The Cadigal people spoke the coastal Eora language and are often referred to as the Eora people.

Other clans of the Sydney region who occupied different parts of Eora land included the Wangal, the Cammeraigal, the Cadigal and the Bidjigal.

There were two major groups to the north and south of the Eora lands; they were the Dharawal and Darug. Some believe that the Cadigal may have been part of the Dharug Nation, however there is uncertainty regarding this.

The word Eora is a term used by the colonists to describe the Aboriginal people of the Cadigal nation and the language they spoke. The word Eora may have arisen from a misunderstanding of its use when Lieutenant Dawes identified the word in a conversation with Aborigines. They had responded to a question asking where they had come from to which they replied, “Eora” which has been translated to mean ‘I will see people’ or ‘here’ or ‘the places of these people’.