Whadjuk
Encyclopedia
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
group inhabiting the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n region of the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
bioregion of the Swan Coastal Plain
Swan Coastal Plain
The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geological and biological zone, one of Western Australia's...
, and extending below Walyunga into the surrounding Jarrah Forest
Jarrah Forest
Jarrah Forest is an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia region in Western Australia.-Location and description:The ecoregion stands on the 300m high Yilgarn block inland plateau and includes wooded valleys such as those of Western Australia's Murray River and the Helena River near...
s. The etymology is unknown but it has been suggested that it may come from Wirtj, meaning "those who went before" (i.e. ancestral ones), and implied that Tindale's informants considered all Whadjuk people were dead. The boundaries of this region are the watershed division north of Yanchep between the Swan
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
-Avon
Avon River (Western Australia)
The Avon River is a river in Western Australia. It is a tributary of the Swan River totalling 280 kilometres in length, with a catchment area of 125,000 square kilometres.-Catchment area:...
and the Moore
Moore River (Western Australia)
Moore River is a river in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river near Walebing and flow westerly before joining with the Moore river East near Mogumber then flow in a Westerly direction...
Rivers, in the north, the Walyunga-Gidgegannup
Gidgegannup, Western Australia
Gidgegannup is a township northeast of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. The name Gidgegannup comes from a Noongar word meaning "Place where spears are made", and was first recorded by passing surveyors in 1852....
(from Gidgie = spear, gan- = make, -up = place) region to the north east, the Canning River
Canning River (Western Australia)
The Canning River is a major tributary of the Swan River in south western Western Australia.-Source and route:With headwaters on the Darling Scarp, the Canning meanders through suburbs of Perth on the Swan Coastal Plain, including Cannington, Thornlie, Riverton, Shelley, Rossmoyne and Mount...
catchment to the south east, to the coast at Port Kennedy
Port Kennedy, Western Australia
Port Kennedy is an outer southern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located within the City of Rockingham.Port Kennedy is built on Becher Point and because of its geomorphological history it is home to an unusual wetland formation, called the Becher Wetland Suite...
. This is the region of the Quindinup (from Qwenda = Bandicoot, -up = place), Cottesloe
Cottesloe, Western Australia
-Transport:Cottesloe is served by Swanbourne, Grant Street, Cottesloe, Mosman Park and Victoria Street railway stations on the Fremantle line. Various bus routes along Stirling Highway and through the suburb's western and eastern sections link Cottesloe to Perth and Fremantle. All services are...
, Karrakatta
Karrakatta, Western Australia
Karrakatta is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Nedlands and 7 km west of the CBD. Its postcode is 6010. Karrakatta is composed of two distinct areas. The largest is Karrakatta Cemetery, which began service in 1899, with a small industrial area on the south...
(from Karra = spider, katta = hill, the location now of the Western Australian Parliament building) and Bassendean
Bassendean, Western Australia
Bassendean is a northeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Town of Bassendean.Bassendean is home to the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum. The display has a collection of Steam and Diesel Locomotives, most of these have been restored to operating...
sand dune systems and intervening wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, out to the fertile loams of the Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
area, and the Darling Scarp
Darling Scarp
The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north-south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia...
to the edge of the Wandoo region, inhabited by the Balardong people to the east. To the north, according to Tindale one finds the Juat, Yued or Yuat, and to the south, the Pindjarup
Pindjarup
The Binjareb, Pindjarup or Pinjareb is the name of the Indigenous Australian group of Noongar speakers, living in the region of Southwest, Western Australia between Port Kennedy on the coast, between Rockingham and Mandurah to Australind on the Leschenault Inlet, and between a point between Byford...
or Pinjareb peoples.
Culture and pre-history
Before contact, the Whadjuk formed part of the NoongarNoongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
language group, with their own distinctive dialect. Culturally they were divided into two matrilineal moieties: Wardungmaat, from wardung ("crow
Australian Raven
The Australian Raven is the largest Australian member of the genus Corvus and one of three Australian species commonly known as ravens. It is a more slender bird than the Common Raven of the Northern Hemisphere but is otherwise similar...
", that is the Australian raven, Corvus coronoides) and maat ("lineage
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
"; literally "leg") and; Manitjmaat, from manitj ("Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests...
