Pitjantjatjara are an Australian Aboriginal people. They lived in nomadic (wandering) family groups in a vast territory southwest of Lake Amadeus, in the Northern Territory. This area, which covers the Musgrave, Petermann, and Rawlinson ranges, has few safe water holes or fertile valleys. The Pitjantjatjara, armed with spears and spear-throwers, but no boomerangs, were skillful foragers and hunters. They hunted kangaroo, snakes, and lizards for food. They also gathered grass seeds and edible plants. Today, most Pitjantjatjara have settled in cities and towns.
The Ernabella mission in the Musgrave Range was established in 1936 to preserve the Pitjantjatjara culture and language. The people now raise sheep. They design and weave woolen rugs and make moccasins. In Fregon and Amata in South Australia, they manage cattle stations (ranches) as self-governing communities.
