The etymology of Coober Pedy, South Australia
Date
2010
Authors
Naessan, P.
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Aboriginal History, 2010; 34:217-233
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The aim of this paper is to outline and assess the diverging etymologies of 'Coober Pedy' in northern South Australia, in the search for original and post-contact local Indigenous significance associated with the name and the region. At the interface of contemporary Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara opinion (mainly in the Coober Pedy region, where I have conducted fieldwork since 1999) and other sources, an interesting picture emerges: in the current use by Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people as well as non-Indigenous people in Coober Pedy, the name 'Coober Pedy' - as 'white man's hole (in the ground)' - does not seem to reflect or point toward a pre-contact Indigenous presence.
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© 2010 Copyright of Aboriginal History, Inc. Copyright © 2010 RMIT Publishing