The Gudjal, also known as the Kutjala,[1] are an Indigenous Australian people of northern Queensland.

Quick Facts Total population, Regions with significant populations ...
Gudjal
Thumb
Gudjal traditional lands
Total population
possibly under 100
(less than 1% of the Australian population, less than 1% of the Aboriginal population)
Regions with significant populations
Australia
(Queensland)
Languages
English, formerly Warrongo language and Gugu Badhun language
Religion
Aboriginal mythology
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Language

The Gudjal spoke a dialect of the Warrongo subgroup of Greater Maric.[2] The materials surviving from earlier periods are not sufficient to reconstruct the language on its own, and arrangements were made, as part of a revitalization programme, to adopt terms and usages still attested for the Gugu-Badhun language.[3]

Country

Gudjal traditional lands encompassed an estimated 7,500 square miles (19,000 km2) on both sides of the Great Dividing Range, taking in At Mount Sturgeon, Mount Emu Plains, the Lolworth and Reedy Springs Stations. It includes the upper Clarke River. The eastern extension ran close to Charters Towers.[1]

History of contact

As colonial settlements began, with their lands been expropriated for cattle runs, the Gudjal were forced southwards towards Hughenden and Pentland.[1]

Art

The Gudjal created rock art galleries; one conspicuous example can be found in the vicinity of Charters Towers.[4]

Alternative names

  • Gudjali
  • Koochul-bura[1]

Some words

  • younga (mother)
  • wurboon (white man)
  • galbin (children)[5]

Notes

Sources

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