Y94: Kuku Mini

AIATSIS code: 
Y94
AIATSIS reference name: 
Kuku Mini

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Name
Thesaurus heading language
Kuku Mini language Y94
Thesaurus heading people
Kuku Mini people Y94
ABN name
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ABS name
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Horton name
Kokomini
Ethnologue name
Aghu Tharnggalu (Kuku-Mini)
ISO 639-3 code
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Tindale name
Kokomini
Tindale (1974)
Koko-minni, Koogominny, Kookaminnie, Kooga-minny, Koogobatha, Koogobathy, Mirkin, Akunkun (valid alternative), Akoon-koon, Akoonkool, Kookawarra (name given by Wakara tribe means 'poor speakers').
O'Grady et al (1966)
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Glottocode
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Other sources
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Synonyms
Aghu Tharnggalu, Kokomini, Akoon koon, Akoonkool, Akunkun, Koko Mini, Koko minni, Koogaminny, Koogobatha, Koogobathy, Koogominny, Kookaminnie, Kookawarra, Mini, Mirkin, Gogo Mini, Gugu Mini, Kooga minny
Comment
Comments: 
Rigsby says that Kuku Mini is a language name whose reference is shifting, variable and wide-ranging and that it signifies languages situated on the mainland south of Flinders Island all the way south to Normanton. While its literal meaning is 'good language', in some contexts the inference is closer to 'intelligible, spoken by friends' (2005:138, 142). Kuku Mini is also associated with the names Akoonkoon and Koogo batha (Rigsby, p.c. 2007). Kuku Mini (Y94) is classified as belonging to the Alaya-Athima language group, a set of initial-dropping languages not closely related to others of this type in the area. Alpher describes them in regional blocks, with Koko Mini located in the centre of the group, in the area between the Mitchell and Palmer Rivers. He indicates that Kookobatha may be linguistically distinct. Other members of this group include Awu Alaya (Kuku Thaypan) Y84 ; Aghu Tharrnggala Y65; Awu Arungu / Awu Alwang / Agu Aloja Y219; Ogh Alungul Y199; Ogh Angkula 197; Ikarranggal Y198; Takalak Y125; Ogh Awarrangg Y201; Ongunyjan Y206; Kokiny Y188; Athima Y237 (Alpher, 2016:41-42).
References: 
  • Alpher, Barry. 2016. Connecting Thaypanic. In Land and Language in Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country, (eds) Jean-Christophe Verstraete and Diane Hafner. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
  • Rigsby, Bruce. 2005. The languages of eastern Cape York Peninsula and linguistic anthropology. In Donald Thomson : the man and scholar, Bruce Rigsby and Nicolas Peterson (eds). Canberra : Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia with support from Museum Victoria.
Status: 
Potential data
Location
State / Territory: 
QLD
Location information: 
On the middle Palmer and Mitchell rivers west to about their junction; east to Mount Mulgrave and Palmerville (Tindale 1974).
Maps: 
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Links

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Tindale 1974
Programs
Activities: 
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People: 
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Indigenous organisations: 
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Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates-
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt-
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate-
2006Census-
2011Census-
2014NILS2
2016Census-
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
TypeDocumentation StatusDocumentation Score
Word listLess than 20 pages1
Text CollectionNone0
GrammarNone0
Audio-visualNone0
Manuscript note: 
not available
Grammar: 
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Dictionary: 
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Classification
SourceFamilyGroupSub-groupNameRelationship
Ethnologue (2005)Pama-NyunganPamanRarmul PamaAghu Tharnggalu (Kuku-Mini)
Dixon (2002)SOUTH-EAST CAPE YORK PENINSULA GROUPThaypan/Mini subgroupKuku-MiniKuku-Mini* Jolly (1989) further dialects include (or some may be separate languages): Koko-Possum/Alngula, Ikarranggal, Aghu Tharrnggala
Wurm (1994)Pama-NyunganPamanGogo Mini
Walsh (1981)Pama-NyunganPamanCentral PamaGogo Mini
Oates (1975)Pama-NyunganCentral PamaGugu Mini
Wurm (1972)Pama-NyunganPama-MaricCentral PamaKoko Mini
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966)