Tradional Owners of Kakadu

The name Kakadu comes from an Aboriginal language called Gagudju which was one of the languages spoken to the north at the beginning of the 20th century, which along with Limilngan are less regularly spoken, however, descendants of these language groups are still living in Kakadu. Aboriginal languages still in use today include Kunwinjku from the north-eastern region, Gun-djeihmi from the central region and Jawoyn from the southern region.

Kakadu National Park is managed jointly by its Aboriginal traditional owners and the Director of National Parks, and is so much more than a National Park. It is vast store of ancient & breathtaking Aboriginal rock art paintings which remind us that Arnhem Land was the gateway through which natives entered Australia 30,000 years ago, settling and recording their cultures & beliefs of the Dreamtime that were shaped by the spiritual ancestors of Aboriginal people during the Creation Time. They brought with them laws to live by, which included ceremonies, languages, kinship and ecological knowledge.

Aboriginals have occupied the region since their arival in Australia. The Park is rich in ancient Aboriginal paintings. The origins of the escarpment which forms the skyline for hundreds of kilometers, goes back 2000 million years and outlier rocks now isolated on the plains show how the plateau has eroded down the ages. The most easily reached galleries are at Obiri Rock & Nourlangie Rock, both displaying among their styles the distinctive X-ray paintings, which show internal organs of the subject.