, Cacatua galerita) and maat. Moieties were endogamous, and children took the moiety of their mother. Each moiety also contained two "sections
Noongar classification
Noongar classification refers to the classification system in tribal law by which the Noongar, an indigenous Australian people, enforced restrictions on intermarriage....
" (or "skins"): in the case of the Manitjmaat these were Ballarok and Tondarup and for the Wardungmaat, they were Ngotak and Naganyuk.
The length of Whadjuk settlement of this area should not be underestimated. Finds associated with this group in the Guildford region show continuous settlement going back at least 35,000 years, while stone tools recently found on Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...
(Aboriginal Wadjemup) have been estimated at 70,000 years old. The Whadjuk also preserved many stories of the Wagyl
Wagyl
The Wagyl is, according to Noongar culture, a snakelike dreamtime creature responsible for the creation of the Swan and Canning Rivers and other waterways and landforms around present day Perth and the south-west of Western AustraliaA superior being, the Rainbow Serpent created the universe and...
, a water-python held to be responsible for most of the water features around Perth.
Coastal dwelling Whadjuk informed George Fletcher Moore
George Fletcher Moore
George Fletcher Moore was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one [of] the key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite"...
of their historical memory of the post Glacial Flandrian transgression and the separation of Rottnest from the Mainland, between 10,000–6,000 BCE. The story of this event is now kept in the J S Battye Library
J S Battye Library
The J S Battye Library is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia...
.
Like other Noongar peoples, the Whadjuk seem to have moved more inland in the wetter weather of winter, returning to the coast as interior seasonal lakes dried up. The Whadjuk, like many Noongar people accepted a six seasonal division as follows:
- Birak—from November to December, was the "fruiting", characterised by the onset of hot, easterly winds which blow during the day. Noongar people used to burn mosaic sections of scrubland through firestick farming to force animals into the open to hunt, and to open the canopyCanopy (forest)In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
and allow the few November rains to increase germinationGerminationGermination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
of summer foodstuffs and marsupialMarsupialMarsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
grazing. This was the season of harvesting wattle seeds which were pounded into flour and stored as damper.
- Bunuru—from January to February, was the "hot-dry", characterised by hot dry easterly conditions with afternoon sea-breezesSea breezeA sea-breeze is a wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing temperature differences between the land and water; these create a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth, and forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland...
, known locally in Western Australia as the Fremantle doctorFremantle DoctorThe Fremantle Doctor, the Freo Doctor, or simply The Doctor, is the Western Australian vernacular term for the cooling afternoon sea breeze which occurs during summer months in south west coastal areas of Western Australia...
. To maximise the effects of these cooling breezes, the Noongars moved to coastal estuaries and reefs where fish and abaloneAbaloneAbalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
(Haliotis roei) constituted a large proportion of the seasonal diet. Mallee fowl eggs from tuart forestsTuart Forest National ParkTuart Forest National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia , south of Perth. It contains the largest remaining section of pure tuart forest in the world. Traditionally the state forest associated with this stand of trees has been known as the Ludlow State...
also formed a part of the diet.
- Djeran—from March to April, was "first rains-first dew", with the weather was becoming cooler with winds from the south west. Fishing continued (often caught in fish traps) and zamia palm(Noongar = djiriji, Macrozamia ridlei) cycad nuts Noongar = buyu), (Nardoo Marsilia quadrifolia) bulbs and other seeds were collected for food. Zamia palm, which is naturally highly poisonous, was prepared in a fashion which removed its toxicityToxicityToxicity is the degree to which a substance can damage a living or non-living organisms. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver...
. Burrowing Frogs (kooyar, Heleioporus eyrei) were caught in large numbers with the opening rains of winter.
- Makuru—from May to June, was "the wet", and Noongars moved inland from the coast to the Darling ScarpDarling ScarpThe Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north-south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia...
to hunt Yongka, grey kangarooKangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
(Macropus fuliginosus) and Tammar (Macropus eugeni) once rains had replenished inland water resources. This was the season of mid-latitude cold frontal rainsCold frontA cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.-Development of cold front:The cooler and denser air wedges under the less-dense warmer air, lifting it...
. Noongar Gnow (or mallee fowl (Leipoa ocellata)) were also caught.
