Wilyakali

Wilyakali lies in the east of the state of South Australia, crossing into NSW. It includes the town of Broken Hill. Wilyakali and Danggali both lie east of the Ngadjuri language and north of the upper River Murray languages.

Wilyakali and Danggali are part of the Darling River Language Group or Paakantyi / Paakantji language group. This is a group of closely related languages in South Australia and New South Wales, which can be subdivided into two groups: the “Northern Dialects” and the “Southern Dialects.” Wilyakali and Danggali are both part of the “Southern Dialects.”

Other “Southern Dialects” include Pulaali, Southern Pankantyi, Pantyikali, Wanyuparlku and Marrawarra. Some of these languages have been recorded more than others. Although each language has its own distinguishing features, they are so similar they can be understood by speakers of other languages in this group. Therefore, the following reference list will include Southern Paakantyi references that may be helpful. The language name is noted in square brackets after each reference, when known.

AIATSIS id : D.13

VARIATIONS

Bo-arli, Bulali (‘Hill people’, ‘bula’ = hill), Wilgalgali, Wilgali, Wiliagali, Wiljagali, Wiljakali, Wiljalgali, Wiljali, Willo, Willoo, Wiloo, Wilya, Wilyakali, Wilyagali (used by AIATSIS), Wilyali (used by AIATSIS).

DISCLAIMER:

The above map is based upon the Horton Indigenous Map of Australia © Aboriginal Studies Press, AIATSIS, and Auslig/Sinclair, Knight, Merz, 1996. The full map is available on the AIATSIS website. The locations of the languages of SA, as stated on the this website are not intended for Land Claim use, and are an approximate guide only. Individual language project locations are based on information from publicly available MILR (ILS) documents.