Ngaanyatjarra

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Ngaanyatjarra is an Aboriginal Australian dialectal group of the Western Desert cultural bloc. Ngaanya literally means "this" and "tjarra" means with, the name meanining: "those that use ngaanya to say 'this'". Neighbouring dialectal groups are called Ngaatjatjarra (using ngaatja) or Nyangatjatjarra (using nyangata).

The Western Desert cultural bloc covers about 600 000 square kilometres with more than 40 such dialectal groups. Among them are the Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Pintupi, Mardu and so on. All dialectal groups speak a dialect of a common language called Wati (or Western Desert Language), which is itself not spoken. Wati literally means initiated man and is used by linguists for this group of dialects because they all seem to be using this word with the same semantic.

Western Desert peoples were among the last to get in contact with the Western world (see for example the Woomera joint project and Maralinga atomic testing). Today most of them live in lands they have been able to claim back from Crown.

[edit] Information

The Ngaanyatjarra lands consists of Wingellina Blackstone Jameson Warburton Wanarn Warakurna Tjukurla Kiwirrkurra Tjirrkarli Patjarr Kanpa Cosmo Newberry

The Ngaanyatjarra lands was recentley (29 June 2005) the subject of the largest native title determination in Australian history with a supreem court hearing taking place on the lands between blackstone and warburton at lat=-25.8835990289, lon=127.627352919 (Note the MINUS on the lat)

details of the native title determination can be got from http://www.humanrights.gov.au/media_releases/2005/23_05.html legal information regarding the determination http://www.nntt.gov.au/ntdetermination/1120181808_2612.html background informatio regarding the determination http://www.nntt.gov.au/media/Ngaanyatjarra.html