Whadjuk facts for kids

Noongar language groups

The Whadjuk people, also known as Witjari, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They are part of the larger Noongar people. Their traditional lands are in the Western Australian area around Perth, specifically on the Swan Coastal Plain.

What Does "Whadjuk" Mean?

The name Whadjuk comes from their word whad, which means "no". This is similar to how other Noongar groups use words like wada or yuad for "no".

Where Did the Whadjuk Live?

The Whadjuk people traditionally lived on about 6,700 square kilometers (2,587 square miles) of land. This area stretched from the Swan River and its smaller rivers, going inland towards places like Mount Helena and Kalamunda. Their land also included Armadale, the Victoria Plains to the north, and areas south of Toodyay. To the east, their country reached York. Their southern coast was near Pinjarra.

The Whadjuk shared borders with other Aboriginal groups:

• To the north were the Yued people.
• To the east were the Balardong people.
• To the south, along the coast, were the Pindjarup people.

Whadjuk Culture and History

The Whadjuk people spoke their own special dialect, which was part of the wider Noongar language. Their society was organized into two main family groups, called moieties, which were passed down from the mother.

• Wardungmaat: This group was linked to the wardung (which means "crow").
• Manitjmaat: This group was linked to the manitj (which means "sulphur-crested cockatoo").

Children belonged to their mother's moiety. Each moiety also had two smaller groups, sometimes called "skins."

The Whadjuk people had many important stories about the Wagyl. The Wagyl was a powerful water-python spirit believed to have created many of the rivers and lakes around Perth. Some people think these stories might come from a very old memory of a huge, python-like creature that lived in the water long ago, which was part of Australia's ancient megafauna. These giant animals disappeared thousands of years ago.

People who lived near the coast had stories about how Rottnest Island became separate from the mainland. This happened between 12,000 and 8,000 years ago, when sea levels rose after the last ice age.

The Six Seasons of the Whadjuk

Like other Noongar people, the Whadjuk followed six seasons, not just four. They moved around their land based on the weather and what food was available. They would move inland during the wet winter and return to the coast as the inland lakes dried up.

• Birak (November to December): This was the "fruiting" season. Hot easterly winds would blow. Noongar people would carefully burn parts of the land to help with hunting and to encourage new plants to grow after the November rains. They harvested wattle seeds to make flour for bread.
• Bunuru (January to February): This was the "hot-dry" season. It was very hot and dry, but cool afternoon sea breezes (called the "Fremantle Doctor") brought some relief. To enjoy these breezes, people moved to coastal areas where they fished and collected abalone.
• Djeran (March to April): This was the "first rains-first dew" season. The weather became cooler with winds from the southwest. Fishing continued, often using fish traps. They collected nuts from the zamia palm and other seeds. Zamia nuts are naturally poisonous, but the Whadjuk knew how to prepare them safely. They also caught many burrowing frogs when the winter rains began.
• Makuru (May to June): This was "the wet" season. Noongar people moved inland towards the Darling Scarp to hunt yongka (grey kangaroos) and tammar (wallabies) after the rains filled inland water sources. They also caught gnow (malleefowl).
• Djilba (July to August): This was "the cold-wet" season. Whadjuk groups moved to drier areas like Guildford and Canning-Kelmscott. They collected roots and hunted emus, ringtail possums, and kangaroos.
• Kambarang (September to October): This was "the flowering" season, when wildflowers were at their peak. Rain decreased. Families moved towards the coast to catch frogs, tortoises, and freshwater crayfish like gilgies and blue marron. Birds returning from their migrations also became part of their diet.

These seasons were not based on exact dates but on changes in nature, like the call of the motorbike frog in spring or the flowering of the Western Australian Christmas tree.

Special Ceremonies

The Whadjuk used high-quality wilgi (red ochre) in their ceremonies. They got this ochre from a site where Perth Railway Station now stands. They traded this ochre with people to the east, and it was even traded as far as Uluru. Before Europeans arrived, they used it to color their long hair, which was worn in a style similar to dreadlocks. Among Aboriginal groups, the Whadjuk territory was known as "The Land of the Boys." They also traded quartz from the Darling Scarp with Balardong groups to make spears.

