The quirky origins of Australia’s native animal names

Although I thought that the cockatoo was an Aboriginal word, it’s not! Its a relic of the first Europeans visiting the spice isles of Maluku (now Malaysia) in the 15th Century. They had birds there akin to cassowaries and cockatoos. Other well-known Aboriginal-sounding names are in fact from abroad as well.

‘Bandicoot’: an Indian name for big Asian rat

Emu – Portuguese/South American in origin, named for the rheas in South America, big flightless birds like those endemic to Australia.

Goanna – comes from the word ‘iguana’.

‘Echidna’ and ‘platypus’ – these started off as scientific names and quickly made their way into the Australian vernacular.

However despite the penchant of early Australian settlers for using foreign names, there are a few names with Indigenous heritage, such as such as wulaba for wallaby and dingu for the dingo (both from the language of the Dharawal People of NSW).

Although many biologists think we should be using the Aboriginal names instead than these foreign names.

It’s not only the authenticity and heritage of these Aboriginal names, they also have a pleasing phonetic sound on the tongue and mouth when spoken. Like the ‘Woylie’, or in English the ‘brush-tailed bettong’; or ‘kakarratul and itjaritjari’ in place of ‘northern and southern marsupial mole’. Some biologists now use these words in place of English names.

There is also a growing trend for using scientific names that draw upon Aboriginal words. One striking example is the red and yellow mountain frog or the Philoria kundagungan. In the Kabi language of southern Queensland, ‘kunda’ means mountain and ‘gungan’ means frog.

By using these phonetically beautiful and interesting words, it’s just another way that we can honour the traditional custodians of the land – by using the original names of the animals living there.

More traditional names for native Australian animals, thanks to the Dharawal People of NSW

Birds
binit	tawny frogmouth
binyang	bird
bubuk	boobook owl
buming	redbill
bunda	hawk
bunyarinarin	masked lapwing
burumurring	wedge-tailed eagle
diamuldiamul	whistling kite
dyaramak	sacred kingfisher
dyuralya	brolga
gaban	egg
garadi	glossy black cockatoo
garrangabumarri	pelican
garrawi	sulphur-crested cockatoo
girra~girra	seagull
gugurruk	black-shouldered kite
gulina	rufous night heron
gulungaga	red-browed finch
guma	king parrot
guriyal	parrot, parrakeet

guwali	shag, cormorant
marrigang	sittella
mulgu	black swan
munu.	bill
murradjulbi	singing bushlark
muruduwin	fairy wren
ngunyul	feather
ngurra	birds’ nest
nuwalgang	magpie goose
urwinarriwing	eastern curlew
wangawang	ground parrot
wilbing	wing
wirgan	noisy friarbird
wugan	crow
wungawunga	wonga pigeon

 

Read more about Unseen Art from Australia’s First Fleet