Conference paper
Nyungar of South Western Australia and Flinders: A dialogue on using Nyungar intelligence to better understand coastal exploration
01/07/2017
Abstract
The methods used to track the history of mapping coastal areas has been highly reliant upon the journals, diaries, ships logs, maps and other accounts of European mariners that are presently available in the archival record. At times these records give some details of the part played by local Indigenous knowledge, skills, work and language. However, using these texts to arrive at authoritative conclusions about Indigenous influence in coastal exploration is far from reliable. This addresses re-visits some of the archival material concerned with coastal exploration along the southern areas of Western Australia, drawing out instances where Nyungar took ‘centre stage’ and where mariners where shaped by their desire for and reliance on Nyungar and Nyungar knowledge. In addition, to check and buttress these sources the paper draws upon Nyungar methods for ‘reading’ the history of contact along the southern coast. This includes seeking out Nyungar oral accounts, using knowledge of Nyungar language and place names, ‘reading’ old songs, visiting and listening to country and landscape, and using knowledge of Nyungar cultural forms as transmitted through the generations to ‘talk back’ to the old texts. It draws on the cultural experience and knowledge gained from koorling yirra Nyungar (growing up Nyungar), katajin Nyungar wangkiny (learning to speak the language) and katajin Nyungar (interpreting the ‘evidence’ using Nyungar ways of thinking). It takes the form of a dialogue between three friends and colleagues, two Nyungar and one Wedjela (non-Aboriginal), who have been koorliny katajin wangkiny Nyungar (going about thinking, talking and working this out) for many years. This dialogical structure will allow them to quiz each other and quiz the various historical sources.
Details
- Title
- Nyungar of South Western Australia and Flinders: A dialogue on using Nyungar intelligence to better understand coastal exploration
- Authors/Creators
- Dave Palmer (Author) - Murdoch University, School of Humanities, Arts and Social SciencesLen Collard (Author) - The University of Western AustraliaClint Bracknell - The University of Western Australia
- Identifiers
- 991005732986207891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Conference paper
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