awabakal
|a-wa-ba-kal|
/ˌæwəˈbækəl/
people of Awaba (Lake Macquarie)
Etymology
'Awabakal' originates from the Awabakal (language), specifically built from the place-name element 'Awaba' (the name for Lake Macquarie, often interpreted as 'flat surface' or a local placename) with a suffix interpreted as '-kal' meaning 'people' or 'group'.
'Awabakal' was recorded by early European settlers and anthropologists in the 19th century as the ethnonym for the local people around Lake Macquarie; the form used in English derives directly from the Indigenous placename and group-name.
Initially it referred specifically to the people associated with the place called 'Awaba' (Lake Macquarie); over time in English it has come to denote both the people and their language and cultural identity.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an Indigenous Australian people of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region in New South Wales.
The awabakal have a long cultural connection to the Lake Macquarie area.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the Awabakal language — the traditional language spoken by the Awabakal people (now subject to revival and reclamation efforts).
Community groups are working to teach young people the awabakal language.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/03 21:48