- Djilba—from July to August, was "the cold-wet" saw Noongar groups moving to the drier soils of the Guildford and Canning-Kelmscott areas, where roots were collected and emuEmuThe Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s (Noongar = Wej) (Dromaius novaehollandiae), ringtail possumsWestern Ringtail PossumThe Western Ringtail Possum or Ngwayir is a possum found in Western Australia, regarded as a subspecies of Common Ringtail Possum, or as a separate species.-Description:...
(Noongar = Goomal) (Psudocheirus occidentalis) and kangaroo were hunted.
- Kambarang—from September to October, was "the flowering" at the height of the wildflower season. This time saw rain decreasing. Families moved towards the coast where frogs, tortoises and freshwater crayfish or gilgies (Cherax quinquecarinatus) and blue marron, (Noongar = Marrin (from Marr = hand, Cherax tenuimanus) were caught. Birds returning from their northern hemisphere migration also formed a part of their diet.
Whilst these Seasons were roughly divided as shown by the European months, in fact the Noongar Whadjuk took account of environmental signals such as the spring call of the Motorbike frog (Green Tree Frog (Litoria moorei) http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au/frogs/species/litoria_moorei.htm marking the onset of Kambarang, or the flowering of the Western Australian Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda Loranthaceae http://www.anbg.gov.au/christmas showing the onset of Bunuru.
Whadjuk Noongar traded high quality wilgi (red ochre) from the area of Perth Railway station eastwards as far east as Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
(Ayers Rock). In precontact times it was used to colour hair which was worn in what would now be called "dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
". To those groups that practised initiatory circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
, this area was traditionally known as "The Land of the Boys". Quartz from the Darling Scarp was also traded with Balardong groups for the making of spears.
Contact history
The Whadjuk peoples bore the brunt of European colonisation, as the cities of Perth and Fremantle were built in their territory.No doubt Whadjuk peoples had been familiar with Dutch explorers like Vlamingh
Willem de Vlamingh
Willem Hesselsz de Vlamingh was a Dutch sea-captain who explored the central west coast of Australia in the late 17th century.- Vlamingh and the VOC :...
, and the occasional visit of whalers
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
to the coast, before the arrival of settlers under the command of Governor James Stirling
James Stirling (Australian governor)
Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...
. After a near disaster at Garden Island
Garden Island (Western Australia)
Garden Island is a slender island about ten kilometres long and one and a half kilometres wide, lying about off the Western Australian coast, to which it is now linked by a man-made causeway....
, a long-boat under the command of Captain (later Lieutenant Governor) Irwin
Frederick Irwin
Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Chidley Irwin was acting Governor of Western Australia from 1847 to 1848.Born in 1788 in Enniskillen, Ireland, Frederick Chidley Irwin was the son of Reverend James Irwin. In 1808, he was commissioned into the 83rd Regiment of Foot...
was dispatched and met with Yellagonga
Yellagonga
Yellagonga was the leader of the Whadjuk Noongar on the north side of the Swan River . Colonists saw Yellagonga as the owner of this area. However, land rights were also traced through women of the group...
and his family at Crawley
Crawley, Western Australia
Crawley is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco.The earlier name of the locality was Crawley Park.It is home to the University of Western Australia, the state's oldest and most prestigious university...
, on the coast of what is now the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
or by Mount Eliza
Mount Eliza, Western Australia
Mount Eliza is a hill which overlooks the city of Perth, Western Australia and forms part of Kings Park. It is known as Kaarta gar-up and Mooro Katta in the local Noongar dialect....
(Noongar = Goonininup). As Aboriginal women had been earlier seized by European seal hunters, Yellagonga subsequently moved his encampment to what is now Lake Monger (Noongar = Kallup).
The Whadjuk people were divided by the Swan River into four principal groups:
- The MooroMooroThe Mooro were a Nyungar Indigenous clan who lived in and to the north of Perth, Western Australia, until shortly after European settlement at the Swan River Colony in 1829. Their territory stretched from the Swan River north to the Moore River beyond the northern limits of metropolitan Perth and...
- led by Yellagonga, were north of the Swan River - The Beeliar - led by Midgegooro — his brother-in-law, were south of the Swan River and west of the Canning River
- The Belloo led by Munday — were in the region from the Canning to the Helena Rivers.
- Weeip's area to the east.
Only four Europeans contributed to our modern understanding of Whadjuk Noongar language and culture.
