5.22 Pt. AuguSta at the time Of the Study
Table 1 contains the places of origin of people in the Powell
survey on employment (estimates of the Pt. Augusta Aboriginal population in
1978 were quoted in Federal Parliament as 1,109 people).
TABLE 1
ORIGINS OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AT PT. AUGUSTA
Places of origin
No. of persons
% of sample .
Pt. Augusta
Nepabunna
Maree
Alice Springs
Copley
Hawker
Adelaide
94
26
22
17
11
38.1
10.5
Pt. Pearce
Quorn
Leigh Creek
9
8
7
6
8.9
6.9
4.5
4.0
3.6
3.2
2.8
2.4
(Powell, 1978:12)
A further 22 centres were named in the northern and western regions
of the state as places of origin.
Tribal initiations at Pt. Augusta ceased when tribal lands were
taken over by white people. However, there are still initiated men
alive who belong to the area. Initiated men from neighbouring areas
visit. In June 1982 the Aboriginal people of Pt. Augusta articulated
a case for being consulted concerning the tribal lands of the Kokatha
people for whom the area is tribal land. Thus there is a theorizing
that locates the people into a tribal relationship with land.
People from the reserve have moved into Pt. Augusta proper and
the reserve continues to house newly-arrived ’bush’ Aborigines from
See Figure 2.