A69: Bunara

AIATSIS code: 
A69
AIATSIS reference name: 
Bunara

tabs_horizontal

Name
Thesaurus heading language
Bunara language A69
Thesaurus heading people
Bunara people A69
ABN name
-
ABS name
Ngardi
Horton name
Ngarti
Ethnologue name
-
ISO 639-3 code
-
Tindale name
Ngardi
Tindale (1974)
Ngadi, Ngari (imperfect hearing of Ngardi), Panara (general descriptive term applied to more than one tribe, indicating those who live by winnowing grass seed in ['pan: a] or wooden dishes), Bunara, Boonara, Waiangara (of eastern tribes), Kolo (of the Pintubi), Waiangari (of Ngalia), Wain-gara, Waiangadi, Waringari (derogatory term used by Walpiri), Warangari, Kukuruba (name used by Ngalia), Woneiga, Wanayaga, Puruwantung and Buruwatung (of Birdsell), Manggai (a place name), ? Munga (of Mathews), Walmala (derogatory term), Wommana (has meaning similar to Walmala).
O'Grady et al (1966)
Boonarra
Glottocode
-
Other sources
-
Synonyms
Ngardi, Ngardilj, Ngarti, Waringari, Boonarra, Buna:ra, Ngadi, Ngari, Ngati, Panara, Boonara, Waiangara, Kolo, Waiangari, Wain gara, Waiangadi, Warangari, Kukuruba, Woneiga, Wanayaga, Puruwantung, Buruwatung, Manggai, Munga, Walmala, Wommana
Comment
Comments: 
Previously Bunara was treated as an alternative name for Ngardi A121. Tindale (1974) lists Bunara as an alternative for Ngardi (as well as for Kokatja A68); Cataldi (2007 p.c.) says 'punarra' in Ngardi means 'stripe' or the incision carved into a shield. She allows that it might have been used metaphorically to mean language, though she never heard people using punarra as a language name. However, both Oates and Oates (1970) and Oates (1975) treat Bunara and Ngardi as separate language varieties, and Capell (1940:425, 429) supplies distinct sets of language data for Ngadi A121 and Buna:ra (A69). Further, Capell describes Buna:ra as an eastern dialect of Wolmeri A66; this correspond to Cataldi's Eastern Walmajarri (see A66) (in Honeyman 2005:22), which is apparently closely related - and thus distinct from - Ngardi A121. Given this, Ngardi A121 and Bunara are now treated as distinct language headings in the Thesaurus and a new record has been created for Bunara in AUSTLANG. The code A69 was originally assigned to Bunara; this is reinstated and the new code A121 is assigned to Ngardi.
References: 
  • Capell, Arthur. 1940. The classification of languages in north and north-west Australia. Oceania 10(3):241-272; 10(4):404-433.
  • Capell, Arthur. 1963. Linguistic survey of Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
  • Cataldi, Lee. n.d. A Dictionary of Ngardi, University of Sydney.
  • Cataldi, Lee. n.d. Ngardi vocabulary and notes. (ASEDA 0737).
  • Honeyman, Tom. 2005. Topic and focus in Ngardi, University of Sydney: BA (Hons).
  • Oates, Lynette F. 1975. The 1973 supplement to a revised linguistic survey of Australia. Armidale: Armidale Christian Book Centre.
  • Oates, William J., and Lynette F. Oates. 1970. A revised linguistic survey of Australia: Australian Aboriginal Studies 33, Linguistic Series 12. Canberra: AIAS.
  • Robinson, Judy. 1999. Bushman of the red heart: Central Australian cameleer & explorer Ben Nicker 1908-1942. Rockhampton, Qld: Central Queensland University Press. (B R662.16/B1)
  • Terry, Michael. 1926. A surgical operation as performed by the Boonarra tribe of northern Australia, and a short vocabulary of the languages of some north Australian tribes. Man, vol. 26, pp. 193-194. (RS 57/6)
  • Tindale, Norman B. 1974. Aboriginal tribes of Australia: their terrain, environmental controls, distribution, limits, and proper names. Berkeley: University of California Press/Canberra: Australian National University Press.
Status: 
Confirmed
Location
State / Territory: 
WA
Location information: 

Sturt Creek south of Gregory Salt Sea, WA (Capell 1963). ... the region surrounding Bililuna station at the terminus of Sturt Creek (Capell 1940:423). O'Grady's well (Robinson 1999:94) Flora Valley, Halls Creek, Gregory's Sea, Bililuna station (Terry 1926:193-94).

