Wongapitcha or Pitchentara, archaic names for the Pitjantjatjara and these are possibly Blakeley's Sandhill people. At the time of the C.A.G.E. expeditions possibly the most feared tribe in Central Australia, Lasseter and Johns travelled through part of their land, the Petermann and Rawlinson Ranges, during September to January 1930/31.

According to Basedow, in his foreword to Lasseter's Last Ride, the Wongapitcha speak a dialect of the Aluridja, meaning one of the Western Desert languages. In Lasseter's diary there is a remarkably accurate, perhaps too accurate, translation to the English of nearly thirty Pitjantjatjara words with two notable exceptions, Lubra for woman and Piccaninny for small child, these are eastern Australian words and again some doubt is thrown on the authenticity of Lasseter's diary. Neither Idriess or Lasseter name the tribe whose language they are translating, that only becomes apparent after Basedow completes the foreword to Idriess's bestseller on 15/8/31.

LASSETERIA

© R.Ross. 1999-2006

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