Pitjantjatjara ranger at Uluru
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Regions with significant populations | |
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Central Australia: | approx. 4,000 |
Languages | |
Pitjantjatjara | |
Religion | |
Traditional & Christianity | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Ngaanyatjarra, Yankunytjatjara |
The Pitjantjatjara (English /pɪtʃəntʃəˈtʃɑːrə/,Aboriginal pronunciation: [ˈpɪɟanɟaɟaɾa] or [ˈpɪɟanɟaɾa]) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are varieties of the Western Desert language).
They refer to themselves as Anangu (people). The Pitjantjatjara live mostly in the northwest of South Australia, extending across the border into the Northern Territory to just south of Lake Amadeus, and west a short distance into Western Australia. The land is an inseparable and important part of their identity, and every part of it is rich with stories and meaning to Anangu.
They have, for the most part, given up their nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle but have retained their language and much of their culture in spite of increasing influences from the broader Australian community.