Kaytetye people
Kaytetye is the name of the Indigenous Australians who live around Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Their neighbours to the east are the Alyawarre, to the south the Anmatyerre, to the west the Warlpiri, and to the north the Warumungu.
The Devils Marbles, which the Kaytetye call Karlu Karlu, are located on a sacred Dreaming site. The Kaytetye believe the boulders are the eggs of the rainbow serpent, who passed through the area in the Dreamtime.
The Kaytetye language, like many Indigenous languages in this part of Central Australia, is an Arandic language. A sophisticated form of sign language is also used by some Kaytetye.
Kaytetye call the area around Barrow Creek Thangkenharenge.
Conflict between the Kaytetye and European settlers sometimes took violent form. There were revenge killings by settlers of Kayetye at Barrow Creek in 1874. In the Coniston massacre of 1928, settlers killed Kaytetye.
Alternative spellings for Kaytetye include Kartetye, Kartiji, Kaytej, Keytej and Katish.
External links
- "Barrow Creek", Central Land Council