According to
Norman Tindale, the Punthamara's tribal territories embraced roughly 3,200 square miles (8,300 km2), along the creeks flowing east of the
Grey Range, whose western flank they lived about only as far as Mount Margaret and Congie. They were also present at
Tobermorey, on the border with the present-day
Northern Territory. Running north from Orient and
Thargomindah, their lands approached the vicinity of
Quilpie.[1]
History of contact
Punthamara lands and those of many other neighbouring tribes were pegged out and
squatted by
Patrick Durack, who took on several members of the tribe to serve him.[2][3]
Ethnography
The early ethnographer
R. H. Mathews argued that the Punthamara were just one tribal group in a larger entity, which he called Wonkamurra Nation, consisting also of the
Wongkumara,
Kalali,
Yandruwandha and
Yauraworka.[4] The notion of such artificial supratribal "nations" has been viewed skeptically by Tindale.[5]
Myles, F.W. (1886).
"Thargominda, Bulloo River"(PDF). In
Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (ed.). The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent. Vol. 2. Melbourne: J. Ferres. pp. 36–41.