Boodjar, Moort, Kadidjiny- Classes Begin

The day after the “Welcome to Country” ceremony and our introduction to the Kulbardi staff, our actual classes began. As I mentioned in the previous post, we had 4 weeks of in-class lectures, then 2 weeks of field trips.

The in-class lectures gave us a background and history of the aboriginal people in Australia, in particular the Nyungar of south Western Australia.

The three main topics we discussed were boodjar (land or country), moort (family or relations), and kadidjiny (knowledge). Below is an essay I wrote during my studies that helps explain each of these three aspects and how they relate to one another in the Nyungar culture.

The Aboriginal Flag- Black (people), Red (red ochre, spiritual connection to the land), Yellow (sun, giver or life and protector)

Boodja, Moort, Kadidjiny

Nyungar Country is located in the southwest corner of Western Australia. The Nyungar are an indigenous group of hunters and gatherers found mostly along the fertile triangle of Western Australia’s southwest, “extending from the Geraldton district south along the coast to Cape Leeuwin, continuing southeast almost to Esperance, and then in line northwest, to rejoin the coast at Geraldton.”[1] The Nyungars are a people of the land and all aspects of their lives reflect their connection to country, even Dreaming. The Dream Time is the period of creation to the Nyungar. The Nyungar believe that the waakarl, or Rainbow Serpent, emerged from the dreaming as the creator of the world and of life. Life is developed around family, relations and spirituality. Because Nyungar culture is circular and never ending, almost every aspect of their life ties to another important facet of their being. As the circle of life continues, one can begin to see the ways in which the Nyungar express their connections to boodja (land), moort (family), and kadidjiny (knowledge).

Boodja is the physical world for all Nyungar. One of the ways in which the Nyungar show their connection to boodja is through their spirituality. “Aboriginal spirituality necessarily means that the spirit of a person is linked to the spiritual world within the land, that is to a particular place in the land.”[2] The Nyungar believe that when a person dies, his/her spirit will return to their home land. Also, within different communities, Nyungar can recall when the ancestor/creator beings emerged from the land, walking around and shaping the earth. As the spiritual beings walked the earth, various plants, animals and minerals emerged and dispersed throughout the land. As the spirits became weary, their presence remained in the land, leaving behind trails and traces of all the places they traveled. These sacred sites are places where Nyungar rituals took place and are still used today. The land represents a story to the Nyungar. Boodja is how Nyungar relate to life, each other and to their family, or moort.

Moort is the Nyungar word for family or family relations. There are all types of Nyungar groups dispersed throughout the boodja, and one of the responsibilities of the family was to inform the younger Nyungar children of their family relations. When Nyungar meet they will always ask, “Who is your mob?” to figure out that person’s place in Nyungar society, but to also help piece together their moort or kinship. It is part of Nyungar responsibility to know your mob and acknowledge them. If a Nyungar does not acknowledge or address a person of kin or relation, then it is considered shameful. Even children are taught to share this responsibility.

At a young age, at family gatherings, children are taught to acknowledge their moort. The elders, or grandparents, are spoken to first, then the aunts and uncles, and last the cousins and children. Addressing the elders first is an issue of respect, and if the elders are not acknowledged first, it is considered very disrespectful and embarrassing to the family. Because of the close ties to family, children referred too many of their uncles and aunts simply as cousins, and their great aunts and great uncles as nanas and pops. Siblings treated each others children and grandchildren as their own biological children. Moort relations are the identity of the Nyungar, and the means by which they attain most of their knowledge.

Kadidjiny is the knowledge system to the Nyungar people. Kadidjiny is perhaps the one element of Nyungar culture that connects all of the other elements of life, such as boodja and moort together. As stated previously, the moort is responsible for teaching younger Nyungar about their family relations, but the moort is also responsible for sharing kadidjiny. For example, marriage laws are an important issue to Nyungar. Incest is a very serious offense; therefore, it is important to know kin so as not to marry a relative. Another part of the knowledge system is learning about the land. “The Dreaming sets out the structures of society, the rules for social behaviour and the ceremonies performed in order to maintain the life of the land.”[3] Those that do not follow the rules will be punished. Nyungar base their survival on being able to live in harmony with nature.

Nyungar also believe that if you do not respect the resting place of the waakarl (Rainbow Serpent), creator of life, then the water holes will dry up. Water is an important resource and a sacred place to the Nyungar. The Rainbow Serpent is the keeper of all fresh water sources, and to disturb the waakarl would mean that the fresh water would disappear.

Another important part of the knowledge system is the awareness of the six seasons. The Nyungar are a collective group who travel according to the seasons and the food sources that are available. “Their diet varies according to weather within the six seasons.”[4] The first of the six seasons is Birak. Birak is the first summer, and season of the young. This time of year is hot and dry, and controlled fires are lit to force kangaroos out into the open so they can be speared. Bunuru is the second summer, the season of adolescence in which children learn the art of tool-making. Fishing and hunting coincide and large sections of land were abandoned for lack of water. Djeran, or the autumn season, is the time for courtship ceremonies and marriage. The weather becomes cooler and the Kulbardi’s song is distinctively heard throughout the land. Makuru is the next season. It is the season of the first rains, the fertility season when Nyungar move inland for hunting. Djilba, or the second rains, is the season of conception. The rains fill lakes and waterholes and the weather becomes warmer. Kangaroo, emu, quenda, and possum are all hunted during this season.

The last of the six Nyungar seasons is Kambarang, the wildflower season. It is the season of birth with carpets of wildflowers and receding rains. During this time, families start moving towards the coast to hunt for waterfowl. The Nyungar, like many other indigenous groups, use their knowledge of the land to survive. The land dictates the way they live and interact with one another.

Boodja, moort and kadidjiny are all a part of the circle of life in the Nyungar culture. Because the Nyungar way of life is circular, there is no beginning and no end. The boodja is the mother. It gives rise to the structures of society, the rules of the people and the Dreaming. As a people, Nyungar are responsible for taking care of the land, respecting the land and understanding the land. When they understand the land, then they can understand their connection to one another in relation to place and family. Moort, or family also gives the Nyungar identity and knowledge. The moort provides knowledge about life, about family, and also about land. All three elements are interconnected and used interchangeably throughout Nyungar society. By simply understanding boodja, one has opened the door to learning about moort and kadidjiny, as well as their place in boodja.