European Arrival and Its Impact

The Whadjuk people were the first to experience the effects of European settlement, as the cities of Perth and Fremantle were built on their traditional lands.

Before the settlers arrived with Governor James Stirling, the Whadjuk might have seen Dutch explorers like Vlamingh or occasional whaling ships. When the settlers first explored the area, they met Yellagonga and his family near what is now the University of Western Australia. Because European seal hunters had previously taken Aboriginal women, Yellagonga later moved his camp to Lake Monger.

As settlers claimed and fenced off land, Aboriginal people lost access to their traditional food sources. They did not understand or accept the idea of private land ownership. This led to conflicts, with Aboriginal people sometimes spearing livestock or digging in settler gardens. These actions led to harsh responses from the settlers, creating a cycle of violence.

One early conflict was called the "Battle for Perth," where settlers tried to trap Aboriginal people at Lake Monger, but they managed to escape. After the Monger family settled at the lake, Yellagonga moved to Lake Joondalup. By 1843, much of their land was taken for settlement. Yellagonga was forced to beg for food and later drowned by accident.

The situation was also very difficult for Midgegooroo, another Whadjuk leader. Violence increased. After a Tasmanian settler shot an Aboriginal man, Midgegooroo's son, Yagan, who was also Yellagonga's nephew, speared a white man in revenge. Yagan was arrested and sent to Carnac Island. He later escaped and fought against the settlers. He was eventually killed by two European boys he had befriended. His head was sent to England, but it was finally returned to Australia in 1997 by Ken Colbung.

After the Pinjarra massacre, many Whadjuk people lost hope. They became dependent on handouts and settled at Mount Eliza under the care of Francis Armstrong. An Anglican school was started for a few years but struggled due to lack of funding.

Relations between settlers and Noongar people worsened during Governor Stirling's time. Settlers would shoot Aboriginal people for spearing livestock, leading to revenge killings of settlers. Stirling responded with harsh punishments. When John Hutt became Governor in 1839, he tried to protect Aboriginal rights and offer education, instead of Stirling's harsh policies. However, this clashed with settlers who wanted to take Aboriginal lands without paying for them.

In 1887, an Aboriginal reserve was created for the remaining Whadjuk people near Lake Gnangara. This reserve was re-established in 1975. Governor Hutt also tried to give Aboriginal people government land grants to help them become farmers, but this plan failed because the land was poor and they couldn't get money from banks.

Aboriginal camps were set up temporarily in many places around Perth, including Ellenbrook, Jolimont, and Welshpool. However, these camps were often moved when Europeans wanted the land for other uses, such as for Karrakatta Cemetery or Perth Airport.

In 1893, when Western Australia gained self-government, Aboriginal affairs remained under the control of the British Crown. The state's constitution also said that 1% of government spending should go to Aboriginal people, but this condition was never met.

Daisy Bates, a writer, said she interviewed the last fully initiated Whadjuk Noongar people in 1907. These people, Fanny Balbuk and Joobaitj, shared their traditional stories about the arrival of Europeans. Fanny was born on a sacred Aboriginal site where St George's Cathedral now stands.

Whadjuk Family Groups

The Whadjuk people were divided into four main groups based on where they lived, separated by the Swan and Canning Rivers:

• Beeliar: Lived southwest of Perth, between the Canning and Swan Rivers. Midgegooroo, Yagan's father, was a leader of this group.
• Beeloo: Lived south of the Swan River, from Perth Water to the Canning River, bordered by the Helena River and Darling Ranges. They camped in the hills during winter and moved back to the rivers in spring.
• Mooro: Lived north and west of the Swan River, led by Yellagonga.
• Upper Swan people: Also called the "mountain people," their specific name is not known. Early settlers believed Weeip was their leader.

