Mithaka People Native Title Claim

The claim area is roughly bounded by Betoota, Windorah, Jundah, Bedourie and Birdsville, Queensland.

The Mithaka People are currently all those Mithaka persons descended from the following Aboriginal apical ancestors –
(a) Nangkaliya; which includes Mithaka persons in the following families: Gorringe, Fortune, McKellar, Lander, Curran, Hunter and Walton;
(b) Jacky Frew;
(c) Njira Taffy;
(d) Joe St Clair;
(e) Pantya-Wanku-Ngawiranha;
(f) Butcher;
(g) Tyuka-Putali;
(h) Wargally and wife Moopina; which includes Mithaka persons in the following families: McCarthy, Mallyer, Crawford, Burns, Murphy, Rose, Gray, Martin, Naylor, Troutman and Turnbull;
(i) Mingelli Joe and sister Maggie;
(j) Cameron Downs;
(k) Bluff Wanna.

The purpose of Authorisation Meeting #1 is to:
1. Consider and authorise essential and necessary amendments to the claim group description for the Mithaka application, in the form set out below (with amendments by way of redescriptions and additions shown in underlining below), so as to ensure that the application is consistent with the best available supporting evidence. The changes proposed are:

(a) to redescribe the current apical description, “Nangkaliya; which includes Mithaka persons in the following families: Gorringe, Fortune, McKellar, Lander, Curran, Hunter and Walton”, as “Nangkaliya”;
(b) to redescribe the current apical description, “Wargally and wife Moopina; which includes Mithaka persons in the following families: McCarthy, Mallyer, Crawford, Burns, Murphy, Rose, Gray, Martin, Naylor, Troutman and Turnbull”, as “Katie/Kitty Wallerina (also known as Kathleen Mallyer and Kathleen Thompson)”;
(c) to redescribe the current apical description, “Joe St Clair”, as “Mingelli Joe (also known as Joe St Clair / Mentuli / Minchoolie / Mintulee /Joe the Rainmaker)”;
(d) to redescribe the current apical description, “Mingelli Joe and sister Maggie”, as “Maggie (sister of Mingelli Joe)”;
(e) to remove the current apical ancestors, “Bluff Wanna” and “Butcher”;
(f) to include and add the following new apical ancestors – “i. Bunbili; ii. Puthi (also known as Frank); iii. Natkillie Billy; iv. Warinyawarinyi (also known as Jacky)”; and v. Donald Morney”.

If authorised, the amended Mithaka People claim group description, as newly described, will be:
The Mithaka People are Aboriginal people who:
1. are the descendants of the following people:
(a) Nangkaliya;
(b) Katie/Kitty Wallerina (also known as Kathleen Mallyer and Kathleen Thompson);
(c) Njira Taffy;
(d) Mingelli Joe (also known as Joe St Clair / Mentuli / Minchoolie / Mintulee /Joe the Rainmaker);
(e) Maggie (sister of Mingelli Joe);
(f) Donald Morney;
(g) Bunbili;
(h) Jacky Frew;
(i) Pantya-Wanku-Ngawiranha;
(j) Tyuka-Putali;
(k) Cameron Downs;
(l) Puthi (also known as Frank);
(m) Natkillie Billy;
(n) Warinyawarinyi (also known as Jacky),
2. identify themselves as Mithaka People.


This is only part of the advertisement that appeared in the Koori Mail of August 26, 2015 and deals sole with the currently defined apical ancestors.