Dhay'yi people facts for kids
The Daii or Dhay'yi are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory.
Contents
Name
The tribal ethnonym Daii is formed from the demonstrative pronoun for 'this'.
Country
In Norman Tindale's estimation the Daii occupied 800 square miles (2,100 km2) of land, extending northwards from the shores of Blue Mud Bay as far as the Koolatong River. Their inland extension ran at least to Ngilipidji.
Social organization
The Daii consisted of two clans, which formed the basis for marriage exchanges:-
- Dalwangu
- Djawark
The Dalwangu moiety was jiritja, the Djawark a dua moiety.
Trade
The Daii's lands accessed the rich quartzite quarry at Ngilipidji, which provided stone for prized implements that could be traded. The local industry was, according to archaeologists, probably spurred by the rise of precolonial contacts with Asia'sSouth Sulawesi Makassar voyagers.
Alternative names
- Taii
- Tai
- Dalwango
- Dalwongo
- Dalwongu
- Darlwongo
- Dhalwangu
- Djawark
- Djarlwa:g
