Language on Country

Like First Nations people right across Australia, Ngadju developed their own language, though it was not written down in the ways of ngaata (white fellas). They named the spectacular trees of the Great Western Woodlands: tarti (gimlet), malinyu (salmon gum), kupara (Dundas blackbutt) and kunjarr (coral gum). They named the animals: marl (red kangaroo), kulpirr (grey kangaroo), yurna (bobtail) and ngurpany (dingo). And they named the birds: jula (emu), kalykurti (butcher bird), jimparlu (grey currawong) and jirti-jirti (willie wagtail).

Throughout the millennia Ngadju developed and enhanced a sophisticated web of wisdom that was passed down through thousands of generations. While the coming of white settlers wrought brought disastrous impacts, a remarkable storehouse of that knowledge endures - a tribute to the deep and strong roots of Ngadju culture.