Maps: 
  • Tindale, Norman. 1974. Tribal boundaries in Aboriginal Australia. Canberra: Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development.
  • Tsunoda, Tasaku. 1981. The Djaru language of Kimberley, Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Links

Search MURA people®

Search MURA language®

Search OZBIB

Search Trove

Search Worldcat

PDF icon Oates_A69.pdf
Tindale 1974
Handbook of Kimberley Languages (1988): 

Kiyajarra (A52 ) in Handbook of Kimberley Languages (1988).

8.18 Ngardi / Ngarti

Names of the language and different spellings that have been used:
Ngardi (O'Grady, Oates), Ngari (Wafer), Ngadi (Capell, Berndt), Ngati (Hudson)
Classification of the language:
Central Western Desert type, Ngarrka subgroup
Identification codes:
AIAS: K7
Oates 1973: 58.3 (Oates & Oates 1970: 59.3c)
Capell: K3
Present number and distribution of speakers:
About 20-30 lived at Balgo Mission in 1980. Some at Gordon Downs, Billiluna, Lake Gregory, and a few at Yuendumu and Lajamanu (Hooker Creek). Traditionally the language was spoken in the area from Balgo to Gordon Downs.
People who have worked intensively on the language:
No one
Practical orthography:
Warlpiri orthography is suitable.
Word lists:
Capell (1952), Tindale (1952-1954), Wafer (1980)
Textual material:
None
Grammar or sketch grammar:
None
Material available on the language:
Capell, A. 1952. The Wailbri through their own eyes. Oceania 23. 110-132.
_____ .1962. Some linguistic types in Australia. Handbook of Australian Languages, Part II. (Oceania Linguistic Monographs, 7) Sydney: University of Sydney. (Contains a description of Waljbiri grammar on pages 15-50.)
McConvell, P. [Ngardi field notes.] manuscript.
Tindale, N.B. 1952-54. Field journal of Norman B. Tindale: 18th expedition under the auspices of Board for Anthropological Research, University of Adelaide and the University of California at Los Angeles, 1952-1954. 1233, 340pp. typescript & manuscript.
Tsunoda, T. [Ngardi field notes.] manuscript.
Wafer, J. 1980. Preliminary observations on Ngari. 8/9/80. 3+4pp. typescript. IAD. (about 170 words)
Language programme:
None
Language learning material:
None
Literacy material:
None

McGregor, William. 1988 Handbook of Kimberley Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. © Author.

AIATSIS gratefully acknowledge William McGregor for permission to use his material in AUSTLANG.

Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
Lee Cataldi, Kimberley Language Resource Centre
Indigenous organisations: 
-
Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates-
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt-
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate10
2006Census14
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
Type Documentation Status Documentation Score
Word list Large (more than 200 pages) 4
Text Collection Large (more than 200 pages) 4
Grammar Sketch grammar (less than 100 pages) 2
Audio-visual More than 10 3
Manuscript note: 
Not available
Grammar: 

Cataldi, Lee. Ngardi vocabulary and notes, ASEDA 0737.

Dictionary: 

Cataldi, Lee. Ngardi vocabulary and notes, ASEDA 0737.

Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005)          
Dixon (2002)   NORTHERN DESERT FRINGE SUBGROUP Yapa subgroup* Ngardi (or Ngardilj) Ngardi (or Ngardilj)
Wurm (1994) Pama-Nyungan South-West   Ngardi  
Walsh (1981) Pama-Nyungan South-West Ngarga Ngardi  
Oates (1975) Pama-Nyungan Central Western Desert Type Ngarga Bunara  
Wurm (1972) Pama-Nyungan Southwest (or Nyungic) Ngarga Ngardi  
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Pama-Nyungan Southwest, Ngumbin Ngarga Ngardi, Bunara