Ngurai-illam Wurrung

The Ngarigo is the Aboriginal people group whose traditional lands lie south-east of the Canberra area.

According to Norman Tindale in his 1974 catalogue of Australian Aboriginal people groups, the specific areas lands of the Ngarigo are:

the Monaro tableland north to Queanbeyan; Bombala River from near Delegate to Nimmitabel; west to divide of the Australian Alps. The Wiradjuri considered the Ngarigo and Walgalu as one people using the name Guramal which has the basic meaning of [‘gurai] or ‘hostile people.’ Canberra, the capital city of the federal capital territory is very close to the boundary line between this and the Ngunawal tribe. In winter these tableland people sometimes came down to the surrounding territories for shelter, hence their reputation for aggressiveness.

The Cooma government web site states that “the two main groups on Monaro were the Ngarigo people of the tablelands and the Wogul or Wolgalu group in the high country.”

The Ngarigo people spoke the Ngarigu language and a southern dialect, southern Ngarigu, which were used as far south as Goongerah in Victoria.

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