LANGUAGE OF THE BUNGANDITY TRIBE, S.A. 59 
LANGUAGE or THE BUNGANDITY TRIBE, SOUTH 
AUSTRALIA. 
By R. H. MATHEWS, L.S., 
Associé étranger Soc. d’Anthrop. de Paris. 
[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, June 3, 1903. ] 
Synoprsis—Prefatory. Orthography. Grammar of the Bingandity 
Language. Vocabulary. 
THE Bungandity tribe occupied the country around Mount 
Gambier, County of Grey, South Australia, and extended 
easterly into Victoria as far as the valley of the Glenelg 
River. This tribe was typical in language, customs and 
social organisation, of an aggregate of about half-a-dozen 
small tribes, the limits of whose territory may be indicated 
approximately by a line drawn from Kingston to Border- 
town, and thence southerly to the sea coast. Having on 
different occasions during recent years visited this part of 
South Australia and the adjacent portion of Victoria, I had 
the good fortune to find a few surviving members of the 
Bungandity tribe, from whom I obtained the materials of 
the present treatise. 
It has fallen to my lot to be the first author to investi- 
gate the constitution of the Bingandity language and 
supply the elements of its grammar. The whole of this 
article has been prepared by me from notes taken down 
by myself from the lips of the aboriginal speakers, and I 
am alone responsible for the information contained. When 
the difficulties encountered in obtaining the grammar of 
any language which is purely colloquial are taken into 
consideration, I feel sure that all necessary allowances 
will be made for any imperfections of my work. 
