NOONGAR PLACE NAMES WALYALUP PROJECT
:: Language, local knowledge, stories and memories ::
A collaboration between Noongar Elders and community, the Community Arts Network (CAN) and the City of Fremantle saw Len Collard from Moodjar Consultancy and Elder Geri Hayden lead a decoding process that drew on local knowledge, language, memories and stories, as well as recent research, historical documents and wordlists created by European settlers.
This process decoded the Noongar names of five prominent local locations in Walyalup (Fremantle), Cantonment Hill, Bather’s Beach, the Waterways, the Ocean, and Rocky Bay as part of the CAN’s Place Names Walyalup project.
Reflecting on the project, Len said "The beauty about the Walyalp project was that there are actually no official Noongar place names on the map in Freo. We obviously knew words ourselves; and we’ve looked at old maps and paperwork from the colonial period. I think this project reinforces the fact that this is our country and as TO (Traditional Owner) bosses we’re exercising our responsibility and obligations to educate all Noongars and the broader public about what is the sense of place and the meaning of the Noongar place names in and around Walyalup."
The meanings and stories have been creatively expressed in a large-scale cultural map, more than 40 individual artworks and a series of 5 short films. One of those short films features the Dingo (dwert) Flour sign, an iconic landmark in Walyalup. Central to the ancient Noongar dreamtime stories of Walyalup, DWERTAWIRRINUP - the place of the dingo spirit is also a culturally significant location.
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