- Robert Menli LyonRobert Lyon (Australian settler)Robert Menli Lyon was a pioneering Western Australian settler who became one of the earliest outspoken advocates for Indigenous Australian rights and welfare in the colony. He published the first information on the Aboriginal language of the Perth area.-Early life:Robert Menli Lyon was born Robert...
befriended the Aboriginal resistance fighter YaganYaganYagan was an Australian Aboriginal warrior from the Noongar tribe who played a key part in early indigenous Australian resistance to British settlement and rule in the area of Perth, Western Australia. After he led a series of burglaries and robberies across the countryside, in which white...
, when the latter was exiled to Carnac Island. - Francis ArmstrongFrancis Armstrong-Francis Armstrong:. Methodist pioneer and missionary to Aborigines in WA.Youngest son of Captain Adam Armstrong, Francis Armstrong arrived in the Swan River Colony with his father, four brothers and sister on 15 Dec. 1829 aboard Gilmore from Dalkeith, Scotland...
took early efforts to befriend Aboriginal people (being known to them as "Pranji Djanga"), but later in life became very authoritarian and bitter in his dealings with them. - George Fletcher MooreGeorge Fletcher MooreGeorge Fletcher Moore was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one [of] the key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite"...
rapidly came to understand the Whadjuk dialectA Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the AboriginesA Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia is a book by George Fletcher Moore. First published in 1842, it represents one of the earliest attempts to record the languages used by the Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia...
of the Nyungar language, and later came to serve as magistrate in legal cases in which Whadjuk people were involved. - Lieutenant George GreyGeorge GreyGeorge Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
took great efforts to learn the Whadjuk tongue, and was recognised by the Yellagonga's Whadjuk group as being the returned dead son (i.e. Djanga) of an Aboriginal woman, before going on to a distinguished political career in South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
European settlers were called "Djanga", by the Whadjuk people, a term referring to spirits of the dead. This seems to have been an attempt to fit the Europeans into the social structure of the Moongar peoples but it seems to have been reinforced by the following principal factors:
- Europeans came from the direction of the settling sun, where Kuranyup, the land of the dead was supposed to reside.
- Europeans were white-skinned, illustrating the deathly pallor of people after death.
- Europeans seemed to have flakey discoloured skins, which they shed and changed on different occasions.
- Europeans (in the 19th century when bathing and washing clothes was rarer) smelled bad and often had rotting teeth.
- Europeans were dangerous to associate with, as infectious diseases to which Europeans had some genetic resistance, were fatal to many Aboriginal people.
Work by Neville Green in his book Broken Spears has shown how Aboriginal culture could not explain the high death rates associated with European infections, and believed that Aboriginal sorcery was involved, leading to rising numbers of reprisal spearing and killings within the Aboriginal community. Coupled with the declining birth rate
Birth rate
Crude birth rate is the nativity or childbirths per 1,000 people per year . Another word used interchangeably with "birth rate" is "natality". When the crude birth rate is subtracted from the crude death rate, it reveals the rate of natural increase...
s, these factors led to a collapsing population in those areas nearby European settlement.
With the loss of fenced and alienated lands, Aboriginal people lost access to important seasonal foods, and did not understand private ownership, which led to spearing of stock and digging in food gardens. Reprisals led to a cycle of increased violence on both sides. The first attempted Aboriginal massacre was the "Battle for Perth" when there was an attempt to surround and capture Aboriginal people who had retreated into Lake Monger. The area was cordoned, but the hunted people escaped. Once Lake Monger was settled by the Monger family, Yellagonga moved to Lake Joondalup
Joondalup, Western Australia
Joondalup is a regional metropolitan city within Perth, Western Australia, approximately north of Perth's central business district.It acts as the primary urban centre in Perth's outer northern suburbs.-History:...
. In 1834 this Wanneroo
Wanneroo
Wanneroo may refer to:* City of Wanneroo - a local government area in the north of Perth, Western Australia* Wanneroo - a suburb in that local government area* Wanneroo Road - an arterial road north of Perth...
area was explored by John Butler, and in 1838 by George Grey
George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
. With the lands seized for settlement in 1843, Yellagonga was reduced to begging for survival, and shortly thereafter he accidentally drowned,.
