Reconciliation Action Plan Resources
Overview
This section provides a range of resources relating to Australian Aboriginal Languages, focussing on the Noongar Language.
Downloadable Resources
- Noongar Dictionary
The production of this Dictionary has been a slow painstaking experience with progress being hindered by many hours spent researching, collecting, collating and proofreading. This edition of the Dictionary is by no means complete. Having said this l hope l have included most of the commonly used words, but many other words may have been omitted. Furthermore, despite these efforts, there are undoubtedly occasional errors of meaning and of Spelling that have slipped past me. Hopefully, most of these will be minor, so l ask Noongars to notify me at the Centre, should they have any suggestions or notice any mistakes.
This Centre hopes in time to have Noongars compile their own dictionary in the dialect within their own area. These new words may be added to the next edition of this Noongar Dictionary. - Noongar Waangkiny – A Learner’s Guide to Noongar,
The original A Learner’s Guide to Noongar was written and compiled by Lois Spehn-Jackson as part of her ongoing contribution to the Noongar Language Project as a Language Consultant. Since Lois’s original work there have been numerous additions and changes to the Noongar Learner’s Guide to meet the needs of Noongar language revival with inclusion of and reference to the Noongar dialects and a grammar terms glossary. This edition of Noongar Waangkiny – A Learner’s Guide to Noongar, has been updated by Lois Spehn-Jackson with significant additions in the use of suffixes. The reclaimed suffixes were introduced at a Noongar advanced writing workshop in April 2015.
The recent work of the Noongar Language Project has aimed to include examples in the three Noongar dialects where possible. This edition of the Noongar Learner’s Guide includes some dialect variations and we encourage Noongar speakers and writers to include their own dialects whenever possible. It would greatly assist the Noongar Language team if you could send us examples of your dialect variations for inclusion in later editions.
- Illustrated dictionary of the South-West Aboriginal language
Most of the words contained in the dictionary are from my own research over the years, but I have taken the liberty of including alternate forms from Rose Whitehurst's Noongar Dictionary (First Edition 1992) and confirmation of other words from Nyungar Anew by C.G.von Brandenstein (Pacific Linguistics Series c - No.99) and also from the Henry Atkins lists in H.Atkins Memorial dictionary edited and produced by Wilf Douglas.
Being confined to an area where descendants of the South-west tribes no longer use the language but are anxious to see it in print, I have not been able to re-check many of the words. It is hoped that indigenous speakers of the South-west tongue will be able to add their own spellings or corrections alongside the illustrations.
The extent of this little book does not do justice to the richness of the South-West language and culture. It simply supplies an introduction to this field as requested by one of the elders who did not have the privilege of learning the language from parents who had been fostered in an institution. Many of my own Aboriginal teachers have now passed on so I present these few pages of illustrated words to their memory.
Wilf Douglas 1996
Videos
- Noongar Boodja - Place names documentary ‘Noongar Boodja’, is a documentary made by young Aboriginal people from Albany. A stunning cinematic story that explores with Elders, significant places, their Noongar names and culture in Albany and surrounding areas. This film was developed as part of Community Arts Network (CAN) Place Names program, which looks to engage Noongar communities in exploring the meaning of language and culture through place.
- Wanjoo Bree from Keiki Hamersley performs Wanjoo, a beautiful song that is part of our daily morning ritual at Keiki Early Learning. Sung in the traditional Aboriginal Noongar language, Bree begins with a Noongar Welcome to Country acknowledgment and translates some of the lyrics of the song into English.Fast forward to today, Gina and Guy have shared it with close to 500,000 people across the country. They have taught it across Australia and it is being sung in New Zealand, Canada, America, France and Guam, Indonesia and Japan
Web Links
The below web links provide additional resources and support when exploring the Noongar Language
- Noongar Boodja Language Centre Noongar Language Centre The main task of the Noongar Language Centre is the recording, transcription, analysis and databasing of the Noongar language with the production of a comprehensive dictionary, dialect dictionaries, grammar and learning materials.
- Nyoongar language from the south west region of Western Australia Kaartdijin means knowledge in the language of the Noongar people of the south-west of Western Australia. The South West Aboriginal Land & Sea Council recognised the importance of documenting and capturing stories of Noongar people. SWALSC say this is the opportunity for Noongar people to tell our story our way. Our history is an oral sharing of stories and through the work of the Native Title process we witnessed many stories. However we need to work with the technology of today to help the generations of tomorrow to understand our community past and present. Kaartdijin Noongar shares Noongar history and culture with the Noongar community and the wider world. The information on Kaartdijin will provide a strong reference for our future generations and others to learn about the living culture of Noongar people.
- Wirlomin stories Kaya! We are happy to see you and share our language, stories and songs. We work to reclaim Wirlomin stories and dialect, in support of the maintenance of Noongar language, and to share them with Noongar families and communities as part of a process to claim, control and enhance Wirlomin Noongar cultural heritage. We have produced illustrated books in Noongar and English available via UWA Publishing. On this site, you can listen to stories and songs, and take a look back at some of our workshops and activities.
- Yirra Yaakin Yirra Yaakin [Yir-raarh Yaarh-kin] means “Stand Tall” in Noongar. Based in the heart of the Noongar Nation – a distinct Aboriginal cultural group from the south-west of Western Australia – Yirra Yaakin is Australia’s biggest Aboriginal-led theatre company.
- 50 Words List This project from the Research Unit for Indigenous Language aims to provide fifty words in Indigenous languages of Australia The map is intended to be a useful resource for schools and educational organisations to learn 50 words in their local languages, and for the general public to discover the diversity of languages around Australia. For the best experience, the map should be viewed on a computer or tablet.
- Austlang W41: NOONGAR / NYOONGAR Austlang Austlang provides information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages which has been assembled from a number of referenced sources.
- Gambay - First Languages map First Languages Australia is working with regional language centres nationally to develop a map of Australia’s first languages that reflects the names and groupings favoured by community. Teachers’ notes have been compiled to assist teaching about Australia’s first languages across the curriculum.
- Gnarla Boodja Mili Mili (Our Country on Paper) Gnarla Boodja Mili Mili (Our Country on Paper) is an exciting initiative of Aboriginal History (WA) within the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) acknowledging the names of Noongar places throughout the Perth CBD area, also known as Boorlo or Burrell in the Noongar language. It is designed to be a living and interactive document that can be updated and added to with cultural knowledge overtime.
- Nyungar Placenames in the South-West of Western Australia To explore any of the map regions, simply click on the shaded area. An enlarged map will appear, detailing the Nyungar placenames of the region. Further clicking will provide information about each placename shown. For information on a particular placename, the “Search Placenames” panel allows for a search by name and provides an alphabetical list of all the placenames featured on this website. (Please note, this map is contested and controversial.)
Nexus Resources
The Nyoongar legacy : the naming of the land and the language of its people by Call Number: J 499 ROOISBN: 9781741312324Publication Date: 2011General Note: Published for the Benedictine Community New Norcia and the Noongar Language Project.
Available from Nexus-J.
Document Links
- Wanjoo - Picture Book
This book is based on Wanjoo, the Welcome Song, which is written, performed and taught by Balladong (Noongar) singer-songwriter Gina Williams.
Originally written for Gina’s three children, Wanjoo has been performed and taught to over 40,000 people across Australia and around the world.
It has also been translated into Wajarri (Geraldton) and Malgana (Shark Bay) languages - Aboriginal Language Map - Australia
A Language Map of Australia
