Leslie Massey
Western Australia is home to a diverse range of traditional Aboriginal cultures, spread across numerous language groups, many of which remain today. The Noongar, for instance, have lived in the southwest of Western Australia for over 45,000 years and are one of the largest Aboriginal cultural blocks in the country. The Noongar people are made up of 14 different language groups, each correlating with different geographic areas with distinct ecologies. Other Aboriginal groups in Western Australia include the Wankai, the Mirning, the Kimberley peoples, and the Punmu, one of the most remote Aboriginal communities in Australia. In 2021, 89,000 people identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in Western Australia, representing 3.3% of the state's population.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Western Australia | 89,000 |
| Percentage of Western Australia's population | 3.3% |
| Median age | 24 years |
| Percentage of people under 25 years | 50.1% |
| Percentage of people aged 75 years and above | 1.4% |
| Number of Aboriginal languages documented in Western Australia | 191 |
| Number of languages spoken as of 2018 | 31 |
| Aboriginal tribes in Western Australia | Wankai, Nyunga, Mirning, Kimberley, Garadjeri, Bardi, Ungarinyin, Noongar, Perth, Nyakinyaki, Bibelmen, Wudjari, etc. |
| Noongar means | A person of the southwest of Western Australia |
| Noongar dialectical groups | Amangu, Yued/Yuat, Whadjuk/Wajuk, Binjareb/Pinjarup, Wardandi, Balardong/Ballardong, Nyakinyaki, Wilman, Ganeang, Bibulmun/Piblemen, Mineng, Goreng, Wudjari, and Njunga |
| Noongar country covers | The entire south-western portion of Western Australia |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized dwellings | 78.8% |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households with a total weekly income of $1,000 or more | 35.9% |
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What You'll Learn
Noongar, the largest Aboriginal cultural block in Western Australia
Noongar, one of the largest Aboriginal cultural blocks in Western Australia, has a rich history and a deep connection to the land. Noongar people are the original inhabitants of the south-west region of Western Australia, with a presence dating back over 45,000 years. The name "Noongar" means "a person of the southwest of Western Australia".
The Noongar cultural bloc is made up of fourteen distinct language groups, each associated with specific geographic areas and ecological distinctions. These language groups include Amangu, Yued/Yuat, Whadjuk/Wajuk, Binjareb/Pinjarup, Wardandi, Balardong/Ballardong, Nyakinyaki, Wilman, Ganeang, Bibulmun/Piblemen, Mineng, Goreng, Wudjari, and Njunga. Each group has its own unique dialect and spelling variations within the broader Noongar language.
Noongar people refer to their land as ""Noongar boodja", which encompasses the entire south-western portion of Western Australia. This territory spans from the west coast at Jurien Bay to the southern coast at Esperance. The Noongar territory is also recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, boasting a rich array of endemic species.
Throughout history, Noongar people have faced significant challenges, including the Stolen Generations, where it is estimated that 10 to 25% of Noongar children were forcibly adopted. Additionally, under the Native Welfare Act from 1890 to 1958, many Noongar individuals were displaced, with 15% of Perth's Noongar population being interned at the Moore River Native Settlement.
Despite these hardships, Noongar communities have persevered and continue to thrive. The South West Native Title Settlement, affecting approximately 40,000 Noongar people, stands as the largest native title settlement in Australian history, covering 200,000 square kilometres in Western Australia's southwest. This settlement empowers Noongar people to take control of their future and strengthen their cultural identity.
The preservation and sharing of Noongar culture are of utmost importance. Initiatives like the Kaartdijin website aim to promote understanding and strengthen the community by showcasing their knowledge, customs, and history. Furthermore, local governments in the southwest have entered into agreements with Noongar communities to protect significant sites and ensure respect for their cultural heritage.
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Spinifex people, or Pila Nguru
The Spinifex people, or Pila Nguru, are the original managers of the Spinifex Lands and have been caring for the area for thousands of years. The name Pila Nguru is an abbreviation of "Anaṉgu tjuta pila nguru" ("people-land-spinifex-from"), reflecting an identity rooted in a sense of tenure of territory rather than a strictly linguistic classification. Spinifex people speak southwestern dialects of the Wati language division of the Pama-Nyungan languages.
The Spinifex people were displaced from their traditional homelands in the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia during the Maralinga atomic testing in the 1950s. Some remained in the desert, and the last Spinifex people to return to their homelands were a family of seven in 1986. The Spinifex people were the second group in Western Australia to receive recognition of their land rights in 2000, in accordance with Section 87 (agreement) of the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993.
The Spinifex Arts Project was begun in 1997 to help document the native title claims. The community arts practice that emerged through this process has captivated and educated global audiences about the Spinifex people's unique narrative. The Spinifex people's deep attachment to their land is expressed through stunning visual art that remains central to their identity today.
The Spinifex Land Management (SLM) Program combines traditional and contemporary land management practices to reduce new threats to the Spinifex lands, culture, and people. An Indigenous ranger team and a Healthy Country Plan (HCP) provide direction, technical support, and resources to keep the Spinifex country healthy.
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Wankai, occupying the Goldfields and Nullarbor regions
Western Australia was home to a diverse range of traditional Australian Aboriginal cultures before the arrival of Europeans. The Wankai, or Wangai, are the name given by themselves to the 26 Aboriginal groups occupying the Goldfields region of Western Australia. The name comes from the word meaning "Speaker".
