Kuungkari facts for kids
The Kuungkari are an indigenous Australian people of Queensland. They are to be distinguished from the Kunggari.
Name
According to an early Migrant, J. Heagney, the word kuungkari (koongerri) meant "dry."
Country
The traditional tribal lands of the Kunggari occupied 14,000 square miles (36,000 km2) with extensive stretches of open grasslands. They lived around the eastern bank of the Thomson and also on Cooper (Barcoo) rivers. Their western extensions ran to Jundah. The northern boundary lay at Westland and in the vicinity of Longreach. Towards the east, they took in Avington, Blackall, and Terrick Terrick. Their southern frontier ran from the western flank of the Grey Range through to Cheviot Range, Powell Creek, and Welford.
Social organization
The Kuungkari were divided into at least five hordes.
- Torraburri
- Yankibura
- Mokaburra
History of contact
White settlement in this area began around 1874-1878. It was estimated that at the time of first contact, the population of this area, including not only the Kuungkari, but two other tribes (the Bidia), was around 1,200. By 1883, women outnumbered the men, who were often killed by the whites.
Alternative names
- Koonkerri
- Kunggari
- Kungeri, Koongerri
- Yangeeberra
- Tarawalla. (eastern dialect name).
