The name Naualko derives from their word for 'yes'(naua/nawa (so written by
Norman Tindale).[1] The word is now reconstructed as nhaawu, and thus their
endonym means 'the people who utter nhaawu when they say 'yes.'[2]
Language
The
Naualko language, which was spoken in the
Wilcannia area, became extinct very early on as colonization began.
Luise Hercus and others now consider that it is probably related more to
Kurnu than to
Paakantyi.[2] It has recently been argued, though no certainty attaches to the hypothesis, that the language of the
Milpulo was a dialect of Naualko.[3]
Country
The Naulko moved over their tribal terrain's 10,000 square miles (26,000 km2), in the
far western sector of New South Wales, from Dunlop to Murtee on the
upper Darling River. They were also around the lower
Paroo River north to Lake Tongo.[1]
People
It has been suggested that the Naualko might be classified as a northern branch of the
Paakantyi. Norman Tindale, taking into consideration the distinctive word for 'yes' in their
ethnonym, argues that the probabilities lie with their being an independent tribe. In addition, early settlers like
Frederic Bonney, familiar with the area's tribes, treated them as a discrete group.[1]