Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Aboriginal Lore/Answer Key"

Revision as of 04:34, 18 September 2006

Australian Aboriginal kinship refers to the system of law governing social interaction, particularly marriage, in traditional Aboriginal culture. It is an integral part of the culture of every Aboriginal group across Australia.

The main element is the division of clans within the same language group into skin groups, or moieties. The simplest system involves division into two skin groups. More complex systems are divided into eight groups.

The system dicates who may marry whom – it is always taboo to marry into your own skin group – creating strong incest avoidance laws and strong bonds across clans through exogamous relations. It is often determined at birth who will marry whom. This can prove invaluable during drought or lack of resources, having cousins and skin sisters and brothers in other clans. It also creates obligations to care for those people in their time of need.

Each skin group has certain totems associated with it. Some Aboriginal groups, such as the Yolngu, include plants, animals and all aspects of the environment as part of their respective skin groups.

Below are a few examples of different kinship systems from across Australia:

Systems with two skin groups

Pitjantjatjara

The Pitjantjatjara of northern South Australia have two moiety groups:

ngana nt arka (lit. we-bone) 'our side'

tjanamilytjan (lit. they flesh) 'their side'

However, they do not use skin names.

Yolŋu

Yolŋu life is divided into two moieties: Dhuwa and Yirritja. Each of these is represented by people of a number of different groups, each of which have their own lands, languages and philosophies:

Skin name	Clan groups
Yirritja	Gumatj, Gupapuyngu, Wangurri, Ritharrngu, Mangalili, Munyuku, Madarrpa, Warramiri, Dhalwangu, Liyalanmirri.
Dhuwa	Rirratjingu, Galpu, Djambarrpuyngu, Golumala, Marrakulu, Marrangu, Djapu, Datiwuy, Ngaymil, Djarrwark.

A Yirritja person must always marry a Dhuwa person and vice versa. If a man or woman is Dhuwa, their mother will be Yirritja.

Kinship relations are also mapped onto the lands owned by the Yolngu through their hereditary estates – so everything is either Yirritja or Dhuwa – every fish, stone, river, etc, belongs to one or the other moiety.

Systems with eight skin groups

Pintupi

The Pintupi of the Western Desert have a complex skin group system, made more so by distinct prefixes for male and female skin names:

Male skin name	Female skin name
Tjapaltjarri	Napaltjarri
Tjapangati	Napangati
Tjakamarra	Nakamarra
Tjampitjinpa	Nampitjinpa
Tjapanangka	Napanangka
Tjungurrayi	Nungurrayi
Tjupurrula	Napurrula
Tjangala	Nangala

Lardiil

The Lardiil of Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria also have eight skin groups, shown here with some of their totems:

Ngarrijbalangi - Rainbird, shooting star, egret
Bangariny - Brown hark, turtle
Buranyi - Crane, salt water, sleeping turtle
Balyarriny - Black tiger shark, sea turtle
Burrarangi- Lightning, rough sea, black dingo
Kamarrangi- Rock, pelican, brolga, red dingo
Kangal - Barramundi, grey shark
Yakimarr - Seagull, barramundi, grey shark

Each Lardiil person belongs to one of these groups. Their paternal grandfather will always be the same sking group as them. For example, a Balyarriny will have a grandfather as Balyarriny too. Each person is also required to marry on strict laws: a Ngarrijbalangi can only marry a Burrarangi, a Bangariny to a Yakimarr, a Buranyi to a Kangal and a Balyarriny to a Kamarrangi.

Once a person's skin group is known, their relationship to any other Lardiil can be determined. A Ngarrijbalangi is a 'father' to a Bangariny, a 'father-in-law' to a Yakimarr and a 'son' to another Bangariny, either in a social sense or purely through linearship.

References

Binnion, Joan (1979) The Lardil People of Mornington Island (Student Handbook), Aboriginal Community College, Port Adelaide.
Ausanthrop
Central Land Council

