Luritja is both an Australian Aboriginal country, a group of people and a language. Australian Aborigines are the indigenous peoples of Australia. ...

Area

The Luritja lands are an area beginning approximately 200 km West of Alice Springs, and overlap the Western end of the Arrente lands (also known as Western Arrente and continue further West until the Warlpiri land of Kintore, 700 km West of Alice Springs. The "capital city" of Luritja is Areyonga, with a population of approximately 1,200 people, however Luritja uniquely also has a second "capital city", that of Papunya, with a population of approximately 900 people. The area surrounding Papunya, including Mount Liebig is often referred to as Papunya Luritja, both in land and language. Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia. ... Arrente is both a language, a group of people, and an area of land in Central Australia. ... The Warlpiri are an indigenous Australian (or Aboriginal) ethnic group, many of whom speak a language also called Warlpiri. ...

Papunya Luritja

The usage of the term Papunya Luritja is hotly debated amongst Luritja people, some of whom feel that the language is different to the Luritja language, others who feel that it is just a dialect. Similarly, there are debates as to whether the lands known as Papunya Luritja are a part of the greater Luritja lands, or are lands in their own right. Many people believe one but not the other. The difference in language between Luritja and Papunya Luritja is quite significant, with only about 85% of the same word usage. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ...

Population

The total population of Luritja people (including Papunya Luritja) is approximately 12,000, making them the 3rd largest of the Central Australian aboriginal populations, behind Arrente and Pitjantjatjara. Arrente is both a language, a group of people, and an area of land in Central Australia. ... Pitjantjatjara is the name of both an Aboriginal tribe of the Central Australian desert and their language. ...

Control

Unlike Arrente and Pitjantjatjara who have their own councils, Luritja is controlled specifically through Central Land Council and through the Northern Territory Government directly. The health service is controlled by Remote Health, which in turn is government run. Arrente is both a language, a group of people, and an area of land in Central Australia. ... Pitjantjatjara is the name of both an Aboriginal tribe of the Central Australian desert and their language. ...

Artwork

The Luritja area, like many of the Australian Aboriginal communities relies heavily on the sale of artwork, and Luritja artwork has a large number of famous artists, and many companies that specifically cater for the sale of Luritja art.

Petrol Sniffing

Petrol sniffing is a problem throughout traditional Australian Aboriginal communities, but it is much more serious in the Luritja lands. A recent government report stated that there were 80 petrol sniffers in Papunya alone, and as many as 500 throughout the lands, making up a much higher proportion than any other Australian Aboriginal country. In May 2005, a federal government inquiry commenced to look in to this problem, specifically targetting Papunya.