Origin and History of ARIGHANAGERI

Description:

The Arighanager people are a community of Indigenous Australians who live in the Arighanager region of the Northern Territory. The Arighanager people are of the Yolngu people and are believed to have first migrated to the area around 2,000 years ago. The Arighanager people are traditional hunter-gatherers and their culture is based around the cycle of life, the importance of ceremony and the belief in a spiritual world. The Arighanager people speak the Arighanager language, a dialect of the Yolngu language. The Arighanager people are divided into two clans, the Dhuwa and the Dhaai. The Dhuwa clan is the larger of the two clans and is believed to be the older of the two clans. The Arighanager people are a small community and there are estimated to be just over 1,000 people who identify as Arighanager. The Arighanager people live in scattered settlements throughout the Arighanager region. The main settlements in the region are Arighanager, Kukatja and Yirrkala. The Arighanager people are engaged in traditional hunting and gathering activities and are also involved in subsistence farming. The Arighanager people are also involved in traditional trade and commerce. The Arighanager people are recognised as an Indigenous community by the Northern Territory Government and they have their own Aboriginal Land Rights Act recognition.