Warlpiri and Their Neighbors

The Northern Territory of Australia has a population of approx. 233,300 people. There is no information to hint that the Warlpiri have any significant contact with any of their neighbors. All that could be found was that with diaspora, intermingling between the Warlpiri natives and those of the towns around them have been increasingly frequent. 

Birds of the Warlpiri

There doesn't seem to be an immense tie with the Warlpiri and the birds of their land except for the fact that they exist around them. The birds that have been seen around the community of Yuendumu have been documented on eremaea.com and with a little bit of research, I've also found some information on each of the birds along with the aboriginal name for them. All of the ones that have been documented are listed below, along with a picture of each.

• Wedge-Tailed Eagle: 
• Aboriginal Name: Bunjil
• Facts:
• Largest Bird of Prey in Australia
• Has long broad wings, a diamond shaped tail and feather covered legs
• Found in Australia and New Guinea
• Reach heights of 5,900 ft and sometimes even higher for unknown reasons. 
• Eyesight so advanced it reaches into the ultraviolet and infrared band. Also helps them see thermal which helps hunting prey.

http://adambarraletsbloodygoodthingstoknow.blogspot.com/2012/02/animal-of-week-wedge-tailed-eagle.html

• Crested Pigeon:
• Aboriginal Name: Gulawuliil 
• Facts:
• Found widely throughout Australia
• Mostly grey with brown and green
• Slender black spike on the top of it's head
• The call resembles a "whoop" noise. 
• Lets off a beating/whistle noise as it takes off
• Breed in the warmer months

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_Pigeon

• Rainbow Bee-eater: 
• Aboriginal Name(s): Birrubirruu, Beerin-Beerin, or Berringa 
• Facts: 
•  Found throughout Australia as well as Indonesia, New Guinea, and sometimes the Soloman Islands.
• Extremely colorful birds with areas of gold, red, black, green and blue.
• Eats bees, wasps, dragonflies, beetles, butterflies and moths. 
• Usually breed in Summer and both parents incubate the eggs.

 

http://tryingtoheal.com/2012/04/12/birding-thursday-rainbow-bee-eater/

• Brown Falcon:
• Aboriginal Name: Kirkinpa
• Facts:
•  Found in Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania
• Scruffy, large head, long legs and small feet. 
• Mostly brown with reddish tint with a white belly.
• Loud cackling call but also has a quieter call with clucks and croaking.
• Hunts from a perch. 

http://www.planetofbirds.com/falconiformes-falconidae-brown-falcon-falco-berigora-2

• Galah:
• Aboriginal Name: Gilaa
• Facts:
• Rose colored head and body with a paler pink tip of the head. 
• Spend the day in shelter keeping out of the heat.
• Most familiar parrot in Australia
• Found in large noisy flocks. 
• Will partner up for life, but if the partner dies, the galah will take another mate. 
• Up to 50% of chicks die in the first six months of life. 
• Funny sounding call which inspired the Old Australian derrogatory term of the same name meaning "loud-mouthed idiot." (Just a little fun fact!)

 

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/galah-eolophus-roseicapillus/galahs

• White-Plumed Honeyeater: 
• Aboriginal Name: N/A
• Facts: 
• Yellow, black, white and grey markings. 
•  Found in open forest, woodlands, and bushland
• Feeds on nectar, insects, fruit and seeds 
• Has several "song flights" throughout mating season.

http://www.bushpea.com/bd/pg/all/w/white-plumed%20honeyeater%2004.html

• Black-Faced Cuckooshrike: 
• Aboriginal Name: Gunidjaa
• Facts:
• Body is blue-grey 
• When flying, will flap their wings for a few times, then hold them close to their body for about two seconds, resulting in them losing some altitude, making them look as if they're bobbing. This is where "cuckoo" in the name comes from.
• The call has been compared to a flute and a purr. 
• Feed on insects (caterpillar and other invertebrates are listed as an example.) , and also fruits and seeds.

