The Gaari were an indigenous Australian people of the Northern territory, who lived on a small island in the Arafura Sea.

Grant Island
Northern Territory
Grant Island is located in Northern Territory
Grant Island
Grant Island
Coordinates11°09′S 132°55′E / 11.150°S 132.917°E / -11.150; 132.917
WebsiteGrant Island

Language edit

The Gaari language is believed to have differed only slightly from Mawng.[1]

Country edit

The Gaari's traditional land, including reefs offshore, comprised the 20 sq. miles, predominantly the area of Grant Island close to the near Goulburn Islands and 10 miles north of Cape Cockburn.[2] The native name of the island is Wuru:ldja.[1] It may be a lapsus calami but Tindale elsewhere places them on Howard Island. [3]

People edit

The Gaari are registered by Norman Tindale as a separate tribe, but he notes that they may possibly have been a horde of the Mawng.[3]

Notes edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b Tindale 1974, p. 225.
  2. ^ NGA 2004, p. 32.
  3. ^ a b Tindale 1974, p. 231.

Sources edit

  • North, West and South Coasts of Australia. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2004. ISBN 978-1-577-85655-9.
  • Tindale, Norman Barnett (1974). "Gaari(NT)". Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names. Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-708-10741-6.