Several Europeans helped us understand Whadjuk Noongar language and culture:

• Robert Menli Lyon became friends with Yagan when Yagan was sent to Carnac Island.
• Francis Armstrong tried to befriend Aboriginal people at first.
• George Fletcher Moore quickly learned the Whadjuk dialect and later worked as a judge in cases involving Whadjuk people.
• Lieutenant George Grey made a great effort to learn the Whadjuk language.

The Whadjuk people first called European settlers Djanga, which meant "spirits of the dead." This belief was strong because:

• Europeans came from the west, which was the direction of the setting sun and Kuranyup, the land of the dead.
• Their pale skin looked like the paleness of people after death.
• They often changed their clothes, which made them look different.
• They sometimes smelled bad and had bad teeth, reflecting hygiene standards of the time.
• They did not get sick from diseases that killed many Aboriginal people who had no natural protection.

Historian Neville Green showed that Aboriginal culture could not explain the high death rates from European diseases. They believed it was due to Aboriginal sorcery, which led to more revenge killings within the Aboriginal community. This, along with fewer births, caused the Aboriginal population near European settlements to shrink.

Aboriginal Camping Sites Around Perth

Many places around Perth were important camping sites for Aboriginal people:

• Goonininup: This site, now covered by the Swan Brewery, was a meeting place for coastal and inland Noongar people for trade and ceremonies. It was important for trading red ochre and for male initiation ceremonies. Nearby was Koyamulyup (frog camp), known for its many frogs, which were an important food.
• Lake Monger: This was an Aboriginal camping site until the 1920s. After it closed, Aboriginal groups moved to Jolimont and Njookenboro (Innaloo).
• East Perth: There was a small camping site near the Australian Broadcasting Corporation building and on Heirisson Island. The shallow waters off Heirisson Island, called Matagarup ("Leg Deep"), allowed people to cross the Swan River. These camps were later moved to Burswood, which is now the site of the Burswood Casino.
• Wanneroo: Meaning "the place where women dig yams," Wanneroo had several Aboriginal camp sites well into the 20th century. Orchestra Shell Cave in Wanneroo had Aboriginal paintings.
• Welshpool: This was a camping site around the turn of the 20th century. Daisy Bates did many of her interviews with Perth Aboriginal people here.
• Bennett Brook: This area is important to Aboriginal people because they believe it was formed by the Waugal spirit. It is said that the Waugal rests in a cave in the deep, still water. There were camping areas and a traditional fish trap here.
• City of Cockburn: 16 Aboriginal campsites have been found in this area.
• Eden Hill: In 1941, a group of Noongar women bought land here. They camped in traditional shelters and relied on water from their own wells. In the 1950s, the land was taken by the government for housing.
• Lockridge: The Swan Valley Nyungah Community was an Aboriginal community here. The government closed the settlement in 2003.
• Munday Swamp: Located near Perth Airport, this was an ancient Aboriginal site used for turtle fishing.
• Nyibra Swamp: Used by Aboriginal people from Bayswater and Bassendean for fishing until recent times.
• Bibra Lake: A frequently used camping ground, as shown by Aboriginal tools found there.
• Walyunga: This National Park hosts one of the largest known Aboriginal campsites near Perth, used for over 60,000 years.
• Gnangara: Hosted a large Aboriginal camping site and the Aboriginal Community College from 1979 to 2008.
• Allawah Grove: Located near Perth Airport in South Guildford, this was gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve in 1911. By the late 1950s, many Aboriginal families settled there after being moved from other camps.
• Weld Square: In Northbridge, this was often used as a camping spot. The Aboriginal Advancement Council set up its headquarters here in the 1940s.

Other Names for Whadjuk

The Whadjuk people were known by several other names or spellings, including:

• Caractterup tribe
• Derbal
• Ilakuri wongi (meaning "language name")
• Juadjuk
• Karakata or Karrakatta (a name for Perth or a bank of the Swan River)
• Minalnjunga (a Yued term meaning "south man")
• Minnal Yungar
• Wadjuk, Wadjug, Whajook
• Wadjup (a name for the flats of the Canning River)
• Witja:ri
• Yooadda
• Yooard

Some Whadjuk Words

• gengar (whiteman)
• jukan (mother)
• mamman (father)