Nunga is a term of self-identification forAboriginal Australians, originally used by Aboriginal people in the southern settled areas ofSouth Australia, and now used throughout Adelaide and surrounding towns.[1] It is used by contrast withGunya, which refers to non-Aboriginal persons.[2] The use of "Nunga" by non-Aboriginal people is not always regarded as appropriate.[3]
The term comes fromWirangu, the language spoken aroundCeduna, and is effectively the South Australian counterpart ofKoori as used inNew South Wales andVictoria. Other words used forAboriginal people in South Australia areAnangu (north-west),Nharla (westernLake Eyre Basin), andYura (Flinders Ranges).[1]
In the variety ofAboriginal English known asNunga English, most of the terms of Indigenous origin are fromNgarrindjeri, with quite a number from the west coast (Kokatha and Wirangu) and some fromNarungga, but very few from theKaurna language (the language of Adelaide). The language evolved from the people who grew up in missions such asPoint Pearce (Bukkiyana) andPoint McLeay (Raukkan), and so reflects their experience with European culture. Some are working on the emergence of a separateKaurna culture, so would like to see Kaurna language to be taught rather than Nunga English.[2]
Use of the term in official capacities includes theNunga Court (Aboriginal sentencing courts),[4][5] the "Nunga Way" cultural teaching framework for schools,[6] the SA Department of Human Services' Yunga Nungas program (to support Aboriginal young people with complex needs)[7] and Nunga Screen (a film event, formerly known as Black Screen).[8]
Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under aAttribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.Some people use 'Nunga' in general reference to Indigenous peoples who reside in and around the area of Adelaide. Many Indigenous South Australians prefer people not to presume the right to use their word 'Nunga'.