?Kangkarrartingga (River Congeratinga)
Date
2019-07-22
Authors
Schultz, Chester
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The earliest explicit record of this name was the ‘River Congeratinga’ marked on the first maps based on the work of the first surveyors of District D (around Yankalilla) in 1840. However, there is indirect evidence to suggest that Samuel Stephens in 1838 might have obtained the name ‘Congerati’ somewhere in District D, even though he wrote only of ‘Conderati’ (see Appendix). The ‘Yankalilla Surveys used Aboriginal guides, probably hired in Adelaide, who no doubt gave the name; and Stephens presumably likewise.
The word must be in Kaurna language, since it ends with the standard Kaurna Locative ngga (‘at, place of’). The root noun represented by ‘Congerati’ is unknown in any local language as it stands; but must be a Compound of two words, probably also contracted (since no known vocabulary fits the whole word as it is). Among several possible but uncertain etymologies, the most likely is Kanggarri-karti, contracted to Kanggarr’arti, ‘human birthing blood’ (New Spelling 2010 Kangkarrikarti, Kangkarr’arti).