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Bush bread''' refers to the [[bread]] made by [[Australian Aborigines]] for many thousands of years. The bread was high in [[protein]] and [[carbohydrate]], and helped form part of a balanced traditional [[diet]].[[Image:Aboriginal grinding stones.jpg|thumb|250px|Aboriginal [[millstone]] - vital in making flour or pastes for bread.]]
+'''Australian Aboriginal [[kinship]]''' refers to the system of [[law]] governing social interaction, particularly [[marriage]], in traditional Aboriginal culture. It is an integral part of the culture of every [[List of Indigenous Australian group names|Aboriginal group]] across Australia.
-With the arrival of Europeans and pre-[[mill]]ed white [[flour]], this bread-making process all but disappeared, although the tradition of cooking bread in hot coals continues today.
+The main element is the division of [[clan]]s within the same language group into ''skin groups'', or  [[moiety|moieties]]. The simplest system involves division into two skin groups. More complex systems are divided into eight groups.
-Bread-making was a woman's task. It was generally carried out by several women at once, due to its labour-intensive nature. It involved collecting seasonal [[grain]]s, [[legume]]s, [[root]]s or [[nut]]s, and preparing these into [[flour]] and then [[dough]], or directly into a dough.
+The system dicates who may [[marry]] whom – it is always [[taboo]] to marry into your own skin group – creating strong [[incest]] avoidance laws and strong bonds across [[clan]]s through [[exogamous]] relations. It is often determined at birth who will marry whom. This can prove invaluable during [[drought]] or lack of resources, having [[cousin]]s and skin sisters and brothers in other clans. It also creates obligations to care for those people in their time of need.
-===Bread-making from grains===
+Each skin group has certain [[totem]]s associated with it. Some Aboriginal groups, such as the [[Yolngu]], include plants, animals and all aspects of the environment as part of their respective skin groups.
-Seeds varied depending on the time of year and the area in Australia that the people lived. In [[Central Australia]], [[native millet]] (''Panicum decompositum'') and [[spinifex]] were commonly used. [[Wattleseed]] could also be used in the flour mix.
-Women harvested the fully ripe, dry seeds of the plant by beating the grass (or pod-laden trees with sticks in the case of wattleseed) to dislodge the seeds. Some species were eaten at the green stage but dried seeds were by far more common.
+Below are a few examples of different kinship systems from across Australia:
-In the [[Kimberley region of Western Australia]], women observed that, after the [[dry season]], many seeds would be gathered around the opening of [[ant]]s' nests. The ants had effectively collected and [[husk]]ed the seed for them, and they were able to collect this seed, making their job a lot easier. After allowing the grain to dry, they could begin to prepare the flour.
+==Systems with two skin groups==
-====Making the flour====
+===Pitjantjatjara===
-After the grain was collected, it needed to be [[winnowing|winnow]]ed, which was often done using the [[coolamon]], the multi-purpose carrying vessel.
+The [[Pitjantjatjara]] of northern [[South Australia]] have two [[moiety]] groups:
-Once the grain was winnowed, it was ground using a [[millstone]], to create [[flour]]. Millstones have been discovered which have proven to be as old as 50,000 years. The flour was then mixed with water to make a [[dough]] and placed in hot ashes for baking. The results could be small buns, today referred to as [[johnny cake]]s, or a large loaf, known today as [[damper (food)|damper]]. Damper appears to be a mix of this traditional style of bread-making and European-style bread-making.
+:'''''ngana nt arka''''' (lit. we-bone) 'our side'
+:'''''tjanamilytjan''''' (lit. they flesh) 'their side'
-The dough could also be eaten raw. Cooking was a good way to prepare the bread if the group was about to travel for some time. [[Image:Damper (food).jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Damper (food)|Damper]] is cooked in hot coals in the way traditional Aboriginal bread has been for eons.]]
+However, they do not use skin names.
-===Bread-making from other plant products===
+===Yolŋu===
-Bread could also be made from [[root]]s and [[corm]]s of plants. In the [[Top End]] of Australia, people such as the [[Yolngu]] used the [[lotus root]] and wild [[taro]]. These were ground, then mixed to a paste to make bread.
+[[Yolŋu]] life is divided into two [[moiety|moieties]]: ''Dhuwa'' and ''Yirritja''. Each of these is represented by people of a number of different groups, each of which have their own lands, languages and philosophies:
