Ngarrindjeri

The Ngarrindjeri nation comprises many language clans or laklinyerar, and is associated with the Ramindjeri, Tangane and Yaraldi groups, also listed on this website.

Ngarrindjeri ruwi (land) lies to the east of the Permangk people of the Mount Lofty Ranges, and their language is quite distinct from all the languages to the west of the Ranges, such as Kaurna, Nukunu, Ngadjuri and Narungga.

The traditional country of the Ngarrindjeri nation is an expansive broad triangular stretch of land from Murray Bridge on the lower Murray River, across to the southern tip of Fleurieu Peninsula and down to the granites near Kingston, south of the Coorong.

Regionally, it encompasses Wellington, Tailem Bend, Meningie, the Murray Mouth, Hindmarsh Island, Goolwa, Currency Creek, Port Elliot, and Victor Harbor, the Encounter Bay area as well as the eastern scarp of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Further south into the heartland is Raukkan, ‘the home of the Ngarrindjeri’, situated on Lake Alexandrina which is adjoined at ‘the narrows’ to Lake Albert and surrounded by the Coorong and the Great Southern Ocean.

AIATSIS id : S.69

NOTE: This Ngarrindjeri language entry is relevant to a number of other language varieties listed on this website. These other language varieties are either closley related to the Ngarrindjeri language or are dialects of the Ngarrindjeri language itself. They include: Maintangk, Ramindjeri, Tangane and Yaraldi

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Variations

Narrinyeri, Narinjari, Narrin’yerree, Narinyerrie, Narrinjeri, Meru, Kukabrak, Alkaiyana, Koiyana, Kokkaiya, Malulaig, Maralaig, Morolag, Muralag, Muralug, Wathai-yunu, “Lesser Murray Tribe”.

  • AIATSIS Indigenous Studies Conference 2011

    AIATSIS held its biennial Indigenous Studies Conference in Canberra from 19-23 September 2011. The theme of this year's conference was Young and Old: connecting generations. For details of the conference…

Ngarrindjeri Language Resource Development

In 2005-2006, a Ngarrindjeri resource development project was undertaken to record the Elders and produce picture dictionaries and accompanying CDs.

Indigenous Languages Postcard Initiative

The Postcards Project produced a series of Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna Language Postcards to raise public awareness of Indigenous Languages in SA.

Learners' Guide for Ngarrindjeri Language

In 2006-2007, the UniSA undertook to publish an accessible Learners' Guide to the Ngarrindjeri Language of SA to aid learning the traditional grammar of the language.

Indigenous Language Pilot Teachers Training Program

In 2007-2008 a trial training program for Indigenous language workers continued for the Ngarrindjeri language in Murray Bridge.

Ngarrindjeri Language Resources

In 2007-2008 the UniSA finalised the production of the Ngarrindjeri adult dictionary plus Ngarridneri picture dictionaries and an alphabet book with CDs.

Language Resources

In 2005-2006 the Lower Murray Nungas club undertook to produce audio visual resources for the teaching of the Ngarrindjeri language, through collection and recording, drafting of children's…

Ngarrindjeri Thunggari Tambiwarrun

In 2010-2011 the Raukkan Community Council undertook a project which aimed to: increase community use and intergenerational transmission of the Ngarrindjeri language: Ngarrindjeri Thunggari…

Ngarrindjeri Language Song CD

In 2011-2012 the Ngarrindjeri Language CD project is being funded to produce a Song CD in the Ngarrindjeri language.

Language Contact

The Ngarrindjeri language coordinator for the Lower Murray region is Verna Koolmatrie. She can be contacted through the Raukkan Community Council or Raukkan Aboriginal School. Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Activity

Ngarrindjeri Language Resource Development

In 2005-2006, a project was initiated to work with Ngarrindjeri Elders to record what was remembered of the language and to produce resources to assist in the learning of the language.
The project was funded by DEWHA’s Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) program through the University of Adelaide.

 

Indigenous Languages Postcard Initiative

In 2006-2007 a Language Postcards project was conducted to produce a series of postcards in various Indigenous languagesof SA to raise public awareness of Indigenous Languages.
The project was funded by DEWHA’s Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) program through the University of Adelaide. Postcards were produced in the Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri languages.

 


 

Learners' Guide for Ngarrindjeri Language

In 2006-2007, the University of South Australia undertook to publish an accessible Learners' Guide to the Ngarrindjeri Language of SA, to enable school-aged and older community members to better access the language. The intention was that this publication would become a tool for learning the traditional grammar of the language.
The project was funded by DEWHA’s Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) program

 



 

Indigenous Language Pilot Teachers Training Program

In 2006-2007, a pilot training program was developed with TAFE SA for Indigenous language workers who wanted to teach their language in community and school situations. This involved the training of a group of Ngarrindjeri adults in their own language at Murray Bridge.
In 2007-2008 the pilot training program  continued though TAFE SA in Murray Bridge, with 16 graduates receiving an IVEC Certificate 1 (Ngarrindjeri). The projects were coordinated by the University of Adelaide, and was funded by DEWHA’s Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) program.

 

 

Ngarrindjeri Language Resources

In 2007-2008 the University of SA conducted a project  to finalise the production of the Ngarrindjeri adult dictionary, and to finalise the publication of the picture dictionaries and an alphabet book and accompanying CDs. These products were to assist community members in learning the Ngarrindjeri language.
The project was funded by DEWHA’s Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) program.

 

 

Language Resources

In 2005-2006 the Lower Murray Nungas club in Murray Bridge undertook to produce audio visual resources for the teaching of the Ngarrindjeri language, through collection and recording, drafting of children's books for aged 5-10 years and training of Indigenous people in language teaching methods.
 

 

 

Ngarrindjeri Thunggari Tambiwarrun

In 2010-2011 the Raukkan Community Council undertook a project which aimed to: increase community use and intergenerational transmission of the Ngarrindjeri language; increase key Elders' Ngarrindjeri language use and fluency through their transcription of audio recordings from AIATSIS; amend and add to the current digital dictionary; enable the Elders to run workshops in song-writing, speech-writing and daily communication in Ngarrindjeri; develop a Master-Apprentice approach in which the Elders work with young people and model good language use; and train a group of young people to take control of maintaining and updating the master-copy of the digital version of the Ngarrindjeri dictionary.
The project was funded by DEWHA’s Maintenance of Indigenous Records (MILR) program.

 

Ngarrindjeri Language Song CD

In 2011-2012 the Ngarrindjeri Language CD project is being funded to allow Ngarrindjeri people to hold workshops for creating songs in their language, and to support the production of a Song CD.
This project is funded through the University of Adelaide by the federal government's Prime Minister and Cabinet of the Arts Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) grant.

 

 

DISCLAIMER:

The locations of the languages of SA, as stated on the this website, are based on the 1994 AIATSIS published Horton map. They are not intended for Land Claim use, and are an approximate guide only. Individual language project locations are based on information from publicly available MILR (ILS) documents.