NEWS
Noongar sovereignty in action
The Place Names Melville (PNM) team at Community Arts Network is thrilled, and just a little saddened, to wrap up the final decoding workshop for phase II of the project.
As the name suggests, the decoding workshops see the PNM Decoding Advisory Group – which consists of Noongar Elders, knowledge holders and cultural leaders – come together to uncover the ancient meanings embedded in the Melville area’s Noongar placenames.
Working alongside the City of Melville and Moodjar, we have now completed 7 weekly decoding sessions with the Decoding Elders Group to unlock and translate the meanings behind up to 16 Noongar place names.
It was an honour to listen to Noongar Elders speaking Noongar language, remembering the old stories passed down to them by their grandparents and great-grandparents, and telling yarns of the activities they associated with each place, such as hunting and camping.
Facilitated by Noongar Elder Len Collard, from Moodjar, the decoding process involves breaking down each placename into smaller words, treating the name as a sentence, rather than a singular word.
While Moodjar uses historical documents and word lists created by European settlers, Len Collard also prioritises the Decoding Advisory Group’s knowledge as the primary resources. As Len put in one of the workshops, “We’re the burdiyas, we’re the bosses. What do we think these places mean?”
The decoding process involves breaking down each placename into smaller words, treating the name as a sentence, rather than a singular word // credit Hugh Sando
After much discussion at the final Decoding Workshop, the Decoding Advisory Group came to a joint consensus on the meanings behind each of these ancient Noongar names.
The final translations will now be taken to the next phase of Place Names, which is Cultural Mapping. In the Cultural Mapping phase of the project the broader Noongar community is invited to transform the placename meanings uncovered by the Decoding Advisory Group into beautiful artistic outcomes.
After much discussion at the final Decoding Workshop, the Decoding Advisory Group came to a joint consensus on the meanings behind each of these ancient Noongar names. Pictured is Sharon Calgaret // credit Hugh Sando
Previous Cultural Mapping sessions have resulted in paintings, murals, books, puppets and dolls, bringing the Melville landscape alive with local stories, relationships and memories. This collaborative artwork will be shared with the wider community to educate, build respect and understanding, enhance community connection and inspire future generations to keep the work going. The Cultural Mapping artistic outcome will also demonstrate the significance of intangible and tangible Noongar cultural heritage as shared by the knowledge holders themselves.
Speaking on behalf of his team, the City of Melville’s Outgoing Creative Producer of Arts and Culture Pete Stone said that he felt honoured to have been involved in such a significant project which demonstrated Noongar sovereignty in action.
“The process of Place Names – talking and listening and learning from Noongar Elders – it’s having a discourse with an alternative government.”
Are you interested in participating in the Cultural Mapping workshops? Email admin@can.org.au to register your interest.
Read about Touching Boodja, the launch event of Place Names Melville:
Read CAN Executive Producer and proud Yamatji woman Michelle White's reflection on the significance of CAN's Place Names Melville project, written amidst the polarising debate in the lead up to the Voice referendum:
Top: It was an honour to listen to Noongar Elders speaking Noongar language. Pictured Charne Hayden // credit Hugh Sando
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