Location: At Boorabin and Southern Cross; east to Bulla Bulling; north to Youanmi, Lake Barlee and Pigeon Rocks; west to Burracoppin, Mukinbudin, Kalannie and Lake Moore; south to Parker Range; Southern Cross, 200 miles north-east of Newcastle, Lake Barlee area (Oates 1975); west of Coolgardie (Brandenstein 1980).
1. Names of the language and different spellings that have been used:
Galamai (Capell)
Galamaya
Jaburu
Kaallarmaay (west) = Kallarmaya (east) = 'Campfire language' (Brandenstein)
Kaburn
Kalamaia (Tindale)
Kelamai
Natingero
Njindango
Takalako
2. Classification of the language:
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966): Mirniny
Identification codes:AIATSIS:A.04
Capell (1963):A.12
Oates (1975):52.5
Oates reclassifies this as a dialect of Watjari on the basis of work by Douglas and Wurm.
3. Dialects of the language:
Tindale says Jawun is the name of the north-western portion of this group.
4. Number and distribution of speakers:
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966:135): 'not more than a few'
5. People who have worked intensively to record the language:
None
6. Practical spelling system:
None in use (the Western Desert orthography would be suitable)
7. Word lists:
Brandenstein (n.d.e)
Capell mentions that Hale and O'Grady have word lists.
8. Texts:
None
9. Grammar or sketch grammar:
None
10. Language programmes:
None
11. Language learning material:
None
12. Literature in the language:
None
13. Material available:
(see section 5 (Bibliography) for annotations on the following works)
Adam, T. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.29, Two hundred miles north-east of Newcastle: Natingero tribe', pp.380- 383 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.115) Native vocabularies - Southern Cross Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2C, ANL-MS365-47/59-89.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.136) Social organisation - Relationship terms, typescript copy of MS, Section 3, ANL-MS365-14/2-111.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.153) Tribal organisation and geographical distribution; Tribes of South-West Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 2, ANL-MS365-3/2-65.
Brandenstein, C. G. von (1969c) Linguistic routine report, December 1969.
Brandenstein, C. G. von (n.d.e) [Unpublished material].
Hale, K.L. and W.H. Douglas, (1960) Fieldnotes.
Helms, R. (1896) 'Anthropology', pp.237-332 in Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia Vol.16.
Joukovsky-Vaisvila, O. and G.C. Joyner (1980) Around the rock: a history of the Shire of Nungarin, Western Australia: more historical evidence for the yahoo, hairy man, wild man or Australian gorilla, foreword by R.L. Herbert, Nungarin, WA; Nungarin Shire Council, Canberra.
Morphy, F. (1985) Working notes on Western Australian languages. Part of an ARGS project directed by R.M.W. Dixon.
Tindale, N.B. (1981) Desert Aborigines and the southern coastal peoples: some comparisons, MS.
Tindale, N.B. (1939d) Vocabulary no.89, Kala:mai, Australian vocabularies, MS.
Tindale, N.B. (n.d.b) Journal of a trip to Western Australia in search of tribal data. March-April 1966, MS.
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