HISTORY OF THE NGADJURI
There is evidence that We Ngadjuri have lived on our Traditional Lands for Eons. 18,000 to 20,000 years ago (and Archaeologists now say 40,000 years) when Australia was still in an Ice Age our lands in the Mid North of South Australia were much more fertile due to this and provided us with an abundance of Food and fresh Water. Anthropologists have verified that we lived in larger Mobs to most others because of this & that our History and occupation of our Land goes back many thousands of years which have been verified by the many ancient Petroglyphs that have been rediscovered in the 20th Century. We say rediscovered because in the 1800’s the Government of the day along with European Settlers drove most Ngadjuri off the rich fertile land to make way for Farming. However Burials Sites have also been rediscovered as our Ngadjuri Ancestors were one of the very few who practised formal Burials. it has been recorded that Burial Sites where uncovered during the construction of the Spalding Railway Line in or around 1910.
It must be remembered that South Australia was the Only Free Settled State, meaning the White Settlers were Free Men and Women not Convicts and as such the majority traded with our People freely however not all were happy that we had first right to the Land. In or around the 1850's Epidemics of Scarlet Fever, Smallpox & Measles severely devistated the Ngadjuri people who lived close to the White Settlements and the survivors were mainly concentrated around Point Pearce, Quorn & Wilcannia. By 1878 it was thought those who lived near Burra were all but gone. Our Ancestors survived and we Decendants are working to preserve our Culture, Heritage and Language.
A lot of factual information on our History has been passed down to Descendants however due to many of the Elders trying hard to fit in with the lifestyle of the White Man a lot of information has remained with small groups of Ngadjuri but there are still those of us privileged to have had time with Ancestors who did pass down important information. Our Ancesors used Petroglyphs (Rock Art) to record Hisory and a lot of this is located near Firewood Creek and Deep Creek near Burra and across the North into the Lower Flinders Ranges. We will on occasion on this website put more information as it comes to hand but will not do what so many Universities in Australia do and use Myths and Fiction and make up History and then swear it to be true.
To the South of our Ngadjuri Lands lie the Kaurna People who called us Wirameju which some say meant Peppermint Gum Tree People as Ngadjuri land was abundant with Peppermint Gum Trees. However as the Kaurna are the Traditional People of the area where the City & Northern Suburbs lie many of our Ngadjuri people have moved there due to the opportunities of living close to the City. To the North of our Ngadjuri Lands lie the Adnyamathanha people who have claim to Ikara (Wilpena Pound) Meeting Place. To the West lie the Nukuna & the Banggaria. To the East lie the Meru, Danggali & Wiljali.
Of all these Mobs we have a closer relationship with the Adnyamathanha People as we both found more food & water within the confines of the Flinders Ranges & the fact that both our Ngadjuri & the Adnyamathanha saw the Southern Cross as an imprint of the Wedge Tailed Eagle.
