alternative names and spellings include:

• Gunerakan
• Kangarraga
• Kangarranga
• Warnunger
• Ungnakan

Notable people

• Kathy Mills, first woman on the Northern Land Council^[2]
• Marlon Motlop, footballer and musician^[3] (on his mother's side^[4])
• Tom Calma, Chancellor of the University of Canberra^[5]

Notes

Citations

Sources

• Anthropological notes on the Western Coastal tribes of the Northern Territory of South Australia . Basedow . Herbert . Herbert Basedow . . 1907 . 31 . 1–62 .
• On the Manners, Customs, &c., of some Tribes of the Aborigines in the neighbourhood of Port Darwin and the West Coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, North Australia . Foelsche . Paul . Paul Foelsche . . 1895 . 24 . 190–198 . 2842215 .
• Ceremonial Economics of the Mulluk Mulluk and Madngella Tribes of the Daly River, North Australia. A Preliminary Paper . Stanner . W. E. H. . W. E. H. Stanner . . 4 . 2 . 156–175 . December 1933 . 10.1002/j.1834-4461.1933.tb00098.x . 40327457 .
• Customs, rites and superstitions of the aboriginal tribes of the Gulf of Carpentaria . Stretton . W. G. . . 1893 . 17 . 227–253 . 22 January 2018 . 21 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071232/http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/jspui/bitstream/10070/153099/1/Customs.pdf . dead .
• Book: Tindale , Norman Barnett . Kungarakan (NT) . Norman Tindale . 1974 . Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names . . http://archives.samuseum.sa.gov.au/tindaletribes/kungarakan.htm . 20 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200320020206/http://archives.samuseum.sa.gov.au/tindaletribes/kungarakan.htm . 978-0-708-10741-6 .

Notes and References

1. Dewar. Mickey. Alngindabu (1874–1961). alngindabu-9345. 30 April 2022. This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, (Melbourne University Press), 1993.
2. Web site: Hynes . Nicholas . Aboriginal elder Kathy Mills remembered as formidable leader and brilliant storyteller . ABC News . . 26 April 2022 . 26 April 2022.
3. Web site: Jenke . Tyler . MRLN x RKM, Vika and Linda, and Midnight Oil Continue A Stellar WOMADelaide . . 6 March 2021 . 29 August 2021.
4. Web site: AFL's Marlon Motlop and Rulla Kelly-Mansell team up for a new musical project. Audio . . 7 July 2021 . 29 August 2021.
5. Web site: Alexandra . Andrew . Tom Calma: A Biography . Academia.edu . 21 July 2022.