Glossary

Kamilaroi words

Here’s a link to the first online Kamilaroi dictionary. A lot more has been done in the area of language revival since this first went online.

http://www.dnathan.com/language/gamilaraay/dictionary/GAMFL.HTM

Mungindi – digging for water

Moree – is not a Kamilaroi word but names the area that was referred to as the place of waterholes and springs

Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi/Gamilaraay – from the word kamil or Kumil meaning ‘main soul’ are a large nation of Aborigines consisting of many tribes.

Waraba – turtle

Thanggal – large mussel

Giinbay – small mussel

Bundi – club

Bilaar – spear

Barran – boomerang

Maang – message stick

Milimili – mud

English words

Dendroglyphs – or carved trees are the signpost of the burial ground of an important tribal elder, or they mark an initiation site or territorial boundary. Often intricately carved with ceremonial linear and geometric patterns, they were once widespread particularly throughout NSW and Southern Queensland. Few remain in situ today due to land clearing, fire and natural deterioration in addition to removal by anthropologists.

Disperse – Australian History (euphemistic) to remove (Aborigines) from an area, officially by scattering them but often in practice by shooting them.

Moiety – Anthropology one of two units into which a tribe is divided on the basis of unilateral descent.

Sgraffito – A technique of decoration in which a top layer of plaster, paint etc is incised with a pattern partially to reveal a second layer usually of another colour.