|
Zamia Palm - Biayu
Biayu (zamia palm) fruit
is similar to a pineapple and in the past wadjellas assumed
they could eat the wida (nuts).
When they did, it had adverse
effects because they did not leach the poison out.
By cracking the kernel and
grinding it into paste, 2kg of food would be secured for making
damper or porridge.
It could only be consumed after
leaching it in water for up to a week. The wida was also used
for stunning fish.
The palm fern was used
for mia mias (shelters) and fish gathering and the fluff was used
in firemaking and for hygienic purposes.
Nyungar Song & Dance
Making soap from bush plants
This message is of the Kangaroo,
Nyungars named Yonga. It is a very important part of
the food chain. Yonga's were hunted for fresh meat and the skin
was used fie making clothes (Bwoka). The sinew from the tail
was used for a number of things including binding the wood points
to the Mira (spear thrower), thread, when cooked the meat was
divided, the best and tender cuts to the old people, tougher
parts being given to the young men and children. The skin was
tanned using grass tree resin soaked in hot water.
|
Workshops »
Nyungar Know How
|
Parrot Bush - Pulgart
The pulgart (parrot
bush), soap bush and peppermint tree were used daily by the Nyungar
people after watching the birds.
If the Tjuntalup nyungar
(28 parrot), ate the nectar from the flowers, then the Nyungars
would know it was safe to eat these foods.
The wood from the pulgart
is used for message sticks and the spiky leaves were helpful in
trapping fish.
The fine needles were
useful for splinters and the seed casing would be burnt to ash
then rubbed on skin that was cut with the needle from the spiky
leaf for body scarring during initiation time.
Making damper
Bark from this marri
tree has been used to create a Mia Mia - or traditional
bark shelter.
How to make a Semi-Round
Mia
Using tea tree branches as the frame, bark is curved into semi
circle and bound together with grass vine or kangaroo tail sinew.
|
|
The Nyungar Know How programmes
are run in partnership with the WA
Gould League and are a cultural experience in the customs
and language of the Nyungar people of the Southwest of Western
Australia.
The following two Nyungar Know
How Programmes:
are learning experiences tailored for:
- Teachers, as a Professional Development Programme
- Adults (indigenous and non-indigenous) in the
community
- School students
Djinoong Nih Boordawan Wangkiny
(Look, Listen, Talk)
This 2 day course is designed for both the Professional
Development of Teachers of Aboriginal Studies/SOSE/The Arts/Special
Ed/English and indigenous and non-indigenous members of the community.
At the completion of this course, participants
will:
- have a historical and cultural overview of
the local Nyungar culture and language.
- have developed fundamental Nyungar practical
skills, including the making of Nyungar artefacts.
- have developed a foundation and guide to
learning the Nyungar language.
- be able to link Nyungar past to the present
through traditional storytelling.
- receive a Nyungar resource tool-kit
and Accredited Certificate, recognised by Murdoch University
which may be used to articulate into Murdoch's Pre-Tertiary
and Tertiary Courses.
Date: Flexible - arranged upon appointment.
Time: 9.00 am - 3.30 pm
Venue: Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, Cnr Flynn and Selby
St, Wembley.
Cost: We can cater for all your needs. Price on Application.
Minimum enrolments for each Nyungar Know How course = 15 participants.
To book on a Djinoong Nih Boordawan Wangkiny programme, please
contact Yelakitj Moort or the WA
Gould League.
Djinoong Nyungar Wirrin Boodja
(Look at the Spirit of the Land)
This programme consists of a guided tour of
significant Nyungar sites around the Perth Metropolitan region.
Tailored for teachers and students of all ages, it immerses participants
in a sensory experience of Nyungar land, and teaches appreciation
of traditional Nyungar culture and practice and the importance
and relevance of Nyungar culture today.
At the end of this learning experience students
will:
- have a basic historical and cultural overview
of the local Nyungar culture and language.
- have participated in fundamental Nyungar
practices such as smoking ceremony and Nyungar Dance.
- have visited local significant Nyungar sites
in the Perth region and have an understanding of their cultural
significance.
- experience the link between Nyungar
past to the present through traditional storytelling.
The Nyungar Know How workshops are run by:
- Marie Taylor
Associate Lecturer, Nyungar Cultural Studies at Kulbardi Aboriginal
Centre, Murdoch University.
- Yelakitj Moort Elders
Descendants of the Balardong Nyungar people, traditional owners
of the Herdsman Lake region.
Date: Flexible - arranged upon appointment.
Time: Full Day Tour 9.00 am - 3.30 pm
Venue: Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, Cnr Flynn and Selby
St, Wembley.
Cost: We can cater for all your needs. Price on Application.
To book on a Djinoong Nyungar Wirrin
Boodja programme, please contact Yelakitj
Moort or the WA
Gould League.
|
