Wangai

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Wangai, Wongai or Wankai is the name given by themselves to the 26 Aboriginal groups of the Goldfields of Western Australia. It comes from the word meaning "Speaker". The people of this grouping made use of the resources of the following biogeographic regions:

• Coolgardie
• South East Murchison
• Nullarbor
• Western half of the Great Victoria Desert.

Today their Native Title land rights interests are represented by the Goldfields Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Corporation. Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 1997 give the Wangai language the statistical code 8503. ^[1]

Wangai people played an important role in the discovery of Gold, and in supporting early prospectors with information about locally available gnamma holes (water sources). They also assisted with early so-called Afghan camel-drivers, instrumental in providing outback gold mining communities with provisions. As with Jack Akbar and his wife Lallie, there were a number of Muslim-Aboriginal marriages that resulted from this work^{[2] [3]}

Many former sheep stations have passed into Wangai ownership, and traditional art has grown to become a major income to Wangai communities.^[4]

It is estimated that there are about 200-300 first-language Wangai speaking people (from the Pintini people) along the northern edge of the Nullarbor Plain around Hughes^[5].

The Wangai Wongatha-Wonganarra Aboriginal Corporation (WWAC) has been working in association between Curtin University, Aboriginal people of Laverton and the transient European community of about 1,600 people largely working in the mining industry ^[6].

[edit] See also

• Indigenous Australians
• Aboriginal History of Western Australia

[edit] References