 

http://blog.centennialparklands.com.au/black-faced-cuckoo-shrike/

• Pied Butcherbird: 
• Aboriginal Name: Pititjaku-Pititjaku
• Facts: 
• Younger are usually duller than the adults. 
• Found throughout Australian mainland except for farther south. Not present in Tasmania. 
• More often heard than seen
• Aggressive feeders. Survive on small reptiles, mammals, frogs,  other birds and large insects.
• Female is responsible for incubating the eggs as the male and other birds in the group feed her.

http://birdway.com.au/artamini/pied_butcherbird/source/pied_butcherbird_05610.htm

• Black-Faced Woodswallow:
• Aboriginal Name: Tjalputi
• Facts: 
• The adults are smokey grey/brown with a partially black face,
• The young are mainly brown with lots of streaks and a pale brown beak. 
• Found out in the open and often far from water.
•  Also found in open woodlands. 
• Usually survives on a diet of insects and nectar.

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/black-faced-woodswallow-artamus-cinereus/perching-dead-branch

• Willie-Wagtail: 
• Aboriginal Name: Ilpurpura
  
• Facts:
• Have three subspecies
• Gets it's name from wagging the tail back and forth horizontally while on the ground looking for food. 
• Aggressive and territorial demeanor
• Will often harass much larger birds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Wagtail

• Magpie-Lark:
• Aboriginal Name: Tiil-Tiilpa
• Facts: 
•  Adult male has distinctive white eyebrow and black face (as pictured below)
• Female has all white face with no eyebrow
• Nicknamed the "Peewee" because of it's unique call. 
• Despite the name, has no ties to magpies or larks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magpie-lark

• Torresian Crow:
• Aboriginal Name: Kaanka
• Facts: 
•  White eyes with fine blue ring. Very glossy black body
• Also known as the Australian Crow
• Short, staccato call
• Will eat dead animals and mostly grain. Will also eat fruit, insects, eggs and garbage.

http://www.aussiebirds.net/WoodlandBirds.htm

• Zebra Finch:   
• Aboriginal Name: Nyii-Nyii
• Facts: 
• Likely to be kept in captivity by pet owners, and researchers. 
• Lives on average five years in it's natural habitat but can reach approx. 12 years in captivity.
• Will breed any time of the year, but usually only after a great amount of rain. 
• Very loud calls. A "meep" or "beep" sound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_Finch

Warlpiri Cosmos

Religion:

The Warlpiri people believe that "the vocabulary of a language reflects the way of life of the people who speak it." This belief exactly mirrors the concept of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity.  The Warlpiri word "tjukurrpa" means dream, eternity, and the eternal spirit world. From this word, the word for their god is created by adding the suffix -warnu. The Almighty being they worship is called Tjukurrpawarnu. The Warlpiri believe Tjukurrpawarnu created all other tjukurrpa to create everything in the world such as all animals and birds and physical features of the land. For an example of this concept, Wawirritjukurrpa was responsible for creating all Kangaroo life in the world. Everything in the world was created in some way through Tjukurrpawarnu. When talking about creation and when the world came to be, the Warlpiri people use the phrase "Nyuruwi" which means "at the first" and/or "In the Beginning." To emphasize how long ago the world was first created, the vowels in the word "Nyuruwi" are stretched out just as in our language we would say the phrase "long ago" in an emphatic way. It is stressed that the Warlpiri absolutely do not believe in evolution.

Rituals:

A major ritual in the Warlpiri community is the "kurdiji." This ritual involves young boys just reaching puberty and serves as the first step to usher them into manhood. This ritual symbolizes the start of the "education to become a man." This ritual may also double as a marital negotiation. During, the arrangements for a wife for the young boy is made and may be a girl in the village or even a baby. This ritual does not double as wedding though, but only as a matchmaking of sorts for a future marriage. During the ceremony there is lots of singing, dancing and body painting. Male and females both participate in various stages of the ritual.

Warlpiri boys during the Kurdiji ceremony.