The situation for Midgegooroo
Midgegooroo
Midgegooroo was an Indigenous Australian of the Nyungar nation, who played a key role in Indigenous resistance to white settlement in the area of Perth, Western Australia...
was even more precarious. Violence flared when it was said 200 savages were going to attack the ferry from Fremantle, and citizens armed themselves and rushed to the site to find nothing but a bemused ferryman. A Tasmanian settler shot one of the local Aboriginal men and Yagan, Midgegooroo's son and Yellagonga's nephew, speared a white in revenge. Yagan was arrested and sent to Carnac Island in the care of Robert Lyon
Robert Lyon (Australian settler)
Robert Menli Lyon was a pioneering Western Australian settler who became one of the earliest outspoken advocates for Indigenous Australian rights and welfare in the colony. He published the first information on the Aboriginal language of the Perth area.-Early life:Robert Menli Lyon was born Robert...
who claimed he was a freedom fighter. Yagan escaped from the island in a boat, and waged a guerrilla campaign on both sides of the river. He was eventually killed by one of two European boys he had befriended and his head was smoked and sent to England, being recovered by Ken Colbung
Ken Colbung
Kenneth Desmond Colbung, AM, MBE , also known by his indigenous name Nundjan Djiridjarkan, was an Aboriginal Australian leader who became prominent in the 1960s. He was awarded an MBE and an AM for his service to the Aboriginal community.-Early life:Colbung was born on the Moore River Native...
in 1997.
Following the Battle of Pinjarra
Battle of Pinjarra
The Battle of Pinjarra or Pinjarra Massacre was a conflict that occurred in Pinjarra, Western Australia between a group of 60 to 80 Australian Aborigines and a detachment of 25 soldiers and policemen led by Governor James Stirling in 1834...
, Whadjuk Aboriginal people became totally dispirited, and were reduced to dependent status, settling at their site at Mount Eliza
Mount Eliza, Western Australia
Mount Eliza is a hill which overlooks the city of Perth, Western Australia and forms part of Kings Park. It is known as Kaarta gar-up and Mooro Katta in the local Noongar dialect....
for handouts under the authority of Francis Armstrong
Francis Armstrong
-Francis Armstrong:. Methodist pioneer and missionary to Aborigines in WA.Youngest son of Captain Adam Armstrong, Francis Armstrong arrived in the Swan River Colony with his father, four brothers and sister on 15 Dec. 1829 aboard Gilmore from Dalkeith, Scotland...
. An Anglican school was established for a number of years at Ellenbrook, but was never very successful and was greatly underfunded.
Relations between the settlers and the natives had deteriorated badly in the final years of Stirling's reign, with settlers shooting at Aboriginal people indiscriminately for the spearing of stock, leading to payback killings of settlers. Stirling's response was to attempt to subdue the Aboriginal people through harsh punishment. When Stirling retired he was replaced as Governor by John Hutt, 1 January 1839, who rather than adopting Stirling's vindictive vengeful policies against Aborigines, tried protecting their rights and educating them. This ran foul of frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
settlers intent on seizing Aboriginal lands without compensation
Payment
A payment is the transfer of wealth from one party to another. A payment is usually made in exchange for the provision of goods, services or both, or to fulfill a legal obligation....
, who felt they needed strongarm tactics to protect themselves from Aboriginal "reprisals". In 1887 a reserve for the remaining Whadjuk people was established near Lake Gnangara
Lake Gnangara
Lake Gnangara is the most southerly of the Wanneroo wetlands in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. The state government's Wetland Atlas defines the body of water as a lake. The surrounding terrain is low dunes and undulating sand plains...
, one of a whole series of wetlands which may have, within the memory of Aboriginal people here, been a series of caves along an underground river whose roof fell in. This reserve was re-established in 1975. In addition to the "feeding station" at Mount Eliza, under the control of Francis Armstrong, first "Protector of Aborigines". Hutt also tried to establish an Aboriginal yeomanry by giving Aboriginal "settlers" grants of government land. The lands chosen for this venture were marginal and Aboriginal people were expected to make improvements without giving them access to needed bank finance, so the scheme quickly collapsed. Aboriginal campsites were temporarily established at many metropolitan locations including Ellenbrook
Ellenbrook, Western Australia
Ellenbrook is a northeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, about 21 km from Perth's Central business district , located within the City of Swan. Ellenbrook, and its neighbouring suburbs of The Vines and Aveley, are unusual for Perth in being a significant distance from neighbouring suburbs...
, Jolimont
Jolimont, Western Australia
Jolimont is a small suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and west of the CBD. The suburb is believed to be named after the Melbourne suburb of Jolimont, which was in turn named after 'Jolimont' - the residence of Governor La Trobe...
