Amangu

Not to be confused with Aṉangu.

The Amangu are an indigenous Yamatji people of the mid-western region of Western Australia.

Language

See also: Nhanda language

Two early glossaries of some words from the Champion Bay Amangu were collected. One, by R. J. Foley, was published in a work by Augustus Oldfield in 1865,^[1] and the other was gathered by the Colonial Secretary of Western Australia Roger Goldsworthy, and published by E. M. Curr two decades later.^[2]

Country

The Amangu's territory stretched over some 26,200 square kilometres (10,100 sq mi), centring on the area of Champion Bay. The northern boundary is around Chapman River and southern Geraldton. The southern boundary extends to Hill River. The inland extension was from the coast as far as the vicinity of Mullewa, Morawa and Carnamah. The southeastern frontier is not clear, but is believed to have run down to the vicinity just north of Moora.^[3]

History

Excavation at Yellabidde Cave near Leeman indicate that the Amangu territory was occupied as early as 23,000 BP, putting back the accepted date for habitation of the Perth-Geraldton coast by some 15,000 years.^[4]

Some words

• agootha (mother)^[a]
• ammatha (father)
• kilire,^[5] kullali^[6] (emu)
• mini (white man)^[5]
• yellabidde (emu)^[4]