The Wankai people made use of the resources of the following biogeographic regions: Coolgardie, South East Murchison, Nullarbor, and the western half of the Great Victoria Desert. The Nullarbor Plain, part of the area occupied by the Wankai, is a semi-arid, almost treeless expanse of land in southern Australia. It is the world's largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, occupying an area of about 200,000 square kilometres. The region is known for its extensive meteorite deposits, which are well-preserved in the arid climate.
Historically, the Nullarbor was seasonally occupied by Indigenous Australian people, the Mirning clans and Yinyila people, who called the area Oondiri, meaning "the waterless". The first Europeans to sight and map the Nullarbor coast were Captain François Thijssen and Councillor of the Indies, Pieter Nuyts, in the 17th century. In 1865, Edmund Delisser named the area Nullarbor for the first time.
In the 1950s, the Australian Government removed the Wangai people from their homeland during British nuclear tests at Maralinga. Since then, they have been awarded compensation, and many have returned to the general area. The Wangai people's Native Title land rights interests are now represented by the Goldfields Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Corporation.
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Kimberley peoples, speaking a variety of languages
Western Australia is home to a diverse range of traditional Aboriginal cultures, with 191 Aboriginal languages documented in the region. As of 2018, only 31 of these languages were still spoken. The Aboriginal people of Western Australia are divided into several "culture blocs", the largest of which include the Noongar, Western Desert cultural bloc, Kimberley peoples, and Yamatji.
The Kimberley peoples are a collection of smaller cultural blocs in the Kimberley region, speaking a variety of languages. The Kimberley region was one of the earliest settled parts of Australia, with the first humans landing about 65,000 years ago. The Kimberley peoples include several cultural groups, including the Garadjeri type, the Bardi type, and the Ungarinyin type. The Garadjeri type includes the Garadjeri, Mangala, Yaoro, Djungun, Ngombal, Djaberadjabera, and Nyulnyul peoples. The Bardi type consists of the Warwar, Nimanburu, Ongarang, and Djaul Djaui peoples, while the Ungarinyin type includes the Umedi, Wungemi, Worora, and Wunumbul peoples.
The Kimberley region is known for its rich Indigenous rock art, with tens of thousands of examples coming from a variety of different cultural groups. The worship of Wandjina deities was common in this region, and the Wandjina rock art style is one of the most widely known and most repainted in Kimberley. The rock art in the region also includes life-size animal depictions, with a two-metre-long kangaroo painting discovered in a rock shelter in Kimberley's northeastern territory. The Kimberley peoples have also developed a complex theology dealing with the transmigration of souls.
In addition to Australian English, post-contact languages spoken in the Kimberley region include Aboriginal English, Kriol, Pidgin English, and the Malay-based Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin (no longer spoken daily). The Ngarinyin language, also known as Ungarinjin or Eastern Worrorran, is an endangered Aboriginal language of the Kimberley region, with only 38 people recorded as speaking it at home in the 2016 Australian census. Kriol is often used by younger generations instead of Ngarinyin, although some knowledge of the language is still retained.
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The Pintupi tribe, a traditional hunter-gatherer group
The Pintupi, also spelt Pintubi, are an Indigenous Australian group located in the Gibson Desert region, along the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They are part of the Western Desert cultural group and their traditional land is in the area west of Lake Macdonald and Lake Mackay in Western Australia.
The Pintupi were nomadic hunter-gatherers, adapting to the harsh desert environment characterised by low rainfall and extreme temperatures. They travelled barefoot across the sandy earth, moving from watering hole to watering hole, hunting kangaroos, emus, lizards, and insects. The Pintupi followed many of the customs associated with hunter-gatherers, with labour divided by gender. Women were responsible for preparing food, while men were responsible for hunting. They also had unique traditions regarding marriage, birth, puberty, and death, which differed from other local Aboriginal groups.
The Pintupi were among the last Aboriginal Australians to leave their traditional lifestyle and adopt Western-style customs. In the 1960s, the Menzies Liberal government forced the removal of traditional-living Pintupi to settlements east of their country, closer to Alice Springs. This was partly due to the Blue Streak missile tests, which began in the same decade. Many Pintupi were resettled into government-formed communities, which led to cultural tensions and health struggles due to the adoption of Western diets.
The Pintupi gained international attention in 1984 when a family known as the Pintupi Nine was discovered as the last indigenous residents to maintain their traditional lifestyle prior to contact with Western society. They were also referred to as the "lost tribe", a name that upset the family because they had not viewed themselves as lost. Six out of the seven members of the Pintupi Nine found the comforts of the modern world irresistible and elected to stay. Most of the family became sought-after artists, known for paintings done in the Western Desert style of Aboriginal art.
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Frequently asked questions
There are many Aboriginal tribes in Western Australia, with varying estimates of the exact number. The Noongar tribe, for instance, is made up of 14 different language groups, while 191 Aboriginal languages have been documented in Western Australia, 31 of which were still spoken as of 2018.
Examples of Aboriginal tribes in Western Australia include the Noongar, Wankai, Nyunga, Miriwoong, and Pintupi.
Aboriginal tribes in Western Australia have their own distinct cultures, customs, languages, and laws. They are the world's oldest surviving cultures, with some groups occupying their respective regions for over 45,000 years.
Aboriginal tribes in Western Australia have been marginalised and excluded from participating in the dominant culture, resulting in higher infant mortality rates, lower life expectancy, and lower education and employment rates. Additionally, colonial borders were drawn without regard to existing Aboriginal group boundaries, impacting their cultural groupings.
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