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Martuthunira
Data collected by AUSTLANG
Data on the language
Alternatives names: Martuyhunira, Mardudunera
For additional names and alternative spellings, see the AUSTLANG website.
Classification: Pama-Nyungan language family, Ngayarta group
Area: Martuthunira is an aboriginal language spoken in Western Australia (WA).
Radcliffe-Brown (1913:175) describes Martuthunira speakers as occupying “the coast of Western Australia from a point somewhere between the Cane and Rob Rivers as far as the Maitland River”. His map shows the territory extending as far to the Southeast as the Hamersley Range.
Dench’s information supports this. The Northeastern boundary between the Martuthunira, Ngarluma and Yapurarra/Pijurru is marked by a group of three hills – Mount Leopold, Moondle Hill and Mount McLeod – just to the South of the Maitland River. On the Fortescue River, the Martuthunira extended as far inland as Booloomba Pool, though much of the gorge country was shared with the Kurrama and Yindjibarndi. The ancient river valley linking the Robe and Fortescue Rivers, in the shodow of Mount Elvire, effectively represents the south-Eastern boundary with the Kurrama. The Robe River (Jajiwurra), Jimmawurrada Creek and the Buckland Hills were also Martuthunira. Warluru Pool, where the Robe River leaves the Mamersley Range, marks the Eastern extent of Martuthunira country. Warluru also marks the Eastern boundary between Kurrama and Pinikura, whose country borders the Maruthunira in the Buckland Hills from Warluru to Chalyarn Pool on the Robe. The Nhuwala and Pinikura meet nearby at Darnell Hill. On the West coast, the grass plains and mudflats between the Robe River and the Cane River were shared with the Nhuwala. Warramboo Creek (Wartampu) is described as the boundary, although the Nhuwala foraged to the Northeast as far as the Robe River (Dench 1995: 2).
Number of speakers:
The last known estimation of the number of Martuthunira speakers was given by Lynette Oates: in 1973, she estimated the number of speakers at under 10.
Vitality & transmission:
Presently, Martuthunira is considered “no longer fully spoken” (endangerment level 0), according to AUSTLANG.
Sources & bibliography
Dench, Alan. 1995. Martuthunira: a language of the Pilbara region of Western Australia: Pacific Linguistics C125. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Dench, Alan. c2001 Martuthunira wordlist. South Hedland, WA: Wangka Maya PALC.
Maps
Dench, Alan. 1995. Martuthunira, a language of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Sharp, Janet and Thieberger, Nick. 2001. Wangka Maya, the Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre. In Forty years on, eds. J Simpson et al, 325-335. Canberra Pacific Linguistics.
Wordick, F. 1982. The Yindjibarndi language. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Links
Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre website: http://www.wangkamaya.org.au/
AUSTLANG website: http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au/main.php
Ethnologue webpage: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=vma
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have more information on this language: contact@sorosoro.org