Ngarrindjeri Nation (Australia)

Last modified: 2005-03-05 by jonathan dixon
Keywords: ngarrindjeri nation | spears | boomerang |
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by Dirk Schönberger, 25 September 2004
Based on an image by the designer, Matt Rigney. Used with permission.

• Description of the flag

See also:

• www.ngarrindjeri.com
• Australia
• Native Peoples of Australia

Description of the flag

The Indigenous People of the Lower River Murray Lakes and Coorong, known as the Ngarrindjeri, first flew and adopted this flag on 21st November, 1999

• The 18 dots represent the 18 Laklinyeris (tribes) that make up the Ngarrindjeri nation.
• The spears represent the traditional fishing spears of the Ngarrindjeri.
• The Boomerang is the Sacred Boomerang that when thrown, circles the Laklinyeris informing their clan leaders to attend a National Meeting called Tendi (Tendi makes and interprets Ngarrindjeri Law).
• The Blue represents the waters which surround Ngarrindjeri country
• The Sun is the giver of life
• The Ochre colour of the Boomerang represents our Mother – Mother Earth

On holiday in Victor Harbor, South Australia, I came across the Ngarrindjeri Nation Flag on a plaque on the plinth of the Encounter 2002 Poles, "ON OCCUPIED TERRITORY", commemorating the encounter in 1802 of Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in Ramindjeri Ngarrindjeri Waters, now called Encounter Bay.

Apparently the flag was first flown over Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island) on 21 November 1999. An image and description of this flag can be seen on http://ngarrindjeri.tripod.com/pages/flag.html, with further discussion on http://users.chariot.net.au/~raymur/Ngarrindjeri-history.html.
Ant, 1 September 2004