View source for Kukatj

{{short description|Aboriginal Australian people of Queensland}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2018}}
The '''Kukatj''' are an [[Aboriginal Australian]] people of the [[Cape York Peninsula]] in the state of [[Queensland]]. They are to be distinguished from the [[Kukatja (Western Australia)|Kukatja]] of [[Western Australia]] and the [[Luritja]] of the [[Northern Territory]], who have also historically been known as Kukatja.
==Country==
In [[Norman Tindale]]'s estimation, the Kukatj held about {{convert|2,200|mi2|km2|order=flip}} of tribal land. Their eastward extension, from [[Inverleigh, Queensland|Inverleigh]]<ref>[http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=250562&cmd=sp Inverleigh] (Bonzle)</ref> reached the [[Flinders River]], and running northwards from the area of the [[Donor Hills]]<ref>[http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=246444&wnb=65729501&cmd=sp&c=1&x=140.54704&y=-18.71415&mpsec=0 Donor Hills] (Bonzle(</ref> up to the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]].{{sfn|Tindale|1974|p=178}}
===Frontier wars===
When European settlers moved into the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] region and established [[Normanton, Queensland|Normanton]] in the 1870s, there were an estimated seven [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal peoples]] in the area, and the [[Australian frontier wars|frontier wars]] blurred and confused the boundaries of traditional lands. By the 1920s, many Aboriginal people had been forcibly removed to [[Aboriginal reserve]]s and [[mission station|missions]]. The [[Gkuthaarn]] and Kukatj people who remained lived in camps along the south-western side of the town, while others, such as the [[Kurtjar|Kurtijar]] people, camped north of the [[Norman River]].<ref name=nativetitle2020/>
===Native title===
On 29 September 2020 the Kukatj and Gkuthaarn peoples won a [[native title in Australia|native title determination]] over more than {{convert|16,000|km2}} west of the [[Norman River]], including [[Normanton, Queensland|Normanton]], as far as the [[Leichhardt River]]. Their recognition as [[traditional owners]] of the land, eight years after lodging the claim, allows the two groups to [[fishing|hunt]], hunt  and practise their culture and their [[Aboriginal ceremony|cultural ceremonies]] on [[pastoralism|pastoral land]].<ref name=nativetitle2020>{{cite web | last=Barry | first=Derek | title=Native title win for Gkuthaarn and Kukatj people | website=The North West Star | date=30 September 2020 | url=https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/6948210/native-title-win-for-gkuthaarn-and-kukatj-people/ | access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Native Title Determination Details: QCD2020/002 - Gkuthaarn and Kukatj People| website=[[National Native Title Tribunal]] | date=7 October 2010 | url=http://www.nntt.gov.au/searchRegApps/NativeTitleClaims/Pages/Determination_details.aspx?NNTT_Fileno=QCD2020/002 | access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref>
==Language==
{{main|Kukatj language}}
The Kukatj people spoke the [[Kukatj language]], which is now [[extinct language|extinct]].
==Alternative names==
* ''Kukatji''
* ''Gugadji''
* ''Konggada'' (language name){{sfn|Tindale|1974|p=178}}
==Indigenous rangers==
The Gkuthaarn Kukatj Indigenous Land & Sea Ranger group is a group of [[Indigenous ranger]]s made up of Kukatj and [[Gkuthaarn]] people, help to protect the [[natural resources]] and cultural heritage of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria region. The group is managed by the [[Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation]] (CLCAC).<ref>{{cite web | title=Gkuthaarn Kukatj Indigenous Land & Sea Ranger | website=Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation | date=16 September 2020 | url=http://www.clcac.com.au/news/corporate-news/2020/169 | access-date=14 October 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{Cite web| title = AIATSIS map of Indigenous Australia
| date = 14 May 2024
| publisher = [[Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies|AIATSIS]]
| url = https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenous-australia
| ref = {{harvid|AIATSIS}}
}}
*{{Cite book| chapter = Kukatja (QLD)
| last = Tindale | first = Norman Barnett
| author-link = Norman Tindale
| year = 1974
| title = Aboriginal Tribes of Australia: Their Terrain, Environmental Controls, Distribution, Limits, and Proper Names
| publisher = [[Australian National University Press]]
| chapter-url = http://archives.samuseum.sa.gov.au/tindaletribes/kukatja.htm
| isbn = 978-0-708-10741-6
}}
{{refend}}
{{Aboriginal peoples of Queensland}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Aboriginal peoples of Queensland]]
[[Category:Far North Queensland]]