, Welshpool
Welshpool, Western Australia
Welshpool is an inner southeastern suburb of Perth, located mostly within the City of Canning. The area is considered to be one of the main industrial areas of Perth, along with Kewdale, Kwinana, Henderson, Malaga, O'Connor, Canning Vale and Osborne Park....
and Allawah Grove. These sites however were frequently moved at the discretion of European authorities once an alternative use was found for the land (as happened at Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
, the Swanbourne Rifle Range and Perth Airport
Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an Australian domestic and international airport serving Perth, the capital and largest city of Western Australia. The airport itself is located in the suburb of Perth Airport....
).
Daisy Bates claimed she interviewed the last fully initiated Whadjuk Noongar people in 1907, reporting on informants Fanny Balbel and Joobaitj, who had preserved in oral tradition the Aboriginal viewpoints of the coming of the Europeans. Fanny had been born on the Aboriginal sacred site, that underlies St George's Cathedral
St George's Cathedral, Perth
St George's Cathedral is the principal Anglican church in the city of Perth, Western Australia and the mother-church of the Anglican Diocese of Perth. It is located in St Georges Terrace in the centre of the city.- History:...
, while Joobaitj's sacred lands were near the current Youth Hostel at Mundaring Weir.
Aboriginal camping sites around Perth
- GoonininupSwan BreweryThe Swan Brewery is a brewery located in Perth, Western Australia. It was founded in central Perth in 1837. From 1879, it occupied riverside premises below Mount Eliza, displacing an official "Aboriginal institution" which recognised traditional use of the land by indigenous people.The brewery...
(Kennedy Pool), was an Aboriginal camping site from pre-contact times, sacred to the Waugal. Francis ArmstrongFrancis Armstrong-Francis Armstrong:. Methodist pioneer and missionary to Aborigines in WA.Youngest son of Captain Adam Armstrong, Francis Armstrong arrived in the Swan River Colony with his father, four brothers and sister on 15 Dec. 1829 aboard Gilmore from Dalkeith, Scotland...
established a "feeding station" for Aborigines there to keep them out of the streets of Perth. The Boya (or Birthing stone) there was pushed into the River by European settlers to try to prevent Aborigines accessing the site. The site was later taken by the Swan Brewery Company in the 1890s until 1966. After a protracted battle with Aboriginal people the site was redeveloped in 1992. - Lake MongerLake MongerLake Monger is a large urban wetland on the Swan Coastal Plain in suburban Perth, Western Australia nestled between the suburbs of Leederville, Wembley and Glendalough...
was an Aboriginal camping site until the 1920s. When it was closed the land was used for market gardening, and the Aboriginal groups moved to JolimontJolimont, Western AustraliaJolimont is a small suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and west of the CBD. The suburb is believed to be named after the Melbourne suburb of Jolimont, which was in turn named after 'Jolimont' - the residence of Governor La Trobe...
and Njookenboro (Innaloo). People from Jolimont later moved to the site of the Swanbourne Rifle Range, later resumed by the Australian Army in 1913. There was also a small Aboriginal camping site between the ABC Building in East Perth and Heirisson IslandHeirisson IslandHeirisson Island is an island in the Swan River in Western Australia at the eastern end of Perth Water . The city of Perth and the Town of Victoria Park are linked by The Causeway which is actually two bridges which span the two foreshores and the island...
known as Mattagarup (="Leg Deep Place") for many years. They were later moved to BurswoodBurswood, Western AustraliaBurswood is an inner southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located immediately across the Swan River from Perth's central business district via both The Causeway and Graham Farmer Freeway...
, and then this became a garbage dump for the city of Perth, before becoming the Casino site. - WannerooWannerooWanneroo may refer to:* City of Wanneroo - a local government area in the north of Perth, Western Australia* Wanneroo - a suburb in that local government area* Wanneroo Road - an arterial road north of Perth...
