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Indigenous Heritage & Groups

Narungga

The population of the Narungga people at the time of first contact was estimated at 500. This number had halved by 1856 and by 1880 there were less than 100 Aboriginal people of full Narungga descent on Yorke Peninsula. Once the Point Pearce Mission was opened in 1868, residents were discouraged from speaking their language and practicing their beliefs. Some Narungga resisted the move to the mission and continued to live independently, off the land, or by gaining work outside of the Mission. These groups continued to speak their own language and practice their culture - but were reluctant to pass these on to Mission residents.

The cultural identity of the Narungga was also challenged when Aboriginal people from other language groups were moved to Point Pearce - most significantly after the closure of Poonindie Mission in 1894. But the residents of the Point Pearce Mission maintained their community identity and fought long and hard for their rights to land in Yorke Peninsula. This entitlement was acknowledged in 1972, when ownership of 5,777 hectares was transferred to the Point Pearce Community Council under the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act.

Today both the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association, based in Moonta, and the Narungga Heritage Committee, based in Point Pearce, are working to continue and revive Narungga culture and language through education, tourism and cultural awareness training.

Ngadjuri

The Ngadjuri people are a group of Indigenous Australians whose traditional lands lie in the mid north of South Australia with a territory extending from Gawler in the south to Orroroo in the north. As with other indigenous groups in South Australia, the Ngadjuri led nomadic lives that were decimated by introduced European diseases, beginning with the spread of smallpox prior to European colonisation. Although the lands of the Ngadjuri were extensive their principle camping andburial grounds are believed to have been at Clare, Auburn, Macaw Creek and near Kapunda.

Nukunu

The Nukunu people's land runs from north of the Hummocks in the south to the southern Flinders Ranges. The Nukunu people now live throughout South Australia including urban centres, with some still living in and around Port Pirie, Port Augusta and down to Port Lincoln.