The first people of this Riverina area are the Wiradjuri,
and there are some very interesting resources on local Indigenous history in
the local studies section of the library. If you are researching Indigenous
history, the following are indispensable:
Wiradjuri Places : The Murrumbidgee River Basin (with a
section on Ngunawal country) by Peter Rimas Kabaila, contains information on Wiradjuri history
across the Tumut, Narrandera, Cootamundra
and Yass areas, even to Grong Grong, with detailed maps and other
illustrations.
Archaeological Aspects of Aboriginal Settlement of the
period 1870 – 1970 in the Wiradjuri Region , by Peter Rimas Kabaila (Thesis
for Doctor of Philosophy 1999) This thesis is a very readable and fascinating work
which covers the theory and methodology
of social archaeology in regards to Indigenous History, more particularly to
the use of these in uncovering Wiradjuri history in the region. There are maps,
statistics, appendices (containing artefact records) and it is, in total, a truly
beautiful piece of research.
Wiradjuri Heritage Study,
for the Wagga Wagga local Government Area of New South Wales , complied
by Dick Green, Go Green Services of
Wagga Wagga, 2002.A collection of Wiradjuri history, facts, maps, and more, in
the Wagga Wagga local government area, with the literary additions of songs and
poems, a really handy and accessible guide, which is also reproduced in full on
the Wagga Wagga City Council website :
Last but not least, and although not strictly categorised as
history, are the Wiradjuri language dictionaries available in Wagga Wagga City Library, and because I love
dictionaries, (who doesn’t!) and these are a very fine set of resources for the
region.
A new Wiradjuri Dictionary, compiled by Stan Grant (Senr)
and Dr John Rudder, Restoration House, 2010.
