Kareldi

TheKareldiwas a name assigned byNorman TindaletoAboriginal Australianpeoples of the state ofQueensland.There were two groups that went by this name, theGarandi(Karandi), after theGarandi language,and theGkuthaarn(Kutanda,Kuthant,Kotanda), after theGkuthaarn language.It is not clear if they constituted a single people, but it appears that there were two dialects in the same area.

In addition, Tindale said that "Kotanda", sometimes used for both the Gkuthaarn and Garandi languages but also applied to theKalibamupeople, was also sometimes used for the Kareldi people.

Country

The Kareldi held, in Tindale's estimation, some 1,500 square miles (3,900 km²) of land, extending over themouth of the Norman Riverand westwards fromNormantonto theFlinders River.Their domain includedKarumbaand the Swinburne River. Their inland extension went as far as Milgarra, Maggieville, and Stirling.

W.E. Armit, Inspector ofNative Police,had earlier written inCurr's 1886 volume that the land of the "Karrandee tribe" commenced at the mouth of the River Bryce, passed the mouth of the Norman River, and continued along the coast to a saltwater creek "within 15 miles (24 km) of theGilbert",and extended inland as far as Magowra Station and Walker's Creek, comprising around 2,000 square miles (5,200 km²).

Frontier wars

When European settlers moved into theGulf of Carpentariaregion and establishedNormantonin the 1870s, there were an estimated sevenAboriginal peoplesin the area, and thefrontier warsblurred and confused the boundaries of traditional lands. By the 1920s, many Aboriginal people had been forcibly removed toAboriginal reservesandmissions.The Gkuthaarn andKukatjpeople who remained lived in camps along the south-western side of the town, while others, such as theKurtijarpeople, camped north of theNorman River.

Native title

On 29 September 2020 theKukatjandGkuthaarnpeoples won anative title determinationover more than 16,000 square kilometres (6,200 sq mi) west of theNorman River,includingNormanton,as far as theLeichhardt River.Their recognition astraditional ownersof the land, eight years after lodging the claim, allows the two groups tofish,hunt and practise their culture and theircultural ceremoniesonpastoral land.

Alternative names

• Karundi, Karunti, Kurandi, Karantee, Karrandi, Karrandee
• Gar-und-yih
• Kanin(kaninmeans 'scrub,')
• Gooran(scrub people)
• Kotanda– a name usually used for theKalibamu
• Kutanda
• Goothanto

Language

Main articles:Gkuthaarn languageandGarandi language

It is not clear whether the Gkuthaarn (Kutanda) and Garandi (Karandi) were the same language, or different dialects.

Some words

According to W.E. Armit, inspector ofNative Policein 1886, these were some words of the "Karrandee tribe":

• irruag(tame dog)
• nyet(father)
• mooruk(mother)
• morbuy(white man)

Indigenous rangers

The Gkuthaarn Kukatj Indigenous Land & Sea Ranger group is a group ofIndigenous rangersmade up ofKukatjand Gkuthaarn people, help to protect thenatural resourcesand cultural heritage of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria region. The group is managed by theCarpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation(CLCAC).

Sources

• Armit, W. E. (1886)."Mouth of the Norman"(PDF).InCurr, Edward Micklethwaite(ed.).The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent.Vol. 2. Melbourne: J. Ferres. pp. 306–309.
• Palmer, Edward(1884)."Notes on some Australian tribes".Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.13:276–347.doi:10.2307/2841896.JSTOR2841896.
• Sharp, R. Lauriston(March 1939). "Tribes and Totemism in North-East Australia".Oceania.9(3). Sydney: 254–275.doi:10.1002/j.1834-4461.1939.tb00232.x.JSTOR40327744.
• Tindale, Norman Barnett(1974)."Kareldi (QLD)".Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names.Australian National University Press.