How did Aboriginal measure time?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples track time using the complex patterns of the moon, stars, planets and sun and record and communicate methods of timekeeping through oral language, paintings, petroglyphs and stone arrangements. Such records are important within a community.
Where is Martu spoken?
About the Language Martu Wangka means ‘Aboriginal language’ and it is spoken by about 800-1,000 Martu people in and around the Gibson and Great Sandy Desert area of Western Australia. The communities where a significant number of Martu Wangka speakers live are Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu, Newman and Nullagine.
What language do Martu people speak?
Martu Wangka
Languages. The Martu languages belong to the Wati subgroup of the Pama–Nyungan language family and are collectively called Martu Wangka, or “Martu Speak”. Many Martu speak more than one language and for many, English is a common second language.
Does Aboriginal language have numbers?
As recent as 1981, Blake in his publication Australian Aboriginal Languages stated “no Australian Aboriginal language has a word for a number higher than five!” A recent research article by Claire Bowern explores how the concept of numbers in Australian Indigenous Languages has changed over time, including ‘losing or …
What is the indigenous understanding of the solar system?
In many Aboriginal traditions, the planets are seen as children of the Sun and Moon. They represent ancestor spirits walking across the sky, connecting ceremony and Law to various groups of stars.
How did indigenous people use the solar system?
The path of the Sun Moon, and planets is widely known across many Aboriginal regions. It is generally seen as a road or pathway for the primary ancestor spirits. Wardaman people see it as a road ancestor spirits use to travel across the sky and is utilised for navigation.
Where do the Martu people come from?
The Martu are the traditional owners of a large part of central Western Australia which extends from the Great Sandy Desert in the north to around Wiluna in the south. Across this country, Martu share a common law, culture and language.
What number system is used in Australia?
Just as we need the alphabet to write down words and sentences so we need a notation to write down numbers. We use a base-ten place-value notation to write numbers.
How do indigenous people use stars?
The Stars. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were, and continue to be, careful observers of the stars. The stars are the homes of ancestors, animals, plants, and spirits. The stars serve as calendars, a law book, and inform all aspects of daily life and culture.
What is Wangkajunga (Martu Wangka)?
Martu Wangka, or Wangkatjunga (Wangkajunga), is a variety of the Western Desert language that emerged during the 20th century in Western Australia as several indigenous communities shifted from their respective territories to form a single community.
What are the contrastive vowels in Martu Wangka?
Martu Wangka contains three contrastive vowels, which may be either short or long. Long vowels are less common and usually occur either on the first syllable of a word or as the ending of a monosyllabic word. : 27, 33 The chart below illustrates this: /i/ has allophones [i], [ɪ] in free variation.
What is the meaning of Wangkatjunga?
The alternative language name ‘Wangkatjunga’ to identify this variety only appears to have emerged in the 1970s. This name is said to have been based on the words “wangka” meaning “talk” or “word” and “junga” meaning “correct” or “straight,” so when put together, the language name essentially means “the correct language.”
What is the Martu kinship system?
The presence of a classificatory kinship system means that familial terms and relationships are present between any two individuals, whether or not they are related by blood. The Martu have a four-section kinship system with only two sets of marriageable groups (Burungu to Milanka and Jangala to Garimarra).