Y136: Mbarrumbathama

AIATSIS code: 
Y136
AIATSIS reference name: 
Mbarrumbathama

tabs_horizontal

Name
Thesaurus heading language
Mbarrumbathama language Y136
Thesaurus heading people
Lamalama people Y136
ABN name
Lamalama language
ABS name
Lamalama
Horton name
Lamalama
Ethnologue name
Lamu-Lamu
ISO 639-3 code
lby
Tindale name
-
Tindale (1974)
O'Grady et al (1966)
Glottocode
lamu1254
Other sources
Mba Rrumbathama (appears to be a clan name) [Sutton MS 3813] Mbarrumbathama [Verstraete VERSTRAETE_J03] Barum Bathama [Thompson PMS 1825] Korko Lama Lama (Thomson) [Rigsby 2005:133] Mba-Rumbathama [Thompson 1976:233] Kuku Warkatyi (Inland Lamalama) (Laycock, 1969)
Synonyms
Lamalama, Lama Lama, Lamalamic, Mba Rumbathama, Bakanambia, Wanbara, Lamu Lamu, Jeteneru, Badjam, Baganambia, Been gee warra, Funggufan, Koko Lama Lama, Kookoymma, Kulamak, Rimanggudinhma, Rumbatama, Rumbathama, Mba Rrumbathama
Comment
Comments: 

This language was formerly listed as Lamalama (Y136) in this database, and this name is still used in many contexts. Three language, Mbarrumbathama (Y136), Rimanggudinhma Y195 and Morrobolam Y55, form a genetic subgroup of Paman known as Lamalamic. This subgroup is defined by shared innovations in phonology and morphology, specifically the development of voicing contrasts in trills, the setup of verbal inflections, and a number of innovative forms in nominal morphology. Within this subgroup, Morrobolam and Mbarrumbathama form a phonologically innovative branch, while Rumanggudinhma forms a more conservative branch (p.c. Verstraete 2018).

Mbarrumbathama, a clan name, is also known as Lamalama; Mbarrumbathama is the name of one of twenty clans associated with the language (Verstraete, 2018:3). Sutton refers to Lamalama as a cover term for Princess Charlotte Bay peoples (1993:32). In modern times many people at Port Stewart and Coen identify as Lamalama, but speak or identify with either Mbarrumbathama Y136, Rimanggudinhma Y195, Morrobolam Y55, Umpithamu Y50, and Yintyingka Y236.

Hale and Tindale say that 'Kokolamalama' (Y136) live around the Normanby and North Kennedy Rivers and Jane Table Hill (sic) and that they call themselves 'Bakanambia' and 'Wanbara' (1933:68). Capell (1963) lists 'Lamalama (koko)' and 'Wambara' as alternate names for 'Baganambia'. Tindale calls this language 'Bakanambia' and 'Kokolamalama' but notes that 'Wambara' is incorrect (1974:164).

Laycock reports two dialects of Lamalama: Inland (see Y58) and Coastal; he includes a third Tablelands dialect on his map (1969:72, 97).

Oates and Oates (1970) call it 'Lamalama' but Oates (1975) uses 'Baganambia'. 

 

References: 
  • Capell, Arthur. 1963. Linguistic survey of Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
  • Godman, Irene. 1993. A sketch grammar of Rimanggudinhma: a language of the Princess Charlotte Bay region of Cape York Peninsula, University of Queensland: BA (Hons). (MS 3585).
  • Hale, Herbert M and Tindale, Norman B. 1933. Aborigines of Princess Charlotte Bay, North Queensland in South Australian Museum -- Records, v.5, no.1, 1933; [63]-116; v.5, no.2, 1934; [117]-172.
  • Jolley, Leslie. 1991. Port Stewart Lamalama women and language. PMS 5456.
  • Laycock, Donald C. 1969. Three Lamalamic languages of north Queensland. In Papers in Australian Linguistics 4, 71-97. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  • Rigsby, Bruce. 1992. The languages of the Princess Charlotte Bay region. In The language game: papers in memory of Donald C. Laycock, eds Tom Dutton, Malcolm Ross and Darrell Tryon, 353-360. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  • Rigsby, Bruce. 2005. The languages of Eastern Cape York Peninsula and linguistic anthropology. In Donald Thomson: the man and the scholar, eds Bruce Rigsby and Nicolas Peterson, 129-142. Canberra: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
  • Sommer, Bruce. 1999. Lamalama [Mba Rumbathama]. MS 4039.
  • Sutton, Peter. 1993. The Flinders Islands and Melville National Parks Land Claim. MS 3813 Vol. 1.
  • Verstraete, Jean-Christophe. 2012. Contact-indiced restructuring of pronominal morphosyntax in Umpithamu (Cape York Peninsula, Australia). Diachronica 29:3. 326-358. DOI 10.1075/dia.29.3.03ver
Status: 
Confirmed
Location
State / Territory: 
QLD
Location information: 

... from the Normanby River mouth around the margin of the lower bay to where the mangroves open up into sand beach west of the North Kennedy River mouth. Some of clans own countries somewhat futher inland too (Rigsby 1992:356).

 

Maps: 
-
Links

Search MURA people®

Search MURA language®

Search OZBIB

Search Trove

Search Worldcat

PDF icon Oates_Y136.pdf
Guardian Australia: Lama Lama Rangers ...
Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
Margaret Elizabeth Lawrie, Bruce Sommer, Lamont West, Bruce Rigsby, Jean-Christophe Verstraete
Indigenous organisations: 
-
Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates-
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt-
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate3
2006Census20
2011Census20
2014NILS2
2016Census3
2018-2019NILS3

Speaker numbers were measured differently across the censuses and various other sources listed in AUSTLANG. You are encouraged to refer to the sources.

Speaker numbers for ‘NILS 2004’ and ‘2005 estimate’ come from 'Table F.3: Numbers of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages (various surveys)' in 'Appendix F NILS endangerment and absolute number results' in McConvell, Marmion and McNicol 2005, pages 198-230 (PDF, 2.5MB).

Documentation
Type Documentation Status Documentation Score
Word list None 0
Text Collection None 0
Grammar Small grammar (100-200 pages) 3
Audio-visual More than 10 3
Manuscript note: 
tape transcription/field note available
Grammar: 

Sommer, Bruce. 1999. Lamalama. Townsville QLD: Ethnografix. MS 4039.

Dictionary: 
-
Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005) Pama-Nyungan Paman Lamalamic Lamu-Lamu  
Dixon (2002)   SOUTH-EAST CAPE YORK PENINSULA GROUP Lama subgroup* Lama-Lama (or Mba Rumbathama or Bakanambia or Wanbara) Lama-Lama (or Mba Rumbathama or Bakanambia or Wanbara)
Wurm (1994) Pama-Nyungan Paman   Lama-Lama  
Walsh (1981) Pama-Nyungan Paman Lamalamic Lama-Lama  
Oates (1975)       Baganambia  
Wurm (1972)          
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Pama-Nyungan Pama-Maric Bay Pama Lamalama