(= "the place were women dig yams") had a number of Aboriginal camp sites, well into the 20th Century. Orchestra Shell Cave in Wanneroo had Aboriginal paintings on the roof and walls. George GreyGeorge GreyGeorge Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
met Aboriginal people at Lake Joondalup when he returned to Perth. - WelshpoolWelshpoolWelshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
was a camping site for Aboriginal people at the turn of the 20th Century. Daisy Bates conducted most of her interviews with Perth Aboriginal people here. - Bennett Brook is significant to Aboriginal people, as it is believed that it was formed by the creative activities of the Waugal. It is said that the Waugal's resting place is a cave in the deep, still water. Python Bridge crosses Bennett Brook approximately 200 meters from its confluence with the Swan River and it is believed to be the home of an evil and dangerous spirit. Some Aboriginal families have said that camping areas existed from the Southern boundaries of this site to Bennett Swamp in pre-contact times. There is a tradition of digging wells for freshwater supplies in the western bank of Bennett Brook and a traditional fish trap supplied food for these camps. Benara Road is the southern boundary to this Aboriginal site. In the 1930s to 1960's, Aboriginal camps spread across Lord Street into the area that is now a housing estate. It is reported that burials have taken place between Benara Road and Widgee Road, however their exact location is not known.
- AboriginesIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
from the Swan RiverSwan River (Western Australia)The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
made their campsites along PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
's central lakes to avoid the salty lakes closer to the coast. 16 aboriginal campsites have been found in the City of Cockburn - In 1941 a group of Swan Valley Nyungah women purchased 20 acres (8.1 ha) of bushland bounded by Gallagher Street and Mary Crescent, Eden Hill. The local council refused their requests for water and applications to build housing so they camped in mia mias, bush breaks and tin camps and relied on water dug from their own wells. In the 1950s the area was resumed by the State Housing Commission for the creation of the suburb of Eden HillEden Hill, Western AustraliaEden Hill is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Bassendean.As of the 2006 Census, the total population was 3,520...
. - The Swan Valley Nyungah CommunitySwan Valley Nyungah CommunityThe Swan Valley Nyungah Community was an Indigenous Australian community of Noongar people at Lockridge, Western Australia. In controversial circumstances, the Government of Western Australia closed the settlement in 2003 by act of Parliament following allegations of widespread sexual abuse, rape...
was an Indigenous Australian community of NoongarNoongarThe Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
people at Lockridge, Western AustraliaLockridge, Western AustraliaLockridge is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Swan local government area....
. In controversial circumstances, the Government of Western AustraliaGovernment of Western AustraliaThe formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
closed the settlement in 2003 by act of Parliament. - Munday Swamp is located against the northeastern perimeter fence of Perth Airport, southwest of King Road and west of the Forrestfield and Kewdale Railway Yards. Munday Swamp was an area of ancient Aboriginal usage and had been used as a turtle-fishing ground in pre-contact times. The Melaleuca shrub offered shade and coolness to the turtle fishermen, who were known to camp there on occasions. These days, Munday Swamp lies on private property beside the Perth Airport's perimeter fence.
- Nyibra Swamp has been used by Aboriginal people from Bayswater and Bassendean areas as a turtle and gilgie fishing area from the 1920s until recent times.
- Walyunga hosts one of the largest known Aboriginal campsites near Perth, used by regional tribes for more than 60,000 years, now a National Park.
- Gnangara hosted a large Aboriginal camping site. Gnangara contained the Aboriginal Community College (K-12), founded in 1979 and closed in 2008. It was one of two independent IndigenousIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
schools in the metropolitan area. - Allawah Grove near Guidford was an camping site for Fringedwellers for many years. Allawah Grove had its own Administration, Women's Committee, Progress Committee and Advancement Council which took progressive steps toward advancing the conditions for Aboriginal people all over Australia. By speaking out about the progress, success and the difficulties of their community, these groups of Allawah Grove contributed to an already growing global interest in Aboriginal Affairs. Allawah Grove's many achievements included establishing a Kindergarten for Aboriginal children and a Friends' Centre, providing much needed community support from wider public and private services. Mothers from the community had helped set up a clothing store at the Centre, with the profits from sales funding many projects and activities. Beautiful bark paintings, which were inspired at the Centre, received world-wide acknowledgement, and became a pleasurable activity for the artists, as well as creating an industry for Allawah Grove. Allawah Grove was closed and dismantled in 1969. It is now providing temporary accommodation for transient people and is managed by Aboriginal Hostels Limited.
- Weald Square in NorthbridgeNorthbridge, Western AustraliaNorthbridge is an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia, separated from Perth's central business district by the Fremantle and Joondalup railway lines...
was often used as a camping spot by Aborigines. The Aboriginal Advancement Council established its headquarters there in the 1940s.