Introduction
Walmajarri and Nyangumarta have both been the subject of extensive study, Walmajarri by Hudson and Richards and Nyangumarta by O'Grady and the Geytenbeeks. In addition the linguists at Strelley have continued to work with Nyangumarta, producing dictionaries and teaching aids for use in the bilingual programme that has been running there since 1976.
McKelson has recorded aspects of Mangala, Nyangumarta and Karajarri and these languages are being used at the school at La Grange in a social studies programme.
O'Grady includes Bedengo in this geographical area, as does Worms (1950). However all other sources indicate that 'Bidungu' was located at the source of the Murchison River; it is included in section 4.3 in this handbook. Tindale says that 'Bidung' is a derogatory term for 'rock-hole dwellers' and is applied to a few different language groups. Ngarla speakers have informed me that Pitung and Pitang are names applied to Aboriginal people in Ngarla, also that the term applies to any travelling person.
Witukari is another language name mentioned by O'Grady. Geytenbeek (1988 p.c.) notes that it appears to be an adjective used to refer to dialects of Nyamal, Palyku and Nyiyapali, not a dialect name (see section 4_5_4 for further information).
Helen and Brian Geytenbeek conducted the most accurate survey to date of the languages of this region in 1972-73. Their figures are included in the following pages.
General Work
Bates, D.M. (n.d.106) Native vocabularies - Roebourne, Gascoyne, Ashburton, De Grey, ts ANL- MS 365 Box 48-51.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1967c) 'The language situation in the Pilbara - past and present', pp.1-20 in Papers in Australian Linguistics no.2, Pacific Linguistics, A-11, Canberra.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1985) Totemic affiliations to sections and subsections in the Fitzroy Basin, MS.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1969g) The diaries of C.G. von Brandenstein, 1964-1969, MS.
Menning, K. and D. Nash (1981) Sourcebook for Central Australian languages, IAD, Alice Springs.
Mountford, C.P. (n.d.) Ceremonies and songs (audiotapes).
O'Grady, G.N., C.F. Voegelin and F.M. Voegelin (1966) 'Languages of the world: Indo-Pacific fascicle 6', pp.1-197 in Anthropological Linguistics, Vol.8, no.2.
Sharp, J. and N. Thieberger (forthcoming) Handbook of Aboriginal languages of the Pilbara region, PALC, Port Hedland.
Tindale, N.B. (1974) Aboriginal tribes of Australia, ANU Press, Canberra.
Wordick, J.F. (1977) [Letter to M.Walsh, Linguistics Research Officer, AIAS], ts.
