Where is Martu country?
Where is Martu country?
central Western Australia
The Martu are the traditional owners of a large part of central Western Australia which extends from the Great Sandy Desert in the north to around Wiluna in the south. Across this country, Martu share a common law, culture and language.
What is the meaning of Martu?
Martu means ‘one of us’, or ‘person’. Traditional Martu language is called Martu Wangka, a Western Desert Language. The majority of Martu are bilingual with English as their second language.
What language do the Martu people speak?
About the Language Martu Wangka means ‘Aboriginal language’ and it is spoken by about 800-1,000 Martu people in and around the Gibson and Great Sandy Desert area of Western Australia. The communities where a significant number of Martu Wangka speakers live are Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu, Newman and Nullagine.
Are Martu egalitarian?
Political and social organization. Like most other hunter-gatherers, the Martu have a largely egalitarian social structure. Women have a high degree of autonomy, often travel without their husbands, and participate in secular decision-making along with men.
How many Martu communities are there?
The Martu encompass six different language groups who have English and Martu Wangka as common languages, and 20-30 different “skin groups”. In the 1970s and 80s, government initiatives encouraged them to move into about 11 small communities.
Who are the stolen generations what happened to these people when did it occur?
The Stolen Generations refers to a period in Australia’s history where Aboriginal children were removed from their families through government policies. This happened from the mid-1800s to the 1970s.
What is the Aboriginal word for desert?
kumanjayi
When “deadly” is wonderful
| Aboriginal word | Language group |
|---|---|
| koala | Dharug |
| kookaburra | Wiradjuri |
| kumanjayi | Western Desert |
| kurrajong | Dharug |
What state is the Gibson Desert in?
Western Australia
| Gibson Desert | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| States | Western Australia |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Relatively stable/intact |
What Aboriginal land is Newman on?
Newman sits on the traditional lands of the Nyiyarparli people and the Martu people are the current custodians. Newman was built in the 1960s by the Mount Newman Mining Company, following the discovery of rich iron deposits on nearby Mount Whaleback, now the world’s largest open-cut iron ore mine.
Why were stolen generation children taken?
The forcible removal of First Nations children from their families was part of the policy of Assimilation, which was based on the misguided assumption that the lives of First Nations people would be improved if they became part of white society.
Why did the British do the Stolen Generation?
Under this policy, the forcible removal of First Nations children was made legal. Assimilation was based on a belief of white superiority and black inferiority, and presumed that “full-blood” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would naturally die out.
