Niabali (WA)

LocationHeadwaters of Oakover and Davis rivers above their junction; middle waters of the Fortescue River; northwest to Roy Hill; on Weedi Wolli Creek north of the Ophthalmia Range; east to Talawana. About 1890 pressure by Kartudjara forced Niabali to retreat from the northern vicinity of Savory Creek to a boundary on the headwaters of Jiggalong Creek. The Niabali are closely related to the Bailgu with whom they are becoming much mixed. Capell (1963) places his Dargudi in the area of this tribe northwest of the Robertson Range. He uses several spellings and a term Gumbadimaia. It is possible these terms relate to incoming strangers such as the Keiadjara who have been shifting from the east since 1940.
Co-ordinates120°10'E x 23°S
Area5,700 sq. m. (14,800 sq. km.)
ReferencesBirdsell, 1953 MS; Tindale, 1953 MS, 1966 MS; Fink, 1957 MS; Berndt, 1959, 1964; Capell, 1963; Brandenstein, 1965 MS; A.I.A.S., 1966.
Alternative NamesNjiabali (of western neighbors), Njijabali, Iabali, Janari (inlanders or newcomers, i.e., 'those who have come,' name given by western tribes), Jana.
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