Location
- Details
- Category: Nukunu
Wikipedia
The land of the Nukunu people is the eastern side of Spencer Gulf from a little north of the mouth of the Broughton River and the vicinity of Crystal Brook, northward to Port Augusta; east to Melrose, Mount Remarkable, Gladstone, and Quorn; at Baroota. The Ngaiawang of the Murray River used the term 'Nokunno' as the name of a mythical being who went about by night killing people. The Kaurna tribe term ['nokun:a] has a meaning of an imaginary being, like a man, who prowls at night and kills, an assassin (Teichelmann and Schürmann, 1840). The Nukunu were the southeastern-most tribe to practise subincision, in addition to circumcision, as a male initiation rite. Barngarla men used the pronunciation 'Nukuna' for the name. The few Nukunu survivors of the British invasion of South Australia were settled at Baroota inland from Port Germein where they are known as Barutadura.