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The Traditional Owners of Perth: Whadjuk country

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Etching of group of Aboriginal people with small dog
The Traditional Owners of Perth: Whadjuk country

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  3–4, 7–8, 9–10


Ever wondered what life was like for the traditional owners of Perth before the British arrived in 1829?

The Noongar people have lived in the south-west corner of Western Australia for at least 45,000 years. There are several language groups that make up the Noongar, including the Whadjuk, who are the traditional owners of the land around Perth.

Whadjuk [pronounced wod-JUK] Noongar Elder and ambassador Dr Noel Nannup talks about traditional Whadjuk ways of life and key cultural places in Perth, and he teaches us the Noongar words for some Perth suburbs (such as Nollamara).

Some locations are particularly special to the Whadjuk people, such as a cave along the Derbal Yarrigan (the Swan River) where it's believed the creation serpent lives. What other important places does Noel describe?


Acknowledgements

With thanks to Dr Noel Nannup.


Production Date: 2018

View the full Colonisation of Perth collection

Come on a journey through the colonial history of Perth. Learn about the places that were important to the Whadjuk people and the impacts of colonisation in these early days.

Painting titled 'View from Mount Eliza, Swan River, of Perth, the capital of Western Australia' by John Blundell, 1844


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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