Cadigal
/ˈɡædɪɡəl/noun
A historical spelling of Gadigal, the Aboriginal clan whose traditional Country includes parts of central Sydney and its surrounding harbour.
Did you know?“Cadigal” is generally treated as a colonial spelling variant of “Gadigal,” and the original Indigenous meaning is not securely established in surviving records.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-1788
Dharug
Gadigal
“The traditional name associated with the Gadigal people and their Country; the precise internal meaning is uncertain.”
1788
English colonial records
Cadigal
“A recorded spelling used by colonists for the Aboriginal people whose Country included the area around Sydney Cove.”
1790s
English
Cadigal
“The name appears in early colonial descriptions and maps in varying spellings, reflecting attempts to represent a Dharug-language name in English.”
19th Century
English
Cadigal
“The spelling continued in historical and ethnographic writing, alongside forms such as Gadigal and Cadigalle.”
Modern English
English
Gadigal/Cadigal
“Gadigal is now the widely preferred spelling, while Cadigal remains a documented historical variant used in discussions of Sydney’s Aboriginal history.”