THE NGARRINDJERI NATION
Ngarrindjeri is an Aboriginal nation of 18 language groups who occupied, and still inhabit, the Lower Murray, Coorong and Lakes area of South Australia. They are the descendants of Ngurunderi, one of the main ancestors of the Dreaming of southern Australia, and their totem is the magnificent Australian Pelican.
Their lands and waters extended 30km up the Murray from Lake Alexandrina, the length of the Coorong and the coastal area to Encounter Bay. Today this Aboriginal group is still very strong, with a large and proud community of people still based in the Lower Murray and Coorong.
The environment was rich with animals, plants and aquatic resources and the Ngarrindjeri groups were consequently less nomadic than Aborigines of the inland. A wide range of material culture items - wooden artefacts and basketry in particular - reflected this more sedentary lifestyle. Ngarrindjeri social structure and religious life was also distinctive. In common with other south-eastern Australian groups, Ngarrindjeri religion was characterised by Dreaming Ancestors who established laws and social practices before leaving the earth to live in the sky. Ngurunderi was the most important of these Ngarrindjeri ancestors, creating the Murray River and Ngarrindjeri lands of what is today the Murray basin and upper Southeast region of South Australia.
From the early 1830s the Ngarrindjeri people have survived the massive dislocation wrought by the European colinsation of South Australia. While intended as a refuge, the establishment of Christian missions like Point McLeay (Raukkan) actually helped weaken the culture of a people already suffering the loss of their land and their rights. Outside the missions, many Ngarrindjeri lived in town fringe camps until the 1860's, when the political situation of Aboriginal people throughout Australia began to improve with the recognition as full citizens. Today the Ngarrindjeri community, located in several country centres as well as in Adelaide itself, is one of the largest and most respected Aboriginal communities in southern Australia.
The Ngarrindjeri flag, designed by Matt Rigney, was first flown on Sunday 21 November, 1999, at Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island). The 18 dots represent the 18 tribes (Lakklinyeris) that make up the Ngarrindjeri Nation. The spears represent the traditional fishing spears of the Ngarrindjeri. The Boomerang is the Sacred Boomerang that when thrown, circles the Lakklinyeris informing their clan leaders to attend a National Meeting called Tendi (Tendi made and interpreted Ngarrindjeri Law). The Blue colour represents the waters which surround Ngarrindjeri country. The Sun is the giver of life. The Ochre colour of the Boomerang represents our Mother - Mother Earth. Today the flag remains as a symbol of the unified Ngarrindjeri heritage.