-[[Water lily]] seed bread was also popular in the [[Top End]]. The two species of water lily used were ''Nelumbo nucifera'' and ''Nymphaea macrosperma''. During the early part of the [[dry season]], water lilies were an important part of the diet, with seed pods eaten raw or ground into paste.
+:{| class="wikitable"
+|- bgcolor=#efefef
+! Skin name
+! Clan groups
+|-
+|'''''Yirritja'''''
+| Gumatj, Gupapuyngu, Wangurri, Ritharrngu, Mangalili, Munyuku, Madarrpa, Warramiri, Dhalwangu, Liyalanmirri.
+|-
+|'''''Dhuwa'''''
+|Rirratjingu, Galpu, Djambarrpuyngu, Golumala, Marrakulu, Marrangu, Djapu, Datiwuy, Ngaymil, Djarrwark.
+|}
-Women had expert knowledge of how to "de-toxify" certain plant foods. The [[seed]]s of the [[cycad]] palm, ''Cycas media'', are highly carcenogenic when raw and require elaborate treatment includuing shelling, crushing, leaching in running water for up to five days, then cooking. After this they are made into small loaves, which can keep for a number of weeks.
+A ''Yirritja'' person must always marry a ''Dhuwa'' person and vice versa. If a man or woman is ''Dhuwa'', their mother will be ''Yirritja''.
-In [[Queensland]], the people of the [[Tamborine National Park|Mount Tamborine]] area used the [[Bunya Pine]] cone ([[bunya nut]]), endemic to the area, to make bread in this way.
+Kinship relations are also mapped onto the lands owned by the Yolngu through their [[hereditary]] [[estates]] – so everything is either ''Yirritja'' or ''Dhuwa'' – every fish, stone, river, etc, belongs to one or the other [[moiety]].
-===Some names for bush bread in [[Australian Aboriginal languages]]===
+==Systems with eight skin groups==
-* ''Bunup''
+===Pintupi===
+The [[Pintupi]] of the Western Desert have a complex skin group system, made more so by distinct prefixes for male and female skin names:
+:{| class="wikitable"
+|- bgcolor=#efefef
+! Male skin name
+! Female skin name
+|-
+|Tjapaltjarri
+|Napaltjarri
+|-
+|Tjapangati
+|Napangati
+|-
+|Tjakamarra
+|Nakamarra
+|-
+|Tjampitjinpa
+|Nampitjinpa
+|-
+|Tjapanangka
+|Napanangka
+|-
+|Tjungurrayi
+|Nungurrayi
+|-
+|Tjupurrula
+|Napurrula
+|-
+|Tjangala
+|Nangala
+|}
+===Lardiil===
+The [[Lardiil]] of [[Mornington Island]] in the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] also have eight skin groups, shown here with some of their totems:
+*Ngarrijbalangi - Rainbird, shooting star, egret
+*Bangariny - Brown hark, turtle
+*Buranyi - Crane, salt water, sleeping turtle
+*Balyarriny - Black tiger shark, sea turtle
+*Burrarangi- Lightning, rough sea, black dingo
+*Kamarrangi- Rock, pelican, [[brolga]], red dingo
+*Kangal - [[Barramundi]], grey shark
+*Yakimarr - Seagull, barramundi, grey shark
+Each Lardiil person belongs to one of these groups. Their paternal [[grandfather]] will always be the same sking group as them. For example, a Balyarriny will have a grandfather as Balyarriny too. Each person is also required to marry on strict laws: a Ngarrijbalangi can only marry a Burrarangi, a Bangariny to a Yakimarr, a Buranyi to a Kangal and a Balyarriny to a Kamarrangi.
+Once a person's skin group is known, their relationship to any other Lardiil can be determined. A Ngarrijbalangi is a 'father' to a Bangariny, a 'father-in-law' to a Yakimarr and a 'son' to another Bangariny, either in a social sense or purely through linearship.
+==See also==
+*[[List of Indigenous Australian group names]]
+*[[Noongar classification]]
+*[[Indigenous Australians]]
 ==References==
-*[http://katherineartgallery.com.au/index.php?page=Rachel_Rennie Bush Bread artwork]
+*Binnion, Joan (1979) ''The Lardil People of Mornington Island (Student Handbook)'', Aboriginal Community College, Port Adelaide.
-*[http://www.japingka.com.au/exhibitionView.cfm?exhibitionID=2 Grass seed artwork]
+*[http://www.ausanthrop.net/research/kinship/kinship2.php Ausanthrop]
-*[http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/linkages/IntegratedUnits/aboriginal/tech_learn02.html Aboriginal Technology]
+*[http://www.clc.org.au/ourculture/kinship.asp Central Land Council]
-*[http://www.sydney-australia.biz/history/ Australian History]
-* Peterson, Nicholas, ''[[Donald Thomson]] in Arnhem Land'', Melbourne University Press ISBN 0522850634, pp168-9.
-[[Category:Australian Aboriginal culture]]
+[[Category:Australian Aboriginal culture|Kinship]]
-[[Category:Australian Aboriginal terms]]
+[[Category:Anthropology|Australian Aboriginal kinship]]
-[[Category:Bushfood]]
+[[Category:Sociology|Australian Aboriginal Kinship]]
-[[Category:Australian cuisine]]
+[[Category:Indigenous Australians|Kinship]]
-[[Category:Breads]]
+[[Category:Marriage|Australian Aboriginal Kinship]]