“Kaya, Nala Maat Kaya Noonduk (Hello, Our Family Welcomes You) to Wadandi Boodja (Saltwater People's Country) – we all come together on Boodja (Country).
Wardan means 'the sea', so Wardan Boodjar means 'sea country' or the coast anywhere in the southwest. Wardan, or sea, is of great spiritual significance to the coastal Nyungar.
The Aboriginal name for Busselton is Undalup after the warrior and leader Undal. The Wadandi people – the salt water people, are closely linked to the ocean. They have been hunting and gathering bush foods between the coastal strip, waterways and forests for thousands of years.
"Whadjuk (WA)".
The Wadandi, also spelt Wardandi and other variants, are an Aboriginal people of south-western Western Australia, one of fourteen language groups of the Noongar peoples.
We welcome you to Boorloo (the Noongar name for 'Perth WA'). Hello. Hello to you all. Boorloo is the place of our ancestral heritage and where we call Home.
Whadjuk is the name of the dialectal group from the Perth area. Whadjuk is situated south of Yued and north of the Pinjarup dialectal groups. The major cities and towns within the Whajuk region include Perth, Fremantle, Joondalup, Armadale, Toodyay, Wundowie, Bullsbrook and Chidlow.
Map: An online interactive map acknowledging the names of Noongar places throughout the Perth CBD area, also known as Boorlo or Burrell in the Noongar language.
The Noongar/Bibbulmun people are the Traditional Owners of the South West of Western Australia. The City of South Perth is located on Whadjak Noongar Country and we acknowledge the continuing connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to this land.
Wanna is a Wirangu word for Sea, and Munda means Earth. The wisdom of Wanna Munda is shared in local schools by Aboriginal artist and author Susan Betts.
The recognised traditional owners of the land are the Karajarri people. Bidyadanga is the largest remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia with a population of approximately 850 residents and is home to the Karajarri, Juwalinny, Mangala, Nyungamarta and Yulpartja language groups.
Wooditup (Margaret River) is the heart of Wadandi Boodja (country), a meeting place between land and sea, connecting us all with Wadandi Boodja.
About Noongar
Noongar means 'a person of the south-west of Western Australia,' or the name for the 'original inhabitants of the south-west of Western Australia' and we are one of the largest Aboriginal cultural blocks in Australia.
Noongar word for mum is Ngangk. Its also the word for the sun.
It is from the Oor-dal-kalla people that Joondalup derives its name. The Noongar word is Doondalup and it means 'the lake that glistens'.
Aboriginal people refer to an Elder as 'Aunty' or 'Uncle'. However, it is recommended that non-Aboriginal people check the appropriateness of their use of these terms as referring to an Elder or leader as Aunty or Uncle may not be appropriate for an outsider unless a strong relationship has been established.
Aboriginal people have lived in the south-western part of Western Australia for at least 47,000 years. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, between 6,000 and 10,000 Noongar people were living in the area.
Perth City is located in the ancient country of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, who have been the Traditional Owners of the south west of Western Australia for at least 45,000 years.
The area where Perth now stands was called Boorloo by the Aboriginals living there at the time of their first contact with Europeans in 1827. Boorloo formed part of Mooro, the tribal lands of the Yellagonga, one of several groups based around the Swan River and known collectively as the Whadjuk.
Perth is nicknamed the City of Light.
Overall there are many common words in Noongar, for example: kaya = hello, moort = family, boodja = country and yongka = kangaroo.
kesalul - I love you.
yaankga (thank you) to Brenda and George who have graciously recorded the following Noongar terms and phrases used throughout this course.